MDK Miters

Here's a picture of my latest project. It's a mitered square from Mason-Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Meador Shayne.




It's knit from Lion Brand Wool Ease in Cranberry and Mushroom. I also have one finished in Forest Green Heather and Mushroom. I only need 78 more blocks to make this blanket.



I decided on Wool Ease for a couple of reasons. One is that I have a plastic tote full of various colors and the other is that Wool Ease can be machine washed and (hopefully) dried. I don't expect to get this blanket done anytime soon. It's more of a project to do when I want something easy to knit. I don't find it totally mindless but it's very easy to do.

There is a problem with the pattern, though, and I can't seem to find any errata on it. I end up with one extra stitch which throws off the bind off. I'm going to reread the pattern to be sure I didn't miss something and if I don't find the problem, I'll ask one of the online knitting groups.

Saturday Sue and I went to Remsen to Wool Haven Yarn Shop. We had a nice visit with the shop owner (unfortunately I don't know her name). She has lots of great finished projects all through the shop. I got to see a Tomten jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann and an Einstein jacket by Sally Melville. The samples made me want to make both of them. Well, except for the fact that they are both all garter stitch. I don't know if I can do that much garter stitch.

I bought enough Plymouth Encore to make a Knitting Pure and Simple cardigan vest and a couple skeins of Lopi for felted slippers. I also got a copy of Vivian Hoxboro's Domino Knitting. Mitered squares seem to be my thing lately.

I've been working on prayer shawls but I haven't finished one yet. I have to write up a short presentation for the Missions Committee at church. I hope there's enough interest to start a prayer shawl group.

Okay. Enough from me for today. I need to get back to work. Take care!

Knitting beginnings

I think I first learned to knit around age 8 or 9. I'm not completely sure but it must have been somewhere around then. And I'm not sure if my mother or my maternal grandmother taught me but it was one or both of them. But all they taught me was how to knit and purl. I'm not even sure how long I continued to knit after I first learned but I suspect it wasn't long. Fast forward to me after I was married but before I had children. That would put me between the ages of 23 and 26. I remember wanting to make Barbie doll clothes for my husband's nieces but I didn't know how to increase or decrease. Decreasing was a no brainer but I had to find a knitting how-to book and decipher the written directions on knitting into the front and back of a stitch. The great thing about doll clothes is that they are very small so if you goof up, you can rip back and start over without too much angst. I did learn how to K f&b and to decrease. And I made quite a few doll clothes for the nieces. Now those nieces have little girls of their own. And I still have those pattern books from almost 30 years ago.

All this came to mind when I was trying to think of something quick to make for the Palm Sunday charity auction at church last week. I only had a week and wanted something I could work up quickly. I had recently purchased two American School of Needlework pattern books of fashion doll clothes and wanted to try some of the patterns. So I went to A. C. Moore and picked up a couple of inexpensive fashion dolls and made some clothes for them.

The evening gown pattern and the burgundy blouse pattern were in the new pattern books. The burgundy skirt was from one of my old pattern books. The tube top and the two dresses were patterns I found online. And the scarves and the multicolored skirt I made up. The multicolored skirt is crocheted as is the scarf/shawl that matches it. I thought they all turned out well. I bought two canvas bags to hold the dolls and clothes. A little girl at church now has two dolls and several outfits to play with and I had fun making them.

I have good news to report on my sock. As you can see, I managed to find the right place in the yarn pattern to start after undoing the knot. This picture shows the sock a couple rows into the heel flap. In real time, the heel flap is done and it's time to turn the heel now.

I have also been working on a prayer shawl. I'm going to try and start a prayer shawl group at church. I can't remember the name of the shawl pattern I'm using and since I'm at work, I'll have to post it at another time. I am using Plymouth Encore Colours in a gray/lt. blue/white colorway. Updates and photos on this project will be in a future post.

Thank you to everyone who commiserated with me on the knot in the yarn. And I thankfully don't have any unhappy medical news, Amy, but thank you for your concern.