Book Report/I Made It! Mason Dixon Knitting

OK, I looked at my list of reviews I need to catch up on and it looks ... manageable. I can do this. If I kick it, and actually post my damn photos for once, I could catch up.

Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt. But here's to hoping.

I consider Mason Dixon Knitting more of a book about knitting than a "knitting book." Yes there are patterns -- about 30 of them, mostly for the home. Blankets, dishtowels, washcloths, felted boxes, baby bibs, etc.



But really, it's more of a look at how knitters look at the craft, having fun with it, and freeing yourself to toss the pattern to the side and do your own thing with color and form.

Want to make that dishtowel out of the cheapest-of-the-cheap cotton? Go ahead! How about a subtle sea silk? That works too! The writing is warm and funny, and gives the impression of gossiping with two old friends over coffee.


There are some projects in the book I'll *never* make (the authors seem to have a strange obsession with potholder loops and rag rugs) and some I'm lusting over. The Moderne Log Cabin blanket, in particular, takes a quilting technique and makes it sleek and sophisticated enough to look right at home in a Manhattan condo. With my fondness for mid-century styles (and cozy blankies), this is right up my alley.



Has this book improved my knitting? Not necessarily. This isn't a book of techniques. Am I having more fun? Definitely.

I picked up a big bag of cheap cotton in neon-bright colors (2 for $3 Sugar and Cream) and cast on my first Ballband Warshcloth. They're so much fun to knit!! I've been cranking them out like crazy, and I practically giggle while I do it.

Then I started a Moss Grid hand towel in a variegated Sugar and Cream, didn't like the way the colors pooled, ripped the sucker out and made it in the Baby Genius Burp Cloth pattern instead. Then I added a hanger that I winged without a pattern, a pretty white rose button and now I've got the prettiest little dishcloth hanging from my stove.



The only problem? I made a Ballband in a sunny shade of yellow and a variegated that reminds me of Starburst candies. It made me happy. Then I put it on the sink, and no one would use it. They said it was too pretty to use!



Scrub the danged pots -- I've got six more washcloths to put out there! Cheap, easy, fun and machine-washable. What's not to like?

I'm no longer afraid to toss the pattern and just knit -- you should see the afghan I've started. Thanks, Mason Dixon Knitting.