Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 4: Log Cabin.

Posted by Julia on August 26, 2017

The fourth installment of the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide series is here! Let’s take a peek inside.

Ann Shayne and Kaye Gardiner’s series of Field Guides are pocket-sized booklets focused on a particular theme or knitting technique. The theme here is Log Cabin, a motif you may recognize from quilting. In knitting, it’s a modular technique that builds one square or rectangle at a time from the center out, picking up stitches along one edge of the last piece that was knitted.

Ann and Kay offer what they call “instructions on how to improvise,” a variety of log cabin constructions, along with a few patterns making use of the technique.

Ann Weaver’s “Ninepatch Blanket” is knit with Berroco Ultra Alpaca, an old faithful of our worsted weight section here at the shop, though we have many solid blanket-making contenders.

Look for the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 4 here at the shop! See you there.

By Hand Lookbook No. 3: Nashville.

Posted by Julia on June 5, 2017

The latest volume of By Hand is here!

By Hand is a series of lookbooks, a magazine of sorts, where each issue focuses on a place or region. The subject matter is the makers of that community, the designers, hand-dyers, yarn and fabric companies, and fiber artists that both shape and draw inspiration from the place they call home.

No. 3 is all about Nashville, Tennessee, and is filled with profiles of a variety of makers that call this Southern city home: dyers, designers, bloggers, fiber farmers, cowboy boot-makes, bookbinders, and more.

Some of these names are new to us, but many are familiar. Ann Shayne of Mason-Dixon Knitting and Karen Templer of Fringe Association share their thoughts on community-building through knitting, concepts that really resonate with us.

You’ll find By Hand on the teacart here at the shop, which is lately overflowing with exciting new publications for knitters and other makers. Come by to page through and plan your next project!

Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 3: Wild Yarns.

Posted by Julia on April 17, 2017

The third installment of the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide series is here, and going fast! Let’s take a peek inside.

Ann Shayne and Kaye Gardiner’s series of Field Guides are pocket-sized booklets focused on a particular theme or knitting technique. The first two featured musings on stripes and fair-isle knitting, respectively, but this third is all about yarn.

Specifically, Wild Yarns is about those beautiful skeins of hand-dyed yarn that can be unpredictable on the needles. How will those tempting colors play out in the fabric, and how best to make use of these special skeins?

Like the Field Guides before it, this third volume has essays from Ann and Kay and three patterns from knitwear designers they’ve brought on to address the Guide’s theme; this one showcases Kirsten Kapur, Diana Walla, and Sue McCain.

Look for the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 3 here at the shop, where you may well find some wild yarns, as well! See you there.

Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 2: Fair Isle.

Posted by Julia on January 30, 2017

The second installment of the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide series is here, and going fast! Let’s take a peek inside.

Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner are the knitters, designers, and writers behind Mason-Dixon Knitting, a long-running blog that has evolved into an online community and growing list of publications. Their latest endeavor is the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guides, pocket-sized booklets focused on a particular knitting technique, featuring the approachable patterns and humorous musings these two are known for.

Fair isle knitting is a favorite technique of mine, and Anne’s, too; if you’re intrigued, this little book is a fine and friendly introduction. It features three patterns, one of which is a cozy colorwork pullover in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, pictured above. Below, another of our favorite yarns is put to good work in a colorwork cowl and hat: Swans Island All American Sport.

Come by the shop to pick up the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 2!

Shibui Sample of the Month: Breton Cowl colorways.

Posted by Julia on November 18, 2016

Our November Shibui Sample of the Month is on display at the shop til November 30th, and we’re offering the Shibui yarns for this project at 10% off throughout the month!

This particular “Breton Cowl” is knit with a relatively high-contrast combination of colors, namely Drift in “Graphite” and Silk Cloud in “Suit.” There’s an argument to be made that high-contrast colorways are better suited to this pattern than subtle ones, and here are a few such colorways.

Above: Drift in “Tar” and Silk Cloud in “Apple.” Below: Drift in “Velvet” and Silk Cloud in “Raspberry.”

Ginny recently brought her finished “Breton Cowl” in for show-and-tell, and it’s this very combination that she used. I love the bright pop of “Raspberry” against the deeply saturated “Velvet.”

For those who favor subtlety, here are a couple of low-contrast color combinations that I find just as exciting.

Above: Drift in “Suit” and Silk Cloud in “Blueprint.” Below: Drift in “Pollen” and Silk Cloud in “Mineral.”

Come by the shop to create your own “Breton Cowl” color combination, and get the Shibui yarns for this project at 10% off during November!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges, returns, or special orders. Thanks!

Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 1: Stripes.

Posted by Julia on November 13, 2016

A delightful new book is now on our shelves, the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 1: Stripes.

This first Field Guide is all about stripes, and features three striped patterns: a pair of color-block mitts, the glorious “Breton Cowl” that we have on display throughout November, and a cozy blanket.

Come by the shop to pick up the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 1, and come during November to see the “Breton Cowl” in person!