Inspirational

I've been a long time fan of Kay and Ann's - so I was pretty happy to hear they had another book coming out. I was even happier when I found out that my friend Kiki provided some inspiration for a project in the book!


Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines follows nicely in the footsteps of Ann and Kay's blog and their first book. In addition to some pretty fantastic patterns they continue their dialogue and commentary in similar style as their blog.

The book is broken into several sections, each with a different focus. The first has to do with decorating oneself - from apparel to accessories, this section is sure to inspire your knitting on one way or another - I've already started eyeballing the inventory of Shibui Silk Cloud with thoughts of knitting up the lovely plaid wrap - or perhaps the light-as-air cardigan (Cardi Cozy).

With my current coat/jacket/cardi fascination (yes, I'm making quite the progress on the Bog Jacket - it just doesn't look like a whole lot other than miles of Garter Stitch...so hang tight, if all goes well, I might be seaming by the end of the weekend!), I find myself drawn to Metropole - a great swingy coat with lovely texture (yay linen stitch!)

Moving onward, the book progresses into another recent fascination - Fair Isle - and of course, Ann and Kay have a special take on it - if I don't manage to make faster progress on Venezia, I may well cast on for one of the wonderful Fair Isle projects in this book to get a taste for Steeking!

The next chapter touches on knits for kids - perfect for toddlers to tweens, there are some patterns that are a fresh take on kids knits - I especially like the Blu Jeans. The book is rounded out with chapters on "Occasional Knitting" and knits for the Kitchen (where we see the wonderful dishcloth stitch pattern from the first book remade into something new...and of course, mitered squares make an appearance also!)

If you're a fan of the Mason Dixon ladies, or you're looking for some fresh ideas for your knitting, I definitely recommend adding this book to your library. Stay tuned. Photos of fresh yarn on the bobbin are coming...and that bog jacket is making some serious progress (i finished that huge cake of yarn btw)