Mary Jane Mucklestone

Hand Knitting Blog & Knitting Patterns

Knitting

And we have a winner!!!!

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kristin_flowersCongratulations to Meredith MC, the lucky winner of Kristin Nicholas‘s new book 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet and Felt. I’ll be sending it out soon. You’ll have so much fun knitting flowers and bugs!

This week I’m working for my favorite! Designer Norah Gaughan and our fabulous and intrepid  Berroco photoshoot team. We’re shooting Fall 2014. This year there’s lots of snow on the ground and some fell from the sky today. Quite different from our Fall 2013 shoot when it was 72 degrees during the same week. Crazy!
Berroco

Kristin Nicholas • 50 Sunflowers • Book Give Away!!!

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dec 2dec 1

I still get a thrill getting packages in the mail, and my most recent delivery was no exception. 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet and Felt by one of my knitting heros, Kristin Nicholas. In my opinion Kristin was responsible for bringing knitting out of the dark ages when she was the creative director of Classic Elite Yarns. She introduced new fashion forward colors –her hot pink  was sensational– her work was (and is) lively and ethic-textile-influenced. Her styling for advertisements was fantastic…she used supermodels like Gail Eliott and Indian inspired clothing…and she never has never stopped creating influential exciting work!

Kristin’s new book is just what we all need right now, whether you are living where it is full blown Spring and especially if you are in an area like mine, here in Maine, where spring is reluctant to arrive. 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet and Felt will not disappoint! In fact I just had to sit right down and knit one. I chose a funny little one called Cherry Twizzler (#7). I followed the directions, but being me I didn’t follow the yarn suggestions, I used Quince & Co Chickadee in Glacier and Snap Pea. For needles I used a US3 (3.25mm). Is it not a darling Dr. Seuss Happy Whoville flower? Clear directions, easy to follow, the result – totally satisfying and joy producing. Really,  instant pleasure does not come much more easily. It makes me smile just thinking about this little flower….and the book is not just sunflowers, there are bugs! Ladybugs and Bees (which I would probably knit in black for ants) and butterflies. Birds too!

kristin_bird

 

 

You can order  50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet and Felt at Kristin’s website. You’ll want to read her blog while you’re there Getting Stitched on the Farm which details the life of an artist on a sheep farm…sigh….

But guess what?  You were all so fantastic with your stories of apples and mom  & daughter knitting and your thoughts on gingham and chickens during Gudrun’s Knit With Me soiree, that I’m going to do it again!!!! You’ve got a chance to win a copy of the book, right here right now!!!!

Leave a comment about spring or bugs or sheep or how Kristin has inspired you. Comments will be open until Sunday March 24, 2013 until midnight!

I’ll read each and every one of your entertaining comments and randomly choose the lucky winner!
Next week I’ll contact the winner and get your mailing address.

 

2013 Classes Posted

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classGrid

I’m lucky to be teaching at some fantastic events this year. It will be great to get back in the classroom, I’m really looking forward to it after these past few months of working only on books.

First class is next week right here in my own neighborhood, at the Penobscot Marine Museum, as part of their winter program “Keeping Warm”. I’m doing it as a benefit so all proceeds go directly to the museum, which has a great textile collection.

Stranded Knitting Traditions Workshop
Join me in Searsport Maine where we’ll explore the wonderful, colorful world of stranded knitting. This beautiful folkloric knitting tradition occurs all around the world from Fair Isle and the Shetland Islands to Scandinavia, South America and throughout Central Asia. Stranded knitting is using more than one color in each round of knitting. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, Church Street, Searsport. $30 non-members, $25 members. All funds donated directly to Penobscot Marine Museum. For more information contact the Museum.

We’ll be practicing with a small sample worked in the round. Being thrifty Mainers, I ask you to bring yarn from your stash in at least two colors with high contrast. Bring more colors if you like, the more the merrier. Worsted weight or DK weight preferred. You will need either a 16″ circular needle, or double pointed needles that are a suitable size for the yarn you’ve chosen, a good place to look is the ball band for suggested needle sizes.

So that we can get right in knitting, for homework I’d like you to cast on 96 stitches if you’ve chosen a circular needle, or 48 stitches if you’re using double pointed needles. Join for working in the round. K1 p1 rib for one inch.

For more information for all upcoming events visit my Classes page.

I may add one or two more events so be sure to check back.

Coming up:

April 4-7

Vogue Knitting Live Seattle

My hometown!!!! Yes!

 

April 26-29    Vogue Knitting Destinations – Camden, Maine

SOLD OUT – Sorry folks !

 

May 3 &4
Color Immersion Weekend – Harriville, New Hampshire

Historic textile village – Historic mill !

 

 

It is Still Winter!!!!

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skiing

For my birthday I got cross-country SKIS + boots + poles which = FUN! So I’m still rooting for another snowstorm, though I am way in the minority around these parts. Sure some flowers would be nice, I can almost smell them when the sun comes out, and a robin or two singing would be cheery…but new snow would be even more fun for me now!

I’m outfitted in the Lopapeysa I got last summer in Iceland. Perfect, zips both ways. I’ve got my overalls on so my pants won’t fall down. I’m wearing my Elfin Peak Hat…and a stash busting scarf I made a while back with pom poms. Pom poms, as you may know, make you ski faster.

Of course you can make a scarf like this out of just about anything. I’m sure you can just whip this baby up without instructions, but sometimes you just don’t want to THINK AT ALL…Just Make!

For a scarf that measures 5.5 inches(14cm) wide and 43 inches(109cm) long – 45 inches(114cm) when measured with the pompoms –  here’s what I did:

Yarn: 1 skein Bartlettyarns 2 ply 100% Maine Wool [4oz /200yds (114g/183m)] ; Color “Bracken”. Assorted colors of worsted  weight yarn for pom poms 10 x 9yd (8.25m) lengths.
Needles: US8 (5mm) 24″ (60cm) or 32″ (80cm) circular needle – due to large number of stitches.
Notions: tapestry needle, 1 3/4″ (4.5cm) pom pom maker if desired.

POM POM HAPPINESS SCARF

Cast on 154 stitches. Knitting flat, knit every stitch every row for garter stitch.

Knit 48 rows.

Bind Off. Weave in ends.

Make 10 – 1.5″ (4cm) pompoms…any color you like! Leave the yarn that you tie the pom pom together with  long, and use those ends to sew them to the edge of the scarf – 5 on each end.

I like a really chubby pompom so I used about 9 yards (8.25m) for each. I use the “easy wrap” pom pom maker from Susan Bates and I trim my pom poms closely….a little obsessively.

Now you’re ready – to the woods!

pompom scarf

You can have this pattern as a Free Ravelry Download if you can’t keep those complex directions in your head!

A Valentine’s Gift for You!

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And We Have a Winner!

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Quince&Co
Congratulations to Rebecca! She was randomly chosen to win Gudrun Johnston’s latest book Knit With Me, a collection of gorgeous knits all made with Quince & Co yarns. Here’s a peek at my latest secret project…maybe it will help Rebecca choose the colors she’d like to use. We see egret, glacier, carrie’s yellow and leek…so pretty, so nice to knit with.

Thanks for all the great comments and stories! So many apple names, who knew? So many mom’s and daughters who knit, and quite a few who are the only ones bitten by the bug! Read the comments to truly understand what a wonderful community we Gudrun- lovers have!

You’ve still got one more chance to win Gudrun’s book. Visit the talented Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops, on Wednesday, January 30th. Leave a comment and keep your fingers crossed!

 

And if you don’t want to leave it to chance, you can buy Knit With Me directly from Quince & Co.