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Mary Jane Mucklestone

Hand Knitting Blog & Knitting Patterns

garter stitch

Knitting Poetry

April 1, 2015 by Mary Jane 5 Comments

Neruda_Bird

April is National Poetry Month. Inspired by a favorite poem, I knit a little coaster to celebrate the season. I used motif No.52 from my book 150 Scandinavian Motifs. Instead of knitting it stranded, I tried my hand at intarsia. I’m a little rusty and just off the needles it’s a bit bumpy, but I think it will calm down with a nice blocking.

I actually saw a cardinal today, sitting on a branch just outside my window, sweetly singing. The birds are different here in my new home in the city. I am making new friends and learning new songs.

Spring
Pablo Neruda

The bird has come
to give the light:
from each trill of his
water is born.

And between water and light that unroll the air
now the spring is inaugurated,
now the seed knows that it has grown,
the root is portrayed in the corolla,
at last the eye lids of the pollen unclose.

All this was done by a simple bird
from a green branch.

 

La Primavera
Pablo Neruda

El párajo ha venido
a dar la luz:
de cada trino suyo
nace el agua

Y entre agua y luz que el aire desarrollan
ya está la primavera inaugurada,
ya sabe la semilla que ha crecido,
la raíz se retrata en la corola,
se abren por fin los párpados del polen.

Todo lo hizo un pájaro sencillo
desde una rama verde.

What’s your favorite spring poem?

You want this book! 
Full Woman, Fleshy Apple, Hot Moon: Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda
Translated by Stephen Mitchell
Harper Collins
ISBN 0-06-092877-8

For the coaster I used Quince & Co. Lark yarn. In egret, delft and leek. More specs on my Ravelry  page.

 

Filed Under: Knitting Tagged With: colorwork, garter stitch, intarsia, knitting

Icelandic Insoles – Part One

April 3, 2014 by Mary Jane 9 Comments

Iceland has been on my mind since Cirilia Rose has been instagraming from Iceland along with her buddy Steven West. You have to check out their photostreams – so entertaining!!! This picture of fish skin shoes had me remembering the time Gudrun and I spent at the Textile Museum up in Blönduós. It turns out that the traditional knitting of Iceland, or rather the antique knitting of Iceland, isn’t the ubiquitous Lopapeysa yoked sweaters, but  garter stitch insoles for fish skin shoes. I’d heard about these from Helene Magnusson’s fantastic knitting books, especially Icelandic Color Knitting: Using Rose Patterns.

While wandering the galleries, I was so enthralled with the insoles that the kind women at the museum offered to show me some of the collection not on display.

It is about time I shared them with you!

Is_insole.1

Is_insole.2

Is_insoles.4

Is_insole.3

Is_insole

IMG_4293

Here’s how they are stored.

box_o_insoles

Ok that’s all for now, soon I’ll show you the shoes and some more examples.

Filed Under: Knitting, Travel Tagged With: colorwork, garter stitch, Iceland, intarsia

It is Still Winter!!!!

March 12, 2013 by Mary Jane 5 Comments

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!

Filed Under: Knitting Tagged With: design, garter stitch, knitting, knitting pattern, Lopapeysa, Maine, Maine wool, scarf

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