Those of us (our numbers are legion) who love Mason-Dixon Knitting and Kay and Ann's hearth-focused, warm approach to knitting and to life have been waiting and waiting for Book Two to appear. At last the moment has almost arrived, and we are celebrating by offering a preorder special.

We are also celebrating because this book is so darned good. Kay and Ann were good enough to send us a prepublication proof: even with black and white reproduced xeroxed photos, I'm so excited I can hardly sit still. (Kay assures me, and I believe her completely, that the "real" book will be fraught, simply fraught, with GLORIOUS COLOR - which ought to make it glow in the dark, given how fabulous it is with fuzzy black and white.)

Like their first book, Outside the Lines is packed with wonderful, good stuff that will beautify, enlighten, warm and delight. Not to mention show you ways to keep knitting while doing all of that - these ladies really mean business when it comes to knitting their loves into life.

Here's a bit of what you'll find inside:

• An entire chapter devoted to "Decorating Yourself" in which Ann discovers that it's just a whole lot of fun to knit things that will look great when worn. And there are some beautiful things to knit which will look wonderful on anyone - what a treat! Sweaters, jackets, coats, purses, scarves, and socks to fill your closet and bedeck your life.
• Then, "Fair Isle" is revealed to be the happy color festival that it is - with some unexpected ways of using it "writ large" (think blankets and rugs).
• In "Covering the Small Human," Kay appears on the scene equipped with enough denim yarn to keep an entire elementary school warm -- and places before us one of the most charming and interesting children's sweaters ever. See for yourself, her Sk8r is such a good design you're going to want to figure out how to make one for yourself, too. There are non-denim dresses and tops as well, just in case you don't share Kay's color passion, as well as a cuter-than-cute baby cap and even "blu jeans." Knitting for kids has never been better than this.
• Knitting runs the gamut from Christmas Stockings to kippahs in their "Occasional Knitting" chapter. But, because every day can be celebrated, there is also a table runner, a felted tote, linen grocery bags to take you back to 1973, even covers for paper lanterns that make me smile and wish it were dry enough in Oregon to string paper lanterns across our back yard.
• Last, but absolutely not least, "The Sophisticated Kitchen" is an ode to the glories of, you guessed it, the 'warsh rag.' I can't begin to tell you how much I love this chapter - it is happily utilitarian, and happily at home making one's house better and nicer and prettier one stitch at a time. The classic ball band wash rag reappears sized for a heavy duty workout as a reusable mop cover and a doggy coat (just roll the little fellow over and scootch him for a cleaner floor and a more playful puppy). The hanging towels are just plain lovely and will make truly great gifts. There are even potholders (of course!) and, get this, a cuff for your rubber gloves (to keep your hands even dryer!).

 

Bottom line: Mason-Dixon Knitting - Outside the Lines is one great knitting book. Even if we had to wait twice as long, every minute of anticipation would be well spent!

I consider this DVD to be something of a "dynamic duo" of practical knitting. Here, in one place, you'll find a really innovative, highly wearable side-to-side jacket pattern and a smooth-sailing blanket that is also self-storing. Not to mention warm and comfy (notice the cat's happy look).

Meg's Round-the-Bend Jacket will go 'round the bend all by itself, never sending you and your knitting there, too. It's is knit with an Aran weight yarn and sized at 44" or 40", depending on gauge. As Meg suggests, should you wish a differet size, use Elizabeth Zimmermann's EPS system to recalculate the pattern. We recommend the following of our yarns:

Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester Aran - 4 skeins for jacket as written

Fleece Artist Aran Alpaca - 4 skeins as written

Zitron Cambio - 17 balls as written

The Puzzle-Pillow Blanket is acccomplished with sweet 'n' simple garter stitch and bulky weight yarn. Meg teaches us her "sew" as you go technique using dpns (!). When you're finished, do crawl under for a good nap with sweet knitting dreams! We recommend:

Fleece Artist Big Blue - 2 skeins each color for 24"x36"; 3 skeins each color for 28"x42"; and 4 skeins each color for 36"x54"

Receiving a pre-publication review copy of this sparkling new book is one of the happiest things that's happened to me in good long while. The last time I smiled, laughed and revisited a knitting book this much was when Cat Bordhi sent me her first Treasury of Magical Knitting. While being entirely different in it's content and purpose, Mason-Dixon Knitting is just that sort of book.

The authors have poured onto these pages and into these projects their enthusiasm for knitting, for keeping things simple, for colorful, joyful, functional things, for friends and family. To read Mason-Dixon Knitting is to find yourself surrounded by a world of smiles; it is to remember what's really important in this world (hint: it has to do with loved ones, home and joy); and, to discover some amazingly good, exciting knitting!

Here's some of what's inside that I especially love:

• dishcloths. Really. I never thought anyone would ever catch me knitting a dishcloth, but after seeing these bright, spunky models in MDK, and reading Ann and Kay's write-up on all the wonderful reasons they love knitting them and using them, well, I can hardly wait for the cotton yarn to arrive so I can always have one on the needles, too. There's a great connection to the cotton yarn manufacturer who will put as much cotton yarn as you need into your hands for less money than you ever thought possible, too.
• log-cabin knitting. These designs are every bit as addictive, versatile, and useful in knitted form as they are in quilting. And the things you can do with this technique! My. You can make rugs (step upon the courthouse steps), bedspreads (think Mondrian!), baby blankets (bright-eyed rainbows), bath mats (really, really nice ones), all in variations that range from very traditional to uptown modern. I'm also waiting for more yarn to arrive so I can get going on a bedspread -- I mean, I'm really watching and waiting. What I mean to say is that my fingers are practically tingling with impatience at having to wait to get started. That's how good these designs are.
• the bubbly curtain and linen hand towels. I'm an avoider of knitting with linen. Really I am. Now I have some on order - all because of these two projects.
• the peignoir. You may not think that ladies who extol the delights of dishrag knitting would also offer up a peignoir to die for, but they did. Just goes to show what we know about ladies who knit dishcloths, doesn't it? It's in linen, it's lovely, and it would even look good on a post-40 or -50 mom.
• calamari knitting. Discover a great way to recycle tee shirts into things you'll really like to use.
• the out-of-focus photo of Xenobia Bailey. Irresistible.
• the Moses Basket liner with Godmother's Edging. Also Irresistible.
• the back cover. It bears this inscription:
  

Remember:
No project is too ambitious if you crave the result enough.

There is something so charming and appealing about the idea of knitting rugs for your home. Just the idea of it transports me into a time and place where so much more was made by hand for use by the people who made them. So, you can picture my excitement when I received a review copy of The Knitted Rug -- and my excitement didn't stop when I opened the book, either. What I found inside was a handworker's dream -- ideas and patterns for really good looking carpets, almost all of which can be made by novice knitters. Here are living room carpets, area rugs, hall runners, bath mats (really, really nice ones!) and more -- in patterns and designs that will go with just about any decor, knit from fibers that will last years. I just love this book and am very pleased to be able to offer it to you.