Tag Archives: Mason-Dixon

Mitred crosses blanket

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It went from this:

And this:

To this:

And finally to a folded up this:

And a bunched up this:

 

And a spread out (but not properly photographed) this:

This is the Mitred Crosses Blanket–for Japan, by Kay Gardiner, of the Mason-Dixon Blog. In 2011, all the proceeds from the sale of the pattern (which costs $5) goes to earthquake-tsunami relief in Japan. In the years to come, all the proceeds go to Mercy Corps to support their relief efforts. The pattern is available on Ravelry and on Gardiner’s blog, via a link to Rav.

The blanket is knitted up in Plymouth Encore and Colorspun, a 25% wool/75% acrylic easy-care workhorse of a yarn. The squares are each knitted separately. Then they are joined in strips, picking up edge stitches and then using a three-needle bind off.  Partial blocks are added to fill out the rows. Then the strips are joined, also using a three-needle bind off. Applied I-cord gives it a neat, finished edge.

A great pattern as well as a wonderfully generous donation by Gardiner. More than 600 blankets have been knit already and posted on Ravelry.

Log Cabin…ing

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Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne, of Mason-Dixon fame, popularized this knitted Log Cabin technique. My version most closely tracks the design they call “Joseph’s Blankie of Many Colors.” Mine was a stash buster and ended up only about 50 inches square. I’m calling it “Joseph’s Not So Big Blankie (Of Many Colors).” It’s going to be a holiday gift. A lapafghan. And it also isn’t going to be Joseph’s (once it’s gifted).

The technique is totally easy. Knit a central square. Pick up stitches for one log along a side. Then pick up stitches for another bit longer log. And keep working out from the center until you: (1) run out of yarn or (2) run out of tolerance for miles and miles of garter stitch. I have a spooky tolerance for garter stitch. It’s the first stitch every knitter learns and I just fall into the rhythm and knit and knit.  Instead of the I-cord border, which is what Gardiner and Shayne suggest, I picked up stitches all around the blanket, and worked 10 rows of garter stitch in the round, mitering the corners as I went along.

This is knit in 3-ply Philosopher’s Wool and the now-discontinued Tahki Soho Bulky. On size 10 needles. It is one very heavy little blankie. It’s possible it could trap and crush a small child or a cat, so I’ll have to gift it with the appropriate warning.

Here’s a few more views:

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