Mason-Dixon Knitting

Baby Genius Burp Cloth


Ball Band Dish Cloth

Dishcloths are already my favorite thing to knit, but I really got on a roll with these slip stitch patterns from Mason-Dixon knitting using cream and white. The yarn is little hard to tell apart while knitting in the dark, but I think the finished result is subtle and lovely. Please know that due to having giant cones of white and cream kitchen cotton on hand I have made way more than these two.

Self-striping socks

For the first time I actually tried to match a pair of self-striping socks. The first pair took a few false starts to get the second sock just right, so for the next pair I made a note of where in the skein I started my cast on. It worked like a charm on the first try.

Gigantic Fava Beans

From left to right: A quarter, a dried bean, a bean soaked overnight.

I'm hoping once they are cooked they will be the size of slices of bread and I can pick them up with both hands and eat them.

Seven Pounds of Grapes

After being mashed and fermenting for one week.

More Free Fruit

Seven pounds of Scuppernong grapes before being turned into booze.

Knitting Pin-Up

Found in this book and now permanently posted in my craft area.

Hemmed Jeans

I thrifted a pair of jeans this weekend that were a few inches too long. I was unable to preserve the original hem as they were obviously too long for the last wearer, too and the hem was shredded.



After a failed attempt on one leg which required much seam ripping, I am pretty pleased with the result. A perfectly attractive hem 3 1/2 inches higher than the last one. Now to begin wearing them to make the hems look as distressed as the rest of the jeans.




I started off following this tutorial, which I followed closely on one leg. I would not recommend cutting the notches out of the fabric, as I left that step out on the other leg with a much neater result and no extra difficulty. I also invested the $4 on the unfortunately named Jean-A-Ma-Jig which came with it's own clear instructions for sewing over seams. Success! I might do this again if I find some more cheap-ass tall people jeans.

Watermelon Granita

Yesterday, I came down with a 24 hour ick which made me weak and grouchy. Luckily I was revived this morning with some watermelon granita which I had the good sense to start freezing before I got sick. I chose to make this over sorbet because I am lazy.


Final outcome of my watermelon surplus:
1/2 made into Watermelon Salad
1/2 made into Watermelon Granita
1 eaten daily for breakfast
1 made into a gallon of wine

The two remaining melons got yucky soft spots before I got around to them. We then created a new Olympic event, a biathlon composed of a watermelon toss and sprint. In this event, watermelons are chucked into the retaining pond of your complex and you sprint back home before your neighbors see you.

Cat Tuffet in a Basket

From Bend-The-Rules Sewing, a bed for the best cat in the world. It is already rumpled and covered in hair a mere 12 hours after I finished making it, so we can assume he likes it.






Action Shot: Taking a Bath. Hopefully, his custom cushion will make him feel special and he will stop peeing in the dog's bed.

Mason-Dixon Rug

Finished: A Mason-Dixon Knitting style log cabin kitchen rug made from dishcloth cotton and rag yarn. I hand made the rag yarn from red gingham fabric and had quite a bit of fun tearing it up into one inch strips. Since the fabric was purchased specifically for this project, I guess it isn't really rag yarn, but I am patiently awaiting the death of my bedsheets on order shred them into a truly recycled yarn.

Altered Tee

For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to buy a maternity top without trying it on because it was on clearance and didn't look hideously misshapen.

After trying it on it looked and felt a little sloppy so I decided to alter it using my Tiny Serger. It was my first actual project using the serger, which I deemed useful once I successfully tied on new thread and not have to thread it by hand (Terrifying diagrams! Tweezers! Three different spools of thread!). Other than the sun going down in the middle of the experiment, resulting in a weird "after" picture, I think it went pretty well. It definitely feels more like my other shirts except for still being a little long. So call it a tunic and the project is a success!


Before

After

Picnic

One-half of a watermelon eaten today at a lovely picnic in the form of Cucumber and Watermelon Salad. Inspired by this recipe but with a drizzle of olive oil on top. Surprisingly delicious and refreshing on a hot day. With a loaf of fresh rosemary scented bread it was the perfect light lunch.

Sunbonnet Chic

This sunbonnet is from a vintage pattern (Mother Earth News, July/ August 1978, p.78-79) and made with some mystery fabric from my stash. The article proclaims that "the traditional, decorative, and practical sunbonnet is back in style." Perhaps it was for those who read Mother Earth News in 1978. It does have a certain charm.

Please rest assured that it fits much better on a human head than a watermelon and will hopefully shield my mother's face from the sun as she feeds horses and goats on her farm. Unfortunately, using the melon to model a hat did not reduce the number we need to consume, so after completing the bonnet I mashed one into juice and started a gallon of Watermelon Wine. One down, four to go!

Watermelon Surplus

A generous benefactor at work has given me five watermelons from a local patch nearing the end of watermelon season. I plan on eating as much as I can but I need to find something to do with the rest while they are still delicious.

Christmas in July

It's about time I started my Christmas knitting! These "Doily Style Dishcloths" had me thinking "poinsettia" when worked up in red. These will be tucked away until the holidays.