Mason-Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Meador Shayne

I just read this book, and I thought I'd share my take on it. It's basically a book that was written by two internet pals who met through a knitting board. They are funny in kind of a silly way, so if you are a "let it all hang out" type person, you might appreciate their sense of humor. (I did.)

The patterns in the book are simple, although I thought it was odd that they recommended various cast on methods for some of the patterns without explaining how to do them, but then explained that you had to bring the yarn to the front to purl (or back to knit.) I think of the latter as a basic thing you should know, but I don't know how many methods most people know for casting on. (I know two well, but maybe I'm slow.)

Many of the patterns are for home accessories -- rugs, linens, dish cloths -- although there are also wearable items, including scarves, a nightie (yes, really!) and a baby kimono (ok, that one is only wearable by babies.) I thought the patterns were attractive, and definitely not typical of the average knitting book. I think the first thing I make from the book will be the baby bibs (my sister just had a baby.)

If you want to get a better feel for their writing style and what sort of patterns appeal to the authors, definitely check out their blog, Mason-Dixon Knitting. They have some cute free patterns on their website as well as the errata of their book patterns.