The garlic has been planted.  The garden has been put to bed and is sleeping under the first snow.  

A beautiful snow of large flakes, each so large that we can see different patterns floating in front of our windows.  Now is the season to appreciate a warm room, a sip of your favorite drink and the time to ponder the many colors, textures and designs that beckon in this wonderful season for knitting.

Our newest pattern, Plum Island Big Baby, #135 has everything you'll need to hold your knitting attention all season long.  Great yarn, great pattern repeat and great warmth when you finish.  

What could be cozier than snuggling under this graceful blanket?  A perfect pattern to knit while watching snow flakes fall.  In deep rich fall/winter colors or soft muted colors in hopes of spring.  

Take a look at our other big and cozy patterns #83, #113, #123 and maybe #134?

Soothing, calming, relaxing, peaceful

As we all begin to ponder holiday gifts and wonder what to knit for whom,  here is a wonderful idea. 

We offer our new LADD STREET COWL pattern, our gift to you which is both soothing and rhythmic to knit AND the easiest five (approx) hour project you could ever imagine.

The gentle 4 row repeat lends itself beautifully to a little more than 200 yards of yarn.  Finish all in one day or savor an hour here and there. Wonderful in any color, so cozy and luscious  to wear. The perfect gift  for everyone. 

The perfect relaxation for you!

Visit our website and check out our new winter accessories.

  Blankie, boppi, EE, lovie 

Linus had it right. When Lucy told Linus "You think you're so smart with that blanket. What are you going to do with it when you grow up?" 

Linus said, "Maybe I'll make it into a sport coat.“

That's what blankets do. They cover and protect infants, they comfort babies, they support toddlers and school kids alike. Blankets go along.  They go to overnight camps, they sometimes go to college. 

They get us through. 

Which blanket will you make for a special baby?

Denim Baby Blanket, #54
Lattice Blanket, #83
Organic Cotton Baby Blanket, #59
Outer Baby Blanket, #106
Phoebe's Crib Blanket , #116
Stripped Baby Blanket Pattern, #55
Whipped Blankets, #123

*More blanket patterns available for wholesale customers.

Beauty of the Earth

We live close to the earth here. The colors, shapes and textures change constantly. We are surrounded by vibrant and subtle hues of color. The deep yellow gold of the last sun flowers, the sun kissed hay of the salt water marsh, the dune grass on the beach that is still a soft light yellow green, often splashed with vibrant goldenrod, the ocean water, sometimes steely gray, sometimes electric blue, sometimes midnight dark, the quiet of the white shells that wash ashore. These all nourish our senses. We are calmed by some and stirred by others. One needs to focus. There is so much to see. So much to savor.

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.

― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

We hope you will love these first new patterns from our fall 2012 season as much as we do, elegant, minimal, in muted hushed tones to ease into fall.

 

Visit our website and facebook page for Fall Designs and New PDF Releases!

Back Bay Poncho, Pattern #130

Finger-ish Gloves, Pattern #132

Inspired to Create

Summer continues apace in August. Did you know that this August has TWO full moons? The night skies are beautiful here. The stars and moon glitter and we take the time to look beyond ourselves. There are stacks and stacks of salt marsh hay in tidy bales down on the marsh. Locals wonder when those protected plover chicks will fly and watch in wonder as thousands of tree swallows swoop and twirl as they return to the wildlife refuge again. Nature gives us so many colors, textures and designs. We see beauty and patterns everywhere.

We are inspired to create. 

CHILDREN’S BUTTON JACKET, #46 - a lovely gentle over-sized children’s jacket, a great layering piece.  The pattern calls for sport weight doubled but can also use a soft worsted weight in the same gauge. Worked in 1 color or 2, the simple garter stitch makes a beautiful, simple fabric and shape.

MAC’S SPORT SOCKS #90 knit with textured organic cotton. The color is gentle, earthy and minimal with a snug fit around the instep and soft rib around the leg. Are these real socks for daytime wear or "slipper socks" as we call them at our house? No one needs to know you wear them for both. 

Primitive Rug Hooker

6-9" Cut Wool Scraps 
from Finished Rugs

I love easing into the sleepy summer months of July and August, when time seems to be on my side. These are the days when I find pleasure in sitting on our screened in porch, drinking morning coffee, sometimes swatching stitches that intrigue me. But more often these days, I hook. Yes, I admit it, I’m a primitive rug hooker. 

Hooking and knitting have the same appeal for me. Both lead me to rich colors and interesting designs and textures. Searching for the perfect wool colors that will make a rug unique leads me to Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift stores looking for discarded wool coats or skirts in many hues. Once the garments are cut apart, washed and slightly felted, they are ready to be cut into strips and hooked in patterns that can both sing and comfort.

Perhaps you will also find rug hooking a great addition to your needlework. We hope that your summer allows for a change of pace, a chance to feel refreshed, a time to allow your creativity to hum. Please do share your projects with us! We would love to see them! 

   

Finished Rug June 2012 (26 x 40")

                             

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Relaxed Summer Luxury

WITH THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF MEMORIAL DAY BEHIND US IT'S TIME TO FIND OUR SUMMER PACE.  SEARCH OUT THOSE LONG STRETCHES OF QUITE BEACH, WARM SAND, COOL EVENING BREEZES AND GREAT SUMMER KNITTING.  TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF OUR SUMMER BEST: SUMMER WRAP, #74 DONE IN BLUE SKY ALPACAS ORGANIC COTTON, A SOFT AND LIGHT WORSTED COTTON.  ANOTHER FAVORITE, ALPACA & SILK WRAP, #61, WORKED IN BLUE SKY ALPACAS ALPACA SILK, LIGHT WEIGHT WITH A BEAUTIFUL DRAPE.  BOTH ARE GREAT VACATION KNITTING, COMPACT "THROW AND GO" KIND OF KNITTING.  RELAXED SUMMER LUXURY. 

CHECK OUT WWW.MACANDME.NET FOR MORE SUMMER DESIGNS AND NEW PDF RELEASES.

HAPPY SUMMER FROM ALL OF US AT MAC AND ME!

Yoga Socks

These Yoga Socks, pattern #71, are made with the most beautiful superwash I have ever used. It feels beautiful to knit with and it holds a stitch firmly, which makes it perfect for these socks. 

Our yoga socks shown here are made with Lorna’s Laces Hand-Dyed Yarns, and are designed to drape gently around the ankle and firmly around the arch, allowing the ball and heel of the foot to rest, not grip, directly on the floor.

If you are Looking for more ways to keep your ankles & toes warm, check out our leg warmer, slipper and sport sock patterns by visiting our website, and like us on facebook to check out  REGULAR POSTS AND UPDATES.

WE WOULD LOVE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS PATTERN, PLEASE SHARE YOUR COMMENTS, FEEDBACK AND IDEAS WITH US!

Elegant Baby Blanket

ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR PATTERNS ON RAVELRY, THE LATTICE BABY BLANKET # 83, A GREAT FIRST PROJECT FOR THOSE OF YOU WANTING TO LEARN HOW TO "READ" A STITCH PATTERN.  WITH A COMBINATION OF LATTICE STITCH, A RIBBED BORDER, AND YARN THAT HOLDS A STITCH FIRMLY, YOU CAN MAKE AN ELEGANT SOFT BABY BLANKET, BEAUTIFUL IN ANY COLOR!

OUR BLANKET SHOWN HERE IS KNIT WITH WORSTED WEIGHT YARN DOUBLED SO IT’S FAST, SOFT AND LOFTY, AND DRAPES BEAUTIFULLY.  BLUE SKY ALPACAS ORGANIC COTTON GETS ONLY SOFTER WITH WEAR. 

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR OTHER BABY BLANKET PATTERNS, AND LET US KNOW WHICH PATTERNS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE AS A PDF IN UPCOMING MONTHS?

2012 Yarn Crawl

WE HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE YARN CRAWL!  IT WAS GREAT FUN TO BE AROUND TONS OF GORGEOUS YARN, GREAT COLORS, PATTERNS AND CREATIVE KNITTERS. 

LOCATION: SEED STITCH FINE YARN IN SALEM, MA.
ENJOY THEIR BLOG AT HTTP://AYARNTALE.COM.
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK AND CHECK OUT OUR PHOTO ALBUM FROM THE EVENT!

Be Sweet Potholders

I LOVE THESE COLORFUL, FUN POTHOLDERS!                      

USE THEM BY THE WOOD STOVE OF YOUR ROMANTIC WINTER SKI HOUSE, UNDER HOMEMADE MAC N' CHEESE ON THE TABLE OR TO PULL HOT COOKIES OUT OF THE OVEN.  IF YOU WANT TO ADD A LITTLE EXTRA FLARE, WHIP THEM WITH TORN COTTON; FLOWERS OR PLAIDS. REMEMBER, HAVE FUN WITH THE SHAPE, NO ONE SAID THEY HAD TO BE SQUARE!

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR CREATION FROM THIS FREE PATTERN, SO PLEASE POST YOURS HERE!