First Person
Making All the Things
I have to confess that I haven’t met one of my goals.
Back when we launched MDK Field Guide No. 1: Stripes, I declared that I would knit every project in every Field Guide. I was obviously high on Sharpie fumes at the time, but sometimes the greatest ideas come under the influence of smelly office products. (Remember Liquid Paper? Remember ditto paper? Remember rubber cement?)
Maybe I thought we were going to publish exactly one Field Guide and be done. Maybe a whole series seemed like a fantasy that could never come true.
Well, here we are, on the cusp of publishing the eighth volume in this series. (Watch for it next week! It is the jolliest Field Guide yet.) For the past few days, I’ve been looking through all the Field Guides, waxing nostalgic while seeing them anew.
Working with a Great Editor
These books have come together through the attention and care of our creative director and editor of the MDK Field Guides, Melanie Falick. If you ever want to see what a disciplined, meticulous editor with three decades of experience can do, these little books are a good example.
Melanie infuses every Field Guide with thought and care, from the first moment of developing a color palette (here’s her post about how she does it) to the press check when the Field Guide is at the printer. Having worked in the world of words and paper for a long time, I really treasure the chance to see Melanie in action.
(At the bottom of the page, you’ll find articles that Melanie has written for MDK. At the moment, she is about to send her manuscript for her book Making a Life to the publisher, so light a candle for her! It’ll be published next fall, and you will hear a lot from us about it.)
What I Made
What strikes me is that I have actually made a lot of stuff from the Field Guides.
Half of a Station Wagon Blanket by Mary Jane Mucklestone (from MDK Field Guide No. 1: Stripes)
Squad Mitts by Ann Weaver (from MDK Field Guide No. 1: Stripes)
More of a Hadley PULLOVER by Véronik Avery than you can see here (from MDK Field guide no. 2: fair isle)
Two pairs of Après-Anything Socks by Ann Budd (from MDK Field guide no. 2: fair isle)
Three Colorwash Scarves by Kirsten Kapur (from mdk field guide no. 3: WILD YARNS)
Three Easel Sweaters by Sue McCain (from mdk field guide no. 3: WILD YARNS)
Three and a half Leif Cowls by Dianna Walla (from mdk field guide no. 3: WILD YARNS)
A Sommerfeld Shawl by Ann Weaver (FROM MDK FIELD GUIDE NO. 4: LOG CABIN)
A gargantuan log cabin blanket featuring sequence knitting from Cecelia Campochiaro (IN DONEGAL TWEED) (FROM MDK FIELD GUIDE NO. 5: SEQUENCE KNITTING)
A Parallelogram Scarf by Cecelia Campochiaro (I’M CURRENTLY WORKING ON A TOP-SECRET VERSION, SO HERE’S KAY’S, WHICH IS VERY FINE.) (FROM MDK FIELD GUIDE NO. 5: SEQUENCE KNITTING)
A Shakerag Top by Amy Christoffers (FROM MDK FIELD GUIDE NO. 6: TRANSPARENCY)
A Cockleshell Cardigan by Amy Christoffers (FROM MDK FIELD GUIDE NO. 6: TRANSPARENCY)
An Albers Shawl by Amy Christoffers (FROM MDK FIELD GUIDE NO. 6: TRANSPARENCY)
A Sail-Away Shawl by Julia Farwell-Clay (from MDK field guide no. 7: ease)
When I’m knitting, I think about these designers throughout the knitting of their patterns. These are all ideas that that emerged during the creation of each Field Guide, tweaked, refined. It turns out that these designs really are as addicting to make as we had hoped they would be. They’re timeless joyrides in the world of knitting—patterns that have good, manageable challenges and make the most of beautiful yarns.
It has been such a delight to see so many knitters making these projects, collecting Field Guides, getting into the whole thing. Please know that we have a cornucopia, a smorgasbord, a country kitchen buffet of Field Guides in the works. Amazing delights are on the way.
But seriously. I have more knitting to do. I haven’t made the Freak Flags. What is wrong with me?
I need more knitting time….
I have been a huge fan of Melanie Falick’s work and have followed her career through the world of knitting magazines and books for the last fifteen years. I will buy (and keep) any book she edits. Last week when culling my library, I put the book “Weekend Knitting” into the donate pile. Then I glanced at the cover, saw Melanie Falick’s name, flipped through the pages again, and put it back on the shelf.
Her books are so appealing and somehow soothing to read. Everything just seems to “flow” in her books, whether it is pictures, typeface, whitespace, or all of the above I don’t know but it all works. Sharing her talents with us over the years has been a great gift to the knitting world.
I am off to complete my collection of Field Guides. Because…Melanie Falick.
Jean, so glad you plucked that copy of Weekend Knitting from the pile of doom! Isn’t it incredible that an editor’s work, which is so deeply embedded in the DNA of a book that it’s almost hard to discern its effects, can be so distinctive?
Holy moley, that’s a big batch of knitting! I love the Field Guides, and am champing at the bit for #8.
Obviously, you are such a slacker!!! What about making the freak flag with leftovers from your other Field Guide projects?
Except for having attached my flags upside down (for which I would need a J Farwell-Clay fix doctor session to fix so I’ll leave it as is) I loved that project and plan to do it again (if only to figure out how that upside down thing happened). I guess you can say my flags were extra freaky.
LOL – I have an upside down flag as well and left it as I was almost done with that one before I discovered. 🙂
Number 8…I. Can’t. Wait. 🙂
What a gorgeous library of knitting! I love the patterns in the Field Guides, but I also love all of the writing! The writing makes me smile and laugh.
What a great lineup of projects. Out of all of them, your Albers Shawl is my favorite … so gorgeous. Followed by the sail away shawl.
Do you have a favorite?
You astound me with your prolificness of knitting. (Is that a word?) I’m amazed and all your beautiful finished pieces! They are all stunning!
Company policy here at MDK is that we are allowed to knit through all the meetings. Game changer!
You are so inspiring and truthful, love reading your blogs
Ditto paper! How in the world do you remember that? Did knitting the station wagon bring it back? Is it the same super power that your knitting mojo comes from. I am in awe, lust and love with your knitting.
Ann was like 5 years old but ditto paper made a big impression on her. I can smell it right now! It’s that back-to-school, permission-slip-for-the-field-trip smell.
Let me warn you that the freak flags are addictive. They should be regulated like alcohol and marijuana!
Agree! I finished my freak flags about a month ago, and Cripes I’ve already worn them as a scarf. And I ordered more of that yarn: the colors are beautiful, I’m gonna make some kind of shawl with them.
Thanks for the reminder – I’m still smitten with the Easel sweater. I need to get that in my queue & dig out some yarn for it. I’m looking forward to the next Field Guide, but I definitely don’t need anything more to add to the queue!
Looks like you are well on your way to, at least, an even dozen. Yay! So, I’ll repeat my request, my plea. Please offer a slipcase to hold all the editions. Just a nice perfectly sized little box that stands on the bookshelf and holds all the Guides upright, ship-shape, no wonky corners. Here’s a thought….Churchmouse Yarns and Teas carries your guides – and they sell lovely little boxes/trays. Maybe their supplier could supply some slipcases?. Not trying to tell you two giants how to get together and bless the knitting world with a great new product or anything….just saying…just asking.
Fabulous idea! Seconded.
Wow! Kermit is very lucky that his foodlady makes all these soft, warm things for him to nap upon! How does he find the time to snooze on each one? (They all look great!)
Thanks, Ann, for this kind shout out. It made me almost teary when I read it. I am, indeed, in the throes of finishing my manuscript for Making a Life. It is a very intense experience, so all candle-lighting is appreciated. And thanks for trusting me with your Field Guides–it feels really good to work with you and Kay.
Hurry up with that next Field Guide!!!!
Totally impressive bit of knitting I think! Can’t wait for the next one.
Since I am only half way through my Sequence Shawl, and only just finished my Carbeth, and have a basket only half filled with Log Cabin squares…this is Not timely! (I did, however, finish my Kay inspired Logalong shell and got to wear it all summer:if she could just find me the right top to go under it for fall, I could be more sanguine about the traffic jam in my knitting basket. Complaints aside, I have been waiting for the Fall knitting project to end all knitting projects; I hope you put it in the book!
And the freak flags are so much fun to do 🙂 Can’t wait to see what is coming next!
Apparently I’ll need the entire boxed set!
I love the field guides! I have made multiple items from guides 4-7. I can wait for number 8!! I started with 4 but I have 1-3 and look forward to those projects too!