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Morehouse
Farm Merino Knits:
More
than 40 Farm-Fresh Designs
by
Margrit Lohrer
Rating:
4 sheep (very good)
You've
gotta love a knitting book that starts "Morehouse Farm
began with a Voodoo Chicken"! Margrit Lohrer and her
husband Albrecht Pichler were living in Manhattan in the
late 70's and escaping to their upstate farm on weekends.
The rescued chicken was the start of their livestock collection.
They decided to farm in earnest and settled on raising sheep
- merino sheep in particular for their fine wool with the
goal of becoming a "Mecca for knitters".
In
the early 80's, merino sheep were hard to find and out of
favor with American sheep farmers who considered them "greasy,
wrinkly and dirty" (speaking of wrinkly, check out
the ram on page 14 - I swore it was wearing a thick turtleneck
sweater!). The couple's dream was to grow the finest wool
and bring merino sheep back to their once-popular status.
After
some complications along the way, the two were able to import
some Australian merino whose fleece was the most beautiful
they'd seen. In 1990, Margrit began sheep farming full-time.
Morehouse Farms spins their merino yarn in various weights
from bulky to fine in over 60 colors.
As
a lifelong knitter, Margrit's approach to knitting is meditative.
She loves to absorb the day's events while knitting for
hours on uncomplicated knitting. Scarves, shawls and blankets
are favorites for lots of soothing knitting time. The sweaters
are simple classics made more interesting by stitch texture
and color. They're quick and easy, knit in the round with
sleeves knit right in - great for those of us who hate finishing
and like to knit then be done with it. In addition to women's
sweaters, there are several kids' sweaters, a jacket plus
two sweaters and a vest for the guy in your life along with
accessories for you and your home.
The
simpler knitting is great for beginners moving on from basic
scarves maybe to some felted accessories for the home, basic
socks or first sweater. They can step up their skills a
bit but not be overwhelmed. Margrit suggest using the patterns
as a starting point and making it your creation. This is
a nice book for knitters looking for a relaxing break from
other projects that require more concentration.
Some
of the projects that caught my eye were molas mittens (appliquéd
with felt & embroidered) and the buggy mitts which offered
opportunities for fun and creativity. Both would add enjoyment
to your community service knitting. How about a foulard
(small scarf) with case to tuck in your purse until needed
for a sudden chill? Fringe-binge mini muffler adds bling
to your scarf fringe with beads and funky embellishments.
There
are several lightly felted projects to try for your first
felting attempt. Check out the striped blanket and matching
pillows - all knit in the round and lightly felted. The
blanket is cut open once completely dry. A baby blanket
is treated the same way making it machine-washable. She
adds booties and hat for an extra surprise for a new mom.
The tufted chair mat (or cat pad) is another felted project
that was colorful and appealing.
All
in all, an enjoyable book with lots of warm knitting, some
lacy scarves and wraps plus a few projects to spark the
playful spirit of the creative child you once were. The
book is peppered with charming photos of sheep, the "dogs
of Morehouse Farm" and their other animals. If you're
looking for complex sophisticated patterns to test the mettle
of your knitting abilities you'll probably want to look
elsewhere. But if you want to take a breather and relax
into the knitting zone and have something attractive to
show for it in the end - you'll enjoy this book and come
back to it again.
Respectfully
submitted,
Candy
Grastorf
Buy
this book from Amazon.com
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