Bernat Mill Complex Burns

Photo supplied by (ALAN J. BRACKETT)

July 21, 2007 the former Bernat Mill in [tag]Uxbridge MA[/tag], which housed 65 local businesses, burned to the ground. This 10-alarm fire shocked the community, and destroyed one of the few remaining Northern Mill facilities still remaining in this country. While many old mills have undergone renovation and falling into disrepair again, the Bernat Mill was a vital part of Uxbridge, MA. The mill had long ago stopped producing yarn from wool, but it was now a mixed use facility.

Quoted from a story By Linda Bock [tag]TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF[/tag] – The Bernat Mill was not only home to more than 60 businesses, some of which were subletting from others, but also several Uxbridge Public School programs, including the Mosaic Mill program for alternative students. This program also served the special education requirements for the high school.

â€œThe Mosaic Mill and Youth Center shared space in the mill, and this disaster will have a major impact on several hundreds of kids in town,â€ Mr. Stefanilo said. â€œIn the last 48 hours, weâ€™ve reached out for emergency space.â€

Students in the Explore & Discover program won a grant several years ago for a testing program for the Mumford and Blackstone Rivers through the use of the River Classroom. The Mumford River, which feeds into the Blackstone River, runs directly under the Bernat Mill. Permanent displays were created to educate students and the community about the health of the rivers.

Parts of the [tag]Bernat Mill[/tag] complex, 19 Depot St., off Route 16, were at one point transformed with interactive exhibits, mosaics, stained-glass windows and murals, and miraculously, some of those survived the fire.

Looking for more Stained glass style knitting patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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