Knitting

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Bernat Mill Complex Burns

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Firefighters from 45 communities battled flames. (ALAN J. BRACKETT)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.

“The 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,” Mr. Stefanilo said. “In the last 48 hours, we’ve reached out for emergency space.”

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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Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.