Inspiration
It’s Here! MDK Field Guide No. 13: Master Class
It’s a big day.
Today we launch a new little book that is full of meaning for us. It has been a dream come true to work with a designer who has inspired us from very early in our knitting lives, and whose work continues to enrich not only our knitting but our outlook on color, creativity, beauty—and life.
That designer is Kaffe Fassett.
The book:
Modern Daily Knitting Field Guide No. 13: Master Class.
Order your copy right here.
We are thrilled to share designs by this master of color.
If you don’t know Kaffe’s work, this Field Guide will bring a blast of color and a spirit of adventure to your knitting. We believe, based on our own experience, that you are about to fall in love.
For those who already know Kaffe’s work, this Field Guide is an invitation to dive in and experience Kaffe’s motifs in fresh, freeing ways. Bring the joy of color and pattern back into your knitting and your life.
Through these designs, we can not only knit a design by Kaffe, we can knit with Kaffe. We can knit his patterns exactly as they appear in the samples, and we can also knit them exactly as we wish.
This is the most exhilarating knitting we know.
The Designs?
Each of the patterns in MDK Field Guide No. 13: Master Class has the word “stripe” in it. And oh, what stripes! These projects are studies in stripes, in both solid-color and patterned versions. The shapes are simple, and the possibilities are endless: color and pattern are the journey and the destination.
Striped Cushions: Six stripe patterns make for tons of combinations.
Stripe Scarves and Cowls: Three patterns plus 20 charts mean endless options for combining color and motif.
Garter Stripe Shawl: The most delicious cuddler we’ve ever seen.
Stranded Stripe Throw: The Kaffest Kaffe of them all. Knitted in the round, then steeked and edged with a border. If you’ve knitted a colorwork yoke, you can do this. Easier than a sweater: no sleeves!
The Yarn?
This is easy: all the designs call for Rowan Felted Tweed, the light and subtle classic beloved by knitters—including Kaffe Fassett, who has been consulting with Rowan since 1980, and has designed scores of patterns in Felted Tweed. (We bet you can guess which colors were Kaffe’s additions to the range.)
Figure out your Felted Tweed gauge on your first project, and you’ll be all set to knit any or all of the designs.
We’ve stocked Rowan Felted Tweed in 30 colors. This beautiful palette is pretty much foolproof—all the colors play well together, which is one of those miracles that Rowan is famous for. See the whole range here.
A Season of Generous Knitting
Maybe you’ve figured this out already, but the patterns in Field Guide No. 13 are the Mystery Team for this year’s MDK Giftalong.
Kay is proud to have been selected (by Kay) as the Team Leader for Team Kaffe. She will be cheering her head off in the Lounge and on the Instagram hashtag #mdkTeamKaffe.
The Special Bonus Prize for Team Kaffe will be a Field Guide No. 13 project knitted and finished by Kay, plus a small sampler of Kaffe Fassett fabrics from her own long-marinated stash. And of course, Team Kaffe members will also be in the running for the amazing prizes Rowan has provided. You have to be in it to win it!
We are big believers in getting a groove on and making a batch of gifts. In this case, our gift-knitting will be enhanced by the sheer fun of playing in the fields of Kaffe Fassett. The more of these you make, the more inventive the color combinations will become.
Our suggested starter gift? The Stripe Cowl.
This manageable small project packs a wallop of color and pattern. You can knit any of the stripe patterns—solid or stranded—or combine them in a project that any of your beloveds will be delighted to wear every day and twice on Sunday.
As always, thank you for supporting all that goes on at MDK with your purchases! We’re so grateful to everyone who makes it possible by shopping with us.
This is fantastic! Thank you!
Gobsmacked! Thank you!
I am so excited for this field guide, his work is beyond words!
This is fabulous!! Kaffe has been my knitting hero since his first book came out!
Oh WOW! WOW! WOW!!!!!!!
WOWOWOWOOOOW!
It’s stunning. I can wait to start! Your field guides are amazing. You have given me the courage to try techniques and designs I never would have before. Thank you for helping me be a better knitter!!
The perfect surprise for a gloomy, cold November morning.
Damn! Just when I thought I was getting a handle on all of my WIPs! I need the arms of an octopus.
So exciting! Thanks for this.
All so luscious !
Ordered two with the download. One print version for me and one for a dear friend. Wowza! Just when you think it can’t get any better, Kay and Ann pull another knock-your-(knitted)socks wonder out of their collective knitting bags!
You made my day. Possibly my week (and the washing machine committed suicide yesterday so the timing was excellent). His work is the embodiment of joy for me and I get to support my favorite blog at the same time!
Wow! I’ve been a Kaffe Fassett fan since the late 80s when Glorious Color arrived on our shores. This book sparked my interest in knitting again. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a Meet and Greet at the defunct Tomato Factory Knitting Store in the early 90s and then 2 years ago at VogueKnitting Live. This book is a great addition to my library of Rowan/Kaffe Fassett books. I treasure the early Rowan magazines that featured Kaffe as a model of knitted fashions at the time.
O.M.G. SCORE!!! Already ordered!!!!
All of the above. And wow, Just wow.
Congratulations, this is really fantastic news!!! How is the best way to order from Germany?
If you would really like the paper book, I can order two and send you one? Let me know and we’ll figure out exchanging addresses.
Yes, I really would love to have the paper book, to put it next to “Glorious Knitting” in my bookshelf :))) So if we could figure out something that would work without too much trouble for you, that would be fantastic! You can find me on meinstrickzeug.de. The site is in German, but you can leave a comment in English and find my email in the “Impressum”.
I have left a comment and sent an email! If that isn’t successful, then Kay can send you my email address also.
while not quite as nice – there is an ebook for all the field guides.
I love every word you write! Thanks for yet another wonderful post! So informative and so inspiring!
How awesome is this!!! Thank you!!
You are so chuffed! WORKED WITH KAFFEE! We are so chuffed! Awesome to the sauce-m possum possibilities. Explosion of color words pattern shenanigans! So much good.
Pure JOY!!!
Looks like a great book…deb
Ooh, ooh; I’ve gone all fan-girly! Kaffe Fassett was a revelation to me, knitting-wise as before moving to London for college, my knitting world consisted of one local yarn shop and the weekly magazines my mother and grandmother read. I went to one of his talks in the late 1980s and it was so interesting to hear him speak about his work.
Wow, seriously impressed! The projects all look gorgeous.
THIS IS SO EXCITING! Every single thing is so beautiful. Be still my heart!
Ordered before I finished reading the first sentence of your post. Thank you!
He is indeed The Master! Thank you!
Fantastic!! Congratulations!
Be still my heart! You ladies are entirely too much! Thanks for being the best enablers around!
LOVE this so so much! I want to get it and have a question – this is my maiden voyage in the land of MDK field guides.
I use KnitCompanion. If I get the ebook will I be able to load the charts and instructions into it? Or do you offer some magic way to get the charts int KC?
Thanks!
Lois
Hi Lois,
I emailed you with a question!
Kay
This book looks beautiful with all the colors, but I’m sure all this colorwork is beyond my abilities. Not at the Master Class level of knitting myself.
Start with the stripes! Take it from there ❤️. I’m going to! But a second sock first
Wow! Can’t wait to get this one. And can I just say, I love the Field Guides. I’m on a Pokémon-like gotta have ‘em all quest and this one is a stunning addition, Thank you!
LOL-ing at the Pokémon analogy. YES! (And thank you.)
WOW! Lucky #13 – Glorious Knits indeed! Well done, ladies!!!
Note to Kay: I’m pretty sure the KAL rules say that anyone who is Team Leader for a Kaffe KAL has to wear a Damask Flower Jacket when overseeing it … not sure if the Team Mascot also has to have one but surely with Dana’s help you could whip one off those up, too!
agree x100!
Ditto ! ! !
Swoon! I can’t wait for my order to arrive! Kay and Ann – wow.. thanks!
Gorgeous! Now, please tell me the correct pronunciation of Kaffe. I’ve heard so many variations!
Kaffe always says his name sounds like “SAFE ASSET”
This is match that was meant to be. Congratulations to you and yay for us! (and Felted Tweed is my absolute favorite yarn, even in this Time of the Hand-dyes. So thanks for that).
I have always loved his quality of color mixes. Thank you for putting this special together. Years ago i did one of his diamond designs and instantly fell in love with his style.
Wowza! I love Kaffe and when called upon to knit something in two colours I tend to gather a pile of greyish yarns and a pile of greenish yarns and go all Kaffe on it. Yay you guys!
Wow! I am speechless! This is the best!
What an instant mood brightner for this November day!
splendid desiigns
Oh, dear. It looks like the contract negotiations with Olive fell through. Does this mean the team’s mascot will be the Big Floral Damask Thing?
OH SHRIEK!! Aagh, I may have to buy this. Aaaaaagh…
Ordered and so excited except I don’t love tweed yarns. (I just heard half the internet gasp!) So I am going to just have gauge it out each project. but if you were to recommend another yarn in the MDKshop what would it be?
I believe the meme says “Shut up and take my money!” but really, it’s more like you had me at stripes. Kaffe and stripes? My little black heart can barely stand it.
Number 13 Incredible, definitely my favourite number. I would love to make a lot of these gorgeous projects. I am a devout Kaffe Fasset Collective follower and have made lots of the quilts but I will have to fit in some of those adorable projects in the Master Class Field Guide No 13.
So excited, can hardly wait to purchase this beautiful book. Roslyn
Wow! Just WOW! Kaffe is my favorite designer, since the very beginning of Rowan. He has influenced how I see the world and my sense of color more than anyone else. This collection is amazing. Thank you!!!
Oh my goodness! How fun! Kaffe Fasset AND felted tweed. I have a rather large bundle of partial skeins of felted tweed from my son’s high school graduation afghan (if you want to see the wonder that is the felted tweed color range – look no farther than this page — the primary school afghan out of felted tweed became a thing that still looks respectable over the back of a 30-year-old person’s couch) http://www.woollythoughts.com/afghans/pane.html (page down for mine). SO excited to join mdkTeamKaffe! (I feel like Miss Climpson — all the exclamation points. Peter Whimsey fans will understand.)
That afghan is gorgeous and I love the math theme (we are more than a little geeky around here). This is the perfect blanket for an elementary age child – is it on Ravelry so I can favorite it and add notes to remind me when to make it? My next biggish project is, of course, Kaffe’s throw. I ordered the yarn yesterday…
Congratulations! I can imagine what a deeply satisfying level of thrill this collaboration is for MDK.
Fast company, my friends 🙂
OMG trying to get my breathing back. Indeed a master class by the master. Thank you MDK for pulling this one off, and thank you Kaffe.
Wow! My first reaction to the top photo was “ looks like Kaffe” – how spectacular that it is! So excited for you!
That dotted pattern looks like the sweater from Rowan book 10 ( modeled by a young Kate Moss) with patches and dots, long on my to-make list. I even swatched back in 1990-early, after discovering all the sweaters from that marvelous issue on display at Liberty when I was visiting a son doing a semester abroad.
I met the man himself in the late 90’s at the long gone Hook and Needle in Westport, Conn., and got to thank him for the inspiration he brought to my knitting. Oh joy!
This has to be a high point in a run of highs for MDK. Mazel Tov!
oooooh yes please! is it going to be distributed to the UK ? I’d like a paper copy too.
NO WAY! KAFFE FASSETT?! YES, I’M SHOUTING!!!
Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! The colors!! So beautiful!!
Well, y’all can just go ahead and quit now because how will you ever top this one?! I’m so excited for this field guide. It’s a match made in heaven, or maybe a match made in an early internet knitting chat room. Congrats ladies!
Oh my goodness. WOW!! Speechless.
As though I needed *more* Kaffe patterns to add to my massive TBK list…and this looks like SO much fun!
You two are so humble and gracious! I met the both of you at Rhinebeck this year and I was trying really hard not to go all fangirl and drool. You guys were sitting next to Melanie Fallick and I tried really hard not to drool over her as well! Now Kaffe Fassett! What a catch! Keep the Firld Guodes coming and one day you will get a subscription service up & running!