SOLVED. Children's Fantasy about iron magic, silverware from a picnic basket becomes magic. [s]

[John Arkady]

I read this book in the early eighties, it looked like it could be from the fifties or later, it was about some children, two brothers and a sister, if I remember correctly. The girl won a picnic basket complete with silverware in some kind of contest, I believe it was at the county fair. The next day they load it up and set out to have a picnic.
Somehow they are transported to a mystic land where they run into Huron of the Horn, who has lost his horn and he tells them, "I am now Huron without the Horn, and that is not good."
Huron is impressed with picnic basket, especially with the silverware, which he calls "cold steel," which, according to him, is exceedingly rare and has magical qualities. They should each take a piece of silverware with them to keep them safe in this magical land, and should mix their food with the food of the land.
Somehow each of the children are separated and they each have an adventure in which they each must overcome some foe or challenge.
One brother has a fork in his back pocket, and it becomes very large and shoots off sparks in the dark to light his way. It also pulls him along like a tuning fork, and he eventually uses the fork-spear to slay some kind of lizard creature.
The other brother has a spoon, and it enlarges so that he can use it to paddle a boat to achieve some other quest, in the end I believe they find Huron's Horn and return it to him as part of their quest.
I cannot recall what adventure the sister have, but they each prevail and in the end are reunited back home, each awed by the power of "iron magic."
This was an interested and different premise, if anyone has any idea what this is, please let me know, ya'll have saved my bacon before. Thanks!

[Becca]

Gray Magic by Andre Norton

[John Arkady]

Becca wrote: "Gray Magic by Andre Norton"

Thanks so much! Glad to know it's well known! Also found "Half Magic," which I didn't remember until I started looking for this! Thanks Thanks Thanks!

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, John.

Gray Magic (also called Steel Magic) (book 1) of The Magic Books series by Andre Norton - Becca's find.

[John Arkady]

Thanks, Kris! Looking back, I think it was called "Gray Magic" I appreciate ya'll!

[Sue]

The girl carried a knife, and was terrified of spiders; so of course she encountered giant ones.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

John, please unprivate your profile. Mods can't see all your threads with a private profile.