BE58; BEECH BARON ENCOUNTERS ICING EVEN THOUGH IT WAS RPTED N OF HIS RTE. ATC ISSUES LOWER EVEN THOUGH MEA IS AT PREVIOUS LEVEL. PLT THEN USES VOR AHEAD INSTEAD OF CLOSEST VOR FOR NAV RESULTING IN HEADING DEV.

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I OBTAINED A STANDARD WX BRIEFING. ANY ICING AT 6000 FT WOULD BE N OF MY PLANNED RTE. I FILED FOR 4000 FT; BUT 6000 FT WAS MEA IN DIRECTION OF FLT. BELIEVING THAT ANY ICING WAS N; I ACCEPTED CLRNC OF 6000 FT. CRUISING AT 6000 FT; I NOTED THE BEGINNING OF ICE ON LEADING EDGES OF WINGS -- NONE ON WINDSCREEN; PROP TIPS OR LEADING EDGES OF STABILIZER THAT I COULD DETECT. I INFORMED ATC OF THE SIT AND WAS REMINDED OF MEA AND THAT DCA CLRNC HAD RELAYED THIS TO ME. THE ACCUMULATION WAS TRACE-LIGHT. ATC GAVE ME CLRNC TO 5000 FT; AND THE ICE MELTED AT APPROX 5800 FT. WX IS NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE; AND WE NEED TO REALIZE THIS FACT AND USE OUR JUDGEMENT ACCORDINGLY! ANOTHER OCCURRENCE ON THIS FLT IS AS FOLLOWS. A FEW MI E OF CASANOVA VOR I WAS ASSIGNED A HEADING TO INTERCEPT AIRWAY S OF VOR. INSTEAD OF USING 'FROM' RADIAL OF NEAREST VOR; I TUNED TO NEXT VOR; THINKING THAT IT WAS IN RANGE; BUT IT WAS NOT. I MAINTAINED ASSIGNED HEADING; AND THE NEXT CTLR ASKED WHAT HEADING. I WAS S OF AIRWAY AND HAD JUST BEGUN TO RECEIVE 'NEXT' VOR. I SHOULD HAVE NAVED USING CLOSER AND IDENTED FACILITY. EVEN THOUGH I PREFER TO NAV 'TO' RATHER THAN 'FROM;' THE APPROVED AND SAFEST PROC IS TO USE THE CLOSER AND IDENTED FACILITY.