Cable Knitting Resources

This is an ongoing project….collecting all of  my Cable knitting resources in one spot; I’ve made a start and you can find the beginnings on our new Impeccable Knits site. The current info includes:

- cable naming conventions and

- four (4) Free Cable Stitch patterns (2 ropes, a braid or plait and ‘the snake’).

The free Cable stitch patterns include a picture (like the one at the left), a chart and written directions.

Enjoy!

Ashokan Shawl published by Knit Picks IDP Program

Ashokan Shawl knitting pattern

The Knit Picks IDP program just added the Ashokan Shawl pattern to their pattern catalog -very exciting!

This sample is knit in Wool of the Andes Sport in the Mai Tai colorway.

The Ravelry pattern page for this shawl also shows a sample knit in Cascade 220 Sport in a luscious Granny Smith green.

Another Free Pattern – Happy New Year 2012! – Northmoor Watchcaps

Happy New Year 2012, Everyone!

Complimentary Pattern from Impeccable Knits - Northmoor Watchcaps

To celebrate, here’s a brand new complimentary pattern from Impeccable Knits, just for you!

Northmoor Watchcaps

Both designs are included in this free knitting pattern. The link will open the Ravelry pattern page. You can download the free pdf from there.

Enjoy!

Yarn Note: Sadly, the luscious Mission Falls 1824 wool used for this design is no longer being manufactured but  remaining stock (which seems plentiful) is available through many discount outlets like Elann.com. I love this yarn because it is soooo soft – I don’t like scratchy wool for my hats!!

Woven Cable Mini Tote – Free Pattern

Ok, the transition has begun and here’s the first of my free patterns republished under the new Impeccable Knits label – the Woven Cable Mini Tote (it was originally published in 2008 as the Aran Braid Mini Tote). New charts, new yarn, expanded instructions and all still free!

All of my free patterns will eventually be given a new face and will now be only available through Ravelry where the patterns will each have their own pattern information page and the pattern pdf can be downloaded — easier keep everything in one gloriously wonderful place!

Enjoy!!!

Woven Cable Mini Tote pattern information page on Ravelry

Celtic Shawl #3: On the Moor published

Here’s the latest design in this series of shawl knitting patterns.

The Faroese-style incorporates shoulder shaping and the tapered back panel to create a shawl that fits like no other!

The double closed-loop cable is the star of this show!!

Full details are on the Ravelry pattern page.

 

The pdf knitting pattern is

$4.99 USD

Lady of the Canyon Shawl joins Knit Picks IDP program

The Lady of the Canyon Shawl pattern has been accepted into the Knit Picks IDP program and is new on the Knit Picks website today — if you love to do your pattern and yarn shopping all in one place.

This shawl uses 6 skeins of Knit Picks Gloss Fingering – a merino / silk blend – very nice to knit. The sample is knit in ‘Robot’ but now that I see the Cranberry and Bordeaux colourways, hmmmmmm

Celtic Shaw Series #3: On the Moor Shawl

sketches for On the Moor Shawl

Just thought I’d share a little of the design process for my next shawl — this the 3rd in a series of Celtic Shawls (the first is Margaree Harbour and the second Lady of the Canyon).

This new one, On the Moor, is a Faroese-style shawl. Faroese-style shawls include a unique shoulder shaping that stops the shawl from slipping.

Here are a couple of sketches that started the process. The dark lines going out from the neck (bottom drawing) are the lines for the shoulder shaping.

I tried a number of different cable patterns for the wings of the shawl but finally decided on the lattice pattern (derived from one of the pattern stitches in Annie Maloney’s The Cable Knitting Handbook), since I didn’t want the side patterns to take away from that centre-back cable panel — it’s really the star here.  The centre-back cable is an original.

You can see some of the ‘in-progress’ project pics on my Ravelry project page.

The pattern is due out around the first of June 2011.

Lady of the Canyon Shawl has arrived!

“Trina takes her paints and threads and weaves a pattern all her own,” Joni Mitchell sings in her ‘Ladies of the Canyon’

Another example of music influencing design….it’s the inspiration for this shawl…  the combination of the very unique Aran Lace stitch patterns¹ and wonderful merino / silk blend  yarn².

This is the second pattern in the Celtic Shawl Series – Lady of the Canyon. The link leads to the Ravelry pattern page.

(The first pattern in the Series is my Margaree Harbour Shawl)

::wink:: little plug here for our new software program: the written directions for this shawl were generated using knitXpress  - 132 lines of written directions took less than 10 seconds to be formatted to all caps at the beginning, periods at the end of each line, identifying all of the repeats within each line and all of the row repeats, etc.; needless to say I love it!  

¹ from talented stitch designer Annie Maloney’s book Aran Lace

² Knit Picks Gloss Fingering yarn

Design Inspirations and what they have to do with Star Trek

sneak peek

I am inspired by nature and music –

The shawl I’m currently working on was inspired by a Joni Mitchell tune — there’s a sneak peek at the left It’s a centre-out construction and will be available through the Knit Picks’ IDP as well as Ravelry in about 3 – 4 weeks.

I have another in the works based on a hauntingly beautiful Jay Ungar melody ….. but back to Star Trek!

“The Inner Light” from season 5 is my all-time favourite TNG episode – the piece of music that Jean Luc plays on the little flute (composed by Jay Chattaway)  is just so beautiful….. I think I feel another shawl coming on

________

a little aside: Wikipedia states that the flute used as a prop in the show was sold at auction in 2006 for $48,000 USD

Celtic Shawl – new pattern

Celtic Shawls: Margaree Harbour

Margaree Harbour is nestled along the Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia – one of the most beautiful trails in the world with its absolutely spectacular ocean vistas. Along the trail’s length are many small historic fishing communities that still today depend on the sea for their livelihood and celebrate their Celtic culture.  Imagine a fisherman’s wife in days gone by, standing on the rocks overlooking the ocean, wrapped in the warmth of a woollen shawl to keep out the cold winds as she watches for that first glimpse of the fishing boats returning to the safety of the harbour.

Meet the Margaree Harbour shawl – pdf download available through Ravelry.com via the above link. This pattern is charted only.