Traveling Loop (Single Loop) Tutorial just received its own page

As part of the ‘new’ face of Impeccable Knits — and because this is such a popular technique — I’ve given this technique its own page here on the blog. I really love this technique for hats!!

http://impeccableknits.wordpress.com/traveling-loop/

Welcome – so glad you followed our move :)

The only major change you’ll see at the moment is that the address has been changed to impeccableknits.wordpress.com from purplesagedesigns.wordpress.com — so please do be sure to update your bookmarks if you’ve found us through the old site.

Lots of goodies in store in the new year as all of our patterns — even the free ones — will be given a new face

Thanks for following along!

Changes, changes

Impeccable Knits

So much has been going on in the background — where to start!

First, and most importantly, a rejuvenation of all of the pattern lines that I design — all are coming together under the new Impeccable Knits label. The transition will take a few months, but the new website is up www.impeccableknits.ca and in time all of the patterns will be converted to the new look.  All patterns will still be available through Ravelry.com through the transition phase but you’ll slowly see more and more of them with the new logo and look. We hope you’ll love it as much as we do!

The new year will see quite a few new patterns out — I have been hard at work!!!! Lots and lots of cables!

Happy Holidays, everyone! And in the spirit I thought I’d share my no-bake chocolate macaroon recipe for a quick last minute cookie idea. Since we have people with food allergies, I have adapted the original recipe to also be gluten and dairy free (see below).

Fiddle-Diddles (family name for chocolate macaroons)
Makes 5 – 6 dozen (depending on size) 

Mix and set aside:
3 c oatmeal (quick cooking)
1 c shredded coconut
3 T cocoa
couple of pinches of salt

In a heavy bottom saucepan (to prevent burning) over medium heat:
melt 1/2 c butter

Add to the melted butter:
1/2 c milk
2 c granulated sugar

Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil and boil for 3 minutes.

Take mixture off heat stir in:
1 t vanilla

Stir oatmeal mixture; mix well.

Using a teaspoon, spoon cookie mounds onto wax paper lined cookie sheets (I sometimes just put wax paper on the counter). Allow to cool.

Chocolate Macaroons – Gluten free, dairy free version

Replace the butter with lactose free, gluten free margarine (I use Becel Vegan)

Replace the milk with fruit juice (I’ve tried orange, cranberry, as well as pomegranate - all were delicious!)

 

Photo Shoot

The On the Moor Shawl knitting pattern was also picked up by Knit Pick’s IDP program and here’s a little behind-the-scenes look at the photo shoot that Knit Picks did for the shawl. 

(c) Knit Picks

I find the attention to little details, like the wild flowers for the second example, just fascinating.

The Rabbit wins!

What could be cuter?

Except when he/she’s munching on our beans??

Red Currant Jelly Recipe = happiness

Red Currant Jelly

Happiness is fresh currant jelly — especially since this is the first year we beat the birds to the currants! We built a netted framework – it’s the only way to win!

Thought I might also share the recipe. Now, this makes a 1/2 batch (2 cups jelly) because I only have 1 red currant bush at the moment.

Red Currant Jelly Recipe
Yield: 2 cups jelly

4 cups red currants (you can leave the stems on)
1 cup water

Later
2 cups sugar

Jelly thermometer

Rinse currants. Add currants and water to heavy-bottomed, stainless steel pan. Crush currants lightly with potato masher (I actually crushed them a lot). Cook over low-moderate heat until currants are soft and become colourless — about 10 minutes.

Pour cooked currant mixture into a cheesecloth lined colander set over a bowl (use 4 layers of cheesecloth; wet and wring out the cheesecloth before lining the colander to keep the cheesecloth from absorbing the juice as it is strained) and allow to drip for about 4 hours. You can squeeze the mixture in the cheesecloth to extract more juice but it may cloud the jelly.

Yield 1 3/4 – 2 cups juice (mine yielded about 1 3/4 c so I topped it up with water to make 2 cups).

Wash pan used to boil currants. Place 2 cups of juice into pan and bring to a boil; boil 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of sugar and continue to boil until mixture reaches jelly stage. I boil mine until the thermometer registers 220 deg. F. For my currants this took 30 minutes.

Remove mixture from heat. Stir and skim off foam. Pour jelly into sterilized jelly jars. Seal. Process in hot water bath according to directions that came with your canner.

Enjoy!!

Happiness in new yarn!

Cascade 220 Sport Superwash (left) and Cascade 220 Heather (right)

Why does that package of new yarn in the mail always give one that lovely feeling?

First, I’d like to give a shout-out to the folks at Yarn Forward (Stittsville, ON). I ordered my yarn online on Sunday (5th) and received it here, in rural NS, today the 10th! Thank you!!

This is my first foray into Cascade 220 yarn (I know, where have I been??). So far I have only fondled — both the sport superwash (left) and regular 220 are wonderfully soft; yum!!  You’ll notice I snuck an Addi needle in there too

The Sport Superwash is in the Granny Smith colourway; I was afraid it would be too pale, but it’s perfect for what I’m planning — a beautiful spring green that just exudes images rebirth and new beginnings. This is destined to become shawl #4 in the Celtic Shawl series. And this new design will have a new and interesting shape — different from all the others.  (The series already includes a Faroese-style shawl in fingering weight ‘On the Moor‘, a crescent shaped one in worsted weight ‘Margaree Harbour‘ and Lady of the Canyon which is a rectangular shawl in fingering weight yarn.)

The Cascade 220 is a heathered Moss Green and I think it will become a Celtic vest — we’ll see.

Sharing the process from Chart to finished directions using knitXpress

Step 1: Create chart in KnitVisualizer

I thought I’d share a little example of the process I go through from creating a chart for a knitting design to getting the written direction in publishable format. Just to show you how easy it is

(knitXpress will work with directions generated by other charting software as well as directions typed by the user without using charting software.)

I use Knit Visualizer to create my charts and to generate the written directions; then I run those raw written directions through knitXpress to identify all of the repeats and format those directions into publish-ready format.

This lace edging is a variation of a stitch pattern published in Mary Walker Phillips’ book Knitting Counterpanes.

Step 1
Create the chart in Knit Visualizer (KV). This step takes by far the longest time.

Step 2

Step 2: Written Instructions generated by KnitVisualizer

Copy the written directions for the chart from KV (File, Print…, under Options check Pattern, using mouse or keyboard select the written directions, copy the text to the clipboard).

Step 3
Start knitXpress.  Paste the text directions into the Input (top) Pane. Instantly the formatted, compacted directions appear in the Output (bottom) Pane.

Step 4
The formatted, compacted directions can now be copied into the pattern document or saved as a file.

Step 3 & 4: knitXpress Input & Output

That’s it!

For this example I’ve chosen to have the first term in each line capitalized and a period placed at the end of every row. There are lots of other options available; the above just goes through what I do most often.

Full disclosures:

I am not connected with Knit Visualizer in any manner, just a user of the software.

knitXpress is a software program produced and sold by us; I think is pretty neat, in fact I love it  but I may be slightly biased

The continuing butterfly saga

No Tiger Swallowtails today — I think it’s a little too cool, but I did find this little fella sitting on the lilacs. Wonder what he/she is?

Spring is here indeed!

Tiger Swallowtail butterfly in lilacs

This afternoon as I glanced out the upstairs bedroom window I knew that spring had arrived for sure!

The lilacs are in full bloom and the Tiger Swallowtails are back

What a beautiful sight to see.