On and off the loom

Many thanks to Helen for featuring the Daisy Chain Sweater on the home page of her yahoo Knifty Knitter Loom Knitting Group. It is always a privilege to be chosen for the home page. Thank you Helen!

Just off the loom, I am continuing to knit as many small gifts as possible for the holidays. My favorite has been the Poppy Neckerchief, which has proven to be a versatile pattern, working well in DK, Worsted and Chunky weight yarns, as well as 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch gauge looms. The photo today shows it in James C. Brett Marble Chunky yarn, Autumn, worked on a 1/2 inch CinDwood hat loom.

Something new as well, a floppy beret that swirls with a lovely lace pattern. This will be a great pattern, as it works on at least 6 different sized hat looms, in 3 gauges, and in yarns from DK to chunky. The purple hat is worked in Knit Picks DK City Tweed, and has a wonderful soft drape to it. The striped beret is the same pattern, worked in the Brett Marble Chunky to match the little poppy neckerchief. In the chunky, it still has a nice drape, but the lace shows less, so a striped yarn gives the pattern its swirl again. I've shown these to a few friends, and now have more to knit. As always, I'm working on writing the patterns.

Thanks for stopping by, and please leave me a note letting me know how you like these loom projects.
Copyright 2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Delphinium Lace

A little surprise which I hope you will enjoy. I have a new pattern for you, with a new stitch pattern that is elegant, lacy, and very easy to knit on the loom. The stitch is called Delphinium Lace, and the cowl, the Delphinium Lace Cowl. This pattern will make lovely holiday gifts. It uses a nice, soft worsted weight wool yarn, although a blend or acrylic would also work. The pattern is available on Ravelry (go to my pattern page for all the pattern links) in a pdf large print format with photographs. If you need a plain text version, please email me and I will send it to you.
I would love to know what you think of this stitch and pattern. I think this is a great new loom stitch that will work well in scarves and shawls as well as a little cowl.   $4.00 US
Copyright 2010 by Renee Van Hoy, Invisible Loom and Craft. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Tea on Tuesday

Today I am sharing my favorite "Maple Pumpkin Butter", perfect for autumn tea tables. It is simple to make, and delicious to eat. Use the best canned pumpkin and maple syrup you can find, and a good, strong cinnamon.

Maple Pumpkin Butter

Maple syrup and pumpkin combine to make this a richly flavored butter that is simple to prepare. You may want to make double, as it tends to disappear quickly! The butter would also make a delicious tart filling.

2 cups pureed, cooked pumpkin
1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP. pure Grade A maple syrup
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of mace
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart heavy bottomed sauce pan. Cook on lowest heat, stirring often, until very thick and no excess liquid remains, about 30 minutes. If you are using fresh pumpkin, you will have a longer cooking time, because it has more liquid.
Cool and refrigerate for up to 1 month in clean jars.

Copyright 2000-2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Poppy Neckerchief Re-do

I've re-done the Poppy Neckerchief pattern on the Knifty Knitter, and it came out very nicely. It is larger by virtue of the larger gauge loom (I used the red hat loom) and it uses a little more yarn (250 yards worsted weight) but it worked out perfectly. The photo shows it made from Knit Picks Andean Silk yarn in Flamingo.
Copyright 2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.