I Have Been Knitting Slippers...

I have been busy knitting away, test knitting for Diana Sullivan for  her new slipper book.

She has some terrific patterns in her book, they look great and easy as can be too.

Diana's creation, "No Sew Slipper" is lined, warm, squishy and NO SEWING!  Perfect for me as I avoid it when possible.

I whipped up her moccasin style slipper last night.  Takes little yarn and really looks great.

This past week, I  received my first computerized sewing machine, you name it it has it and does it.  Tested it out briefly and so far so good.  Another machine to learn!  Hoping when I get it down I can incorporate some of the stitches and features into my machine knitting items.  I am not new to sewing, my grandparents on my Mother's side were in the garment industry. My Grandfather (from Italy) was a tailor and made many suits for the Movie Stars of the day; most of his work was done by hand stitching, especially the collars.  My grandmother, owned a dress manufacturing business.  I still have her old Singer factory machine.  There are a million attachments and this machine was built like an army tank.  She taught us all how to sew, make patterns and design our own items.  She had the knack to look at a dress (or any garment), sit down with old newspaper (I do this!), sketch out the pattern and make a duplicate.  She did this for my sisters wedding when the Flower Girl dress was not available and my Sister wanting the Flower Girl dress to match the Bridesmaids.  Truly amazing.

I thank them for teaching me how to do these things, especially to have patience.  And in the end, if it doesn't look right, rip it out and redo it or throw it out and start again.  You learn as you go, not making the same error twice.  Gee sounds like our hobby of machine knitting doesn't it?

Below are the test slippers I made this week:

iPad & Machine Knitting

I have some neat app's on my iPad which I use for my machine knitting.  If you have an iPhone or iPad, there is a great gauge calculator app out there, I use it often to get gauge.

Tonight, I was testing out a slipper pattern for Diana Sullivan and wanting to not print it (trying to be green) my iPad was in my lap.

About 3/4 of the way through this great slipper pattern, the iPad scrolled to the last page.  When I noticed this I scrolled to where I "thought" I was and not where I "actually" was.  What a mess.

It was frustrating me as I kept reading and reading where I thought I should be and none of it made sense, thinking, what in the world did Diana leave out?!?  Not a thing.

Funny, how our minds work, me thinking and knowing something was missing why didn't I re-read everything I did?  Well this is a lined slipper, my gauge was a bit off as my yarn tension mast was acting up when I started to knit.  This being a test slipper I just released the knitting off of the machine.  When I test knit for someone I always do two-(2) of whatever I am testing.  The first is for me to work through the pattern and get the mechanics down.  The second is to really "test" the authors instructions and etc.

There you go, if you want to use an iPad as you knit DON'T LEAVE IT IN YOUR LAP!

P.S. Diana's book and companion DVD "Footnotes" are going to be wonderful, one of her best!

Machine Knit Baby's Raglan Sweater & MORE Yarn...

The baby Raglan Pullover I had made was completed (no UFO on this), seamed and washed this weekend.  I rarely block items, usually wash them and dry in the method suggested for the yarn used.  This one was acrylic so into a little mild detergent and in the dryer it went.  Here is the finished project:

Baby Cardigan - Size 6 Months

Amazing how the stitches "puff" up and fill in once washed.  I like this as it is perfect for a boy or girl.

Now for MORE yarn.  Last year I built a knitting studio in my home; plenty of room for a bulky and standard knitting machine to always be set-up, complete with granite counter tops, many size drawers, bins for yarns, closet lined on one side with peg board to hang my knitting gadgets, shelves in the closet for more knitting paraphernalia, well, you get the idea.  To totally dedicate this as a knitting studio, I made color copies of knitting publications and had them framed for the walls.  No mistaking what this room is!

When it was completed I had more than enough space for all of the different yarns and even drawers for the end of skeins or leftovers for waste yarn.  I was organized.  Being the "Neat Nik" (as Diana Sullivan lovingly referred to me as) I was happy as could be and quite proud of my studio.

Then...it hit.  Yarn, lots of it.  What am I thinking or was I?  Sales here and there, buying some online, I had recently had 10 lbs of it sent to me free (a gift) AND now another 30 lbs of free yarn on it's way not to mention the additional Yeoman yarn I just ordered.

Needless to say I am out of room and it's making me nuts!  So as I was trying to organize things to make room, I found a large box in the closet with 4 huge cones of 2/24.  Eeeeeekkk!

So, considering myself lucky (thinking positive here), I have decided to take charge and knit away.  Have another two-(2) expecting mothers I could whip up some baby items for (although not a lot of yarn used for those projects) and then there is charity.

Not having a family narrows down who you can knit for.  So, since I love the rhythmic sound and feel of the knitting machines & the creative outlet I have decided to keep at it then give it away.  Why not?  it is such a great feeling when others appreciate what you are doing for them.  How nice to know you are keeping someone warmer at night when it's chilly (yes it gets chilly here in Las Vegas during our "2" seasons of hot & cold).  Then there is always knitting for the US Troops.  I have a box ready to send off as I speak.

I had to ramble (sorry) and maybe you too will think about using up your excess yarn to knit for a charity.

And, what's hanging on your needles....?

Inspiration From Diana Sullivan - Of Course!

I've been playing nurse to a friend who had some surgery this past Monday and in between my patient being knocked out (from the heavy duty drugs) I decided to knit a few E A S Y & FAST items.

So, slippers and socks were first then I had some inspiration sitting on top of the piano ready to be mailed out.  You see, recently Diana Sullivan asked for some knitting jokes as she was celebrating her 1 million YouTube views.  Yup, ONE MILLION what a huge accomplishment.  So I sent her a very corny one I had read years ago on line.  Whoever she received a joke from she sent one of her DVD's and book to.  I have test knitted recently for her upcoming book and we have been emailing each other (sharing knitting and life stories) for quite a while; so, did not expect a gift to be sent.  Diana emailed asking what I wanted.  I then thought of a friend who had just returned to machine knitting and would truly appreciate one of Diana's books.  Diana sent me her "Beautiful Ribber Scarves" DVD and book (if you don't have this you should!).

This morning (while my patient was sleeping) , I decided to make a scarf.  This took less than an hour from start to finish and is a silk/rayon blend done in "full needle rib tuck" - 600 rows:

In Natural Sunlight

Close-up With Sunlight Peeking Through

Thanks Diana for the inspiration!

Want to see more about my inspiration? Click here: Diana's Beautiful Ribber Scarves

Diana Sullivan's Finished Entrelac Sweater

I was a test knitter for Diana Sullivan's latest book & DVD; an entrelac hat and sweater.  She is finishing up and it will be available fairly soon.  She puts a lot of time and effort in her products trying to capture each detail.  If you have not done entrelac on a knitting machine you should give it a try.  It is very easy and quite relaxing to do.  It does not take much time and the color variations are almost endless!

The yarn I used was a bit on the stiffer side as I wanted some body to it.  The chocolate brown did not photograph well, it is a much deeper/richer tone in person.  Here's the picture of my finished test sweater.

Diana's Entrelac Sweater

What's hanging on your needles...?

Entrelac Testing For Diana Sullivan

I have started testing Diana's new entrelac sweater pattern for her upcoming book and DVD.  This is going to be a very detailed and information packed set!  She sent me the draft of her instructions and charts; I got to testing her method tonight.

Having done entrelac by hand and on the knitting machine I was discouraged to try it again.  The knitting machine method I used before was terrible, confusing and it just created a messy fabric.  The hand knitting took a lot of time.

Diana's method is so clear, quick and EASY!  Take a look at my test swatch using her method:

There is a definite rhythm with Diana's method and believe it or not, very relaxing.  Kind of nice to not just be going back and forth with a carriage, instead I am creating a shaped fabric with color and texture.

Now on to the sweater!

Tom's Machine Knit Circular Hat, Now In German!

A few weeks ago, Diana Sullivan sent me an email as a fellow machine knitter Telse in Germany asked if she could film the hat I designed (Diana filmed and posted on her blog & YouTube) as a German video. I designed this method as I avoid seaming if possible. Diana tested it for me, liked it and did the video (was that a real honor!). We have been encouraging machine knitters to knit for the US Troops in Afghanistan. Diana is a wonderful person and someone I enjoy communicating and exchanging ideas with.

Telse made the hat for her husband (on her brother 260) and they both liked it. I was flattered and of course I said yes when they asked my permission. Even if you don't understand German you can easily follow along. Here is her wonderful YouTube video of the hat I designed.

Tom's Circular Machine Knit Hat

Let's Keep Our Garter Carriages Alive!

Please visit my friend Diana Sullivan's blog to see how she and her husband John are trying to keep our G-carriages humming along...

Diana & John Garter Carriage Repairs

My Friend Diana Sullivan MUST Have ESP!

Over the weekend I purchased an online pattern, a mens sweater. Sometimes it is nice to knit someone else's pattern so you don't have to figure things out. Well, was I surprised when I knit the back; HUGE, with the shoulders and neck completely out of whack. So, I emailed the website and put the knitting aside until this morning. I received an email from the website with their apologies and the promise they would fix the pattern immediately, they did!

Before I went to give it another go, I checked Diana's blog and there was this bit she wrote:

Diana's ESP

This evening I read comments on Diana's posting; others have the same issue so I feel better. But, why would a pattern designer leave things out, not proof read, have another knitter test knit the pattern, not include correct row #'s, yarns and tensions they used? I could go on but you get the idea.

Off to eat a slice of pie....