What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Remember this project I was working on last week? Well... 
I made it about halfway through before things went pear-shaped. Meaning, I incorrectly estimated the amount of yarn I had available. I incorrectly transferred a stitch. And then I dropped too many stitches to recover from the miscalculations. 
This project taught me a few things. I learned I like to look of this lace pattern much more than I like hand-manipulating the stitches to make the lace. I may try slip-stitch designs next. 
I also learned that while there is a bunch of yarn in a Caron Skinny Cake there ...

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I decided it was time to get the LK150 out and knit something. I grabbed this Caron Skinny Cake and the knitting machine.
I recently discovered KnitFactoryImpl on YouTube (YouTube link). They have some great machine knitting videos. This shawl design was intriguing so I'm giving it a try. So far it's going well. I'm excited about the short row knitting to come. 

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What does one do when travelling? Bring yarn! All of this is from Knit Picks. These are singles. The solid color is no longer available. The multicolor is Chroma fingering. 
I held the two strands together. The pattern is the Just Feel Festive Shawl by Caleisha Ryan.I made mine using fewer cast on stitches but I like how it turned out. 

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That’s a few of the holidays and a season covered!

Christmas refers to the Sue Spargo embroideries for Tinsel.

I have two more finishes and only one more block to go. Of course that is not the end as there is also a lot of work on the border.

I am leaving some of the guideline markings there for when I eventually trim the blocks.

Next, Easter. Our neighbours had a lovely Easter display in their home. They used some fun rabbits purchased from one of the chain stores. I asked to borrow them and had a go at ...

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Oh boy   -- as much as I try to be accurate, I goofed on those dates of the Virtual Retreat. It's all fixed -- thanks, Mary. And Elle --- just say NO!! I refuse to believe I will get blisters - I'm in denial. However, truth be told, a lot of walking will happen with the heat, and I'm sure I'll get blisters. But they WILL be manageable. As much as I'm embarrassed to say this -- those shoes were too small for my feet. 

Another silly day but I accomplished loads. The four presentations for next week are in ...

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A friend of min had some Lion Brand Mandala she no longer wanted. She gave it to me and I decided to turn it into hats. This is what it looked like on the machine before I started the decreases for the top of the hat. 
This photo, and the next, are more for me than you. Tension can be a tricky thing for a machine knitter. This is my tension setting on the yarn mast. I almost never change it. I just set it there and leave it alone. 
What I do change, is the stitch length selector. This ...

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Last week I did some machine knitting. I knit up baby hats in yellow. 
I knit up hats in gray. I knit them up in gray and yellow. 

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I set up my knitting machine this week and managed to make three little newborn hats. These are quick little projects. 

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This shawl was supposed to be something completely different. 
In the end, it worked out just fine. 
I think it turned out great. 

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On Friday, February 3, 2023 Crafty Gemini is hosting Episode #17 of her LIVE video series called Fiber Fridays! In this LIVE event Vanessa will share projects she is working on, new yarn purchases, updates on new pattern designs, fiber related resource books and answer audience questions.

This series typically airs the 1st Friday of each month.

If you are specifically interested in fiber related crafts including: Knitting, Crochet, Circular Sock Machine Knitting, Spinning, etc. then this is the show for you!

For this month’s Fiber Friday, I am so excited to be sharing progress on my Ranunculus Sweater ...

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Look what I bought!
After borrowing my friend's LK150 knitting machine I decided to buy my own. 
This machine is really a great way to get into machine knitting. This is what it comes with. Machine and carriage, row counter, yarn mast, comb weights, and more. Everything you need to get started. 
Stitch transfer tools, spare needles, claw weights, ravel cord, latching tool, clamps, machine oil. 
I added in some clamps and more claw weights. Now, I'm ready to get back to knitting tiny hats. 

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I have this collection of blue yarn perfect for felting. 
I used the LK150 and a video tutorial to make some more slippers
I finished them what seems like ages ago but I didn't wash them to felt them up until recently. Here is how they compare to my earlier experiments. Felting is not very precise and more of an experiment each time I do it. 
They came out great! I still have yarn that will felt so expect to see more of these. 

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I am afraid that too many pieces of fabric have found their way into my stash, lately. With all the holiday shopping, they are hiding, until, I can properly sort through it.

I did get a picture of a jelly roll and some mystery fat quarters. The fat quarters will be great for finishing my crown blocks. The jelly roll are solids called sunroom. They are pretty colors that are different than usual solid colors.

Stash report December 18, 2022

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More charity baby hats!
I had ten to drop off with Annapolis Quilts for Kids last Saturday. This is the machine I borrowed from a friend. I like machine knitting enough I've decided to buy my own LK 150 so I can keep making these charity hats. 

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My quilt guild's Christmas party was last week. We played a pass a yard of fabric game and the aqua floral was what I took home. The fat quarter was the prize I won. We had a pitch in for food and it was so yummy. There are just some favorites that I only get at a potluck. 

Stash report December 11, 2022

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Last week end I pulled out the LK150 and knit up some more baby hats for charity. 
These little hats work up quickly, with the knitting taking about 30 minutes for each hat. I then spend another 10-15 minutes seaming them. These will be headed to Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

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 Another AMAZING day with Karen. It's incredible how much one can learn by observing, and I did a lot of observing. I'm thankful I had that opportunity!

Once the event was over and I could cash out (more on that another day), I was on my way home. It had been raining like cats and dogs earlier in the day, with gale-force winds. Did I want to drive in those conditions? However, the rain stopped, and the roads were dry on the way home. But the wind? It was windy, and I had to keep a firm grip ...

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I bought another neutral piece for my boho heart quilt. I am using these colors as the background.

Stash report November 27, 2022

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OK -- so this happened yesterday, and it's not about Murphy!

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Sometimes you just gotta knit. 
Activ yarn with solid heels and toes. A relatively quick knit. 

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