WIP Wednesday: Knitting Machine Go Brrrr.......

Guys, my knitting machine has been going and going this week. I've managed to churn out 2 full length scarves and technically 2 hats (I made it once but it was too big so I had to do it again, lol). I've been working on my Baby Lock knitting machine (which is a Bond Knitter) and while there has been a learning curve, YouTube videos have been the true heroes of this endeavor. It seems like everytime I start a new project, I forget something and I can't start without watching this video. Cheryl Brunette made a mail in video class on using a Bond Knitter back in the late 80s and she very nicely has the entire series up on her YouTube page. It's a lifesaver, guys. If you have one of these machines - Bond Classic, Baby Lock (rebranded), The Ultimate Sweater Machine, etc - then you absolutely should watch this class. 

I started with the scarves because they are just a really long rectangle and I made each one in an evening even with the random snags I created by doing something wrong. Then for the hats, I found this video by Diana Sullivan that outlined a fancy hat from start to finish. I didn't make the cabling detail she shows, but I followed her tutorial other than that and it turned out great. So even with learning something new, I have no problems getting all the projects made that I wanted to before Christmas and that's a nice feeling.

The first scarf went so well that I pulled out this scarf I made on my Sentro machine and re-knit it on my Baby Lock. SO much nicer. The Sentro left a section of these weird tucked stitches and I really wasn't happy with it. The Baby Lock gave me completely smooth and even stitches with no issues. When they come off the machine they are extremely rollie, but steaming it gets them nice and flat. I haven't steamed this one yet, so it looks pretty tubular, lol. 

In hand knitting, I finished my first baby hat and started the second one. It's amazing how quick these are when you're used to making sweaters and shawls. I made this in just a few hours over the course of a week and then popped it in the mail. I'm hoping it fits - I'm always worried about making baby hats fit because I made several too small when I hadn't made so much stuff.

No sewing this week - I can't get to my machine because I have the knitting machine set up right in front of it, lol. I need to churn out these gifts before I start doing anything for myself anyway, so it's all fine. My New England dress is still sitting there all cut out and ready to go. Hopefully next week I can start putting it together.