Beads & Quilting

These days, I've been working on a top-secret project for an unnamed magazine.
See the sneak preview below...

The photo shows several different types of beads and how they look on the project's yarn.  Any thoughts?

And, in the quilting world, I've been prepping!

All my quilting blocks from last year's Craftsy Block of the Month Sampler needed some sashing in order to free-motion quilt them.  So, I'm taking that first step and adding 2.5" strips around all the blocks.  I can't wait to start FMQ'ing!  I may start before I finish sashing them all.  I don't think I have that much patience to wait!

And, news on the Knitmaster knitting machine,  I've opened it up to inspect its condition, and there's a lot of dust and cat hair, but as you saw, the machine can still knit.  Plus, the needle retaining bar (aka sponge bar) needs replacing, and once that's done it will be a lot smoother.  So, that's what I'm up to this weekend!  Hope you are all doing well yourselves.  Anyone doing any fun projects this weekend?  I am sorta missing sewing clothing.  Perhaps once the quilt and the deadline projects are done, I'll work on some trousers.

Google Reader to BlogLovin'

 Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the interruption of  your regularly scheduled blog post, but if you haven't heard, it's true.
Google Reader will be deleted this summer.  So, if that's what you use to follow my blog, please switch to...

AdriMakesAThingorTwo on Bloglovin

Thanks for taking the time to read and follow along with my adventures!

In other news, here are two recent stash acquisitions I'm super excited about...
Malabrigo Arroyo, a sport weight yarn in Burrujas:

 And, Wollmeise's latest yarn creation, a DK weight which is just lovely in Mont Blanc:

My First Knitting Machine

Thank you super-much, Victor.

A friend of mine was generous enough to give me his knitting machine.  Yes, he gave it to me!  So generous!!

Turns out he never got the chance to run it.  The machine's history is somewhat blurry, as it was given as a gift, and handed over from one person to the next until it landed in my studio.  My hands still hurt from carrying the heavy case, but in my excitement, I didn't feel it.  The only hitch- Empisal Knitmaster 324 came without a manual.

I found lots of great resources that probably didn't exist a few years back, and I found the manual for the 326 which is very similar.  It's adorable!  It's really easy to put together, and it's incredibly dusty.  I'll have to take it apart and clean it, then put it back together.  But, before I invested time into doing that, I couldn't help myself.  I knit a swatch.

Here it is.  My first knitting machine swatch.

So excited!  Do any of you have knitting machines?  Do you have any tips on how to clean it?

Baby Quilt for Emily

Hello Constant Reader,

This project is actually still a WIP.  The main quilting is done, but we (baby mama, her sister-in-law, and I) plan on filling in the open spaces with some hand-quilting, embroidery, and embellishing.  I just wanted to share with you my latest nearly finished project because it's my first totally improvised quilt!

I used Bella Solids pre-cut 5" squares and a charm pack that was a gift to me.  If anyone can identify it, that would be great.  I couldn't find the specific collection.  The backing is an all-over floral print from Free Spirit, a collection called Summersault, and the fabric is "pinwheels" in apricot.

Although the half-square triangles that make up the big diamond motif were slightly larger than the 4x4 squares, I made it work.  And, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

I'm hoping my friend's baby likes it as much as I do!

New Design: Squishy Cabled Vest

Hot off the presses!

The final garment in the "Squishy Series" is published...

with a shawl pin as closure element (and Victor's woven scarf)

hopi mittens & shawl pin (plus manduh's Alternating Currents Slouch)

rear-view smirk

with toggles for closure

hee hee toggles!

With winter on my mind and fun layering elements as inspiration, the final garment from the “Squishy” series came to be.

The vest begins with the ribbed bottom edge, followed by the body which is knit back and forth in a Diamond Cable Motif and Stockinette Stitch. Short rows create the fold-over collar. The circumference of the vest is somewhat adjustable by placing the toggles/buttons elsewhere along the width of the edging at the front.

Skills
knitting, purling, cable knitting
short rows
picking up stitches
simple crochet chain to make loops for toggles/buttons
alternately, simple embroidery to attach the loops for the toggles/buttons

Notions
9 stitch markers (2 removable stitch markers), tapestry ndl, scrap yarn, 4 toggles (or 4 buttons, or 1 shawl pin), optional crochet hook size US 6 (G) / 4 mm

Add-On’s
In the future, I would like to include a variation on this pattern that includes a detachable hoodie and a sleeved version.  What do you think?

The pattern is available here on Ravelry.