drew-o-rama

ATTEMPT THREE

Still working on the knitted/sewing hybrid pillows. This is my third attempt...

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You can see the pillow form sticking out in the back. I thought maybe less of an overlap might help the problem of the knitted fabric pulling and distorting the pillow. That didn't work. I am going to try putting in a zipper in the center of the back and see if that solves the issue. (I can't put the zipper on the side because it'd be too difficult with the thickness of the knitted fabric.)

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I am also still working out my overall aesthetic. It's a delicate balance of wild and wacky thrift shop fabrics, bright colors, bold patterns with the overall goal of sophistication. This one is getting closer, I think. I love the colors and the stripes combined with the black and white pattern.

IS THIS CHEATING?

So, I did something that die-hard hand knitters would scold me for. I bought a knitting machine!

the pink and lavender is girly, ugh | click to enlarge

I actually bought it last November, but just now have had the time to really dig in and see what it can do.

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I bought the machine so I can really experiment with garment design and construction. Knitwear design has been really catching my eye the past year or so. I wanted a way to design and knit quickly.

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It doesn't do everything since it's an introductory model. But it does knit various yarn sizes. The more expensive a machine, the smaller the range of yarn sizes it uses.

Right now I am just knitting swatch after swatch, experimenting with stripes, patterns and short rows. But I am planning on using to create some items to sell. I'll keep you updated...