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Occasionally, I’ve used Dall-e to generate images when I’m feeling uninspired or to use as reference. I believe it’s similar to artists using other artists’ artwork as references. They use it to paint or draw as practice, not to make art that’s for sale. I would say I’m not as imaginative as Dall-e, but sometimes the art generated can be considered creepy as well.

AI Art Stickers Dall-e's Bees and Beehive Amongst Lavender Flowers

Above are some art that I generated. I thought some of them might make interesting stickers to use in my sketchbook, so I printed them on sticker paper and cut them out for my own use. I also painted the scene with bees, beehive and lavender flowers using oil pastels on canvas board.

Until then, I hadn’t used my oil pastels very often, and I wanted to see what they would be like to use on canvas board.

I used the harder pastels first: the Cray-pas Expressionist. Afterwards I could layer the softer Mungyo Gallery and Caran d’Ache Neopastels on top.

Finished artwork! By no means perfect since I’m not used to oil pastels, but this was an interesting trial. The fluorescent purple base colour can still be seen poking through, giving it a pinkish and cool undertone. My mother asked me about this painting when she visited me, probably thinking it looks weird. It is probably very weird and not something I would imagine or create by myself. 😂

I’ve changed web hosts again, back to having a WordPress-based site that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. I’ve saved most of my really old blog posts from yonks ago. However some of them no longer have photos. For some, it’s because of an Instagram API thing that no longer works, and others because I never moved over the uploaded photos from old hosting services when I saved the blog posts. Since I have no energy to rummage through my digital photo archives and fix each photo and blog post, I’m going to leave them as they are. WordPress is now quite advanced and it’s even easier than before to create designs without scripting.

I remember keeping screenshots of previous website designs, so here’s what it used to look like when I had my website at Wix:

 

 

The punch card design I used in my latest machine knit t-shirt is available. It’s free, and it comes with PDF printouts that you can use as templates with blank punch cards and a puncher. If you have a computer-controlled cutting machine, I’ve also included the SVG file for you to import into your cutting software. If you use the basic version of Silhouette Design Studio, I’ve also included the Silhouette file for your convenience. Download the pattern PDF and SVG.

I’m glad I’m able to directly link the ZIP file here, because I’m unable to when I create a shop item. I’ll have to rethink how I offer free items in the future. At the moment, the only way to avoid going through the checkout process to download a free digital product is to use the link provided to Google Drive. The image below shows what I mean. Once clicked, Google Drive will show you all the files included in the ZIP file and you can download it on the top right corner of the page. Both ways work, except I must remember to upload the files, and keep them up to date at more than just one place!

Edit (27 Mar 2022): This post was written when I had my website hosted somewhere else, and the online shop plus linked files no longer exist. I updated this post with a link to the files shared from my Google Drive.

Sometimes I do miss writing a good blog post. Since I bought my new-to-me Passap E6000, I’ve been perplexed at how to use it. That’s when visiting blogs really helps get my head around things. I particularly love these two: Herman Hills Farm and CCKittenKnits

That said, I would like to try keeping a blog again, though I haven’t done so since 2017. I believe it can help newcomers who aren’t familiar with a machine or technique, even if it seems unlikely. I admit I’ve learned a lot of tips and tricks from fellow knitters and weavers who have kept blogs.

Now, on to the content! Below are some of my recently finished machine knits.

Knitted Grey and Pink T-shirt Knitted Grey and Pink T-shirt

Above is a T-shirt I made with two strands of unknown yarns. When I started, I didn’t have a ribber for my SK280 standard punch card machine. Once I finished the front and back, I bought a SRP60N ribber. I made the sleeves and neckband with some ribbing, which saved a lot of time. The two strands of yarn were so fine that they didn’t like being knit at a tighter tension below 3 which would be needed for a hung hem like I did on the welts of the front and back pieces. However, it was not a problem to knit 1:1 ribbing at T3.

I made my own punch card design for the Fair Isle bands you see at the bottom of the body. Actually, I put together some designs I found on the internet and then made a cut file. I then used my Silhouette Cameo 4 to cut the punch card out of a Mylar sheet. I’ll soon release the Silhouette cut file and SVG so anyone interested can make their own punch card! Keep watching this space.

 

Dark Blue Cotton Silk Poncho

Next is the cotton-silk poncho I made for my mother. I used Valley Yarns Hawley, available at WEBS, with the LK150 plastic manual machine. The poncho is seamed together with two identically-shaped rectangle panels. I designed mine to have two separate cable designs on each panel, but you could easily make two of the same panels and it might actually look better.

I don’t particularly recommend this yarn for the LK150 or machine knitting in general. It is very difficult to drop and latch up ribbing with a latch tool, therefore I cannot make anything that requires a ribbed welt or I will pull my hair out. It is also not very strong and you’ll need to use some other yarn with which to seam the garment. It pills after washing. I’m simply trying to use it all up because I bought way too many balls.

 

Cotton Wool Garter Eyelets Tee

This was the first t-shirt I designed with DAK 9 and the fit is great. The yarn is Cestari Rainbow, the Joy colourway. It’s 50% wool 50% cotton. I used the SK280 and a garter bar to turn the pieces for the garter eyelets.

  • Use garter bar to turn your piece around. RS (right side) is now facing you.
  • Knit across, 1 row. This forms the garter ridge.
  • Use garter bar. WS (wrong side) is now facing you.
  • Transfer every other stitch to the adjacent needle. Make sure those empty needles are back in working position.
  • You will need to make a free pass to position your carriage on the side with the working yarn. Then knit across, 1 row. This makes the eyelet row. There will be needles that have just yarn laid across it.
  • Use garter bar again, being careful to make sure the looped stitches also transfer over. RS should be facing you.
  • Knit across, 1 row.
  • Use garter bar again. The WS should now be facing you, and you’ve made the second garter ridge.
  • Continue knitting your piece as planned!

Sadly I can’t wear this t-shirt in summer, because I itch from the wool. It really isn’t easy to find cotton that knits up easily on knitting machines. They’re usually too thick or too stiff, making the carriage cry for help.

Unfortunately, I’ve had to remove two years’ worth of blog posts. Instagram removed or changed an end user API and that affected a plugin I was using to automatically post from Instagram from 2016-2017. The Instagram photos were unable to be accessed, leaving broken links in all of those posts.

While I hope to be able to draft and sell some patterns one day, I’ve decided to give my first one away for free!

Handwoven scarf in purple and navy

This scarf weaving pattern contains  all the charts you need and details on how I wove it. The document is not suitable for those who have never woven before — it assumes you have woven a few items and that you are familiar with your loom. I have, however, added some tips just in case you aren’t familiar with the methods that I’ve used. You may like to do things differently, and that’s fine too.

Requirements: 4-shaft loom, 9 inch weaving width, 10-dent reed for 20 epi
More details are in the PDF.

Since this pattern is available for no cost, I ask that you use it to make items for yourself or for gifting only. As it’s also my first pattern, any constructive criticism will be accepted, but please be courteous.

Finally, here is the link to download the PDF: Warm and Stylish Twill Scarf Pattern

Handwoven scarf in purple and navy

2018 Weaving challenge

I started this monthly, year-long challenge in the hopes that I might finally complete it. I have never been able to complete such long-term projects, and as you can see, I’m already having some trouble staying on schedule. The idea is to weave one item per month, using any loom I have. It can be anything in any colour, from tapestries to towels.

For January, I set out to weave a wall-hanging out of whatever red and pink yarns I had in my stash. I chose this colour theme because January’s birthstone is garnet and I wanted to use that as my inspiration.

All I've done for my January weaving project

Here, I’ve warped the frame loom using pink 8/4 cotton. I had received this Schacht Lilli Loom for Christmas and I was excited to use it.

What happens when you have no table space

Then the project was hung up on the wall and forgotten for several days.

January's weaving challenge

On 25th January, I finally made a start.

January's weaving challenge - tapestry//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
January's tapestry - halfway

By this time, I was so bored of it. I had so few reds and pinks in my stash, and most of them were worsted-weight causing the weaving to take ages. I also realised that tapestry weaving wasn’t really exciting to me. I prefer multi-shaft looms where pretty patterns appear with minimal effort.

20180208_125331

This was taken in early February. I had gone over time.

January's weaving challenge is done and up on the wall

15th February — finally done! I ended the tapestry early because I was just so fed up of weaving it. I had not joined colours very well, and edges were pulling in. I think it’s almost safe to say that I won’t be doing more tapestry weaving unless I have lots of chunky yarns.