When I'm not sewing...

....I'm knitting.....yep I relax by swapping a sewing needle for a knitting needle... or 200...
I've been thinking of getting a knitting machine for years and finally went and bought one (second hand!) just before Christmas as a present to myself.

I'm on a bit of a learning curve at the moment, but it has been helped along by watching some of Diana Sullivan's youtube videos found here. Although the instruction manual is with the machine, it just seems to make a lot more sense watching someone working on their own machine.

I made the blanket pictured by following her tutorial series from her blog Diana Natters. It's called the Swirl Round baby blanket.

A few details to note - Diana uses a machine that has a larger guage than my machine ( I have a standard guage knitmaster) so my blanket came out smaller at 27" diameter. Which seems to be a perfect size for a lap blanket or for a newborn baby.

I honestly couldn't believe that my blanket was turning out the way it should - it's my second attempt at making anything other than swatches! I really like the edging used to finish off the blanket - it could easily be used with handknitting. see it up close here:

I'm hoping to make something wearable for myself soon. I've cut apart an old jumper that fit nicely but was a cheapy bobbly thing. And the plan is to try to copy it - but first I need to swatch the yarn and do some maths!
In sewing news I won a giveaway over on Melissa's blog Fehrtrade.
It was for a young image magazine which arrived yesterday - I've plans to sew more than a couple of the outfits - they are adorable!