Here's the little hat I whipped up for dd#1. I think I'll make one for myself today and maybe one for dd#1. Quick and easy. One thing about the USM is that it needs to sit on top of a flat table without an apron. Its about 40" long so if you're thinking about getting one figure out a place for it first.

Next up, I'm going to order some soft soft merino yarn (kids are sensitive) , knit scarves, felt it and then have the children put wool pictures on top and then I'll needle felt it. I'll be knitting some snow bunnies and lambs for the winter scene I'm thinking of creating for the children as their christmas present. Gotta do some online shopping now.

I'm back...

After a long hiatus...
I purchased the Ultimate Sweater Machine by Bond over the Thanksgiving weekend. The USM has very mixed reviews and I was a bit skeptical. But no more... Here's what I whipped up in 3-4 hours (including setup time which took about an hour).
Noro Silk Garden #224, 3 skeins on plate #3.
I've always loved the looks of shibori and came across a wonderful tutorial here. The silk garden is ultra yummy especially after a warm bath or in this case felting in the washing machine.

I (the USM) just finished knitting a little wool hat for dd#2. I just have to seam it and voila. I had no problems with the machine using worsted yarn. The hat on the other hand is more of a sock weight/sport weight yarn and the machine had a few hiccups (dropped stitches).
This is no replacement for handknitting, just a quick way to make large amounts of stockinette especially for felting. I can see quite a few more silk garden scarfs for myself in the near future, a few felted scarves for the kids in merino,... A nice way to use up my yarn stash.