Designing Bears and Bunnies

I just wanted a way to make a bunch of little 9" stuffies really quick. That's how it all started. I love knitting and crocheting but crochet hurts my hands and knitting is beautiful but it takes up way too much of my time for each little animal. When you're my age, three days on one little project is just too long. 

You can't knit quicker than on a knitting machine so that's what I used. I've had these machines for a few years but haven't used them in a little while. I actually made a bear in less than two hours on the small machine and I was hooked on making them from there on.  It's instant gratification and I don't want to knit with two needles anymore... or for at least a while longer.

So I made a bunch of bears and named them the "Ice Cream Colors" set. Than I used another sparkle cake yarn and named them "Crayon Colors" set. Then Christmas started bearing down on me (no pun intended) so I made a set of "Christmas" bears too. I didn't want to get burnt out on bears so a bunny popped into my head and that's where we are now.

I'm designing bunnies on the Addi. I also utilize a small amount of crochet pieces on them too because you can do most all of it except for the smallish pieces - all on the Addi. I found a way. I also do a little bit of hand stitching on them too, but you have to do that regardless.

Do I consider circular machine knitting "hand knitting"? Yes I do and I'll tell you why. Regardless of whether you knit with two straight needles, round needles, a loom, or you crank a set of plastic needles in the round... you are hand knitting with another instrument, regardless of what form that takes. You move the yarn in and out of the needles by hand. 

Otherwise to be truly a "hand knitter" in the purist sense of the word - you have to only use your fingers to knit. But I enjoy it all. All the yarns, all the tools and all the machines. There really is no limit to what you can make.