We recently purchased a knitting machine. It is a used Bond knitting machine, which is an entry-level model. I like to crochet, and recently had a friend teach me the basics of knitting. I like how knitting looks, but am slow and really never mastered the art.
Then along came the knitting machine. The machine has 100 "needles.". Actually, they are individual "latch hooks" that pull the thread through in a pattern. You can easily knit a large project in an evening or two rather than spending several weeks or months on it. This is the perfect type of knitting for a type-A individual.
There is a bit of a learning curve getting started with a knitting machine. We watched YouTube videos to get the basics. Some machines come with training videos. It took a couple of evenings to get the hang of it.
Once you master the basics, there are many patterns available, and you can make anything from an afghan, to a sweater, hat, scarf, or placement -- anything you could make with a regular pair of knitting needles only much faster.
Although I only have one scarf under my belt, I have learned a couple of tips so far:
1. Buy a smooth, light to medium weight yarn. It is hard to work with thin or thick yarn. The light and mid-weight ones glide through the machine more easily.
2. It is easier to rip out a mistake than to try to fix it. The rows unravel easily leaving the loops still on the machine. If you drop one or two stitches (which will happen), then sure, go ahead and fix them by pulling the yarn through the loops that were missed. However, if you have more than a couple of stitches to fix, it is probably better to rip it out and start over since knitting a row or two does not take much time.
3. Weight is your friend. Their is a weight bar that you use to start the project, but should your project be a larger or longer one (like my scarf) you need to keep tension on the yarn loops so they stay properly on the machine. You can purchase knitting machine weights to attach to your projects, which is an important addition to your machine.
I still have a lot to learn about machine knitting. It is an exercise in patience until you get the hang of it. Having a more expensive machine would probably solve some of the issues, but these can run into the thousands of dollars. I will stick with my $90 eBay model and muddle along.
I'll keep you posted as I complete other projects and learn more about machine knitting. These are some photos of my machine and an example of a knitting machine weight.
Then along came the knitting machine. The machine has 100 "needles.". Actually, they are individual "latch hooks" that pull the thread through in a pattern. You can easily knit a large project in an evening or two rather than spending several weeks or months on it. This is the perfect type of knitting for a type-A individual.
There is a bit of a learning curve getting started with a knitting machine. We watched YouTube videos to get the basics. Some machines come with training videos. It took a couple of evenings to get the hang of it.Once you master the basics, there are many patterns available, and you can make anything from an afghan, to a sweater, hat, scarf, or placement -- anything you could make with a regular pair of knitting needles only much faster.
Although I only have one scarf under my belt, I have learned a couple of tips so far:
1. Buy a smooth, light to medium weight yarn. It is hard to work with thin or thick yarn. The light and mid-weight ones glide through the machine more easily.
2. It is easier to rip out a mistake than to try to fix it. The rows unravel easily leaving the loops still on the machine. If you drop one or two stitches (which will happen), then sure, go ahead and fix them by pulling the yarn through the loops that were missed. However, if you have more than a couple of stitches to fix, it is probably better to rip it out and start over since knitting a row or two does not take much time.
3. Weight is your friend. Their is a weight bar that you use to start the project, but should your project be a larger or longer one (like my scarf) you need to keep tension on the yarn loops so they stay properly on the machine. You can purchase knitting machine weights to attach to your projects, which is an important addition to your machine.
I still have a lot to learn about machine knitting. It is an exercise in patience until you get the hang of it. Having a more expensive machine would probably solve some of the issues, but these can run into the thousands of dollars. I will stick with my $90 eBay model and muddle along.
I'll keep you posted as I complete other projects and learn more about machine knitting. These are some photos of my machine and an example of a knitting machine weight.
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