This is the Bond Ultimate Sweater machine. I bought it at Jo-Ann Fabrics online when they had a 50% off coupon on any item. It's not electrical. I spent a couple days learning how to use it, and now I really love it. This machine has 4 carriages and can achieve a range of gauges from about 16 st/4" to 20 st/4" with worsted weight yarn. In addition to stockinette, you can use it for eyelet, cables, ribbing, intarsia, and fair isle, but I like to stick to just stockinette. The special stitches require so much hand manipulation, you could do them faster and in a more comfortable chair by hand.
Each stitch is held by a little metal hook.
This is a sweater front in progress. The machine has very ugly colors.
I mark every tenth row as I go so I can keep track of the count. This is much more reliable than a row-counter. The fabric is stretched downward significantly during the process, so there is no way to eyeball or even measure the length of what you're knitting. You have to know the row gauge ahead and count to arrive at the correct length.
The finished knit pieces curl even more than they would if you hand knit them, but it all comes out in the blocking.
7 comments:
I have a row counter on my machine, but I think I'll use your method in the future. Thanks for the post.
huh.... that is really interesting. Thanks for this post.
I've always been curious about knitting machines so i'l be watching your progress with interest. And there is an award for you over on my blog.
I agree with Su, a very interesting post. I have been toying with getting a knitting machine. Nothing fancy....
That's a nice-looking sweater. Did you use the pattern that came with the machine or a different one?
I write my own sweater patterns.
One thing that I love to do is make the sleeves, front, and back on the machine all the way up to the armpits. Then I combine the four pieces on a large circular and work an Elizabeth Zimmerman Seamless Hybrid or Saddle Shoulder pattern the rest of the way up. It looks really neat, and I feel like I'm getting the best of both worlds - hand knitting and machine knitting. I can finish a sweater like this in about a week. It's easy to sew up the seams on the side and under the sleeves, so it's only a "semi-seamless hybrid." :)
Post a Comment