The Sewing Place

Who will get their knitting machine out?

Ploshkin

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #15 on: February 25, 2021, 07:21:48 AM »
Quote
One more thing - you will need to be able to keep your machine set up somewhere. If you keep it under the bed you will never use it!
So true Greybird.  I used to machine knit and really enjoyed it - no bleeping digital stuff, just mechanical.  When I moved house I had nowhere to keep it permanently up, it spent 15 years under a bed then got sold.
Life's too short for ironing.

Diane

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #16 on: February 25, 2021, 08:32:22 AM »
@Greybird thanks for the information and advice, they do look rather large these machines, not sure if I have the space to keep it out all of the time, think I need to get a bigger house  :laughing: I will have a look at those models though and some of the YouTube vids
I’m a fabricholic on the road to recovery. Just kidding. I’m on the road to the fabric store.

Janome Memory Craft Horizon 9450QCP, Janome 4300QDC, Overlocker Brother 1034d, Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 40

Elnnina

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #17 on: February 25, 2021, 10:09:45 AM »
Diane seriously if you are going to get a knitting machine, you really do need to use yarn that is specially made for these machines and come on cones.  Whilst hand knitting yarn has been used on machines, because it comes in 25g, 50g balls, you cannot join in another ball mid way through knitting a line, and also you will have far less ends to sew in by using coned yarn.  Another point to remember is that whilst we are used to using 4 ply, double knit, chunky knit when hand knitting, the machine knitting coned yarns are totally different.  There are places dotted around the country that do actually sell machine yarn.

Also Knitmaster are now known as Silver or Silver Reed, and Brother no longer make knitting machines, and yes there are several available to buy on the second hand market, just be aware any spare parts etc.  are very limited.  With regards to Brother stopping manufacturing knitting machines this happened a long time ago, so as the years have gone by any stocks of spare parts, needles etc. get lower and lower as they are just not manufactured now.

Good luck in your venture if you decide to go down this route - it can be very rewarding, and as Greybird has said, there are several of us on TSP who have a machine, and still knit today, so all is not lost if you need help.

There is only one knitting magazine left these days and that is Machine Knitting Monthly  and run by Anne Smith and she is based in Maidenhead,  she has a wealth of knowledge as she too started out as a machine knitter for one of the machine companies, she is very approachable and I am sure she could help you if you need outside help.

Bodgeitandscarper

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #18 on: February 25, 2021, 19:00:35 PM »
@Diane go on get one, you know you want to  0_0

Greybird mention the Knitleader for Brother machines, while some do have one built in, you can also get a separate one that will hook on the back of lots of machines.  They are very useful, but I have gone computerised these days, and use the Designaknit software on a laptop, with a sensor stuck on the machine, so the computer display advances a row as you knit, it's magic.

Celia

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #19 on: February 26, 2021, 09:50:01 AM »
You are all so tempting me to get my machine out, maybe when my son goes back to work I will try to find space, next problem what do I want to knit?

Elnnina

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #20 on: February 26, 2021, 16:38:11 PM »
Diane, I believe there is a place down in Sussex  www.heathercraft.co.uk who deal with knitting machines. i.e. they buy and sell these, so not necessarily new, and their advert in Machine Knitting Monthly  mentions that they do repairs, tuition and yarns are available.  May be worth looking at.

Also if you are serious you would really need a proper machine knitting table, as the machine has to be firmly clamped to a straight surface, they are also the right height for easier knitting and are not very wide, just enough really to hold the machine and the machine lid is placed underneath on the legs.

Diane

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #21 on: February 27, 2021, 09:17:17 AM »
@Elnnina Thanks for all the info, I think it's something that i would need to check out before purchasing as i'd definitely need some tuition  :rolleyes: The only bit that's putting me off is the need to have it out all of the time, i don't really have the space and as mentioned before, if it got stored under the bed, would i use it? probably not. I do enjoy hand knitting and i ask myself would i miss the relaxing in the recliner of an evening doing my knitting? maybe. I think it's just me wanting every craft gadget going  :laughing:
I’m a fabricholic on the road to recovery. Just kidding. I’m on the road to the fabric store.

Janome Memory Craft Horizon 9450QCP, Janome 4300QDC, Overlocker Brother 1034d, Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 40

Greybird

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #22 on: February 27, 2021, 09:24:11 AM »
There is one other thing @Diane - many handknitters do not make good machine knitters. You have to put hand knitting and the techniques you use right out of your head. The process is completely different. The machine is very good at lots of things (as well as quick!) but it will not do everything you do by hand. If you can separate the two in your mind you will do well.

Diane

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #23 on: February 27, 2021, 09:59:34 AM »
There is one other thing @Diane - many handknitters do not make good machine knitters. You have to put hand knitting and the techniques you use right out of your head. The process is completely different. The machine is very good at lots of things (as well as quick!) but it will not do everything you do by hand. If you can separate the two in your mind you will do well.

It's probably not for me if i'm being totally honest, it's taken long enough to get hand knitting techniques in to my head. I think i'll sit back and just watch the projects that all you lovely ladies produce and admire them.
I like trying new things to keep the mind active and crocheting will be one of them, mum has just given me the Sophie's Universe kit so it looks as if this will be next on my list.
I’m a fabricholic on the road to recovery. Just kidding. I’m on the road to the fabric store.

Janome Memory Craft Horizon 9450QCP, Janome 4300QDC, Overlocker Brother 1034d, Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 40

annieeg

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #24 on: February 27, 2021, 18:35:03 PM »
@Elnnina Thank you for the link to heathercraft.  I rang them today and while they're closed during lockdown they are hoping to open in due course and I hope to go there for a knitting machine lesson.  It's a sensible investment for me as i can get an idea whether machine knitting is for me

Elnnina

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #25 on: February 27, 2021, 20:39:18 PM »
That is good annieeg, I know that Heathercraft have been buying and selling machines and accessories for many years, but I have never used them.  I just hope you are not too disappointed.


Elnnina

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #26 on: March 06, 2021, 14:44:14 PM »
Bodgeitandscarper there is the most gorgeous garter carriage cardigan in  April's Machine Knitting Monthly Magazine - I received my copy today, and this cardigan is by Anne Baker of Karabee Designs.  Then in Anne's opening letter she is describing something about making a back bigger, possibly worth trying as I know you are wanting this.


Now I know you are wanting your finished garment wider than the normal machine allows, have you thought of using the garter carriage more and knitting panels and then sewing them up on the linker, that way you would be able to get the width you wanted.

Back around the late 80's I had some sweaters from M&S that had squares of different designs knitted in garter stitch, and whilst I only have a punchard machine with garter carriage I spent a long time drawing these patterns out on squared paper with the intention of then knitting strips of different patterns and then sewing them together but of course I never got around to doing this, and goodness knows where the paper sheets are now, I know I still have the sweaters, but the way the sweater was knitted going up from the rib there were different squares on top of one another and then the next column was different - it really was quite striking.  Of course with an electronic machine you can knit your design bigger than the punchard machines allow.

I know I have some books just on garter carriage knitting, I believe by Elaine Cater, but of course I cannot get anywhere near them, but I do believe Elaine is still around, and I am sure Anne at MKM would be able to tell you if she is. 

What are you knitting now?

Bodgeitandscarper

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #27 on: March 06, 2021, 15:45:04 PM »
Thanks @Elnnina , I've not had my MKM this month yet, I'll look forward to seeing that.

And yes, I have done one cardi with a centre back panel of garter stitch, and I have had the idea of different squares in my mind for a while, just not got around to working that out yet.

The next knit will be another full needle rib, with slightly different seams and shaping to the last one, it's a shape I'm constantly tweaking til I get one just right  :)

Elnnina

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #28 on: March 07, 2021, 10:25:10 AM »
Bodgeitandscarper I went looking for myself for Elaine Cater, and she is still around, and guess what you can buy her books/patterns via PDF's so that is good.  She actually has  a garter carriage one specifically for electronic machines so that might be useful.  What sort of width are you looking for? do you want your sweater or cardigan to go straight up from the hem, and are you doing a rib for a hem?  Another thought about getting extra width, is to have the seam coming from the middle of the shoulder as in princess line shaping, or a little further over at the edge of the actual shoulder and instead of an underarm seam knit that part wider therefore you will have the same seam  on both back and front coming from the shoulder and no underarm seam - that can be a flattering line as well.

Whilst I haven't knitted for quite some time, I used to use what was called an industrial two by two rib, and this was a much nicer rib than a normal two by two rib, and I am racking my brain to think of exactly how it was done.  I know I certainly cannot get at the bench of my cabinet where this info will be, but I can at the moment get at my knitting bookshelf, and perhaps later today I will have a look amongst my many books up there.  I know I have the Brother Ribber book, and there were lots of useful ideas in there, although at the time I did not have a brother machine, however some time ago now I had the opportunity of buying a brother ribber for my punchcard Brother, so that is handy.  I will also look out the books I mentioned recently by Pam Turbett, as that might be a nice alternative for you to just knit long lengths of knitting, and then treat as fabric and cut and sew this on your sewing machine and overlocker, then you should definitely be able to get the width you want.

I know you said you were not to keen on the purl side of tuck stitch, have you looked at the knit side of tuck stitch?  This can be unexepectedly full of surprises, giving hints and definition of something that is not just plain stocking stitch, and then again you would possibly get the width as tuck stitch spreads widthwise.

I also mentioned some of the other stitches that the machines can do, and in particular mentioned  a lace stitch, then of course after I had posted this I remembered yet another stitch that was peculiar to the Brother machines, and that is fine lace - I have never tried this, but from memory I had seen some lovely garments knitted using this technique.

I do hope you are enjoying your current bout of knitting, this can be so rewarding, so have fun.

whofilets

Re: Who will get their knitting machine out?
« Reply #29 on: April 21, 2021, 11:34:30 AM »
I have old dusty dreams of machine knitting. I inherited a machine from my childhood best friend's step mom- it had been her late mother's, and sitting in their garage. It went on to sit in my mom's garage for several years, and now the garage has gained those layers of Other People's Things and the strata of Stuff, For Later. I think the knitting machine might not even be in there anymore. If it is, it is an archeological dig deep into the garage space, which is now in another country. (if you can't tell from my use of "garage" it's in the US and I am living in the UK now).

I also scored a bunch of 80's Vogue Knitting magazines once, someone had dropped them off to my LYS at the time. There are so many machine knitting patterns in those, and so few pictures of the projects! very different layout to today.

Someday I might dive into the world of circular sock machines. I haven't seen a single one on Gumtree but I see a new listing for flatbed knitting machine on that site like every week. Two of my knitter friends have circular sock machines, but they're again back in the States. Someday I'll visit them and their machines and try it out for myself.
US to UK, brought all the fabric and yarn with me