The Sewing Place
The Emporia => A Good Yarn => Topic started by: Bodgeitandscarper on March 13, 2020, 09:25:58 AM
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I got the chunky machine out at last, a Brother 230, a simple machine that does not have a punchcard to do patterning.
It's just amazing after fighting The Beast for the last few weeks, I cast on first time, knitted a few rows, then cast on again and did a full needle rib and then changed to a racking pattern - nothing goes wrong, and I know exactly how it works. Oh, and the needles and stitches are big enough to see without glasses, always a bonus.
I'm now wondering why I never thought of using a full needle rib for the edge instead of a 1 x 1 rib like we always used to do? These days, it's not really fashionable to have a tight rib edge, so I'm delighted this discovery :)
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I love that edge. Ribbing is rarely flattering on me - it brings a jumper in at precisely the wrong spot!
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Really pretty! I would have loved a knitting machine... :(
Jessie
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Looks great, now I am battling between doing some quilting or getting my knitting machine out, I have extra time at home as I have a nasty cough and don’t want to be lynched if I go out.
I am sure my cough is nothing as I get this cough every time I get anything wrong after having a weird type of pneumonia 30years ago.
Really like your rib
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Jessie it is never too late to get yourself a knitting machine, there are always plenty going second hand. However if you want to reproduce something like Bodgeitandscarper's piece of knitting you need a ribber to go with the main machine. Brother do not exist anymore but again can be found second hand. The only knitting machines still manufactured these days are now known as Silver Reed and they do a variety of different ones, standard gauge in both punchard and electronic, mid gauge, and chunky punchcard.
There is only one magazine these days devoted to Machine Knitting and that is Machine Knitting Monthly run by Anne Smith down in Maidenhead - she started this mag up 34 years ago and is the only one that has survived.
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Lovely knitting @Bodgeitandscarper - seeing it makes me miss my knitting machines. I had 4 at one stage but had to get rid of them all due to back problems. :S I love to read about your projects though. :D
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Silver Reed used to be sold in this country as Knitmaster (I used to work for them). When the UK operation went bust they reverted to the name of the parent company. A second hand Knitmaster in good condition is a good bet.
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Looks super! I've never used a knitting machine, not needing speed and enjoying the actual hand process, but that swatch is certainly lovely and I can see why folks like them.
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Ooh that’s nice. My mum had knitting machines for years. We finally had to get rid of her last one at the end of last year. She was finding it too painful after using it as the ligaments in her shoulders are shot, evidently. It’s a shame as she knitted almost all my cardigans for years. I shall miss that.
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I'm still working on a cardi in the yarn swatch I first posted, it's taking a lot of sums, but I have knitted three panels for the back - two sides and a centre, reversed, panel.
I left that to knit up some DK cotton yarn I ordered for my grandson, and I now remember why I never used to use DK, it's a bit thin for the chunky machine, but a bit thick for a standard gauge. First jumper is now done, after a few nightmares with the neck. I tried to put a 1x1 rib band on it, but it just wouldn't knit a tight enough tension for this yarn, so after experimenting with two or three other thoughts, I've now done a rolled edge and love it.
The full needle rib is not so successful, as it's also a bit loose, but I have a big needle and some very thin elastic that will thread through the circular cast on edge. I also remembered the issue with a full needle rib, it tends to flip up, so I persuaded it to behave a bit better by not transferring all the stitches to the main bed in one go, but doing alternate, then knit a couple of rows, then transfer the rest.
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That’s lovely...I really like that neck, it’s very modern looking.
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Thanks Efemera, I've been wanting to try the rolled edge, and it was very successful. So many machine knit patterns do look old-fashioned these days, so I'm making up my own now.
I've already knit the second jumper, apart from the neck edge, it's so quick, I love it - although I'm not at all sure I love the yarn for this second one - pics tomorrow when it's finished.
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And another two. I don't like the colour of the darker one, but it's made now.
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Proper little boys sweaters, lucky Clarry.
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I've now almost finished my cardi - although I lost the plot this afternoon with the second sleeve. After getting half way up the second sleeve, I realised it still had the same problem as the first, not enough rows left to do all the necessary stitch increases. I eventually twigged - I'd only cast on 30 stitches instead of 38 - doh!
So, third sleeve, shaping the sleeve head, I suddenly realised I was doing the decreases on alternate rows instead of every row. And somehow a knot had got knitted in the middle of a row. I thought I'd undo a few (or a lot of) rows, but then decided it would just be quicker to take it of and re-wind the yarn. I then got in a tangle with the new ball, and found it had three ends :[
After a lot of de-tangling and re-winding it completely, I managed at the fourth attempt to knit the second sleeve.
I may try and knit the neckband tonight, then lots of sewing up, and then the button band to knit tomorrow, when I work out what I'm going to do for it.
A pic of a pile of bits is the best I can show you so far...
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Doh, I may have steamed some wrinkles into it, [l but probably be ok after it's been worn a bit and washed.
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Nicely done! Looks great.
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Forgot I'd started this thread!
Hopefully starting on a little jumper today, the first lot of new yarn, although labelled as chunky, has turned out like cardboard even on the loosest tension on my machine :S
The other two look fine, but I then couldn't find any pattern for the last jumpers I'd knitted. I thought they were on the computer, but no. Then I realised they must have been on the knitleader (charting device that you follow) but nothing on that either. The only conclusion I could come to was that the pen lines on the knitleader sheet must have faded away!
Anyway, new pattern sorted and adjusted on my DesignaKnit doftware, so should have a jumper done today.
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@Bodgeitandscarper Lovely to see your :woof: :woof: had a cameo in the cardigan pics.
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First little jumper parcelled up and ready to send off the my little grandson. So quick and easy to knit on the Brother 230 machine - apart from a number of "operator errors" and deciding the first sleeve was too long, so unravelling that. And casting on too few stitches for the third sleeve, so unravelling that too. I managed to knit four sleeves in total :S
The yarn is like a chenille, and sheds bits of fluff everywhere, so I don't think it will actually stand up very well to much washing, but never mind, I have three more lots of different yarns to make up - when I see how this one fits.
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I really like that. By the time laundering has decimated the yarn he will have grown out of it. In the meantime it's lovely and soft and warm!
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That looks lovely and snuggly warm.
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Gorgeous! :D
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Three more little jumpers. They are so quick to make, take longer to sew up!
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Three more little jumpers. They are so quick to make, take longer to sew up!
Yep, sewing up is a PITA - for ages I tried to get one of the Hague Linkers and I also fancied a chunky machine. Never did get either of those. I have sewn up lighter weight knitting on the overlocker.
Every time I see this thread Bodge, I want to get my knitting machine out again (standard gauge). It was put partly put away when I moved workrooms and it's sat behind where I have my ironing board - waiting. To use it, I'll need to move a couple of things around a bit.
I love (and miss) the designing and experimental and technical side of things and the machine makes the knitting up so quick. Then that voice in my head say, when these UFOs are done, get it out. Then I get distracted again . . .
Love the marls and flecked yarns you are using.
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Bodge they are lovely.
Makes me want to get my machine out of the depths and have a go.
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More lovely results @Bodgeitandscarper ! I actually like sewing up - using mattress stitch. It's a good excuse to sit back in an armchair and I like feeling it come together in my hands. I am nearly as fast at it as I used to be.
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Go on, ladies, get those machines out :dance: