I see. When my children were young I made them lots of sweaters and "long johns" every winter on my Bond with worsted-weight yarn. They were warmer than what we could get in the store. My daughter was particularly fetching in the long johns that were off-white with a pink strip every fourth row that I made when she was two.
That was the one I had... Supposed to be able to make thicker sweaters on it. HA! I could just tie bigger knots!
On 2005-08-22 snipped-for-privacy@my.house said: >
This includes knitting. At 4, I >could knit away happily left-handed. At 5, Mum tried to get me to >do it the "right" way round .... and I was 20 before I could do it >again., and I'm still slow. >Knitting machines are great - esp when you've been zit-zotting away >for hours and suddenly, for no reason you can fathom, it all drops >off and lands on your foot. Weights and all. Even better when it's >a 14-gauge industrial you're bickering with. >-- >AJH >no email address supplied
Tom Willmon Mountainair, (mid) New Mexico, USA
Abandon the search for truth; settle on a good fantasy!
Net-Tamer V 1.12.0 - Registered
Is it still possible to buy a new knitting machine? Where would someone get one in the US?
Silver-Reed is the only Japanese company still producing machines, which are sold in the U.S. as Singer, I believe. They used to be sold under the name Studio as well. There is a new Chinese knitting machine sold as Artisan, and is popular. It's a punchcard machine, not elecronic like the Silver-Reed machine. There is also the Bond or Ultimate Sweater Machine, which I do not recommend. The European machines -- Passap and White - are no longer being made.
There are fantastic buys on used machines available, and there is even an email list for used machines, accessories, yarn, patterns, books, etc.
I can't find a hand-knitting newsgroup. There's a yarn one, but it includes spinning. There are lots of yahoo mailing lists, mostly for specialised interests or locations.
You're twisting the stitch. You can either learn to do it the right way, or you can knit or purl into the back of the stitch on the next row. You'll find purling easier whichever you do. Also, when you look at your work from the knit side, all your stitches will be in straight vertical rows instead of slanting in alternate directions.
I also find large needles hard work. They make my hands ache. I'm happiest with 4 - 5.5 mm, which is about right for doubvle knit (UK)/worsted (US) or Aran weights. Also, I think the fashionable novelty yarns like eyelash and ladder yarns are quite difficult because you can't see the stitches very well and it's well-nigh impossible to see a dropped stitch.
I think the easiest yarns for a beginner are medium weight wool or wool-mix, because wool is forgiving, elastic and it stays if you drop a stitch.
There are lots of free patterns on the net. If you go to
"Sally Holmes" wrote in news:_kDOe.14441$ snipped-for-privacy@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk:
rec.crafts.textiles.yarn yes, it does cover spinning, weaving, dyeing, crochet & knitting, but it's mostly knitting.
i also knit 'incorrectly'... i knit through the back loop apparently... but if i get the same effect, i don't really care :) i *can* do it the "right" way if i concentrate, but if you knit beads, you need to knit the way i do or the beads don't stay on the surface lee
In article , Seeker of uttered
Perfectly possible in the UK. Wouldn't know about the US, but they don't come cheap - have you looked on ebay?
Here are a few...
It looks like Shima Seiki makes industrial machines. Nice, but for factories. When I was in New Hampshire over 15 years ago, I had a tour of a knitting factory, and the machines there were truly amazing. One person ran up to 10 machines. Some were flatbed, others were round for the knitting of jersey.
-----snip-------- The Vegan Fox,
My vegan son wears wool socks. Properly done, shearing sheep does not hurt them, and actually helps since without shearing, the wool grows longer and longer, tangling and overheating the sheep in the summer months. I suppose a case could be made for exploiting the sheep, but on the other hand, if the wool weren't so valued, they might not live as long or be so cared for.
Why do you not recommend it?
For the money, you can get a good punchcard machine. People who have the Bond often say it's designed for a person with three hands. It is hard to use compared to a regular knitting machine. It's also more limited.
I see. Well, I sure would like to find a punchcard machine for $150 (splitting the difference between what I paid for mine new and what my sister paid for hers new) if it would store under a bed easily (the only other knitting machines I have seen were ones that appeared to need stands, and someone offered to sell me an unneeded one for $400, which was a bit more than I could afford). It would complement my Bond nicely, and I bet a punchcard machine doesn't do worsted weight.
The midgauge (6 mm) and bulky (9 mm) machines, and the standard (4.5) if you use every other needle will do American worsted weight yarn. Worsted in the U.K. is something else. I have one 5 mm machine that someone gave me, plus a 4.5 Toyota punchcard machine. I used to have a
9 mm that I did production knitting on (think aerobic knitting) but I sold it to another woman who was doing production work. I bought a used electronic 4.5 mm Singer with all the bells and whistles for $250 and passed it to a friend who was going to pay me the $250. Haven't heard from her in years now. Maybe it was worth it to find out what kind of friend she was.
There are several hand-knitting mailing lists. Techknit is the most focussed: there are very few posts, but every one is on topic.
Let me add that a sock in fine yarn fits into any purse, and you always need new socks. But it will be a while before you fill up the house with sweaters and afghans, and need
*that* advice. (I can't concentrate without something to do with my hands; carrying a sock-in-progress saves me from twisting my pigtail off.)Joy Beeson
...and if the idea of using four or five needles to knit a sock makes you think of wrestling with a hedgehog, you can knit them on two circulars instead.
Once you get blase about being able to do that, you can move onto knitting two socks at once on two circulars, thus avoiding the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome (when you feel that you have a finished item, so why should you want to start another one the same?).
There's lots of lovely sock yarn around: Google for
*"sock yarn" opal* or *"sock yarn" regia* to see some of the offerings, including ones that make stripes and fair isle patterns automatically as you knit. Note, however, that I find the wool and nylon blends too hot for all but the coldest days, although DD likes them (she always has cold feet).A good on-line resource for sock knitting is
I really like Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Simple Socks book for making nice socks that fit.
As further enabling, look at the gorgeous designs at
I got some wonderful cotton-spandex yarn for socks from Ileen's -- I just emailed and talked to her on the phone, she's fantastic. Not so good for you U.K. folks, but in the U.S., look at
Start at the top with the cuff, using a leg-warmer pattern. When you have the length you want, start decreasing evenly around no closer than every 10 or 15 stitches, and 3 or 4 rows between. Keep careful notes so that you can duplicate it on the second sock if it works out for you. I would also do this in wool or that cotton-spandex so that your sock has lots of stretch but holds its shape.
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