I am new to this group and new to knitting. Well, I have knitted in the past, but nothing substantial. For years I have wanted to get a knitting machine and finally I bought the Ultimate Sweater Machine. I thought it would be good to learn on. I am having fits with it and was hoping someone could help me. I do everything it says and it a) either jams, or b) completely skips stitches, or c) drops stitches at the end of the row. I have been fighting this flipping thing for probably six hours total now. I should have been able to do something. I have restarted my project probably 40 times already.
Please if anyone can help or give some advice, I would appreciate it. I tired switching templates and am now using the #4 template. I am just using the plain old polyester yarn you get at Walmart -- nothing fancy.
The last time I tried, I ended up with needles flying everywhere. I got the machine put back together, but I am so frustrated.
Hi, I will try to help, I'm better at showing someone how it works, then telling but I will try, it needs to be waxed alot, the board, the carriage just not the needles,you need to go past the last needle on each end, draw up the yarn ,pull it a little tight behind the carriage then push across the next row, do not put too much or too little pressure on the carriage. Have you yarn loose before you do each row, if it has to pull out of the skien on its own it will be too tight to knit and jam up. Put weights on each end of both few rows, clothespins, S hooks ,anything with some weight to it.Make sure it is on a level surface, and clamped down tight. check out woolworks.com for Bond Machine Knitting, or any search for Bond Knitting. Did it come with a tape to watch? I have a Bond, it takes a lot of practice and patients, but it is worth the time, I just got mine reset up in the living room after the Holidays. and use it alot.
**wax it alot**, an old candle will do for waxing*** Hope some of this will help, let me know. Jenny
? Lea-Ann McGregor, who owns Knitting Today and sponsors the NG forums, sells the USM. There are many people in the knitting group who are helpful and knowledgeable there.
First things first: Is your machine properly attached to the table you are using, and level all the way across the bed? Are all the little green plastic needle retainer pieces level and not sticking up and hitting the carriage on its way by? (Double-check this if they went flying off. You don't want to put a lot of weight onto the carriage, of pull it forward. It really should move sideways very easily when there is no yarn being used, and should just need a slightly firmer push with yarn.)
Second: Is your keyplate staying in the carriage properly? I remember there was talk that some keyplates did not fit the carriages correctly. Some people called and got replacements; others modified them. (The keyplates can occasionally be tempermental if the knitting motion isn't smooth.) Also, have you waxed the keyplates where the needlebutts ride on them with the ring of wax?
Third: Is your yarn flowing freely to the carriage? Not snagging on the table or tools behind the machine, etc.? The Bond machines are made to work with no tension on the yarn, and if you don't have enough pulled out of the skein to complete a row, you will also notice different stitch sizes in that row.
Fourth: Dropping stitches at the end of the row may be due to the fact that when you complete the row, you take the carriage a bit of a distance past the last stitch, but forget to "snug up" the yarn when you start back in the opposite direction. When moving back towards the knitting to start a new row, pause very close to the knitting, pull upwards on the yarn gently as you move the carriage towards the knitting. When you hear the end needle starting to move it's time to stop pulling up on the yarn. (This sounds harder than it is: it just takes practice to become second nature.)
Fifth: Go join the Bond list at Knitting Today, too. The Bonds are great machines, but as with everything, there is a learning curve. I'm sure there may be others here who have an ISM, a USM or a Bond Classic or Elite that might help you, but the Knitting Today forums are geared towards the Bonds (and the Silver Reed LK150), both of which can knit the WalMart/Red Heart weight yarns quite well, as well as the finer baby weight hand knitting yarns.
I started with a Bond ISM, then got a USM; that led to a Brother KH970 as well as a KnitKing 120. Careful: once you get the hang of it, they're addictive.
Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I am going to try waxing the machine really well first. I think that may be part of the problem and then watch the video again. I do allow the thread to flow through easily and always pull enough out, and I have been making sure the thread is snug.
Another problem I am having is that the yarn is getting caught and attempts to knit on needles outside of the ones I need.
Oh well. I will conquer this thing. I figure I can do bead weaving -- I should be able to do this.
Julie, It sounds like your machine is tilting forward in the front, allowing the out-of-work needles to slide forward from the vibration of the knitting carriage. You might want to check the level of the table, and either put something under the table legs, or put something under the front edge of the Bond itself to make sure it isn't tilting forward. Just a thought.
Your problems sound just like the ones I had when I started machine knitting The problems partly being, that it goes so fast and the moves go quickly as well. So I find that when I slow down, and look at the list of things I need to remember to do, like moving needles out and in of working position, hanging and changing weights, starting new yarns, etc. I do not run in to many problems. The other think with machine knitting I find intervering is phone calls and family members wanting things. I do it when no one is around and I can concentrate on what I am doing. So, go slowly and do it step by step, checking your instructions carefully, so you get to know your machine, and what it can and cannot do
sounds to me, like the ''butts'' of the needles aren't right back, and therefore the needles which are meant to be out of use, are being vibrated forward...check this by pushing them right back before putting the carriage across this could be caused by the mach bed not sitting square and straight on a flat surface...
I went through all these problems myself while learning how to use my beast, so please bear with it, once you know it's quirks, you should get many years of enjoyable knitting out of it!
Beginners with the ISM/USM often make the mistake of trying to knit across the row too fast. This causes your pressure on the carriage to vary, which can cause it to lift up from the speed, and then the needles or KP get out of alignment and the whole thing can jam up.
Your machine will be stiff the first couple of times you use it. Bond says it doesn't need wax, but I disagree. Others have suggested an old candle, a couple of things about that. Make sure it's 100% paraffin (wax), and use a white one that's unscented. A scented candle has oils that can stain your yarn. Same with the colored candles, they can stain your yarn. Where to wax: The bottom of the keyplate where it runs across the needles. On top of the retainer bars on the front of the machine, especially the joints where they fit together. On the back of the bed where the joints are. On the bottom edge of the back of the bed where the carriage runs across the same joints can also jam your carriage. You can also at first run the wax a couple of times across the carriage body where it meets the bed if you can't get to all the areas on the bed itself. A light coat is all that's needed. While knitting, if you do a lot of smaller projects (socks, scarves) you notice things are starting to feel stiff again, repeat the waxing. I will wax where I said at the beginning of any big project; do a sweater, and the next time I do a sweater, I'll wax it again. If you don't use it that often and store it for a while between projects, wax it before using it again.
If you didn't pull the yarn up at the beginning of the row, it can cause your carriage to jam. If you pull it too tight, the carriage can jam.
After knitting the first row, trying pulling down gently on the weighted hem to make sure it's knitted off and hanging freely and not pushing your needles up, which can cause it to jam up if it's not hanging down properly.
If it jams on the first row, you could be catching on the hem itself. I usually do a closed edge cast on and then when knitting the first row will hold back the hem with one hand while running the carriage slowly across to make sure it doesn't jam up.
You should also check your yarn and make sure it's running freely. Some people either don't pull enough yarn out of the skein or pull too much, piling it on top of the free end, which can weigh the free end down so it makes tight rows, and then you start getting jams.
If you're using a novelty yarn, i.e. eyelash, metallic wrapped, or something lumpy like Lionbrand Homespun, that can cause your carriage to jam.
If you have a row counter, check to see that the yarn isn't getting stuck in it. I make sure the yarn runs behind the row counter at all times.
If you are skipping stitches, it's more than likely because you are trying to run the carriage across the bed too fast. The machines used in the video are well lubricated and broken in, so go a little slower at first. If you're done with the first row, and it's skipping stitches on the next few, the hem could have not knitted completely off, causing stitches to stick up and therefore not get knitted properly on following rows. Also, check your hem to see that the rods are evenly distributed, as they can slide while putting the hem on the bed, putting uneven weight on the bed, which can cause skips or jams.
On the first row, it's important to make sure after pushing the needles back with the yellow card to double check that all latches are open for that first row. I found that doing a closed edge cast on that some of them will close when the needles get pushed back, not every time, just occasionally, so I run my fingers lightly across the tips of the needles to make sure all are open before doing that first row.
Claw weights will help with those edge stitches. When starting a new piece, I will check the sides after the first and then every 3-4 rows to make sure they are knitting properly. When I have enough room (about 10 rows), I add claw weights to the sides. I move my claw weights up every 6-8 rows.
If you aren't pulling your yarn up enough at the beginning of the row, these stitches will drop. HOWEVER, if you are pulling it up too tight, it will also drop the side stitches.
Also, if you are already trying to change colors, you'll have trouble with the 2nd or 3rd rows after changing, because the loose ends will create loose stitches and then the stitches can start dropping. Put a clip on the yarn ends to help with that and then check edge stitches the 2nd and 3rd rows after a color change anyway, and when there's enough room, move claw weights up onto the new color.
If none of that works, check for an old ISM carriage (sometimes found on Ebay for $15-20), and if you find it, I'd recommend you buy it. I have 2 ISM carriages (for doing quick stripes and fair isle), and tried the new USM carriage and didn't like it as much as the ISM. I do like the new KP with the in between sizes. The USM KP will fit the ISM carriage, but the ISM KP will NOT fit the USM, so if you find an ISM carriage and the old style KP, those won't fit in your USM and will also give you a slightly different gauge than the USM KP, so if you have one of each and want to do quick stripes and fair isle, I recommend getting a second set of USM KP for your ISM carriage to match gauge. I've found the fabric retainer bar is the major diff between these carriages, and I prefer the ISM's fabric retainer bar, because it makes sure the fabric is back against the bed, which means the needles are properly aligned to knit the next row.
You could be moving the carriage too fast, causing those out of work needles to jump forward from the pressure on the bed. They could also be jumping forward because the machine is still new and stiff vibrating them forward.
OR your table is uneven, causing those needles to slide forward enough after a couple rows with proper motion on the carriage. Put something under the front legs to raise it up if needed.
OR check your clamps. Make sure your machine doesn't move around which could vibrate those needles into working position, but also make sure it isn't clamped too tight so that it bends down on the ends, which can cause jams.
If you are trying a really big project, try doing the smaller swatch first. My video is an ISM video, and it recommends doing a 50 stitch by I forget how many rows swatch with the included yarn. I learned a lot while doing that swatch, and it loosened up the machine for me.
Oh, one last tip, I put the latchet tool back into the box, as it's awkward to hold and catches on and splits the yarn. It won't open when I want it, or close when I need it to. I found it took as long to do up ribbing with that than it did to knit an entire sweater front with shaping. Someone suggested using a crochet hook to do up the ribbing, a stroke of genius that's cut my ribbing time on a sweater to way down. For worsted weight, I use a size G (4 mm) hook. For DK/sport, I use an E (3.5 mm). I have yet to do ribbing in chunky, but I'd probably use an I or J (5.5 or 6 mm). The ribbing looks uneven at first using those size hooks, but the work goes fast, and after washing, the ribbing evens out. If you don't crochet, watch the video and use the hook like the latchet, putting the hook through the loop, then catching the yarn in the hook and twisting the hook slightly to pull the strand through the loop on the hook. It's called chain stitch and once you get the hang of it, I found it goes pretty fast.
I just thought of another thing too, try running the carriage over the needle bed with needles back out of working position...if that is ok, try pulling them into working position, if thats ok fine, if not, look along each needle..has it bent? If it has, it'll need changing, your books will explain how to do this, I put the ones from the end of my machines into the bent needles slot, and the new ones in the ends, it's just my way. if the carriage moves freely along with no mishaps, push the needles completely forward into the holding position and see if they are ok then if not check the needles for bent butts, and change them. if all works smoothly then you have found out that all your needles are indeed fine. Then do all the other checks, weights have you enough, have you got the machine clamped down properly, or is it vibrating the needles into all sorts of weird and wonderful positions..
I think we must all of us have gone through this at one stage or another, usually at the learning stage, so you aren't alone. Once you know your machine you'll be going fine. Just a little patience to learn it all and you'll be back on here one day with helpful advice for others .....believe me...
I'm glad to be of help. It took some learning of quirks before I got really comfortable, but now for really quick uncomplicated knitting with worsted yarn, I think it's a great tool. You can combine hand and machine work, especially if there are large sections of boring stocking stitch to get through, just make sure the gauge matches relatively closely, and I let blocking do the rest.
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