Hi everyone, I haven't been here in quite a while. Once in a while I stop by and skim the messages. I asked for help way back I think in October of 2005 when I started knitting and you all helped me so much. I think I've popped in a few times to write in since then but can't remember. :) You can check my knitting folder at my link and see photos of how my knitting is coming along if you want. :o) A friend may be giving me an Incredible Sweater Machine and I want to learn all I can before and if I get it. I've read the reports from different sites and many had trouble learning these machines. I think I have some of what there problems were figured out through videos I found and articles but not sure until I lay hands on one. Would any of you have any knitting magazines or books laying around that you don't use? Thanks, Susie in northern NY
Welcome back, Susie! I HAD a Bond machine, and replaced it with my much loved Artisan machine. There's a yahell group specifically for bond machines, and there's a NG for machine knitters, but they're not very active there. HTH, Noreen
I have but I think that different machines sometimes have different instructions and techniques. I've had three machines and I had to re-learn every time -never heard of an Incredible Sweater Machine though.
Mary, What machines did you have? Actually it is made by Bond and called the Ultimate Sweater Machine. I'm trying to learn all I can before I get it. Thanks for getting back to me. Susie in northern NY
Hi Noreen, Thanks for the welcome back. I hope you are enjoying your Artisan machine. I found the yahoo group but I can't seem to find the NG for it. Is it on another server? Thanks, Susie in northern NY
formatting link
Welcome back, Susie!> I HAD a Bond machine, and replaced it with my much loved Artisan > machine.> There's a yahell group specifically for bond machines, and there's a NG> for machine knitters, but they're not very active there.> HTH,
Hi Leah, I've been doing tons of research by reading reviews and reading all kinds of hints and tips. I just got the book "301 Knitting Hints And Tips" by Rosemary Worth and just started reading. It is helping. I'll be sure to save your message as it has things in it that I haven't come across yet. :) Thanks SO much for taking the time to help me out. Sometimes 'written experience' is better then a magazine. :) Thanks for the link too. Susie
I don't have any magazines I can spare, but I can give you advice regarding my experience in dealing with the Bond. I have an Incredible Sweater Machine (ISM), but also purchased the Ultimate Sweater Machine (USM) carriage upgrade kit, so I have both carriages and styles of keyplates (KP).
Some problems beginners experience are due to not handling the carriage correctly. Press down too hard, and the carriage will jam. Don't press down hard enough, and the carriage will jump off the needles, also causing a jam. Try and run the carriage across too fast, and it causes needles to jump and jam. You also need to make sure the machine is as level as you can get it, so the seams where the pieces join are as level as possible. To help that problem, get a white unscented 100% paraffin (wax) candle. The ISM came with a ring of wax for lubricating your bed and KP, while it's not included with the USM now. The USM specifically stated with the new high-tech plastic it doesn't need to be lubricated, but I beg to differ.
Now, if the carriage is jamming, first try lightly waxing the bed. The candle should be white and unscented for 2 reasons: Dyes in a candle could stain your yarn. Scent oils in your candle could stain your yarn and make your finished item stink like whatever scent for many washes afterwards as well. White unscented candles are the easiest to deal with if you accidentally put on a little too much and it gets into your yarn; it just washes out for me. Pay attention to the seams where the carriage goes across them at the back of the bed from your point of view, and back down where the lip of the carriage hooks in. Also, lightly run it on the retaining rails in the middle of the needle bed. Filling those tiny imperfections with wax helps the KP glide over the bed until the whole thing loosens up if it's a new machine. It will take a couple of swatches for the machine to loosen up. After about every sweater worth of yarn, or if the machine has sat for a while since I last used it, I will wax those areas again; you'll notice your carriage is getting stiff again, and that generally means it's time for another lube. Every once in a while, I will also wax the KP. You'll see where the needles run through them, wax especially where there are gaps, where the needles go into the KP on each side and in the bottom V area in the middle, to help your needles run through.
After the bed is waxed, pull out some needles in the middle of the bed (50-60, 25-30 on each side of the center zero) to working position (not all the way out to the front or they won't move backward and forward like they do when you're knitting) and don't put any yarn in, as you're checking your lube job or for further problems. Run the carriage back and forth across the bed and see if it loosens up a little. If you've got jams, then check to see that the carriage is being held firmly on the bed, but not so firmly it's hard to push it across the bed. Also, don't push it too fast. If you don't think it's the carraige or the way you're holding it or the speed, and there are still jamming problems, pull out all those needles all the way out to the front of the bed (don't remove them from the machine) and check for bent needles and especially the tiny needle latches on each one. People who give up their machines have often manhandled them and bent needles and then complain "It just doesn't work", because they were in too much of a hurry to try and get it to work and damaged it.
If all that goes well, try a swatch. Be sure to pull the yarn up at the end of each row, NOT tight, or the end stitches will drop. I've seen some people yank the yarn so tight it nearly breaks. Not too loose, or again, your stitches will start dropping. You want the end stitch loops to look like the ones on the needles in the middle. After a swatch is done without any problems, then you're ready to go on to a larger project.
Bond also makes "Easy Knitting Spray", which is the same as Lori-Lynn Machine Knitting Lube. They both come in an aerosol can that you spray across the bed. It's kind of expensive, a lot more than getting a cheap tealight and removing all the metal from it and using that to lube your machine, but it does not leave any waxy residue on the machine.
Oh, one last problem I encountered with the USM KP, the #1 KP size doesn't seem to work that well for me. I still have a lot of trouble using the KP 1 size with baby yarn for a little tighter fabric than the 2 or 2.5. I finally gave up on that swatch, as I already have an Studio that will handle finer yarns a lot better than the ISM/USM.
Oh, one last thing. I use a crochet hook instead of that "latchet tool" to redo rib. It's a lot faster. That latchet kept closing up on me at the wrong time and splitting the yarn, and seemed to take forever, until someone suggested using a crochet hook. I use an F for smaller yarns, G for worsted, and I for bulky. It may look uneven after you first do it up, but let the fabric rest or wash it, and it evens right out. It takes me a lot less time to do up ribbing with a hook.
Steph Thornton's site is a pretty comprehensive one and has a lot of other tips and free patterns under the Bond List Thoughts section.
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.