The Buzz Has Started...

If you haven't checked out these knitting machine tables you should.

KNITTING MACHINE TABLES BY WOODWERKS

Where else can you find them?  You can't.  I see so many knitters using odd things to clamp their machines onto.  If you are looking for a piece of furniture instead of just a stand then this is the way to go.

I have no financial affiliation with these tables or the company, I just love 'em!  There will be a piece in the June issue of Machine Knitting Monthly about these!

Brian's Been Having Fun!

Brian up in Canada is keeping his promise and keeping me updated on his new hobby, learning knitting machines!

He just purchased a White/Superba 1602 and is anxiously waiting for it (along with some spring weather).

Brain included the photos below of his latest venture and included this note:

"Our local "Burlington Machine Knitters Guild" put on a yarn dying event last month.  It was so much fun dying my own 50/50 silk & merino yarn.  I am saving it for something special, not sure what as yet."

Don't worry Brian there is always something you can make with that great yarn.  I tempted Brian to try Kool-Aid dying next!

Ribber Hint

I have started a new polo in a a nice shade of salmon by Yeoman, it's a 50/50 cotton/acrylic.

I wanted the waist ribbing to not pull in and have some body to it. A 2x2 ribbing knit in the 2x1 needle arrangement would be great.  With this yarn I find both ends of the ribber after a few rows were starting to loop and not knit.  Then toward the middle (row 18) all needles were getting loopy.

Easy fix, just pull up the ribber needles to hold position then knit across the row.  Yes, a bit more work to pull up all the needles on the ribber each row but worth the effort.  Take a look:

End Needles Pulled All The Way Out

Now The Entire Row Pulled Out

Worth The Extra Step (still on the comb)!

Beautiful & Functional Hand Made Knitting Machine Tables

Through blogging and Machine Knitting Monthly I've met some wonderful people from all over the world.

One of the people I've met is Katherine, we have become friends and share many of the same interests.  Her husband, Steve, is truly a woodworking craftsman and has created absolutely beautiful and perfect knitting machine tables.

Katherine kept me abreast of the progress Steve was making with emails and pictures.  I was truly honored when Steve sent me the photos and asked if I had questions and or input.

There are tilting tables and non tilting tables, single and double bed tables with lots of room for all of you gadgets and yarn.

No worries about the quality, they are solid maple and Russian birch made and finished with impeccable craftsmanship.  Prices and shipping are excellent!  Check out their website, lots of details, measurements, photos and their bios!  Did I mention they are wonderful people?  They are!

Here is the link: Knitting Machine Table Woodwerks

Or: http://www.knittingmachinetables.com/index.html

The One I will Buy Soon!

It's Spring, Do You Know If Your Beds Are Aligned?

Spring is a good time to check your Main Bed and Ribber Bed for proper alignment.

Has your Transfer Carriage been not quite right?  Have you had ribber stitches look mis-shapen?

Even if not, Spring is a good time to check your machine alignment (clean them too if you need to).

I have done thousands and thousands of rows of knitting over the winter and my machines need a deep cleaning (the big clean) but, I thought, when did I check my alignment last?  We need to do this periodically as the movement of the carriage (especially after a lot of cotton yarn tuck rows) and repeated raising and lowering the Ribber Bed will eventually misalign the beds.

So I took 15 minutes tonight and checked it all.  My standard was our of alignment!  From side to side a bit off, height a bit low and distance from the main bed was off on one side.

I like most have some great printed info on making adjustments.   But, if you don't here is the link to the Desert Machine Knitters website, they have instructions and diagrams posted to get you back in alignment.

Happy Spring!

Spring Fever Project

Have you ever had a project make you insane?  Bet the answer is yes.

I have some really nice 5/2 cotton (color is "currant") which I am using to make a warm weather tuck stitch vest.  Everything that could go wrong has.  Dropped EO stitch when knitting, broken yarn (right under a needle), forgetting to knit the last row of each shoulder piece in stockinette (you ever rehang tuck stitches then pull them through other tuck stitches to then knit a row?), needles not selecting when I turned the machine back on, not enough weight on the ends, loop on the end, yarn caught on a gate peg, did chain cast off after joining a shoulder to only find I missed one of the tucks....you get the idea.  I must admit, these were all my fault (except the broken yarn).

Maybe it's "spring fever?"

Below is a 20 second video clip (I sent to a friend) of decreasing as I was doing one of the armholes in tuck stitch.

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HAPPY EASTER

Machine Knitting Videos

Planned on knitting tonight as I'm 1/2 way through a cotton vest.  Needed a break from doing another 500+ rows.  I watched knitting videos tonight.

Found some great detailed HD videos from Nyann Goro.  Up close techniques that are worth time watching.  There is no music or narrative, they aren't needed.

Follow the link to her video (below) on YouTube then once there you can click on "more from" on the right side.

Nyann Goro Videos

It Happens To The Best Of Us! Doesn't It?

I worked up a vest in my head then wrote, charted and swatched out a new design for a sweater vest and today was the day to start it.

Should have known as it took me 6 swatches to get it the way I pictured it.  The ribbing was to be a 2 x 2 rib in a 2 x 1 needle arrangement followed by a 5 x 1 ribbed body with a ribbed mitered fold over v-neck.  All this using Tamm 3-ply.

I should have known when I swatched over and over (as the yarn was knitting loose) but I had T8 stuck in my head from my previous project (here).  On the first few swatches I noticed the ribber was knitting a bit looser than the MB (common) so I dropped to T7 on the ribber.  Tried 1 x 1 rib but again too loose and wiggly & I did not want it to pull in very much so instead of dropping the tension I decided on the 2 x 2.  Looked great.

My swatches are the usual 60 stitches wide (actually 62 due to needle arrangement) x 40 rows. Since this was a ribber project I had plenty of weight on the 62 stitches.  Washed, blocked and dried the swatches.  Get my gauge and built the pattern and schematic.

Ready to go...I knit the below ribbing over 162 needles, 28 rows, T5/T4 (taking pictures as I knit) then transferred all the ribber stitches to the MB then set up for the 5 x 1 ribbing.   Changed the tension to T8/T7 and off I went...

Then "it" happened!  My ribber stitches started to not catch in the needle hooks and just sat on top; a few dropped.  Mind you I had 5 large weights on the comb along with 2 small weights.  What I should have done (as I have done before) with a large ribber tension is to pull gently down after each row on the ribber comb.  Not wanting to try to fish out the dropped stitches I cut the yarn and the result is in picture 3 below.

My swatches were fine as only 60 stitches with three large weights.  Not lesson learned, lesson reminded...have to rethink this one.  Perhaps I will wait for my cones of cotton/acrylic to arrive.

2 x 2 Ribbing In A 2 x 1 Needle Arrangement

Ribbing Completed - All Stitches Transferred to MB

Reminder

The Katherine Sweater V- Neck Vest Completed!

Here it is, washed, blocked and after a 9 hour wearing.

On to the next!

Close-up Band & Pattern