Knitting Machines???

jjkuhl · 11-05-2007, 10:55 PM

I'm thinking about getting a knitting machine. I don't know much about them. Does anyone have any opinions about what would be a good start for a beginer? Thanks!

MrsDavis3 · 11-06-2007, 05:53 PM

I want to know, too!
I hope someone answers.

drummerboi202 · 11-06-2007, 08:11 PM

All I know about kniting machines is that they're big, expensive, and complicated. Thats all I need to know to know that I dont want one.

nannaknits · 11-06-2007, 08:51 PM

Knitting machines are complicated. There is no one machine that will do every type of yarn. You have machines for worsted weight, bulky weight and sports weight. A sports weight machine will not do bulky very easy. So you would have to determine what weight of yarn you want to use mostly. Then you have to decide do you want a punch card machine, and electronic machine or just a plain machine with no bells or whistles. Also you are limited to the width of your knitted piece by the length of the needle bed. Brother, and Knitking and several other brands are no longer manufactured. Learing to knit on a knitting machine with the instruction manual is difficult at best. Most of these machines were made in Japan, so the manuals have been translated from Japanese to English. Having someone with a knitting machine who will give you lessons would be very benefical and a lot easier to learn then trying to do it on your own with the manual. Then you have to decide how you want to do your ribbing. You can get another machine called a ribber that is much like a second bed of needles that attaches below the regular knitting machine. Or you can by a machine called the Garter carriage that will do ribbing for you automatically after you program it with what you need it to do. Or you can manually turn the stitches over to go from Knit to Purl. See your machine will only do stockinette stitch unless you program it or manually manipulate the stitches to do other patterns. There is a lot to think about when getting a machine.

knitgal · 11-07-2007, 03:37 AM

It sounds like more trouble than it's worth! By the time I figured it out I could probably have knit 10 of what I wanted to knit with the machine.
Why do people have these? Are they mostly just used commercially?

drummerboi202 · 11-08-2007, 02:56 AM

I think something of that sort. I once saw a woman on the local news who had bought one to knit blankets for the homeless.