Knitting machine help

[dgardner]

Hi all
I am looking for a bit of help please
My mum has been a knitter since she was a child, 60 years plus, but has recently had a stroke and she has lost a lot of fine control in her hands but still wants to carry on knitting so I will get her a knitting machine but don't want to spend too much in case she can't use it.
I have seen a couple of items on ebay uk.

KNITMASTER 360 KNITTING MACHINE AND ACCESSORIES

KNITMASTER 360 KNITTING MACHINE WITH LACE CARRIAGE AND ACCESSORIES

I can't add links yet but will add the links later
.
Hopefully I will win either the first one or both but if I just win the second one does anyone know what other items I will need or if it could just be used with the lacing carriage.
I have messaged the seller and they are not sure.
I hope someone can help.

[dgardner]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KNITMASTER...item2c6bd52e70

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1907876954...84.m1426.l2649

[Antares]

Most people here hand knit, so we're not very familiar with knitting machines; however, you might try contacting the manufacturer or looking online to see if you can find information about these machines.

This site might have some information--maybe?? http://www.knitmaster.co.uk/models.html

You might also try googling "knitmaster 360 manual" and see what you get.

[dudeKnit]

Sorry to hear about your mother, how long has it been since her stroke? If it's still fairly recent don't discount some of that fine motor control coming back to her, while she may not be 100% with the motor function I know people that had strokes and they got back a good portion of motor control after a few years of rehab.

[dgardner]

hi,
Thanks for the replies
She had the stroke 5 years ago and her hands started getting worse over the last 6 months and we (doctors and family) don't think it will get any better. She can still use her hands and the doctors don't think it will get much worse but she can't hold the thin needles I also made some 'socks' out of rubber tubing that slid over the end of the needles which helped a bit.

[mojo11]

There was a thread not long ago (aha! Here it is!) that had a similar theme, and one of the responses had a link to this gadget that might work out even better than a machine. The only knitting machine I've ever used was a hateful beast that killed my back and pretty much only knows one stitch. I'd recommend avoiding that one if I could remember who built it. But this gizmo you can actually use with your own needles, and it just helps support the work. I'll hasten to add that this is the extent of my knowledge of it, but you might research it as an alternative.

You might also check with an Occupational Therapist and see if there's any adaptive equipment available from a medical supply place.

Hope you find something workable. Good luck!