Welcome
Welcome to our lessons in machine knitting. It is our pleasure to bring this to you. We would like to give you a few tips to help make this a successful journey into machine knitting.
Get Organized
Have a box or shallow jar for small accessories. In addition to the usual tool, include a pair of scissors, pencil, a couple of large tapestry needles and a small screwdriver. A pair of bull clips or clothes pins to hold yarn ends, leaving your hands free. An instructions holder. A music stand holds books, tablets and patterns at eye level. Tie a pencil to it for pattern modifications.
Labeling
Tie-on labels (price tags) for labeling tension, number of stitches/rows and machine (if you have more than one). You may also want to write down the punch card number or electronic pattern number. This will save you from having to knit a sample again because you did not have this information when you were ready to make a garment out of the yarn.
Speaking of yarn, I also like to write down the name of the yarn just in case I want to make it again. Keep these samples in a binder where you can refer back to them for inspiration. If it is a hand manipulated stitch, I write down how I made it for reference. I keep it with the swatch in the binder.
Speaking of yarn, I also like to write down the name of the yarn just in case I want to make it again. Keep these samples in a binder where you can refer back to them for inspiration. If it is a hand manipulated stitch, I write down how I made it for reference. I keep it with the swatch in the binder.
Experiment
Once you have mastered the basics, play around with your machine. If you are participating in the knit-a-long, you know the importance of practicing your craft. Gather as many yarns you can lay your hands on (thick, thin, knobby, etc). Don't worry about matching colors at this point. Next, grab a multitude of colors. Again, don't worry about whether you think they "match." You may discover color combinations you never would have put together.
Just tell yourself, I'm going to doodle and don't worry about the end result. Set a time limit of one hour. You might surprise yourself and create some cool designs.
Just tell yourself, I'm going to doodle and don't worry about the end result. Set a time limit of one hour. You might surprise yourself and create some cool designs.
Let's Get Started
Texture Study
In this lesson, we will delve into the depths of textured stitches. We discovered that many new machine knitters have tons of hand-knitting yarns. What do you do . . . . throw it out and buy new? Using these techniques along with a small amount of "machine knitting" yarn, you will be able to use your hand-knitting yarns you have in your stash.
Together we will experiment with:
Finally, we will make a jacket using these techniques. A PDF of the pattern is available as a guide.
Together we will experiment with:
- Tuck Stitches
- Slip Stitches
- Knit Weaving
Finally, we will make a jacket using these techniques. A PDF of the pattern is available as a guide.