New to knitting - a few questions

[medusa 16]

Yep- I worked for Bond, who used to sell machines that use hand knitting yarn and knit at hand-knit tension. I got to spend lots of time knitting as a demonstration and teaching people how to use the machines- and got paid for it!

 

I'm not sure whether they're still in business. Most knitting machines I would avoid like the plague because they take all of the humanity out of what you produce, but once you knew what to do with the machines I sold you could turn out lace, intarsia and cables in half the time of knitting them on needles (even though I would knit the normal way for fun), and all of the plain sleeves that go along with a patterned front were done in half an hour- at the same tension too.

 

Would be very hard to use any of the machines that I've tried if you aren't a knitter anyway though- you still need to be ok with the processes that happen and that's all part of knitting.

[Jabberwocky 46]

Yep- I worked for Bond, who used to sell machines that use hand knitting yarn and knit at hand-knit tension. I got to spend lots of time knitting as a demonstration and teaching people how to use the machines- and got paid for it!

 

I'm not sure whether they're still in business. Most knitting machines I would avoid like the plague because they take all of the humanity out of what you produce, but once you knew what to do with the machines I sold you could turn out lace, intarsia and cables in half the time of knitting them on needles (even though I would knit the normal way for fun), and all of the plain sleeves that go along with a patterned front were done in half an hour- at the same tension too.

 

Would be very hard to use any of the machines that I've tried if you aren't a knitter anyway though- you still need to be ok with the processes that happen and that's all part of knitting.

Thats a good point, its the humanity thats in the garment that helps make knitting so special.

Ok I`ll stop plotting to get a knitting machine.

[Guest]

I enjoy knitting with the pointy sticks too much to use a knitting machine as an alternative. I do see the point of using them though. A pattern requiring a massive expanse of stocking stitch (part of a blanket, for example) isn't exactly the most inspiring thing to knit. I might use a machine for that, then hand knit a border and perhaps go on to hand embellish the fabric itself.

[doodle 10]

Rooty, I've had a go at thumb casting today and got it! I was wrapping the wool round my thumb the wrong way. Thanks for the photos and help.

[medusa 16]

I enjoy knitting with the pointy sticks too much to use a knitting machine as an alternative. I do see the point of using them though. A pattern requiring a massive expanse of stocking stitch (part of a blanket, for example) isn't exactly the most inspiring thing to knit. I might use a machine for that, then hand knit a border and perhaps go on to hand embellish the fabric itself.

 

That was exactly the point of it as far as I saw it. Since I worked with the machines I could knit lace, cables, intarsia and all sorts of things much faster than by hand, but it couldn't match proper knitting for the therapeutic benefits of doing it, and there were little things that I much preferred done by hand anyway- like ribs (I have a particular liking for twisted ribs done through the back of the stitch- I just like it- and you can't do that by machine).

 

So for demonstration garments I had to knit all of it using the machine, but by choice I'd knit the complicated bits by hand and just whizz through the plain bits using the machine.

 

Did an argyll for my dad as a birthday present once, black background, with red and grey diamonds and white diagonal stripes. He's not a small bloke (I'm 6'3 and he makes me seem small), so I had to design patterns for him myself, so I worked it out with everything on the front and just the diagonal stripes on the back and sleeves. DK yarn, handknit the front then all the other ribs, then put the ribs on the machine and whizz up the back and sleeves. The machine bit took me a couple of hours to do, and meant that the jumper was finished in 3 days.

 

I didn't feel guilty for doing it when I was working for the company, but my machines were sold when I stopped working for them and I went back to the long winded but more satisfying way of doing things (but then, I'm also the sort of person who makes their own candied peel for cakes from fresh fruit!).

 

I really miss knitting- there's no lovelier present for someone with a new baby than to give them a handmade 2 ply blanket. I did similar for friends and family with crochet, but it's like only being able to speak one language when you're used to being bilingual.

[turra21 10]

I really miss knitting- there's no lovelier present for someone with a new baby than to give them a handmade 2 ply blanket. I did similar for friends and family with crochet, but it's like only being able to speak one language when you're used to being bilingual.

 

 

What a beautiful way to put it:love:

[Rooty 10]

Rooty, I've had a go at thumb casting today and got it! I was wrapping the wool round my thumb the wrong way. Thanks for the photos and help.

 

Thats great! I'm glad to have been of help