I’m excited to say I’ve bought my first knitting machine and already have plans to purchase a second machine. In other words, I absolutely love it and can’t wait to learn as much as I can on it!
What in the world possessed me to buy a knitting machine? That’s a great question. I have been looking at knitting machines for a few years now, but they’ve intimidated me. I just could not wrap my head around how they worked and if I’d ever be able to figure it out. But that didn’t stop me from looking and contemplating.
Love at First Sight
Then I went to the Fiber Extravaganza and there was a woman working on a knitting machine. I couldn’t help myself. I hung around like a creeper and watched her work. She was extremely nice about it. She invited me closer and explained what she was doing as she did it. I was hooked. Which is funny, because she warned me once I got my hands on a knitting machine I’d be addicted. Very true words.
That evening, in the hotel room, I started really researching knitting machines once again. And the obsession was born. No longer were knitting machines a scary mystery. They were now on my radar, on my list of potential items I wanted to test out and make product on.
By the time we traveled home (11-12 hour car ride), I was fairly confident I knew what I should look for when buying a knitting machine. As the woman explained, you want to make sure you have the knitting carriage (the big thing that slides back and forth). It is very expensive to replace, so if you can get it with the rest of the machine you’ll be better off. Once you know the big stuff is there, the smaller things like weights, tools, clamps are less expensive to replace. Another tip this lady told me was most knitting machine manuals are free to download. So google it first and read through what should be included with the machine before you go see the machine.
Hunting for Knitting Machines
Once I was home, I kept thinking about the knitting machine. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I ended up searching for a knitting machine. I found several in my price range, but they were coming from overseas! It’d cost an arm and a leg to get them shipped here and there was no guarantee they’d be in good shape when they arrived. No thanks.
Then it hit me. If I want to find something local I need to stop google searching and narrow my search to local. I jumped on Craigslist and lo and behold, there was a knitting machine in my price range only 20 minutes from my apartment. HOLY SMOKES! Jackpot! I was so excited and nervous all at the same time. What if it didn’t work? What if I can’t figure it out? What if? What if? What if?
Well, what if I didn’t jump on this chance and it never came again?
I jumped. I emailed the ad poster and within 30 minutes he called me back. I had a pleasant conversation with the gentleman about how he was cleaning out the garage and his great aunt had passed and left behind her knitting machine that she used regularly. He also told me another woman was interested but she lived hours away and wanted him to ship it. He said he’d feel better about giving it to me, someone close by and who expressed an interest in using it, than someone he would not meet face to face.
I feel honored to have his aunt’s old machine. It is in beautiful condition. And it’s exactly what I was looking for.
My First Stitch
Not going to lie, I was so excited I just wanted to get started. So I set her up and started playing. I managed to knit a few rows. I was super proud and wanted to give everything a try. I found a punch card pattern I liked and grabbed a second color and gave it a whorl. It was awesome! This first small attempt has inspired me and I can’t wait to really get started!
But then I noticed I was having a hard time with dropped stitches and the carriage catching. I finally decided to pause and investigate. I discovered there was some yarn wrapped around one of the gears on the carriage. After getting that removed, I tried again, only to nearly break my elbow. The carriage caught and my hand slipped. My elbow took a nose dive right into the metal needle bed, cutting it open and bruising it immediately. I was upset to say the least.
Bret took a look and discovered when I removed the yarn from the carriage, I left a part loose that was not supposed to be loose. That was what caught and sent me flying.
Skeptical that that was the only thing wrong, I did some research and found out I should have checked the sponge bar before I started playing. After some tinkering, I found the sponge bar and took a look. YIKES! I wonder if this aunt ever changed it in all her years of use? It was flatter than a pancake and disintegrating in some places. Definitely not what it’s supposed to look like. So, sad day, now my new to me knitting machine is on hold until the new sponge bar comes in the mail. Until then, I plan to keep reading about knitting machines and watching youtube videos on how to knit on it.
I have so many wonderful ideas on what I’d like to make on it, I just have to get my sponge bar in the mail and practice my butt off! I can’t wait!
-Ashli
May 2019 Update: I have successfully made several things on my knitting machine and wanted to take it to the next level! Check out my adventures in buying accessories for my machine in Buying my 2nd Knitting Machine
Want to be the first to know what I’m making with my new-to-me knitting machine? Sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter!
Any advise on buying knitting machines? Or any questions? Please comment below!