The decision to purchase a home knitting machine usually comes around the time a hand knitter discovers that knitting stockinette stitch is too slow and boring.
The half stitch (one single row, one purl row) is the basic stitch structure for knitting machines and they knit it very well and very fast. So fast, in fact, that making a garment can take longer than knitting!
When it comes to buying the machine, the choice is new or second hand and the option you choose will probably be determined by your budget.
Second-hand machines can be purchased on EBay or through classifieds at very reasonable prices, but before you invest in a machine ‘by eye’, here are some tips to guide you:
1. Machine knitters can do it on a single bed or a double bed. Single bed machines (Brother, Silver Reed, Knitmaster, etc.) cannot knit rib. You would need to purchase a separate rib to attach to the single bed to do this or be prepared to hand knit the ribs. Double bed machines, on the other hand, come complete with a fixed integrated rib (Passap/Pfaff etc.).
2. On single bed machines, different ‘gauges’ are available, knitting different thicknesses of yarn. For example, a standard gauge machine has 200 needles in the bed and will easily knit 3-ply, 4-ply, and soft double knit yarn. A fine-gauge machine has 250 needles in the bed and knits 1-, 2-, and 3-ply yarns. ‘Coarse’ machines weave thick yarns etc. Decide what thickness of yarn you prefer to knit with and choose the gauge of the machine accordingly.
3. Full-size knitting machines are approximately 45 inches (115 cm) long. To use them, they must be attached to a firm table. Attaching one to your dining table can have its drawbacks come mealtime, so you may need to purchase a table specially designed for knitting machines. If one is not offered for sale with the machine, these are fairly inexpensive to purchase.
4. With patterns or without patterns? Some knitting machines do not have a pattern device and so you are limited to knitting stockinette stitch with perhaps a few hand stitches to create more interest in the fabric. Alternatively, the automated pattern can produce beautiful multicolored (jacquard), tuck, slip, woven and lace fabrics, simply by placing a few buttons and pushing the carriage back and forth! For the automated pattern, you’ll need a machine with a manual punch card mechanism or one with a built-in electronic device. Electronic machines need a nearby power source and will be more expensive to purchase than punch card machines. One thing to remember: if the electronics in your machine fail, they are more complicated to fix than manual punch card machines.
5. The instruction book is a must! When buying a second-hand knitting machine, always make sure it comes with the original instruction book. There are two reasons for this. First, if there are no tutors in your local area, you’ll need to learn how to use your book machine. Second, there is usually a page in the instruction book that illustrates all the accessories that should come with the machine. This makes a great checklist when your machine is delivered, to make sure everything is included. Careful knitting machine owners always keep the instruction book and if your dealer can’t provide you with the original copy, watch out for what might be missing.
6. Availability of spare parts. Knitting machines sometimes need part replacement. When you’re knitting with 200 needles, one of them will bend sooner or later! The needles are held in position by a sponge retainer bar and will also need to be replaced if the sponge loses its “bounce”. Before finally choosing a particular brand of machine, make sure you can conveniently purchase your parts, either from a local supplier or by mail order.
7. Love your knitting machine! Knitting machines do not respond well to force or carelessness. If they don’t knit correctly, it’s usually for a very good reason. Try to take some time to understand a bit about how the mechanics of the machine work and make sure you maintain it regularly; it’s really not complicated.
If you decide to buy one, your knitting machine will bring you hours of pleasure (sometimes a few tears!) and maybe, just maybe, all your creative knitting dreams will come true.
Copyright Linda Black 2006