I want to purchase myself a Christmas Present, I am thinking about a knitting machine. I have so much pain with my hands that I think this would be good for me. I know nothing about them. I sure need something easy and that could handle all types of yarn, what would you recommend for me to use. I was looking at a video on you tube and it looks like so much fun. What all can I make with them?
Thank you all in advance for any help you can offer me.
Karen.
Need Your Help/ Knitting Machines
There was a discussion a while back about kntting machines, so maybethis thread will offer some ideas.
Thank you so much, that post had alot of information. I just wish we had a place here to go for lessons to but we don’t. It is so hard to beleive since I live in Las Vegas, NV. Just not a good place for crafts. Again Thank you.
Happy Holidays to you and your family
Karen
There are many video’s on YouTube that show how the different machines work and also just techniques or projects. That is a start then there are VHS or DVD that you can purchase with lessons on either the machine you get or just how to do things on them. As for your pain in the hands, I know of someone that has a hard time working on her Studio LK150 as her arthritis is bad. When I had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, before the surgical fix, I also had to stop all hand and machine knitting as well as crochet as it hurt too much. If you can find someone that you can go to and try it out before you buy one would be a big help to you, especially if your looking at the metal bed machines. Some have a hard time on the Bond machines but with patience you can get it to work for you as well. Bond-America has their videos on YouTube as well.
Berda
dereksgram: I started out as a machine knitter and have two knitting machines, one Singer 150 (worsted weight/ lt. bulky yarn) and a Singer 560 electronic (sport/fingering wt yarn). I still use them from time to time. Yes, they’re easy on the hands!
Unfortunately there’s no such thing as a knitting machine that handles all yarns, but I can work sport yarn on my 150 with relative ease. For most of what I do, that gets me what I want.
There’s not much you can’t make with a knitting machine. It’s just done very differently than in hand knitting. I’ve made afghans, baby blankets, sweaters, toys, and socks. It’s quite enjoyable once you get the hang on it. The feel is almost like working a loom shuttle.
I’m the first one to tell anyone that there is a learning curve to using one, much like in hand knitting. If you choose to get a new Silver Reed (the only KM still manufactured), even used, be prepared for sticker shock. New ones are quite pricy! I started on the USM (Ultimate Sweater Machine) from Michaels, and it came with a DVD tutorial, as well as a booklet with patterns.
Because of the cost, I really recommend you do a lot of research into the machines available (most of us buy one used) and know precisely what you want to use it for to help you make a decision.
If you have any questions, send me a PM and I’ll be happy to answer what I can. Given that this forum is for hand knitting, I think it only polite to take the discussion off the boards.
Happy knitting, either on a machine or by hand!