Knitting Machines

Knitting Machine Workshop

Instructor: Jesse Seay

3-Part Knitting Machine Workshop

Each class is about 2 hours long, and includes homework.

Materials Fee: $26

• Note: fee is due one week prior to start of class (thru paypal), and used to buy materials for the workshop. The fee is non-refundable, however, you are welcome to sell your spot to someone else, prior to the first class.

Class size: 4 people.

• Additional students may be added provided they bring their own machines.

Text: Hand-Manipulated Stitches for Machine Knitters by Susan Guagliumi.

• Purchase your own or read the PS1 copy by the machines.

Pre-Class Homework

Guagliumi, Ch. 1 pages 1-19.

Class 1 Syllabus

Review parts of machine:

1. Bed
2. needles
3. Carriage
4. Gate posts
5. Sinker plate
6. Tension mast
7. Clamps
8. Accessories:
   • Cast on thread
   • Tapestry needle
   • Cast on comb
   • Wax
   • Latch tool
   • Bodkin
   • Weights (and floor mat)
   • Comb

Go over needle positions.

Watch what machine does, w/o sinker plate, for needles in each position.

Everyone practices putting sinker plate and carriage on, off.

Carriage settings: Normal (not Hold), plain knitting.

Thread the machine.

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1st Swatch:

Cast on methods:

• Open – knit 5 rows. Remove the cast on comb and see what happens.

• Every other needle – Cast on EON (Guagliumi, p 35). Hang comb. Bring rest of needles into work, and continue knitting.

Knitting

o Tension of yarn on mast – not spaghetti, not guitar string

o Tension of knit on needles – feel the weight on it, move weights every couple of inches

o Can’t change direction once needles have entered the carriage

o Push carriage - firm and steady

o Needles should end in a straight row

Cast off

Gathering Stitch Bind Off (Guagliumi p44)

Once stitches are bound off, remove weights. Run empty carriage over needles to remove knitting from machine.

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2nd Swatch

How to determine tension:

Read info on yarn package and

Use Angelika’s yarn chart as a guide: http://www.yarn-store.com/different-yarns-for-different-knitting-machines.html

• Cast On (EON)

• Knit 5 rows.

• Transfer a stitch to mark your place.

• Change the T dial (generally no more than 2 #’s at a time). Write down the new T.

• Knit 10 rows.

• Transfer a stitch. Change the dial. Knit 10 rows.

• Try 2+ more settings.

• Where does the carriage run most easily?

• Bind off and remove swatch from machine. Examine swatch and note the differences between each section.

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3rd Swatch

The Tension Swatch

Standard Tension Swatch

1. EON Cast on: 60 needles
2. RC= 0
3. Knit 15 rows
4. Change to CC
5. Knit 2 rows
6. RC=0
7. Knit 30 rows
8. Using CC, hand-knit needles 21L and 21R.
9. Knit 30 more rows with MC
10. Change to CC
11. Knit 2 more rows
12. RC=0, change to MC
13. Knit 5 rows
14. Use transfer tool to transfer stitches and mark the tension dial setting.
15. Knit 10 more rows.
16. Bind off.

Chunky Tension Swatch

1. EON Cast on: 40 needles
2. RC= 0
3. Knit 10 rows
4. Change to CC
5. Knit 2 rows
6. RC=0
7. Knit 20 rows
8. Using CC, hand-knit needles 11L and 11R.
9. Knit 20 more rows with MC
10. Change to CC
11. Knit 2 more rows
12. RC=0, change to MC
13. Knit 5 rows
14. Use transfer tool to transfer stitches and mark the tension dial setting.
15. Knit 5 more rows.
16. Bind off.

Abbreviations

• MC = main color
• CC = contrast color
• RC = row counter
• EON = Every Other Needle

Cast off:

1. Move T dial up 2 notches
2. Knit a row of ravel cord.
3. Leave a length of MC 3x the width, and cut.
4. Switch to scrap yarn, knit 10 rows.
5. Remove knitting from machine
6. Finish later.

Yarn Winding: Winding a center pull cake.

Threading the winder

Winding at least 2x, changing directions

Loose tension, no knots.

Waxing while winding

Class 1 Homework

• Read Guagliumi.
  • Review Ch. 1.
  • Read Ch. 2 on casting-on and binding off, pages 33-36, 44-48. We will do e-wrap cast-on (p 36) and back-stitch bind off (p 48) next class.

• Knit two tension swatches.
  • Review the manual before using the machine. Please follow each step in the manual until you have the process memorized.

here.

• • • KH930 (standard) section on basic knitting, casting on. pdf pages 20-23
    • KH230 (chunky) section on threading machine, basic knitting. pdf pages 9-13
    • Recommended reading: Brother Knitting Machine Techniques Book. Section on knitting a tension gauge. Pages 72-73. Download here.

Copies of the manuals are available at the space. You can also download the pdf's

Class 2 Syllabus

Machine care

• Oiling/Cleaning the machine
• The Sponge Bar
• Changing needles

Measuring tension swatches

Formula to determine gauge.

• Number of stitches divided by number of inches = stitches per inch

• Number of rows divided by number of inches = rows per inch

Review Guagliumi's charts on page 7 & 8: formation of tuck stitch and slip stitch.

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Swatch 1: Slip Stitch & Fairisle

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Swatch 2: Tuck stitch

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Swatch 3: casting on/off

E wrap cast on

increasing stitches

1 stitch: add one needle on carriage side

multiple stitches: e wrap on carriage side

decreasing stitches

opposite the carriage:

• 1 stitch: transfer to next needle

• multiple stitches: crotchet off

always move empty needles to A position

Ravel cord cast off, back stitch bind off.

Class 2 Homework

• Knit two tension swatches.

• Create or find a 2-color image for fairisle knitting: 40 to 60 pixels wide, and about as many pixels high. You may want to keep in mind how long the floats will be. Longer than 5 stitches can be tricky. File format: 1 bit b/w bitmap is ideal.

Reading Homework:

• Read Guagliumi 49 - 53 on holding stitches. (Suggested additional reading 54-81.)

• The KH-930 Manual
  • Loading patterns: Pdf pages 38 – 41.

• • Programming your own patterns, Knitting Patterns: Pdf pages 83 —87. (Suggested reading: Variation Keys 47-56)

• • The Img2Track pdf guide

Don't worry about the section about the divided neckline on page 4.

If you have a Mac, I suggest installing the software and walking through it per the instructions. FYI, the sequence of button presses is the same as the sequence described in the Brother manual on page 3.

Class 3 Syllabus

Img2Track fairisle. Holding and shaping stitches.

Class 3 Homework

• Produce a knitted swatch using the img2track software for patterning. Bind off the stitches. Due within 2 weeks of Class 3.

Useful Links

Chart to determine tension dial setting.

Ravelry's machine knitting page. The forum is a priceless source of advice and info. Free registration required.

Diana Sullivan's Video Tutorials the "Diana Natters On" series.

Order your own weights.

Brother Knitting Machine Techniques Book.

Tutorial books (as free PDFs) for Brother Knitting Machines

PS:1's Brother_KH-930_Knitting_Machine