Knitting Machines

From Pumping Station One

Knitting Machine Workshop

3-Part Knitting Machine Workshop Materials Fee: $26

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

Pre-Class Homework

Guagliumi, Ch. 1 pages 1-19.

Class 1 Syllabus

Class 1: Review parts of machine: 1. Bed 2. needles 3. Carriage 4. Gate posts 5. Sinker plate 6. Tension mast 7. Clamps 8. Accessories: a. Cast on thread b. Tapestry needle c. Cast on comb d. Wax e. Latch tool f. Bodkin g. Weights (and floor mat) h. 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.

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.


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.

3rd Swatch The Tension Swatch

Tension Swatch: Standard

EON Cast on: 60 needles RC= 0 Knit 15 rows Change to CC Knit 2 rows RC=0 Knit 30 rows Using CC, hand-knit needles 21L and 21R. Knit 30 more rows with MC Change to CC Knit 2 more rows RC=0, change to MC Knit 5 rows Use transfer tool to transfer stitches and mark the tension dial setting. Knit 10 more rows. Bind off.

Chunky EON Cast on: 40 needles RC= 0 Knit 10 rows Change to CC Knit 2 rows RC=0 Knit 20 rows Using CC, hand-knit needles 11L and 11R. Knit 20 more rows with MC Change to CC Knit 2 more rows RC=0, change to MC Knit 5 rows Use transfer tool to transfer stitches and mark the tension dial setting. Knit 5 more rows. Bind off.

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


Cast off: Move T dial up 2 notches Knit a row of ravel cord. Leave a length of MC 3x the width, and cut. Switch to scrap yarn, knit 10 rows. Remove knitting from machine 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

Measuring tension swatches

Review Guagliumi's charts on page 7 & 8: formation of tuck stitch and slip stitch. Swatch 1: Slip Stitch & Fairisle

Swatch 2: Tuck stitch

Swatch 3: alternative cast on/off

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

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

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.

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

Order your own weights.

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