Ask CRAFT: Knitting Machines

Craft & Design Yarncraft

machinescarf.jpg

Susan from Minnesota writes in:

I am going to be the new proud owner of a used knitting machine that I am getting through our local “Freecycle.” I am a knitter, but have never worked on a machine. Do you have any information, websites or references you could share with me?

I recently acquired a knitting machine myself, and I had to do a lot of research about them before picking one, then had to bid on many eBay auctions to get one I actually wanted. The most important resource for you as a new owner is the manual for your machine. Mine came with the complete manual, and I look at it at almost constantly while using the machine. It should explain the workings of your machine in great detail. If yours didn’t come with its manual, you may be able to download it from online. Try typing the make and model number into a search engine, for example “Brother KH930E manual,” and see what comes up.

There’s a great roundup of knitting machine resources on about.com, actually, which links to the best pages (some quite old, but then again, so are these knitting machines) with resources for machine knitters. The woman I got my machine from on eBay restores machines with missing parts and then resells them, and is extremely knowledgeable on the subject. Her name’s Patricia, and if you send her a message on eBay I’m sure she’d help you out.

If you have a question for Ask CRAFT, email me at becky@craftzine.com or drop us a tweet!

More:

CRAFT Video: Machine-Knitted QR Code Scarf

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Becky Stern is a Content Creator at Autodesk/Instructables, and part time faculty at New York’s School of Visual Arts Products of Design grad program. Making and sharing are her two biggest passions, and she's created hundreds of free online DIY tutorials and videos, mostly about technology and its intersection with crafts. Find her @bekathwia on YouTube/Twitter/Instagram.

View more articles by Becky Stern

ADVERTISEMENT

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 16th iteration!

Prices Increase in....

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
FEEDBACK