In Praise of Knitting Machines
10:17 a.m. - 2007-03-03


Here's a little example to show why I love my knitting machines. Now I admit that some of the dreck produced by some machine knitters looks like it came out of a budget store, but a lot of stuff looks high end and very lovely. It is all in the design. I like to combine elements of hand knitting with the machine work, so that the final product looks the same as if I had handknit it. I usually knit the ribbings by hand (unless the gauge is 7 st/inch or even tinier), hang the ribbings on the machine, and go from there. I like to do complicated cables and patterns by hand, because they are interesting, but long stretches of stockinette can be done in a fraction of the time on the machine, and you don't wear out your wrists and hands on the boring stuff.

This week I got the idea to make a closer fitting short sleeved pullover. On Thursday I drafted the pattern and did some research on the best way to design a set-in-sleeve cap. Then I started hand knitting the ribbings. On Friday I knitted the front and back, and this morning I did the sleeves. So in under two days of working off and on, I have the pieces of the sweater done and am ready to knit the neck band and do the sewing. I think two days is better than a month of work, don't you? I used the book 'The Knitter's Guide To Sweater Design' by Michelson and Davis, which is a really excellent book, for help with the sleeve cap.

The rain ended and it is now freezing cold again. Got to get around to the seed order, I was too busy knitting to remember it.