Do you seriously believe I CAN'T do that?? Just try me!!

Welcome to Part III in my ongoing series about the comparisons between hand knitting and machine knitting.

In this section, I will explain a bit about some stitches that are are easier by hand and other stitches that are easier on a knitting machine. 

STITCH TYPES:

This is one of the hardest things to explain to a knitter whose background is hand knitting. This is where using 2 knitting needles defaults to a somewhat different fabric than a bed full of latch hooks. In hand knitting, when you knit every row you get garter stitch. That is because at the end of every row, you turn the fabric before you start knitting back (circular knitting and knitting backwards are the exceptions). Now the fabric is reversed and you knit another row. In flat bed machine knitting the fabric is never reversed. The latch hooks pull loops away from you in every row. Therefore flat bed knitting machines default to a stockinet stitch fabric.

Stockinet

As previously stated, flat bed knitting machines default to stockinet fabric. So any design requiring stockinet fabric is easy.  Knitting great amounts of stockinet fabric can be tedious by hand.  This is an area where the knitting machine shines.

Garter Stitch

Garter stitch is a reversible fabric that alternate rows of knit and purl on both sides. In hand knitting, this is done by knitting every row and turning the fabric before starting back. This is popular for new knitters as only 1 stitch, the knit stitch, is all they need to know. While this is the easiest hand knitting stitch, this stitch cannot be done simply on a flat bed knitting machine. There are a few ways to reproduce garter stitch on a knitting machine, none of them fast.

1. Remove the fabric from the knitting machine onto waste yarn, turn and rehang after each row. This is extremely tedious.
2. It can also be done with a garter bar tool. The garter bar hooked onto the main bed needles and the fabric is pulled onto the fingers of the garter bar. Turn the bar, (the purl side that you could see is turned around and the knit side is now facing you) and hook back onto the knitting machine needles and remove the bar. This can be quite fast, but you must be accurate or stitches will be dropped.
3. Brother used to make an accessory called a garter carriage. The garter carriage worked on a standard gauge knitting machine (uses yarns calling for US#0-3 needles, which are lace and fingering weight yarns). The garter carriage was automatic, it was slow and it was noisy, as it would walk across the bed either knitting or purling as per the electronics or punch card dictates.  Brother no longer makes machines, and no longer makes parts for machines that are still out there. 
4. If there is a ribber accessory available for your flat bed knitting machine, you can transfer all the stitches to the ribber, knit 1 row and transfer back to the main bed and knit 1 row. Again, this is an extremely tedious task.
5. Using the latch tool that comes with the knitting machine, drop one stitch and latch it back up. Because the latch hook is in your hand and facing the opposite direction from the latch hooks on the bed of the knitting machine, you are pulling the stitches through the opposite way. This is fine, if you have only a few stitches to reform, but tedious across a complete row.

If you are a fast hand knitter, none of the techniques above are options. If you are not a hand knitter, or a very slow hand knitter, the options above become much more feasible.  So for most, this stitch is easier done by hand.

Moss / Seed Stitch

Alternating knit and purl stitches in a row is easy by hand. On the second row, the knit stitches are purled and the purl stitches are knit. Rather a checkerboard type of look if you can visualize it in a grid format. Like garter stitch, this can be done much faster by hand.

1. Brother used to make an accessory called a garter carriage. The garter carriage worked on a standard gauge knitting machine (uses yarns calling for US#0-3 needles, which are lace and fingering weight yarns). The garter carriage was automatic, it was slow and it was noisy, as it would walk across the bed either knitting or purling as per the electronics or punch card dictates. Brother no longer makes machines, and no longer makes parts for machines that are still out there.  
2. If there is a ribber accessory available for your flat bed knitting machine, you can transfer stitches back and forth, each row (or 2 rows, as the stitch requires) between rows. This is fine, if you have only a few stitches to reform, but tedious across a complete row.
3. Using the latch tool that comes with the knitting machine, drop one stitch and latch it back up. Because the latch hook is in your hand and facing the opposite direction from the latch hooks on the bed of the knitting machine, you are pulling the stitches through the opposite way. This is fine, if you have only a few stitches to reform, but tedious across a complete row.
4. As a substitute, you can get a “mock” seed stitch by using a machine knit stitch called a tuck stitch. The stitch gauge isn’t the same, and there is a knit side and a purl side, so it isn’t reversible. Tuck stitch (hand knitters call it Brioche), is very fast on a knitting machine, and produces a similar high-low texture. If you are planning a project with a large area of seed stitch, I strongly urge you look at tuck stitch.  You can get a fairly similar texture of seediness, and it is very fast on the machine.  As fast as stockinet for the machines that pattern.  For the manual machines, it is fairly fast as well.

Cables

Cables are done manually on all knitting machines.  But it is very quick.  Using tools that come with the machine, stitches are transfered to two tools.  Switch hands, and hang the stitches back on.  I love cables, but I enjoy them really well on the mid-gauge and bulky machines.  In hand knitting, the first set of stitches are transfered off to a cable needle.  The next set are knit, then the ones on the cable needle are knit.  Again, fairly easy....so equal points to both techniques on creating cables.

Lace

When I hand knit lace, I need A LOT of stitch markers.  I easily loose track.  Particularly if the project gets put down.  But I see beautiful lace work done, all by hand, so that's not a problem for everyone.  What helps me on the knitting machine is that the needles are numbered.  The fabric is spread open and I can watch the lace unfold in their rows.  In hand knitting, stitches are combined, and yarn overs are done in a preplanned fashion.  The yarn overs and the knit 2 togethers (or other combined method) are all done in the same row.  In machine knitting, using a tool that comes with the machine, stitches are moved from one need to the next one.  Two (or three stitches) are on one needle, with a matching empty needle.  When the carriage passes across, those combined stitches are knit together, and the empty needle has yarn placed "over" it, thus the "yarn over".  Both hand and machine knit methods for lace receive equal points.  Individuals will certainly have favorites.  Mine is to do lace on the machine. 

The Silver Reed standard gauge machines (SK280 & SK840) have an optional lace carriage.  The lace carriage transfers stitches and knits the row, in the same pass.  The lace carriage receives its instructions from a prepunched pattern card, or electronically via your computer and knitting machine design software.  Delicate, lace weight fabric is one of the most beautiful pieces of fabric that comes of this combination.  And . . . . it is very fast.

The challenges and the successes of machine knitting are endless.  This article could go on for volumes.  But I will leave those challenges for your enjoyment!

Recently I attended a Cat Bordhi class.  One of the projects was puzzling out a piece of manufactured knit fabric.  Then reproducing it on your knitting needles.  Having a background in machine knitting put me ahead of the game, yet, there still was at least 1 sample that was totally beyond me.   On a trip to Germany years ago, I picked up a couple short sleeved knit tunics.  Absolutely fell in love with them.  Recognized the stitch right off.  Plated Tuck Lace.  This is a technique easy on the knitting machine.  While it can be done by hand, it would be a fussy one!

Thanks for reading on . . . .  in a few days, I will talk about gauges.  I promise Part IV will be short, but you will find it interesting.....

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What IS it about those knitting machines!

Thinking of buying a knitting machine?

Machine knitting is fun and extremely creative. But it is necessary to educate yourself of what a knitting machine can do for you. While both hand and machine knitting produce knitting garments, the path to the result is quite a bit different.

This is another part in my series about knitting machines.

This particular article is focused on the differences and similarities between machine knitting and hand knitting.
(Please do not copy for use on your website, commercial or noncommercial
nor for use in any printed materials, but feel free to link to it.)

If in doubt, email me. I'm pretty easy to get along with. Angelika's Yarn Store, Angelika Burles

What Every Hand Knitter Should Know Before Buying a Knitting Machine
or
Is Machine Knitting Cheating?
or
Hand and Machine Knitting: The differences and similarities.

As you can tell, as I wrote this article many kinds of titles came to mind. Over the years I have worked with hand knitters who wanted to start machine knitting to increase their speed. Sometimes it was because they had a buying market for their hand knits, sometimes it was because of pain caused by hand knitting and sometimes it was because the family was just so large they wanted to increase their output. Not thoroughly checking into the abilities of a knitting machine, they often find to their dismay that machine knitting will not produce as fast and easily all of the stitches they love to use in their designs, as they thought.

Thus the title "What Every Hand Knitter Should Know Before Buying a Knitting Machine".

The common thought is that machine knitting is cheating, or that it is easy. Just throw yarn at the knitting machine, right? But the fact is that machine knitting is much more complicated and difficult than hand knitting. When a hand knitter moves into the field of machine knitting, it is often a shock to the creative side. Machine knitting takes perseverance and a stubborn constitution not to quit. But when you pass that first hurdle, look out!!  A whole new design world of creativity opens up!

Before you can cast on, you have to make sure you are using a knitting machine that is appropriate to the size of the yarn you are working with. Even with the appropriate yarn size, you still need to learn the rules of the knitting machine. Like driving a car, there is so much going on that you have to watch out for. After you are comfortable with your yarn and knitting machine, you need to have a large swatch done and have the stitches and rows per inch figured. A complete knit plan (schematics or pattern) needs to be preplanned.

A knitting machine is like NO OTHER piece of equipment you have ever used. It can behave in some of the oddest ways, and our logical minds have no experience to draw upon. When the yarn gets caught up around the wheels, when stitches fall off the needles, when the carriage jams or is so hard to move you need to hook it to the tow truck, do you know where to begin to look for the problem? In the beginning of this learning curve, you will be in situations where you are learning, and you are learning a lot. Machine knitting is a totally different way of producing knitwear.
Give yourself weeks to learn machine knitting techniques. And don't ever tell anyone machine knitting is cheating. When you have mastered machine knitting, I bow down to your dedication and perseverance. You deserve it!
Thus the title "Is Machine Knitting Cheating"

and finally

Hand and Machine Knitting: The differences and similarities.

Not all hand knit stitches and techniques can be reproduce identically on the knitting machine. Some are not possible and some are tedious. On the same hand, there are some machine knit stitches that are not very doable by hand either.  Below I have addressed some of the more commonly asked questions and misconceptions regarding adapting hand knitting to machine knitting.

DIFFERENT KNITTING MACHINES FOR DIFFERENT YARNS

The most common request I get from hand knitters is “I want a knitting machine that will knit socks, blankets and baby clothes”, or “I want a knitting machine that will knit cashmere, alpaca and merino wool.”

Would you go into a yarn shop and say “I want a knitting needle that will knit wool.”?

It isn’t the type of yarn, nor is it the type of garment that determines the needle or knitting machine you need, but instead, it is the SIZE of the yarn that determines the needle or the knitting machine required.

The latch hooks on a knitting machine are locked into position in slots of the bed of the knitting machine. So the stitches, no matter the size of the yarn, are locked this distance apart. This is one reason that one knitting machine cannot knit ALL sizes of yarns.

The other reason that there are different gauges of knitting machines is the size of the latch hook. On a knitting machine, it is a row of latch hooks. If you attempt to knit with a yarn that is too large, the latch hook will split through the middle of the yarn. Try to imagine crocheting a bulky yarn with a crochet hook designed for thin crochet cotton. All the hook will grab is a few hairs or strands of the yarn, just splitting it and making the next row impossible to knit.

For lace weight, fingering weight and some sport weight the standard guage SK280 knitting machine is your best choice.  For sport weight, DK, worsted and some bulky weight yarns, the mid-gague machine is perfect.  My personal favorite is my little buddy the LK150.  If you knit a lot of worsted and bulky weight yarn, you will want the bulky SK155 knitting machine.  The SK280 and the SK155 have a built in, mechanical, pattern feature that is easy to learn and understand.    This feature allows you to knit 2 colors in a row and many varied types of textured stitches automatically.

Stay tuned,  in a day or two, I will post about some hand knit verses machine knit stitches  . . . . 

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Are you a designer?

Using a knitting machine to enhance your design time is a good thing. Two things come to mind immediately when I think of this. One, the machine will speed up the knitting of stockinette and ribbed items, allowing you to hand knit the more complex pieces. Two, there are some machine knit stitches that are just very difficult to duplicate by hand. Add these stitches to your design catalog to broaden your creativity.

But what machine will work for your design line???
That is the question . . . . and I have your answer!

Machine Knitting Education: The Best Decision is an Educated Decision

Don't know what machine you want?? Learn about the different machines, which yarns go to which machine, and how hand and machine knitting are different.

"What is the best machine?" is a question I hear daily. The best machine is the machine that knits the yarn weights you need to knit, with features you desire, with the minimum of fuss, in the most enjoyable manner, in the time frame you need. And since none of us do the same thing, think the same way or have the same budget, we won't all agree on the same machine. So to find out what is the best machine, we need to learn as much as possible about what knitting machines can do for us, what we want them to do for us and what their limitations are. Much information to learn, but then, the machines are not cheap either! So read on!

One more note. Recently I have been getting inquiries about machine knitting. One question that keeps coming up I'd like to clear up now. Machine Knitting is a hobby. Being a hobby the knitter is involved in the process every step of the way. You cannot set up the machine, yarn, software, then go away and have all the pieces knit when you return. It would not be a hobby if you could. I do not know of any machines that do this.

Stay tuned, there is more to come!