Should I learn Machine Knitting?
This was the question I asked myself a couple of years ago and you may be asking yourself the same question.
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I had a list of reasons why I wanted to learn to machine knit and how it would be of value to me, but I also had some concerns mainly relating to Affordability and Difficulty.
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Instead of creating one long post here I will address the two concerns of cost and difficulty the next post, In this post I will present my thoughts about the value of machine knitting.
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Will I get any value out of Machine Knitting?
I think it is important that you do have some idea of why you want to machine knit, otherwise it is likely that will give up at the first hurdle. Your reason why could be as simple as you have just inherited a knitting machine from an elderly relative and you would like to know what it does or as challenging as I love knitting and would like to learn how to design my own garments with a professional finish that I could sell. Mostly it will because you like being creative, making things and the idea of machine knitting appeals to you either as a creative hobby or as a means to knit more quickly and professionally.
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You might find that using a machine is easier than hand knitting. It certainly is faster once you and your machine are in harmony. It is more difficult to do this socially as you need to have space to set up the machine and table. And this is difficult to transport to a meet-up. Decide what you want to knit and then decide what machine will do this. This blog will focus upon the flat-bed home knitting machine. Later posts will give more details about different machines that you could find in the UK.
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In this post I list some of the reasons why I wanted to learn machine knitting. I am sure that some of these reasons will be similar to yours. I would love to know why you started to machine knit. Please write them down in the comments.
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My Reasons for Wanting to Machine Knit.
- I am a crafty person and I am learning to hand knit and crochet so why not learn to machine knit as well.
- I love the idea of making my own clothes that fit me better than the garments I buy, especially as I am short in body and arms.
- I like learning new skills and the idea of learning how a knitting machine works appeals to me.
- I have time on my hands and I want a new challenge in my life.
- Hand-knitting can be a bit painful on the joints so a knitting machine could alleviate this pain (or give me different pains!)
- Hand-knitting can be slow and I would like to make things more quickly on a machine
- I would like to create more professional looking garments.
- I like the idea of using a machine to create my own designs and patterns or even recreate patterns that I see online.
- I have an old machine that I bought years ago and some old wool and since I now have no money it is time to learn to use it or get rid of it.
- As I tried to figure out how to get the old machine to work, I discovered a whole new world of machine knitting that excited me and I found that I loved learning about all the different machines, accessories, patterns, techniques, software etc. and wanted to learn more and more.
So these are my reasons. What are yours? Please tell me in the comments below.
5 Comments
Monica Passey
Very interested to have found you. All your reasons for starting are exactly mine Hope you are still operating despite COVID. I m in Shropshire and dying to improve. I have a Brother KH260. No bells or whistles Have loads of questions and enthusiasm
wicked woollies
Hello Monica,
Thankyou for your comment. It has been a strange and sad year so far, so knitting and my blog has taken a back seat. I will be ready for knitting again this autumn/winter though. A brother 260. That is the chunky machine. Well done. I do not know much about the operation of Brother machines but I think a good old fashioned machine can bring out the creative side. After getting my electronic machine working I am finding it more exhausting to operate and understand and will probably go back to my simple punchcard machine! I hope you are learning to use the machine although perhaps you are enjoying the weather now. Look forward to hearing about your progress. Carol
Lynne Page
I had a standard and a chunky years ago (1986 ish) then sold them when I moved but have recently bought a SK840 electronic machine with a ribber. I owned a Brother before and have found that machines have moved on greatly so really struggling but determined to master it. Have found DAK very confusing so I feel as if I will not be able to knit a jumper for about 2 years from now 😂.
Glad to have found your site and busily reading my way through all that you have written.
I originally tried to find out if the electronic machine would kit without the electronics but it would seem that it only does stocking stitch so before long it seems that I will have to attack the electronics side 🤷♀️
wicked woollies
Hello Lynne,
A SK840m ribber and DAK, well done. Yes I found DAK a bit confusing, and I will try and do some blogs/videos on this later in the year. I am now finding that I feel a bit intimidated with my electronic with ribber and DAK. Longing for the simpler 700 machine. I will persevere though. Determined to work out a cardigan pattern that I can actually wear! Right now I am focussed on trying to tame my garden and sort out flooding. Keep me informed on your progress and good luck with your machine. Carol
Lynne Page
Hi Carol,
Thank you for your reply.
I now don’t feel like such a dunce.
Good luck with your garden and flooding.
I will look forward to your blogs/videos later in the year.
I will let you know if I ever get a garment that looks even vaguely like something that could be worn 😂
Lynne