I like making things: Knitting machine blues

Monday, August 8, 2011

Knitting machine blues

I had a bad weekend with the machine. After I did all those swatches on Friday I was ready to go but I had an idea that I wanted to swatch first before starting on the sweater.

Well, it was like the machine was drunk on Saturday. The ribbing just wouldn't work. I tried it over and over again with the same results.

I thought at first it might be because I was using the two strands of blue but as you can see, it did it to the other yarn too.

So I took of the ribber and refitted it, maybe it had slipped somehow. The right hand bracket on the ribber is very stiff. The bracket that raises and lowers the ribber carriage. I have looked at it and examined it but can't see why it is so stiff but has been so from the get go. Because of it raising and lowering the carriage is very hard. I have to really tug on it on the right side to get it to move. I oiled it a lot and it has helped a little but clearly there is a problem, but it isn't insurmountable.

After doing this on Saturday, I left it. Yesterday when I went back to it was still having a problem. This time I took down the whole thing, ribber and main carriage and set them both back up from scratch. It seemed to work on the beige yarn OK yarn but still has problems using the two strands of the thinner yarn. So for now I have put that yarn away. I will try and find out if there is anything to make knitting with two or more strands easier. I have enough other yarn to betting on with.

I did a couple of swatches after I put it all back together again. Just as a side note, I still had two strands of green in one side so I used it as a contrast in one of the swatches. It seems once the knitting is started it doesn't seem to have a problem. Just with getting going with it seems. But I am still leaving it aside for now.

So that was my weekend of knitting horrors.

I am not complaining though, just documenting. This is my happy blog.

I want to thank Phil for the advice on casting on. I will try that when I get back on the machine, probably Wednesday. Today we are working on the fishtank and tomorrow we have the 300 mile round trip to the hospital for my husband's cardio appointment.

Cup of tea time now. There are some things that an English woman can't do without lol

1 comment:

PhilAugust 9, 2011 at 10:52 AM
No worries Maureen. I am very willing to offer any advice when needed :-)
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As in the words of Thumper: If you can't say 'nuffin nice don't say 'nuffin at all.

Glad you stopped by

I started this blog in 2011: Ever since my Mum taught me to knit at the age of about six or seven I have made things. Back then it was doll clothes. I was also inspired by Mrs Levitt an elderly lady who had a sewing room in a conservatory type room on the back of her house. I would sit and watch her in awe as she sewed.

When I was a child living in England the school system was such that you started at 5 years, did two years in Infant School, then four years in Primary School then five to seven years in Secondary School, depending on whether you chose to stay on after fifth form to get qualifications to go to University. I can't remember much of the Infant school other than making the standard square doily thingy from fabric that had holes in it so you could embroider patterns into it. A bit like the modern day cross stitch fabric but with bigger holes and spaces to make it easy for small hands to use. I also remember with great joy getting a toy sewing machine one Christmas which sewed only chain stitch but I did make doll clothes on it and that was before I started Primary school. I do have very vivid recollections of Primary school and having sewing and knitting lessons. In Primary school I knitted gloves and made a dress from scratch hand sewing it all.

Secondary school continued on with sewing by which time I had progressed to using full sized sewing machines and was making more intricate skirts and dresses. My parents bought me a proper sewing machine when I was thirteen. I used that same machine right up until I emigrated to Canada at age forty six years.

I have always had a fascination for sewing machines and knitting machines. I bought my first knitting machine at around age twenty one from an ad in a newspaper for twelve pounds. I had absolutely no idea what one was just that I wanted one. I trundled on the bus to the address in the advert and handed over my twelve pounds having absolutely no idea what I had really bought. Fortunately it came with a manual. It was an aged Knitmaster, very basic and I loved it. I wore it out. Next was a Brother push button one which I didn't keep because it was at a time in my life when things were difficult. Later on in my life, around forty, when things were better I bought a brand new Brother punchard machine with a ribber attachment. I loved it and made many things. Life took a different turn, I moved countries twice and along the way, regrettably I sold it.

Now, through the universe's blessing I now have another machine. It is a vintage one because they stopped making them early 90's but works perfectly and I love it. So I decided to make this blog to document my knitting progress and include sewing projects.

In 2013: we embarked on a new hobby, leather-work. My husband got started with it and it drew me in. It is something we can do together. We have a workshop so have plenty of room to work. We added another workbench for me to work on in 2013. We already had one but we were tripping over each other both trying to work at it. We only make things we want to make. It is strictly a hobby. We made some things for our good neighbours who help us out a lot. I am also working on Christmas presents. So this blog now incorporates the leather-work. Knitting and sewing will always be my first love though.

Fast forward to 2023 and now age almost 75 years. I have seven sewing machines, four knitting machines, several ribber attachments and a garter carriage for one of the machines. I am blessed beyond words, but I know that I have more than enough machines to keep me going in my lifetime so I don’t think I will be adding to my collection any time soon……….unless a nice embroidery machine manifests itself very cheaply.

I am a Brit living in the USA, sometimes I spell like a Brit and sometimes like an American. Sometimes I use slang and even make grammatical errors. I blog for the pleasure of it and to record my endeavours in the event that my memory fades, as I am sure it will with more age. I will be able to look back and remind myself of the things I have made along the way. So please forgive my mistakes when reading about my life making things here in the hinterlands and I hope you get as much enjoyment from my blog as I do from reading the blogs I follow.

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Monday, August 8, 2011

Knitting machine blues

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