Machine Knitting Camp

I bought my first knitting machine in February 2020. I had two lessons and just as we were scheduling the next one, the pandemic hit. I did take another virtual class at one point which helped me learn to use the color changer and understand the electronics of my machine a bit better. But I’ve largely been on my own, using You Tube, the MK Ravelry group, and an amazing FB group to get me through. 

But unlike my usual eager self, I’ve been really timid about venturing deeper into machine knitting. Recently, I commented on a cute MK project on Rav and the maker emailed me to let me know that she was in Minneapolis and invited me to join the Midwest Machine Knitting Collaborative (MMKC). Woohoo! 

I was already hooked up with a local mk salesperson and I’d seen frequent mentions to “Purls of Joy”. Honestly, I assumed it was something religion-based (like knitting for church charities or something) and didn’t think much else about it. Turns out, it was a machine knitting seminar and this year, 2022, was to be the final year! So I scrambled to attend the 2-day seminar. I learned a ton and was introduced to a bunch of  new knitters and resources throughout the state. 

I learned about the 3-day class and when I got the email that 1) there was one spot left and 2) that it was very affordable, I jumped on it! 

I drove up to St. Cloud on Thursday morning, ready for the 10 a.m. check in. There were lots of people already set up and knitting and I thought I was late! Turns out, a couple of women had come in from out of state and had taken in-person lessons the day or two before. Good to know!

Back in February (of this year), I hit the mother lode with my trip to WI and one of the machines is a standard gauge Silver Reed Sk360. I’ve been knitting on a Brother standard gauge and figured this would be a good time to learn the new-to-me machine and brand. The bulky I bought is by the Studio/Silver Reed/Singer brand as well. 

But, I hadn’t taken this thing out since bringing it in the house in February! I knew that the woman I got it from hadn’t used it in many years. She was over 90 and said she’d long since stopped using the standard gauge because the stitches are too small to see. Not to mention this machine was manufactured some time in the early 80s, when I would have been a wee little one. I could use a little oil so figured the machine could too! :)

We started out talking about basic machine maintenance. I’d brought a new sponge bar with me because that’s a given - you should always replace the sponge bar in a used machine. We started cleaning it out and it just kept going and going! SO MUCH LINT! Oh my gosh! I swear I ended up with a pile of lint and dust that could fill an 8 oz cup. We oiled it up and I was off and knitting!

Much of the weekend was guided - we all knit:

• a tuck stitch dishcloth - casting on and off, using punchcards

• worked up another tuck stitch design in a cowl or wrap - casting on and off, using punchcards with a specific needle arrangement, steaming/blocking, seaming

• And socks - casting on and off, ribbing, short rowing, Kitchener stitch, seaming

I seamed one of my toes wrong (the seam was on the outside). 

So I undid it, but I couldn’t figure out how to redo it, so I’m just going to rehang the sock and undo the toe shaping, and re-knit.

Lots of skills! We also had “table talk” each day where we discussed different topics, which was super helpful. We learned how to fix things, we did a tour of the yarn shop, there was a bit of marketing too :) Hey, they’ve got a business to run!

I also started a sideways sweater. I tried on a sample in size 44 and it was so cute! I knit the same size, and used the same yarn (different color), but mine is coming up smaller. Recently, there was a discussion about Silver Reed knitting up a little tighter than Brother at the same gauge. But, this is also why, you always make a swatch! I’m still going to finish it because it will *fit*, it just will be a fitted top vs. the intended style.

See? Lily can fit it!

I also shortened mine about an inch or so. I have a couple of dropped stitches that I need to pick up. Then, I’ll seam the other shoulder (I don’t like seaming on the machine and will do the rest with my linker), add the sleeve ribbing, and then the lower ribbing. 

The morning of day 3, we all were in high spirits! Two of us were going to finish our sweaters and start our socks, others were going to finish their socks and start sweaters…And then every single one of us had weird, random issues with our knitting. The two pros spent most of day fixing, undoing, redoing, it was a MESS! 

When I got home, I swatched (haha!) a cotton/cashmere (47%/53%) blend to make another version with some decorative eyelets, inspired by this:

The fabric is so amazing!

The first two nights I ended up with a migraine. On day 2, I took my meds much sooner than I had on day 1. I ended up early in the morning, with my plastic mid gauge out and hooked up to the ironing board :)

I knit the back and the head there, and knit the front when I got back home. I started seaming it together, but have a little ways to go :)

Hotels were SO expensive, especially for St. Cloud(!), but even with the hotel, food, and my shopping at the camp (I bought a couple of MK patterns, sock yarn, the next issue of Machine Knitting Monthly, and some items for my machine), it was well worth it! 

I want to go to the next one, but there’s a high likelihood that a 70 mile drive in February or March may not be an option :-p

I rearranged my room a bit, bringing up the narrow table (18” wide x 60” long). It allows me to hook up a second machine when I want (yes, even with just 18” width!!). The folding table easily clears the space and I can get to the other long edge when needed. 

I definitely notice a difference between the two brands and am happy to be able to switch between the two standard gauge machines as needed. Now, I just need to get my bulky up, cleaned out, and running!

Machine Knitting: A Beautiful Basic

I am so proud of this scarf!! It is not terribly exciting...it's a scarf, right? It's just a rectangle.

But, I sat myself down and decided to make this scarf on Saturday afternoon. And while MK can be extremely involved and time consuming, some things can be accomplished pretty quickly. Speed is definitely not the primary factor (I would still hand knit if I could!), I will say that I sat down to my knitting machine around 3:15 p.m. and was pulling this off the machine before 5. 

I knit some swatches and decided on an approximate finished size of 8" x 60".  I then cast on 80 stitches (the standard gauge machine has needles that are 4.5mm apart (or a little under 3/16") which gives you an idea of the yarn it can knit (for hand knitters it's ~lace through fingering, and some sport weight). I calculated approximately 10 rows per inch and figured I'd need about 600 rows. 

I knit 596 rows, moved the needles from the ribber to the main bed, and then knit one row. But it is easier to cast off when the carriage is on the right, so I knit one more row! LOL! For a total of 598 rows. The final measurement is 7" wide (without stretching the ribbing) and 66" long. 

I have another video to watch on avoiding the wavy 
edge that can sometimes happen with ribbing

One of the critical aspects of machine knitting is properly weighing down the work. I'm still figuring out what's necessary there (the ribber manual does tell you how much weight to use based on number of stitches in work, but it seems like a skill too, knowing how much weight to use). About 160 rows in, my work was nearing the floor. And thank goodness for You Tube, The Answer Lady Knits had a clear and easy video on how to rehang the work. 

Here you can see how the cast-on comb holds the work, and in that hook is a hanging weight

After the comb was repositioned 

Admiring my work while watching videos to be sure I'm getting it right :)
You can see the comb and weights on the floor

I'd knit about 160 rows and I discovered a dropped stitch! ARGH! At some point, the needle started to knit again, so I pinned the live stitch to fix later. I know now that it would have been super easy, once I caught the stitch, to re knit the entire row and put that stitch back into work. Instead, I fixed it after the fact by knitting it up (laddering) and then using a scrap yarn to do a duplicate stitch for security, and then did some really, really thorough weaving in of the ends :)

I steam blocked it and left it overnight and what a happy surprise when I came downstairs this morning! It was laid out just waiting for me to revel in it's squishy-ness!  

The yarn is an acrylic from either Knit and Sew World in St. Peter or from Cindy's Knitting Room in Princeton - both great resources for machine knitters! How do I know it's acrylic? I did a burn test! But, I was not my normal self. Normally, I would get tweezers for the yarn (or fabric), and always work at the kitchen sink because it's stainless steel. When the yarn caught it kind of poofed and I freaked that it might be a natural fiber (and thus would burn all the way to my fingers) and the yarn swung toward me and landed on my belly (over my clothes). WHEW! So now I have a little burn mark on my overalls. OY! LOL! Never skip safety precautions!

Simple project but a major win. Can you believe I did not have a black scarf in the collection (I do live in MN after all!)?! I can't wait to wear it!

photographed on my quilt that lives on my couch!

The Wadder: McCall's 7722

Like me, you've probably seen a ton of versions of this pattern in the sewing-sphere. I've had my eye on it for awhile and was SUPER excited to make it.

I had this (affiliate link) very cool animal print (snow leopard?) lightweight sweater knit. But I only had a yard!! When I bought the fabric I intended on replicating an old NL6230 top that I really like but the neckline is too wide and the binding is atrocious :) I wear it ALL the time. And then, I decided M7722 would be perfect! But I only had ONE YARD.

I cut a size 14 and did my normal cheater FBA. I did not have enough fabric for the full upper sleeve. And once I got the pattern pieces cut out and realized how long it was, I decided to shorten it. And I laid everything out and huzzah! I could fit the pattern pieces on the 1yard. I folded the edges in toward the center *just enough* to cut the front and back. After I cut those pieces I was able to fold the remaining yardage in half and cut the sleeves. The sleeve pattern piece is pretty wide as it's gathered on top and bottom...but I made it work!

I did not enjoy making the top with all the gathering. So much gathering!!!!! And while the black wool knit (that I used on B6621) was a good match in stretch and recovery, it was quite a bit thinner. I cut the lower bands double - placed the hemline on the fold of the pattern. I sewed the long edge and then folded it over...like any other sleeve band but just extra long.

I finished and thought it was *SO* cute.

And then I tried it on. Nope, nope, nope. And as mentioned, there are no suggestions needed for "trying to make it work". It doesn't and it isn't deserving of more time and I know I won't wear it as is. Into the donation pile it goes.

The combo of ALL THE VOLUME on top and super slim fitting on the bottom, I just do not like it. 

I tried to. I love the print. I would say it could be about an inch longer...

Soooo yeah, 34DDD + wide sleeves at the exact same level = nooooo thank you. I still think it's a cute pattern and love that it HAS worked for so many. Maybe I'll keep it in the collection in case I ever make it to getting a reduction :-p

I also wanted to quickly review the Evie La Luve Frankie panty. I've never had a huge interest in sewing undies or bras and almost every time I sew a knit I think, "how on earth are people using the same fabric to sew underwear?!?!" Now, maybe I just buy super thin ones?? LOL! But I made a couple pair in cotton/lycra jersey and will probably mostly stick to making lace undies should I continue down this path.

Evie La Luve Etsy shop (NAYY)

This pattern had really good reviews, looked most similar in cut to my favorite RTW bikini cut briefs, and I liked the variations. Well, while I can see doing a decorative elastic strap on the back, I can't imagine doing it with rings and sliders. Seems like it would be uncomfortable!

My hips measure into the XXL (~43"). I was skeptical though looking at the pattern pieces and cut an XL. I made a muslin and made the following changes to the pattern:

*Added 1/2" to the back pattern piece - yes, this puts the hip measurement into the XXL sizing. BUT, I needed it in back and not in front. Which makes sense with having to do a full butt adjustment on almost everything.
*In that same vein, I added a little more butt coverage in back. I did this as a curved line, with nothing at the side seam and nothing at the crotch seam, I added about 1/2". It worked very well and provides just the right amount of coverage for a round bottom.
*Added 3/8" to the center front tapering to nothing at the side seam. They seemed to dip a bit in the muslin.
*Narrowed the crotch width 3/8" (so 3/4" total!) I swear, every swimsuit pattern I've ever tried has SUPER wide crotch widths and I knew as soon as I traced this one off that it would be too wide.

I made this pair and they are almost *exactly* the same as my fave VS cotton undies.

from my IG stories :)

I used lingerie elastic at the waist and 3/8" swimsuit elastic in the legs (it was what I had on hand!). I made a 2nd pair and was using braided elastic in the legs and way, way too stiff. I will have to rip that out and either just hem the legs on my coverstitch or use some of my newly acquired lingerie elastic.

I bought a bunch of laces so I will try a few more pair. But don't see myself fully on this bandwagon any time soon (after I purchased like 40 yards of lingerie elastics and a whole bunch of lace! LOL!!)

I have spent many, many, many parts of many days trying to re-learn casting on and basic stockinette stitch. Goodness gracious! But I am knitting a swatch now! Woohoo!!!

I can knit about 2 rows then I have to take a break. Hmm, maybe I should make that baby hat a size bigger :-p