fun with machines

I was very luckily given a knitting machine by my Aunty Sue, an Empisal KH 68O push button to be precise a while back and I saved it to learn this year, because I knew that I wouldn't have the time to devote to it last year.  I think it'd been stored for quite a while without use, I'm guessing maybe 20 years, but could be off.

I started teaching myself step by step care of the 'friendly instruction manual' (I think you've got to worry when it calls itself friendly) and here are my first samples below:

plain knitting with increasing, decreasing and a purpose put hole; various types of pattern textures (which were really cool!); playing with the lace carriage (quite a dropped stitch problem and tension issues with the cotton) and my first proper cast on and cast off!!

The first three I did by myself, and then realised I could be trying to teach myself out of a book for a long time, when instead I was itching to get into cool projects, so resolved to get a teacher.

I actually found a machine knitters guild and have since attended two meetings (separate chapter groups) and have picked up lots of tips as well as arranging some lessons.  The ladies all are very friendly and most are at least 25 years older than me, some up to 40 years older.  I think I'm a bit of a novelty to them.

My plans for the knitting machine is to make fabric pattern pieces to incorporate into garments, free form sculptural objects and plain mucking around.  However, after my first lesson, my homework is to do:

2 backs, 2 sets of sleeves and two fronts up until the neck section.

This is the machine, and getting ready to make the rib hem.  

And these are my two backs.  the multicolour one is a bit skew-if, I was doing a fabulous job of decreasing, but kept forgetting to put back the empty needle on the left side, so it kept adding more stitches.  The striped one on the right is (hopefully) correct.

I did a small jumper because I just want to learn the techniques, not because I think I'm going to have a boy and am preparing for when they are two....

I'm hopefully going to add some textured bits to the sleeves or front, just to make it a bit more interesting to do.

I think my favourite thing so far is using the yarn winder, to make a ball where the yarn flows freely from the centre.  it's such a lovely action, I might take some photos of that!