As much as I love to hand knit and crochet, there is always a place in my heart for machine knitting.
It seems as though the common feeling about machine knitting is that it is a form of cheating. Most will imply that the process that produces beautiful knits must be hand done to be a skill that is worth having; it is too easy. Tell that to the beginner that has dropped all of the work off of the machine for the eighth time and can’t figure out why! It also happens to those of us with experience too.
Yes, machine knitting is fast but it also is a process, like hand knitting and crocheting, that can be enjoyed for the art as well as the finished product. If you take your time and hand manipulate your stitches there is a real satisfaction that you have produced a unique and wearable piece. Even using the pattern cards that are set for you, there is still the required knowledge of how a piece is constructed and shaped that you need to master. You need to visualize how the pattern will fit the article that you are making; you need to understand your tools as well as how your machine works.
I always read any forum post that I can that concerns machine knitting. I have used a machine for many years and am always happy to learn a new technique that will advance my skill level. I read on the Knitting Paradise forum section on machine knitting (Knitting Paradise is a great resource and general fun to read webpage) about a wrap that was made by hand manipulating needles in and out of work to produce a “swiss cheese” fabric. The forum post linked to a Youtube video that demonstrated a scarf pattern right down to the hand crocheted edging. Here is the wrap before and after blocking.
I was intrigued and, even though I hadn’t used my machine for a couple of years, I set it up, cleaned it up, and went to work. I made the scarf into a wrap by increasing the number of sets of stitches worked and making it longer. The technique is pretty easy to master as long as you don’t get distracted. I ended up ripping back a few times but overall I am pretty happy with the way my wrap turned out.
Here is a link to the video; it is subtitled in another language and no voice on the audio but is easy to follow. Ideally, have a tablet or laptop by your machine and review the video if you get stuck. I ran back to my computer to check a couple of times so having the video close by would have helped. Once I got past the first pattern repeat it was smooth sailing, until I dropped a couple of stitches, (insert salty language here)!
The finished wrap didn’t look like much when I took it off of the machine but with blocking it turned out to be a beautiful and very wearable work of art.
In my next post, I will be sharing a new free pattern!