Looking into buying your knitting machine this but clueless on what to buy, how to use it and how to optimize your knitting resources? This guide is going to present different knitting machine choices and at the same time, equip you with the basics on knitting machines.
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Talk about speed knitting and surely, knitting in machine would come to mind. If you are a hand knitter wanting to make more knitted creations in a matter of less time, I’m sure you thought of buying a knitting machine.
This is also the case with hand knitters wanting to take their knitting hobby into the next level by knitting for charities. Or perhaps it’s because you’ve developed a buying market for your hand knits and wanted to knit for profit.
Any knitter can do best with a knitting machine IF they have thoroughly looked into every aspect of it because for sure, even if you have lots of years of experience with hand knitting, you wouldn’t be an instant expert in producing knits in a knitting machine.
But with a little know-how on some frequently used domestic knitting machines and the manner they function, coupled with your creativity to tweak some of your knitting designs, you can definitely bring out the best in knitting machines in creating your chosen knitting projects.
In hand knitting, the size of the knitting needle or the hook size for crocheting varies for different yarn sizes. For knitting in machines, 4 gauges are basically used. This covers lace weight to bulky weight yarns. There are different types of knitting machines according to its gauges.
If you know these yarn sizes by heart, you can easily input this knowledge in choosing the right yarn for your knitting machine.
Sport, fingering, bulky and worsted weight yarns can be used in knitting machines depending on which type of knitted material you would want to produce. Never use a large yarn on a fine gauge knitting machine as it can definitely be wasted when your knitting carriage jams the yarn.
So, be wary to know which range of yarns you can use in your knitting machine to avoid damaging it.
Gauge is used both in hand knitting and machine knitting to indicate fineness size. It can be measured in two ways. In hand knitting, the gauge is measured by counting the stitches. In knitting machines, it’s by counting the number of needles over several inches then dividing by the number of inches in the width of the sample.
Domestic knitting machines that any beginner can learn easily are Flat Bed Knitting machines and Circular Knitting machines.
The difference between flat knitting and circular knitting is that in flat knitting, the stitch is always knitted from the same side. This can somehow complicate things with using a Flat Bed as compared with a Circular knitting machine since the same stitch (as seen from the right side) is produced by two different movements when knitted from the right and wrong sides.
Thus, a knit stitch (as seen from the right side) may be produced by a knit stitch on the right side, or by a purl stitch on the wrong side. For this reason, the gauge of the machine needs to vary in alternating rows of stockinette fabrics. You can use needles with different sizes to correct this.
Circular knit fabric has a gauge of 12 to 22. The higher the gauge is, the thinner the fabric. On the other hand, flat knit is made with a machine that knits the fabric in sheets (or flat) and the gauge is 2 to 10.
Flat Bed Knitting Machine makes flat pieces. It is one of the most common knitting machines for boutique producers and hobbyists. hobbyists and boutique producers. Items produced with the Flat Bed knitting machine have side seams.
One thing about flat bed is it cannot possibly knit a round item like the circular knitting machine does. Also, you cannot be able to work purl stitches or garter stitch automatically.
This plastic bed machine is usually cheaper as compared to metal bed varieties or bulky machines. It also helps that there are not many adjustments you need to do before using this. The plastic build does make it feel less intimidating for beginners, as compared to metal beds.
The Silver Reed Knitting Machine is manufactured from Japan and have been branded under Studio, Empisal, Singer, and KnitMaster.
Newer versions of the Silver Reed Knitting Machines can be easily used even with difficult yarns. If wires may be used in your work, the Silver Reed Knitting Machines can also be able to work with it. The patterns for this machine can be easily found.
Since they are not as adjustable as other machines, they are not manipulated easily as compared to other knitting machines. With this, having custom work and placing different and custom patterns is workable, but it needs a bit of practice.
This SK280 is a reliable knitting machine that will help you create beautiful stitch pattern for your garments. With a 24-stitch punch card pattern center, you can knit various stitch patterns such as weaving, tuck, fair and slip, to name a few.
Recommended for sport weight yarns, the Standard Gauge Punch card machine features a 200 Needle, 4.5mm Needle Gauge. This single bed knitting machine has a metal bed made from stainless steel, and has a 24-stitch repeating pattern area.
Another highly recommended flat bed knitting machine for beginners is Brother KX350. It has a slightly smaller stitch width than LK-100, but much more versatile, according to its users. It provides a smooth operation and gives beginner the ease to use. Brother KX350 features a cast- on comb, and has a wider gauge, as compared to the standard. This makes this knitting machine a choice for easy knitting. Even with these different features, the knitting quality is recommendable as it creates tight stitches.
In circular knitting, the machine knits the garment in a tubular way. The weight is usually light and the fabric is thin. Circular knit is made with a machine that knits the fabric in a continuous circle (tube); the weight is “light.” The fabric is thin. There are many things you can knit with a circular knitting machine as a beginner.
Addi Express is one of the most popular domestic circular knitting machines ever invented. It makes cylindrical garments such as socks, gloves, mittens and many more. It is so easy to use that any beginner, with practice, can learn to knit with it. When you do, you can knit wonderful creations in a matter of minutes up to a few hours.
There are two types of Addi Express: Addi Express Professional and Addi Express King.
Addi express professional is a smaller circular knitting Addi Express that contains 22 needles for knitting circular knitted products.You can be able to knit small diameter pieces in minutes. You can also make wider items when you stitch patterns together. All Addi knitting needles are manufactured to exact metric sizes.
Inside the package, you will find the express knitting machine, stoppers and a pattern book.
Examples of what you can make with the Addi express pro are:
Addi Express King is larger than the Addi Pro having 46 needles. It can obviously knit larger items. The addi-Express “Kingsize” model is mounted onto the table and remains securely in position. Yarns used can be 3-8 cm.
Addi not only offers the Express machine in original and King-size, but also available are the stoppers and pattern books. Includes: 46 needles, needle holder, decrease needle, 5 replacement needles, 4 base feet, 2 screw hooks for stable table mounting, digital row counter with memory function.
How it works is very simple. Just crank the handle attached to the circular knitting machine and you’d be able to knit stitches with it. Of course to be able to handle it with ease, you need to learn more on how to use it. There are tons of information on the internet on how to use an Addi Express and many tutorials on making socks, scarves, hats, mitts with an Addi.
You can buy Addi Express machines ANYWHERE. Here is just a little bit of suggestions of places that I know have a good reputation and great service.
Mary Maxim
Paradis Fibers
Woolery
Amazon
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The Prym Knitting Machine is a semi-automatic knitting mill excellent for creating knitted tubes with a stitch count of 44 stitches for circular knitting. Even stitches are produced when precise thread guidance and tensioning device are secured for ideal wool thread tension.
This Prym Knitting Machine can use a variety of hand knitting yarns. It is also very easy to change colors as you knit. By just adjusting the thread tension you can easily vary the thickness of the wool.
Be wary not to use a very thin yarn except when using the Mini version, as the knitting may look like it has a lot of dents.
Also, start slowly with a long piece of yarn to pull on as explained below, otherwise the machine drops stitches. If you are a beginner, you may think the machine is faulty and want to throw it away. Be patient, work slowly at the beginning and pull down on the wool until you are able to add weight to your work.
Different types of Prym Knitting Mill are the Prym Knitting Maxi, Prym Knitting MIDI and Prym Knitting Mini.
By its name, Maxi is the largest knitting mill in the prym line. You can knit scarves, pillowcases and caps with ease. This knitting machine includes the Knitting mill, crank, mode switch, yarn guide, tension piece, handle, plastic needle, legs & instructions. It works well with most yarns and is also capable for hand knitting.
When you start knitting on your Prym Knitting Mill (Any) drop a long string of yarn down the middle of the mill as you start so you can grab it from the bottom and place tension on it as it moves through the mill.
This knitting mill works well with all yarns suitable for hand knitting except very fine yarns,(pin sizes 2-6). Please note that the different types of yarn may need different tension, feed thin yarns through all the slots of the tension piece to produce a loose knit. Chunky and irregular yarns work well if fed through only some of the slots of the tension piece for a tight knit.
This Prym Knitting Machine is a really small version of the above and can only do 4 stitches at a time. It is perfect for making cords for decorative purposes or even to make into a circular mat.
It is a lot quicker than doing the job manually and you can quickly whip up cords for whatever project you desire.
Even absolute beginners can knit with the Prym circular knitting machine. You just need to follow the instruction manual on how to put it together. Basically, you will need to put the handle on and begin casting.
Watch as your creation come out of the base of the mill. The Prym knitting machine works in the air and the knitting comes out the bottom. It does not need to be fastened to a flat surface like some of the other machines of this nature.
You can buy Prym at the Amazon Arts, crafts and sewing store. It is also available at ebay, empress mill, and hague direct.
The Singer Knitting Machine is the most suitable machine for absolute beginners such as kids doing crafts. This circular knitting machine comes in a wide range of sizes, shapes and varieties. It is designed for almost any type or weight knitting yarn.
The Singer is not as popular and in-demand as the other circular machines such as the Addi, but it does have certain features that make it extremely valuable for serious knitters.
Singer Knitting Machines and attachments are readily available for nearly any yarn weight and style so even working with those difficult yarns like the ribbon yarns, the lace yarns and even the chunky yarns that sometimes create problems on knitting machines can be easily worked with. With this machine, you can knit scarves hats shoulder bags socks forearm warmers and more.
This machine creates a flat or round stitch in seconds with a simple turn of the handle.
The package includes the knitting machine, 2 skeins of Fun Fur yarn-purple and pink yarn needle and Do-It-Yourself Project Booklet.
People are just so busy right now that most of the hobbies we do are done during very little spare time. If you do knitting just once a week or very infrequent, I recommend starting with the affordable knitting models like the Singer. Once you develop a deeper sense of attachment and passion to knitting that you decide to knit further, you might want to invest into top-of-the-line knitting machines. Most knitters collect these knitting machines and try them out each.
If your quest is to donate to charity or make knitting as a profitable hobby, I’d recommend the Addi Express. It’s a lot more expensive but has a strong reputation among avid knitters. Flatbeds suggested above can also be used. If you want, you can also look into metal knitting machines.
By now you know how knitting can be a very expensive investment or an affordable pastime. Flat Beds are much more expensive than Circular knitting machines but some knitters prefer them depending on the type of garments they want to produce. On the part of circular machines, Addi is the most expensive, but is the most sought after because of quality and durability. If you want an affordable alternative you can try out the Prym or Singer model.
When you are sourcing for the best knitting machine out there, it really boils down to what you want to achieve and how much your budget is. A lot of knitters prefer trying out different domestic knitting machines and writing their reviews on each. Plastic hobby knitting machines have grown famous for beginners as it’s very easy to use.
If you are looking for your first machine to try, the flat bed and circular knitting machines I’ve suggested above are great to choose from as they are specifically top recommendation for beginners.
However, if you’re looking for something like the industrial metal knitting machines, you can always find used knitting machines in eBay. If you want to buy new ones at a cheap price, Sintelli offers circular knitting machines.
Keep in mind that these machines are for making huge amounts of garments in a day and are used for bulk garment orders. They are very heavy and takes a lot of space. But it’s a great investment if you want to make your own textile industry.
Think about the different seamless safety gloves you’ve worn in your work life. Which ones were your favorite? What did they feel like? How well did they hold up on the job?
Whether you realize it or not, your answers probably have a lot to do with how the glove's materials are knit together. When it comes to seamless gloves, you may be surprised to learn that several combinations are available.
How do you know what materials will provide the best cut resistance? Abrasion resistance? Comfort? Dexterity?
Let’s navigate the world of materials as it pertains to HexArmor’s seamless lineup – the Helix® Series.
All gloves start as fibers – either natural or synthetic – which are then either combed, melted, or engineered into yarns. Depending on the manufacturer's choice of materials, various yarns are spun together onto a spool using a yarn spinning machine.
Once the spools are created with the different yarn materials, the yarns are connected to a machine that twists and knits the gloves.
You may sometimes hear seamless gloves referred to as a “13-gauge” or “18-gauge” glove. The term gauge simply refers to the size and type of needles used in a seamless knitting machine to produce a glove. Traditionally speaking, and depending on the yarn, the higher the gauge a glove is, the thinner, more dexterous, and comfortable the glove can be. The lower the gauge of a glove, the bulkier and less dexterous it can be.
Now that we have a basic understanding of materials, how they go from fibers to yarns, and how they are knit together, let’s take a look at the materials used in HexArmor’s Helix® Series to give you a better idea of how materials are combined and how they benefit workers.
By engineering smarter, seamless combinations, HexArmor® has been able to increase protective properties while maintaining lightweight, breathable, and form-fitting seamless gloves. We’re increasing selection and comfort for workers around the globe.
Do you have questions about which glove materials are best for your application? Let us know if you need help, or click here if you're ready to start a trial. Our Solution Specialists are ready to work with you. Call 1.877.MY.ARMOR or send us a message.
Browse Helix® series gloves
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