How to Convert Hand Knitting to Machine Knitting
Knitting -- whether you do it on a machine or by hand -- yields the same exact garment. You can put any single knitting pattern on a machine and simply follow the instructions as if you were knitting by hand. Adjustments that need to be made usually involve not being able to knit in the round or making allowances for purl stitching. If you are going to use a knitting pattern with a machine, it is best that it is primarily written for a stockinette pattern without much purling.
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Things You'll Need
- Knitting machine
- Pattern
- Center-wound yarn
- Latch tool
- Cast-on comb (such as the Ultimate Sweater Machine)
- Weights
Instructions
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Prepare your yarn by placing it behind your knitting machine and threading it through the carriage. In the case of an Incredible Sweater Machine, pull out the number of keys as they correlate to the stitches and cast on using the cast on comb which already contains your weights.
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Cast on to your machine as per pattern requirements. If your knitting calls for ribbing or a cuff, simply skip a needle for purled stitches. These empty slots will make ladders in your knitting that will be latched up later to make the purled column of stitches. Once you have knitted two rows on a standard machine, add your weights.
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Push your carriage back and forth until you knit the required number of rows for your ribbing. Take your latch tool and starting at the bottom, knit the ladder rows starting at the bottom and working your way up. It is just like picking up a dropped stitch in hand knitting and working it back up to the needle. You may choose to use a crochet hook for this task -- which ever works best for you.
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Knit the pattern as you normally would. Use your cable tool for making cables if you like by taking off the cabled stitches, moving them over to the desired keys, and knitting across. Careful -- cabling makes it much more difficult to push the carriage across the stitches. Watch that they do not fall off when you push the carriage across the first time after cabling.
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Cast off by passing the carriage over the knitting without any yarn through the feeder. Hold your knitting so it does not drop to the floor. Bind off in whichever fashion you would like. A crochet cast off is very popular with sweaters and ribbed scarves, but a back stitch cast off works nicely for afghans or work that you plan on knitting further or will bind off together with another piece of knitting.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit balls of wool image by Edsweb from Fotolia.com
