How to Make Socks on a Toyota Knitting Machine
Toyota hasn't made knitting machines in recent years, but a used Toyota knitting machine is a valuable item and comes with the reliability that is expected from the Toyota brand. These knitting machines usually come with punch card capability, enabling the machine knitter to create lace with their machines more easily than with a standard manual machine. Knitting socks on a flatbed Toyota knitting machine isn't hard for the experienced machine knitter and, in general, takes a couple of hours for two socks. You will need contrasting waste yarn to enable you to do this technique efficiently. This pattern requires a ribber.
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Things You'll Need
- Knitting machine
- Ribber
- Yarn, center wound or on a spool
- Scrap yarn, contrasting color (white is recommended)
- Double-eye tool
- Latch tool
- Transfer tool
- Yarn needle
- 4 Double-pointed knitting needles
Instructions
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Take your main yarn and thread through the carriage as usual. You will be creating a 1-by-1 rib by by making the purl stitches on your ribber. This will enable you to have a nice, tight elastic cuff to your sock. Starting from the middle, push each second needle to the "B" position and the corresponding stitch keys on the ribber as well. Start from the center and work your way outward and stop when you have 75 stitches total.
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Push the carriage across the row and create the typical zig-zag pattern that goes with a ribbed cast on. Put your cast on comb on the ribber to properly weigh down your work. Knit a circular row by pressing the "part" button on your carriage. Do the same with the ribber by pressing the "part" button to "P-R," which means part right. This means you will be knitting stitches around from right to left on the main bed and left to right on the carriage.
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Create 35 knitted rows to create your cuff. Using your double-eye tool, take off all the stitches on the ribber and put them on the main bed. Drop the ribber bed to keep the stitches from picking back up on your next main carriage pass. Decrease the main bed by seven stitches by slipping two stitches over the one, combining them with your next pass.
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Pass the carriage once and even up all the stitches, combining them. Take your transfer tool, move the stitches from the blank keys, and push back the empty keys on either side of the flatbed rows. Knit 1 inch of rows, then break your yarn. Thread in your scrap yarn of a contrasting color (white is easiest to see) and knit six to eight rows, ending with the carriage on the right. Engage your ribber again and pull up 34 of your needles to the "H" position.
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Slide the left side lever on the ribber to "H." Make sure that 34 needles are again in the "B" working position on both beds. Take your sock off the machine and fold the scrap yarn back over the ribbing as if on the "outside" of the sock. Place 34 stitches from the front of the sock on the flatbed, and the same on the ribber. Change back to your original yarn and knit 80 rows, creating the sock from heel to toe. Decrease stitches to two per row for the toe until you have about 10 stitches, and place the scrap yarn back onto the machine. Knit 10 rows.
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Cast off your sock by working in more scrap yarn. This will enable you to cast off without any pulls or dropped stitches and work in a seam later. Cast off by removing the yarn from the ribber and allowing the sock to drop into your hands. Remove the cast on comb and graft the end of the toe shut. Using your double pointed needles, pick up the stitches around the heel opening and knit them closed.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit legs in colorful socks image by Photosani from Fotolia.com
