Sunday Funday

 

I've been wanting to get back to my circular sock machines.  I lurk in a FB group and they post the most amazing things.  Since I haven't cranked anything out in awhile my skills are a bit lacking.  Of course I went straight away to ribbed socks because what I really want to do is a set of leg warmers.  It's been good practice as you can see.

Getting the right tension, picking up dropped stitches and making the appropriate ribbing adjustments are just a few of the things I had to re-learn.  

But it's all coming along, if rather slowly.  I even got all the way through a heel without too much trouble.  I'm on the toe of this sock and then will have to do it all over again.

The machine I'm using is a NZAK Quiknit. It's my favorite of all my machines (I have 12).  It's the easiest to use -- that is, least fussiest.  Plus I have it all setup with a 64 needle cylinder. 

I plan to do the legwarmers on my NZAK Mark IV -- it's already setup with a 72 needle cylinder and the ribber works the same.  

This year I hope to make something on each of the different machines.

I've collected a number of books as well, but the most useful one is currently no longer in print.  I'm working with the author remedy that situation.  We'll see how it goes.

Cozy Cranking

What do we have here?

Lovely colors going round and round.

Coming out like little yarn sausages.

It's a circular sock machine!

This is how I'm making samples for the Handwerks booth at Stitches West.  I'm about 1/2 way done.  We'll have them displayed at booth #1336 so you can get an idea of how each color knits up!  But that's not all this machine can do.  Come by the booth Saturday, Feb 23 from 2-4 and watch me make a sock on it!

This is a Work In Progress, check out other WiPs at Tami's Amis.  Happy Wednesday!

Christmas is Coming

It's the holiday season and gift exchanges are done for me.  The hardest one's are with my crafty friends.  Things exchanged are usually handmade and well, the talent and creativity it just endless.  I struggle to make something worthwhile.  Thankfully they have been well received so I can now present them here!

First up: Beaded Mitts off my Sock Machine

Yes!  I actually cranked these out on my 2007 NZAK using a 60 needle compound cylinder.  A compound cylinder is 1" smaller in diameter so it works perfectly for ladies mitts.  The pattern for the motif is available in Socks & More, but I used a different cuff and top from CSM Cafe.  These are csm pattern books that I'm really enjoying using.

Next up:  Heel Pin Cushion

These can be made with 3, 4 or more heels and on any size cylinder depending on the size pincushion you want.  It's clever I know but *I* didn't unvent it. There isn't a pattern available that I can reference, but details and original source are documented in my Ravelry.  This one was my "trial and error", after that I cranked out a bunch, they are very addicting to make.

It's strange.  Usually when I handknit something I don't knit it again.  There are exceptions, but they are rare.  Not so with the sock machine.  I find the instant gratification makes it satisfying and really, the more you make the same item the better you get (hand or machine).  I only made one pair of the mitts but there's a "test mitt" without a mate lying in a pile somewhere.

Fall Back!

This is what I did with my extra hour.
 

I finished my 7th pair of socks on my csm (circular sock machine) and decided to try a different yarn. I had been practicing with the same yarn and pattern with the last 6 pairs. Since I only had half a skein of Austermann Step (leftover from hand knitting mitts) I decided to try short socks. My daughters like these to wear with their converse. Here's the first pair I made, don't mind my dog Elsa, she's used to this:

This is also the first time I knit the socks one after another, this is how they look on the machine after the last toe.  I knit my socks cuff down and kitchener the toes closed.

 And here they are fresh off the machine:
 

Lindsey came home after I had finished these and immediately wanted a pair. She proceeded to the sock yarn basket and picked out a skein of turquoise Opal.  With the extra hour I had, I was able to start and finish the pair before the evening was over.

For those with a sock machine I've recorded the recipe here.

So, what did you do with your extra hour?

CSM Sock Tally: 9 pairs

Practice, Practice, Practice

Before the first sock, there were

Eight heels, one after another.

and set of armwarmers.

Afterwards, it's mate.

A setup bonnet and another sock.

Then it's mate.

Another pair.

And another.

I did it! I cranked out a sock!

3 years and 10 sock machines later I finally cranked out one sock (not even a pair).  Here it is unfinished, fresh off the machine:

I don't really have an explanation for why it took so long.  I was pretty fascinated with the machines themselves and maybe that served as a distraction.  It's also not as easy as it looks.  There are lots of things to keep track of.  There are stitches that drop, ribber timing, tension, how to start, when to switch from 1-1 ribbing to 3-1, how long to do the leg, the heel, how long for the foot, the toe, and generally being able to fix whatever goes wrong -- and believe me there's plenty.  But here it is the first sock.  Modeled by my daughter below:

she's doing a little happy dance

So which machine did I use? I've got a cast of characters and named each from Phantom of the Opera. There's Christine the 2007 NZAK, Buquet a Verdun 47, there are the two Legare 400s Firmin and Andre, the large Legare Piangi, the Gearhart Madame Giry, the Canadian AK Meg, the Verdun Semi-Automatic Raoul, and of course the English AK the Phantom itself. That's nine. Recently I acquired this beauty:

A top of the line, NZAK Mark IV. It's the cadillac of all machines, with steel inserts, brass stoppers, she's a marvel, and my Carlotta.

My first heel!

Pictured here is my first heel, attached to my first cast-on bonnet using ravel-cord.

It's also my first toe! You can see the ravel-cord a little better here.

Why the ravel-cord? Because w/o it I'd need to snip the sock from the cast-on bonnet being careful not to snip the cast-on bonnet. Well...I'm not that careful. But look how easy it is to take off the ravel cord. First find and pick out the knot:

Then, pull one end of the ravel-cord:

And voila, no snipping!

Credits: K for taking the picture when both my hands were busy.
Laura Schickli who's booklet contains the recipes I followed for both the cast-on bonnet as well as heels/toes.

What I Know about Sock Machines

First a little about me -- I've been handknitting (y'know with 2 sticks and string?) for (um, lessee, K's 13 minus 1) 12 years now. I've made baby things, sweaters and vests for myself , lots of scarves, hats, shawls and socks. All by hand. Here's a sock in progress when it's being knit by hand: 

Over the years I've amassed a bit of a stash. Those who've actually seen it, shut-up. Quite a lot of it is sock yarn.

See? That's just the sock yarn. What's a appealing about it? The colors, the self-striping patterns (really you just knit and it make stripes)

Plus sock yarn is easy to accumulate. I mean it's relatively cheap, and you only need 100g. So if I feel like buying yarn -- sock yarn fills the bill w/o breaking the bank.

I usually knit about 3-4 pairs a year. That's just socks. I knit other things, and I work full-time, take care of my family and read (throw in the occaisional sewing project, some spinning -- not exercise, spinning fiber into yarn on a spinning wheel? -- and you've got a very busy working-mom).

Ok, enough about me -- what's up with the sock machines? Well, you saw the sock yarn stash. At 3-4 pairs a year, it would take me...you can do the math. With a sock machine I could have a pair of socks in about 2 hours. Yes, I know I can buy socks at Walmart -- let's not go there -- those of you who know what it feels like to have custom made socks for your own feet know better. And besides, I like making stuff. Although not handknit, hand-cranked socks are still custom made to fit your foot. Custom knit socks in 2 hours. Needless to say I had to have one.

So where did these guys come from? The first one, the Legare was manufactured in Canada. It's a #400, but according to this site it's got a Creelman crank. Which isn't all that strange because, from my understanding the company Creelman Bros were the actual manufacturers of machines sold by PT Legare. My machine is probably one of the later models putting its manufacture around the 1920's. Yes, it's an antique, although this one has been restored -- possibly another reason for the mismatched crank. (I also have my suspicions that the ribber didn't go with this machine -- the pin could have been misaligned somehow but in the state I received it, there's no way anyone could have ribbed with it). The Legare is all cast iron, solidly built and heavy.

The second machine I got on Ravelry, an on-line social networking site for knitters. It was billed as a 1924 Gearhart. Gearharts were made in Pennsylvania. It's very different from the Legare. But I didn't know that. What I did know was that it came with an 80 needle cylinder and a 100 needle cylinder and ribber dials to match (40 and 50 needle, respectively). What this means is I can knit a sock with finer yarn than my Legare, which came with a 54 and 72 needle cylinders and a 36 needle ribber dial (this was the typical setup that you got when you mail-ordered them). In fact, the 100 needle cylinder and 50 needle dial have smaller gauge needles to go in them (18g and 24g, respectively). The 80/40 and the cylinders/dial on the Legare take 12g needles. I can used regular sock weight yarn with these (don't worry, I have a stash of laceweight too).

The manuals are reproductions that I got seperately on eBay. The Gearhart base, and crank are cast iron but the rest seem to be aluminium, making it lighter than the Legare. Notice that this machine also came with a bobbin winder and skeiner. The seller I got it from also knit some socks on this machine and sent me samples of yarn I could use.

Why were these machines sold? So women could earn cash while working at home. Check out this ad from Good Housekeeping. In the book Knitting America, by Susan M. Strawn, on page 114 is another ad by The Auto Knitter Hosiery Co. It had testimonials from women and men across the country about how much they made during their spare time. It didn't really catch on, but during WWI the American Red Cross gave machines to people who would knit socks for our troups, and that worked out really well.

So where are the socks? I haven't made any yet. Give me a break. There's a learning curve. And, I've been pre-occupied by the machines themselves. They're really cool! I've been pouring over various manuals, the first machine came with 3 (remember? 2 were in French?), and there are other resources -- there's a sock machine list on yahoogroups and a csm (that's circular sock machine) group on Ravelry, there's even a history e-book that I've got to get my hands on. Country Rain has a basic "101" book you can get here. And Angora Valley has various manuals on-line and forsale here. Plus I've had personal instruction from here. Finally, I joined a guild here. Not to mention on-line tutorials they provide here.

Whew, that's all I know about Sock Machines. Well, not really. This link here, they make new sock machines...with brass toppers (first thing you thread the yarn through)...powder coated...with compound cylinders...and yes, I do know what that's for.

A Mate for my LeGare

No socks yet -- just lots of tubes, long stockinette tubes, short ribbed tubes. I had issues with my ribber. It was stuck and sitting too high to actually rib.
It fit fine this way: 

And it fit fine this way: 

But together: 

See the center screw? That's suppose to touch the base to adjust it up or down.

So, I dug out my handy-dandy caliper and took some measurements:

What, doesn't everyone have one of these?
I found that it flared out a bit. So after some filing of both the small pin and the hole that it went into:

I finally got it to sit right. And now it ribs!

Just in time for the arrival of this:

A 1924 Gearhart

New Toy

I've been knitting. Really! I knit a little on my Swirled Pearl and finished another stripey noro scarf, this one for L. And, I cast on another for K.

However, a major distraction was waiting at the post office for me this morning. This box:

came filled with all of this:

Daunting isn't it. It's a circular sock machine. It came with 3 manuals, 2 of which were in French. Actually one manual was for the Legare 47, another for the Money Maker, and the last one, in English, for the Auto Knitter. My machine? The Legare 400. I also downloaded a general Legare manual, in English, from here. Upon further scrutiny mine matches the parts for the Money Maker, -- but that was one of the manuals in French.

Okay, deep breath -- I can do this. I'm an engineer. The English manual did not have directions on how to put it all together -- actually none of them did. Don't get me wrong -- I'm glad to have all 4 manuals but it's like the saying, "Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink." Fine, I bought this on eBay and the seller had a ton of pictures which I downloaded and printed.

First there are 3 beasts here. A winder, a skein holder and a circular sock machine. To get parts out of the way I decided to put the winder together first:

So far so good. Next the skein holder:

I think that's as big as it gets -- see the wing-nut in the middle? It's adjustable. Cool huh? See these machines came with everything you needed to get started. I'm not sure how old mine is, but these babies were marketed in the early 1900's as a home based business -- you know, for making and selling socks. Anyways, after putting those together here's what was left:

At this point I stopped and reviewed all the pictures. I mounted the base that contained one of the cylinders, added and secured the needles, attached the yarn guide, ribber assembly, the yarn mast,...
Et Voila!

Elle est belle! N'est pas?