Start Stitching With Machine Knitting Parts and Supplies
Whether you have a large stash of yarn that you have accumulated or you like the uniform look of machine-knit fabric, machine knitting offers a chance to make customized garments and home accessories. If you have a vintage knitting machine or a brand-new one, you will need some machine knitting supplies in order to get started. Using cool machine knitting patterns and soft yarn is an ideal way to spend some of your downtime at home.
How do you choose machine knitting patterns?If you are new to machine knitting, you may want to start with simple patterns that use just one or two colors. Knitting machines can perform a variety of stitches called for in different patterns. The stitches they can make include slip, tuck, brioche, fair isle, weave, and lace. As you become familiar with the knitting machine, you may wish to incorporate more colors or stitch types, such as braided cables and pictorial knitting.
What are some types of knitting machine parts?To make different knitting machine patterns, you may need some accessory parts. You may also need replacement knitting machine parts from time to time, such as:
- Garter bar: This creates garter stitch edging on the knitted piece.
- Ribber: This makes ribbed edging for cuffs, necks, and double jacquard knitting.
- Bobbins: These hold small amounts of yarn for color work.
- Needle pusher: These move the needles.
- Punch cards: These are vintage machine knitting patterns that slide into the machine's card reader.
- Cast-on comb: This is for the initial row of stitches.
- Needles: These have a latch at the curved end.
Knitting machines come with fine, standard, middle, and bulky gauges. When you look at machine knitting patterns, you will see gauge measurements for the finished fabric and yarn weight recommendations. The cones of machine knitting yarn have labels indicating their weight. The weights of machine knitting yarn are standardized by the Craft Yarn Council. They include:
- Lace: Weight 0, 30 to 40 wraps per inch
- Super fine: Weight 1, 13 to 40 wraps per inch
- Fine: Weight 2, 12 to 18 wraps per inch
- Light: Weight 3, 11 to 15 wraps per inch
- Medium: Weight 4, nine to 12 wraps per inch
- Bulky: Weight 5, six to nine wraps per inch
- Super bulky: Weight 6, five to six wraps per inch
- Jumbo: Weight 7, one to four wraps per inch