Transitioning Into Machine Knitting With An Addi Knitting Machine
Hand knitters often find transitioning into machine knitting a little intimidating.
Machine knitting and hand knitting require a different kind of proficiency.
Fortunately, if you are already a hand knitter, you have a huge advantage! Knowing how knitting works can make machine knitting a whole lot easier.
There are a few new skills you need to learn when you begin to machine knit.
Both hand knitting and machine knitting have benefits, so it's great to know both.
When you hand knit, you have total control over the shaping of your piece.
You are able to do intricate designs without any fancy equipment, and you get a great sense of accomplishment after working on every stitch of a project.
You are also able to use many different weights of yarn that are not always compatible with machines.
Machine knitting also has great benefits.
Your work moves extremely quickly.
It takes a fraction of the time to finish a product.
You can be very creative with it, because using trial and error on your written patterns takes a short amount of time.
If you suffer from arthritis or carpal tunnel, the motion of turning a crank is a lot less stressful on the hands than hand knitting.
Hand knitters who try machine knitting for the first time often have problems acquiring the new skill set.
For instance, casting on stitches to a machine is an entirely different process.
On the Addi Express Machine, you weave your stitches over and under alternating pegs on your machine.
Once you cast on, it's just a matter of setting the device to knitting flat or in the round (flat or tubular pieces) and turning a handle to crank.
Most knitting machines create pieces in stockinette stitch (knitting on one side, purling on the other on a flat piece).
Machine knitting is a little more sewing intensive than hand knitting.
When you cast off a project, you must use your darning needle to weave in and out of the stitches.
Because there is not much shaping that happens on knitting machines, you must sew together your pieces after they come off of the machine.
You can use the "mattress stitch" skill from hand knitting to sew your pieces together.
Addi carries two knitting machines that are great learning tools.
These machines are the Addi Express Knitting Machine and the Addi King Size Express Knitting Machine.
The stitch definition from these two machines is extremely neat and even.
The Addi Express machine comes with DVD instructions, so you have a visual guide in case you get lost.
With twenty-two pegs, this machine is great for baby clothing and smaller projects.
The Addi Express King Size machine is great for larger projects, as it has 46 pegs.
This machine comes with an instruction book to help you get started on the right foot.
Both of these machines knit both flat and in the round.
Delving into machine knitting can be extremely rewarding.
You have an advantage of really understanding how knit fabrics work if you're a hand knitter already.
If you know how to do both, you can really add to your arsenal of knitting skills in a productive, enjoyable way.
Machine knitting and hand knitting require a different kind of proficiency.
Fortunately, if you are already a hand knitter, you have a huge advantage! Knowing how knitting works can make machine knitting a whole lot easier.
There are a few new skills you need to learn when you begin to machine knit.
Both hand knitting and machine knitting have benefits, so it's great to know both.
When you hand knit, you have total control over the shaping of your piece.
You are able to do intricate designs without any fancy equipment, and you get a great sense of accomplishment after working on every stitch of a project.
You are also able to use many different weights of yarn that are not always compatible with machines.
Machine knitting also has great benefits.
Your work moves extremely quickly.
It takes a fraction of the time to finish a product.
You can be very creative with it, because using trial and error on your written patterns takes a short amount of time.
If you suffer from arthritis or carpal tunnel, the motion of turning a crank is a lot less stressful on the hands than hand knitting.
Hand knitters who try machine knitting for the first time often have problems acquiring the new skill set.
For instance, casting on stitches to a machine is an entirely different process.
On the Addi Express Machine, you weave your stitches over and under alternating pegs on your machine.
Once you cast on, it's just a matter of setting the device to knitting flat or in the round (flat or tubular pieces) and turning a handle to crank.
Most knitting machines create pieces in stockinette stitch (knitting on one side, purling on the other on a flat piece).
Machine knitting is a little more sewing intensive than hand knitting.
When you cast off a project, you must use your darning needle to weave in and out of the stitches.
Because there is not much shaping that happens on knitting machines, you must sew together your pieces after they come off of the machine.
You can use the "mattress stitch" skill from hand knitting to sew your pieces together.
Addi carries two knitting machines that are great learning tools.
These machines are the Addi Express Knitting Machine and the Addi King Size Express Knitting Machine.
The stitch definition from these two machines is extremely neat and even.
The Addi Express machine comes with DVD instructions, so you have a visual guide in case you get lost.
With twenty-two pegs, this machine is great for baby clothing and smaller projects.
The Addi Express King Size machine is great for larger projects, as it has 46 pegs.
This machine comes with an instruction book to help you get started on the right foot.
Both of these machines knit both flat and in the round.
Delving into machine knitting can be extremely rewarding.
You have an advantage of really understanding how knit fabrics work if you're a hand knitter already.
If you know how to do both, you can really add to your arsenal of knitting skills in a productive, enjoyable way.
