Anyone own a knitting machine? I have one, but can't seem to get it to work right. I haven't tried in a couple of years; I got too frustrated with it. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong.

I have 2, a Singer 700 (this does very fine work) and a Incredible Sweater Machine (this one uses baby yarn up to 4 ply).

Tell me the particulars of your machine and where you are having the problem. I'll try and help you out as much as I can.

I am going to watch this thread ~ I have an Incredible Sweater machine that I have never taken out of the box :eek:

I have 2, they are both in storage at the moment. I believe on is a brother KH890: the other a Brother KH965. I really want to use the 965 as it is programmable. Ibought both used and neither came with instructions. I have trouble with the yarn jamming in the carriage/needles. And a general difficulty moving the carriage through the neddle bed. I have tried to use different weights of yarn to no avail. As I said it has been a couple of years since I've "played" with it, but I would really love to be able to use at least one of them.

First let me say, neither one of mine are programmable, so I won't be any help there. I haven't even seen one as they (knitting machines) are not sold in my area anymore.

The first thing that came to mind was: Is your yarn in a wound ball or skein? The yarn has to be completely free flowing in order for the machine to operate properly. You have to re-wind them into a special ball or use from a cone. Here is a link for a ball winder: http://www.sewingmachinestore.com/brotknitmaca13.html
It will not hold an entire skien of yarn.

And with that type of machine you should be using yarn that is only as thick as thread. It comes on cones by the pound. Then you can double or triple the strands for different weights.

Having the wrong yarn or improperly wound balls can cause both problems. In other words, if you are buying your yarn from say Walmart, even some baby yarns are too bulky for this type of machine. It will be very difficult to move the carriage and will jam constantly.

HTH, if not ask away! :D

Thanks for the help. I think the yarn is my problem. I was using baby yarn. I didn't know that anything finer was made. I do have a ball winder, so it can't be that. Thanks for the link. I have bookmarked it , and will check it out later.

You can use yarn that is called " fingering yarn" it is lighter weight than most baby yarns. Some baby yarns work, you just have to be patient, don't use to intricate of a pattern or punch card and take it slow. Or you will be stopping alot to fix jams and mistakes.

Here is the search I did on Google for "cone yarn"

http://www.att.net/cgi-bin/websearch?qry=%22cone+yarn%22&cmd=qry

This site lets you see just how thin the yarn really is. It looks like it is next to a small beaded necklace. http://secure.elann.com/frames.asp?From=transfer_google.asp

Good Luck!

Thanks. I'll bookmark them and read them later. I'll have to get my machines out of storage and try it again. Thank you so much for your help. You've renewed my enthusiasm for my knitting machine.

Your welcome 2cutekids! :D

When you get them out of storage, if you need help just ask!

Carolyn - Here is a website so you can look and see what they are. This is for one that will work with yarns you purchase at Wal-Mart or KMart etc.... 2, 3, or 4 ply, even some bulkies if you have patience and go slow. http://www.sewingmachinestore.com/knitmaculswe.html

nancycg56 - Here is a website for the Incredible Sweater Machine. http://craftsnsuch.freeservers.com/bond.html It lists many websites for patterns etc... This machine is much easier to work with for beginners. The other machines (i.e. the one 2cutekids is using) is much more difficult. It makes beautiful things, but you can get frustrated because it is complicated.

Also ladies, the Incredible Sweater Machine is MUCH cheaper! They run anywhere from $99 - $199 with attachments. You don't need the attachments, you can do most of the stitches with this machine but you need to manually move/change some of the stitches with the tools included. You can also do a search on EBay if your interested. They may just have some! The other type of machine is very expensive. I bought mine about 14 years ago and paid approx. $1200 for it back then!

HTH

I had no idea that they were that expensive. Boy did I get a deal on both of mine. I bought one at a thrift store for about $25 and the other at an auction for about $35.

Thanks for the info!

Your welcome Nancy! :D

WOW 2cutekids, you got some fantastic deals!