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Who's behind the curtain?

February 23, 2016, 9:00 pm
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Here's a little history.... I am a long-time hand and machine knitter. I purchased Bonnie Triola Yarns when she retired a number of years ago.

About 6 years ago, I was complaining to my friend and co-worker, Matthew Friedman (a programmer) that I was frustrated with hand writing knitting patterns. I would do all the math for a design based on a yarn I had for sale, then I'd sell out and the yarn was no longer available. Of course, the pattern was no longer valid unless I could match the exact gauge.

Matt and I started working on our pattern "engine" shortly after. This allowed me to come up with a design and allow knitters to use any yarn and any knitting machine ... even hand knitting.

 

Knit it Now was born. We grew to include instruction (our Learning Library), stitch patterns, designs from other knitters etc... the site grew and grew and grew ....

Today we offer so much!


The Learning Library has easily searchable videos, tutorials grouped into series by topic, Home Study Courses and more.


We still offer yarn on cones. Sadly, the availability of yarn on cones has diminished so much over the years, we are pleased to be able to offer yarn from Jaggerspun (US), Tamm (Mexico), Silk City Fibers (US distributor) and Yeoman Yarns (UK).
In addition we offer a wide range of both printed books and downloadable eBooks for machine knitters.


Our dynamic "Basics" patterns are the heart of our Knit section. Take a basic shape, knit it with any yarn on any machine ... with any stitch pattern and make it your own! We also have some "vintage" pattern available, as well as designs from Knit-1, Ellen Kindsvater, Anne Levine, yours truly and others.
Part of our "Knit" section are projects. These are designed as quick knitting projects that you can make in a weekend. They often focus on a single technique allowing you to try the technique before committing to an entire garment. Instead of just swatches, we encourage you to "play" with a finished item.
Did I mention our Tools? Let us do the math for you!

In looking back, I'm always amazed at how much we have accomplished in the last 5+ years. A knitter and a non-knitting programmer ... who knew?

 

 

Thank YOU for your continued support!



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Fine Knit Bar - Close Knit Bar

February 29, 2016, 7:36 pm
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Fine Knit Bar - Close Knit Bar

Fine Knit Bar - Close Knit Bar Tutorial

Do you have a Fine Knit Bar (or Close Knit Bar)?
When do you use it?

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Saddle Shoulders

March 2, 2016, 12:41 pm
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Try something new

For a different method of constructing sweaters, think about saddle shoulder styles. The sleeve cap continues over the shoulder, offering amazing design possibilities.

Imagine an unbroken cable traveling up the sleeve ... how about lace?

 saddle shoulder sweater for machine knitting
 

Long-time machine knitter, Susan Guagliumi created 12 timeless styles in her book "Knitting Saddle Style". She includes notes for machine knitters for knitting her designs on our machines.

Support Knit it Now ... use this link to purchase from Amazon

Here's a excellent DVD by Meg Swanson of Schoolhouse Press. Designed for hand knitters, this DVD is inspirational for all knitters, including fitting and finishing tips.

Support Knit it Now ... use this link to purchase from Amazon

 
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Color Block Intarsia

March 19, 2016, 9:55 am
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The Color Block Pillow Cover project includes 5 tutorials that will allow you to make your own "exclusive" pillow like one featured in a recent upscale catalog.

Options encourage knitters of all skill levels to create this fun project.

Strand fine yarns to create your own color combinations (and use up some of your stash).

Also included is the dynamic pattern. Select your pillow size, enter your gauge and get knitting!

 
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Rusty Needles - Toyota KS858

March 23, 2016, 8:14 am
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My new-to-me Toyota KS858 arrived in mint condition ... except ... The needles were rusty.


The knitting machine had been stored for quite some time with the sponge bar in place. It appears that the sponge absorbed and held moisture. The rust appears on the tops of the needles where the sponge rests.


Lesson learned... if you are storing a machine, removing the sponge bar not only will help preserve the spring in the sponge, it will prevent the time it takes to remove the rust, or the cost of replacing all the needles.

  1. Remove the sponge bar
  2. Carefully remove each needle, being sure to close the latch as it slips out of the channel. This machine is a standard gauge and has a lace carriage, so the needles are designed to bend. Once I got over the fear of bending them too much, removing each needle wasn't difficult
  3. Soak the needles in a glass jar partially filled with denatured alcohol. This removes any gunk and in some cases completely removed the rust
  4. Emery cloth or fine sandpaper helped removed any remaining rust
  5. A quick wipe on each needle with an oil soaked rag (knitting machine oil, gun oil, sewing machine oil)
  6. Inspect and re-insert each needle
  7. Replace the sponge
  8. Ready to knit!
  

Lesson learned... if you are storing a machine, removing the sponge bar will not only help preserve the spring in the sponge, it will prevent the time it takes to remove the rust.

Look for the Replacing Needlestutorial in our Learning Library

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s1k1psso - on the knitting machine?

March 29, 2016, 2:32 pm
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A new knitter wrote and asked about slip stitch on the knitting machine. Being in machine knitting mode, I explained how we can set our machines to skip a needle and place a strand of yarn across the purl side of the work.

I quickly praised using slip stitch for easily adding texture to her knitting.

Watch the Tutorial
Anatomy of Pattern Stitches

 

The knitter wrote back and kindly pointed out that I hadn't read her email completely. She was asking about a hand knitting instruction, s1k1psso. (Translated slip one, knit one, pass the slip stitch over).

This instruction is used in hand knitting to decrease stitches. It is also used along with a yarn over to create an eyelet or lace stitches.

Her hand knitting pattern was instructing her to decrease a stitch.

 

This is how the decrease would look on the knitting machine.



Using hand knitting patterns for your machine knitting is easier than you may think! All it takes is little planning, familiarity with the capabilities of your machine and just a little bit of math.

Home Study Course
22 minutes - 8 printable pages - only $9.99!

 

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The Best Knitting Machine Accessory - IMHO

April 4, 2016, 10:49 am
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With all the wonderful things we can do with our knitting machines, one of the best features for me is the row counter!

Sure, we can produce beautiful fabrics quickly and we can do things that hand knitters wouldn't dream of trying. But when I hand knit, I really miss my automatic row counter. I guarantee that the sleeves of my last hand knit sweater were different lengths ... not so for my last machine knit sweater!


All of the various brands of machines have different styles of row counters, no matter what the design of your machine, you'd be lost without it!

Toyota KS858 Row counter

This is the row counter on my Toyota 858 machine.  The little silver row counter lever is inserted in the carriage.

On each pass of the carriage, the elbow bumps into the row counter and increases the count.

To stop the row counter (when working darts for example), simply remove the hook

The carriage of the Singer 360 has a built-in row counter tripper (no external lever).

To stop counting, move the lever on the right to from the triangle to "O".

Singer 360 Row Counter
 Brother 970 Row Counter

The electronic Brother 970 has a plastic tripper on the back of the carriage.  The trips the electronic Row counter in the CB-1 Box.

Toggle the plastic tripper to stop counting.

 

Brother 970 Row Counter

Some carriages have a row counter tripper built into the top of the carriage.  When engaged the tripper advances the count.

To disable, lift the lever.

 knitting machine row counter

Row counter Silver Reed LK150

The Silver Reed LK-150 tripper is part of the carriage and you can't remove it or turn off the tripper.

The counter is removable from the bed,  you need to remove the row counter to disable row counting.

The hard part is remembering to put it back in place when you want to start counting again!  :o)

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Knitting Calculator - Brother KA3000

April 11, 2016, 6:43 pm
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Brother KA3000 knitting calculator - machine knitting

Here is yet another way to modify and create your own knitting patterns.

This is a working, vintage Brother Knitting Calculator (KA3000). It is battery operated. Designed just for knitters this was cutting edge technology when it was introduced.

Follow the included instructions step by step to obtain shaping instructions for common areas of knitwear design. At first glance this looks intimidating, but the instructions are logical, straight forward and clearly illustrated. Let this device work the math for you!  No formulas to remember.

 

We have one for sale .... MAKE AN OFFER! We'll include FREE SHIPPING in the US

 

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#1 Recommended knitting book

April 15, 2016, 11:34 am
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The Knitters Guide to Sweater Design 

This book will introduce you to the fundamentals of knitwear design and charting. You will be able to select from a vast array of sweater shapes and styles, and you'll learn how to arrive at the essential numbers for knitting them.


You'll be able to see a sweater in a magazine or store and knit one like it for yourself or a loved one.
The authors have created the ULTIMATE resource for the serious knitter.

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3 Methods for Adjusting Sleeve Lengths

April 24, 2016, 8:55 pm
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One of the more common questions from knitters is "How can I shorten/lengthen tapered sleeves?" I've heard hand knitters say that they just "fudge" the increases as they go, but I've often wondered how they get both sleeves the same.... (silly me).

If "fudging" isn't your idea of fun, here are 3 ways to get perfectly shaped sleeves that are the right length for you.

adjusting knitted sleeve lengths

Use a pencil, paper, calculator and the Magic Formula. (and practice your 4th grade math)

 

knitting magic formula tutorial

 

 

Knit it Now Magic Formula Tool

Use the FREE Knit it Now Tools to calculate your knitting instructions.

Enter your measurements ... 4 steps and no math!

Knit it Now knitting tools

Knitting Magic Formula Tool

 

Use the Knit it Now Dynamic Patterns.  

Now included is a link within your pattern. Enter your desired sleeve length .. one click and get knitting!

 

Knit it Now Dynamic Patterns

 

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Apple User? Please read this

April 26, 2016, 5:22 pm
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************** UPDATE 4/27/16 ********************************

 

After burning a little midnight oil, Matt was able to create a patch.  Even though there is no estmated time for an IOS update for the specific issue, our Apple user community now has full access to our videos again.

 Yea, Matt!  

Thanks also to those who took time to help us troubleshoot ... machine knitters are the best!

*************************************************************************** 

If you are using an Apple product, you may have experienced a problem playing Knit it Now videos recently.

There is a known issue with a recent IOS version (operating system).  Here is an update from our hosting service:

"The next update to iOS (v9.3.2) will fix the browser issue causing domain-level privacy videos to return an error. We do not have an ETA for that update, as Apple does not comment on the timing of their future releases".

 We apologize for the inconvenience.  For now, this is out of our hands.

Please be patient ... we are researching to see if there is any other solution and will let you know as soon as this has been resolved.

 

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Ask for the Gift you Want

April 29, 2016, 7:46 pm
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Put some stash yarn to good use

May 9, 2016, 12:58 pm
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I am the board president of The MoonCatcher Project. This project makes reusable, washable menstrual pads for girls in poor communities around the world to help them stay in school. Without these pads girls stay at home during their periods and when they fall too fall behind in their studies they often drop out of school. We make pads that can be worn without underwear because for many of these girls underwear is a luxury they cannot afford.

Part of our strategy is to support sewing and knitting groups in these countries. These groups make many of our pads thus giving women employment to support themselves and their children.
 We buy sewing machines and all the necessary supplies needed to set up small sewing businesses. The sewing/knitting collective in Jinja Uganda also makes uniforms for schools in that area. Believe it or not, even with weather that we think of as being really warm, these students wear sweaters and vests for part of the year. The Jinja group now has a knitting machine and has started to learn how to make those items but is having a very hard time finding yarn.

..... I'd really appreciate your asking your friends and followers if they have yarn that they could donate or sell inexpensively enough so that we can help these African women.

I am attaching some pictures. These amazing woman have captured my heart. I have worked and laughed with them and have met their families. They are amazing resilient women that always seem to be smiling in spite of the hardships they often endure.

Please contact:

Ellie Von Wellsheim
www.mooncatcher.org
tmp@mooncatcher.org

 

 

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Knitting Machine Manuals

May 16, 2016, 7:58 pm
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knitting machine manuals

Looking for a manual for your machine?

Easily search 100's of downloadable copies. Brother, Knit King, Passap, Silver Reed/Singer/Studio ... even circular sock machines!

vintage_knitting_machine_patterns

The colors, and hairstyles may be dated, but many styles in old magazines are timeless ... and the machine knitting techniques . . . priceless!

 

 

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Your Choice: Homemade or Hand Made

May 20, 2016, 10:28 pm
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Which hem do you prefer?

A little planning and practice go a LONG way to beautiful finishing on your knits. Here are 5 tips for finish perfection.

BEFORE:

A neat hem for the bottom of a cardigan with and UGLY band finish.

AFTER:

The same hem, with a planned and perfectly executed band finish.

 

 

 Watch as we add bands to a hemmed garment.

machine knitting finishing techniques

 

 

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Retro Patterns ... reborn!

May 25, 2016, 11:40 am
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machine knitting patterns

Take a "vintage" design and make it your own! Use the Knit it Now Retro Patterns with any knitting machine and any yarn. These are updated, easy to follow instructions, wide range of sizes in classic styles.

  • Don't be limited to a specific gauge.
  • Don't be intimidated by all those abbreviations.
  • Use your favorite machine, stitch pattern and yarn.
  • Choose from a wide range of sizes.

Make it your own! 

 

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Quick ... name this stitch pattern

May 27, 2016, 9:00 pm
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Same stitch pattern ... different look!  TUCK LACE! our current passion...

 

machine knitting tuck lace

 machine knitting tuck lace

 

Tuck a few needles here and there ... add some needles out of work ... voila! Tuck Lace!

Watch as we explore this fascinating technique ... so many possiblities!

Did you know that tuck lace can be done on any machine?

 

 

 machine knitting tuck lace stitch

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Quick ... name this stitch pattern

May 27, 2016, 9:00 pm
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Same stitch pattern ... different look!  TUCK LACE! our current passion...

 

machine knitting tuck lace

 machine knitting tuck lace

 

Tuck a few needles here and there ... add some needles out of work ... voila! Tuck Lace!

Watch as we explore this fascinating technique ... so many possiblities!

Did you know that tuck lace can be done on any machine?

 

 

 machine knitting tuck lace stitch

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8 Ways to work Garter Stitch on the Knitting Machine

May 31, 2016, 3:27 pm
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Garter Stitch: In hand knitting, knit every row.

One of the first surprises for most machine knitters is the fact that the humble garter stitch is problematic on the knitting machine.  Because our needles face in one direction and they form uniform stitches in one direction, we can easily produce stockinette stitch (translated knit 1 row, purl 1 row) but to knit every row?.....

Here are 8 ways to create garter stitches for machine knitters.

Top: Reverse Stockinette
Bottom: Garter Stitch

Reverse Stockinette

The simplest way to get the bumpy appearance of garter stitch is to use the purl side of your knitting as the public (right) side.

 

machine knit blanket has reverse stockinette blocks and hand knit garter stitch bands.

 

 

Garter bar turn

Master using a garter bar to "RTR" (remove- turn - rehang) a large numbers of stitches to add garter rows to your knitting.  This isn't practical for an entire garment, but is useful in adding stripes of garter stitch or knitting bands.

 

 

Hand knitting needle turn

A variation on RTR (Remove-Turn-Rehang) is to use a hand knitting needle.  Remove each stitch of a row, turn the work and rehang each stitch.  Knit a row ... then repeat ... and repeat ... and repeat for garter stitch.

 

G-carriage

Brother Machines offered an optional accessory called a Garter Carriage.  This is a motorized attachment that has a single latched needle that faces the opposite direction from the needlebed of the machine.

 

Utilizing the motor, the G-carriage automatically reforms each stitch (one at a time).

Needless to say this is a slow process, although it can run almost unattended.  It is great not only for garter stitch, but for knit and purl stitch patterns as well.

 

 

Hand manipulation - The most tedious method is to reform each stitch.  Use your latch tool and pick up a single stitch in the row below the current row.  Remove the stitch from the machine, unknitting the current stitch. Using the latch tool, re-form the stitch and re-hang it on the needle.  

Although tedious, this method can be used for small amounts of accent stitches.

 

Ribber transfer between the beds

Although a ribber has needles facing in the opposite direction than the main bed, knitting garter stitch still requires hand manipulation with a ribber. For example, cast on your main bed and knit a few rows. Raise (engage) your ribber and transfer all the stitches to the rib bed. Knit a row. Transfer all the stitches back to the main bed and knit a row. Repeat for garter stitch. 

 

 

Ribber Transfer Carriage

Another accessory is a transfer carriage.  It "automatically" transfers stitches between the needlebeds.

 

 

 

 

 

There is NO law that says your entire project has to be done on the knitting machine. 

There is also NO law that says all knitting must be done by hand .... (machine knitting is NOT cheating).

 

Hand knit

Considering all the time and fuss it takes to create garter stitch on the machine (except for the g-carriage)... if you want garter stitch hems, hand knit them, then hang the work back on the machine to finish.

 If you want a stripe of garter stitch, remove the work from the machine on a hand knitting needles, hand knit the stripe and hang it back on the machine.

 

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Quick ... name this stitch pattern

June 3, 2016, 9:00 pm
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This stitch looks complicated, but it's so easy ... on any machine!

  • Loose tension
  • *Tuck every other needle for 2 rows
  • Knit for 2 rows*
  • Repeat from * for the length needed

Note: you are tucking the same needles each time.

 

 

Yeoman Cannele Cotton yarn

 

Yeoman Panama cotton blend yarn

Here's the same tuck stitch in a different yarn.  Notice how the more tightly twisted Cannele yarn shows a much more crisp stitch definition.

The reverse side (knit side) looks great too!

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