BK is an experienced, very technically inclined, machine knitter who has a plethora of older domestic machines, including three Brother machines, a Passap, and a variety of motors and other accessories. After taking a long hiatus from machine knitting, she has returned to the craft to find her machines have missing or broken parts. She is now wondering at “the wisdom of plugging my time and money into these ancient, nearly obsolete machines vs. purchasing something new like a Toyota or Superba.” 

Equally excited by Kniterate and its potential, she is also considering giving up domestic machines altogether and getting a Kniterate. However, she has concluded that “buying a Kniterate AND retaining my herd of existing machines was not financially feasible. I would have to sell my existing machines to at least contribute to the purchase.”  Selling the older machines has its own hurdles, namely the tiring work of cleaning, photographing and listing them. 

It’s a complicated situation many machine knitters may find themselves in when considering how best to upgrade their equipment, so she has reached out to ask what I would do in her situation. “Should I slog through selling my old beasts? Buy a ‘normal’ knitting machine? Buy a Kniterate? Do you have any advice for me?”

BK, if the question is "Should I buy a Kniterate?", my immediate answer is yes. Having had my Kniterate for a few years as I write, I can say it's wonderful knitting machinery. It's my favorite machine! I have a Passap DM80 and a Brother 260 and ribber (in storage out of state) and a Brother KH 830. I've considered your situation for several weeks now, and “yes” is not my final answer. 

The Kniterate is a great intermediate between domestic and industrial knitting. It has many of the capabilities that an industrial machine has, including automated control of patterning on both beds. I enjoyed the recent software updates. If you have experience with other machine knitting software, you'll find the design software relatively easy to use.  

What would I do? Well, if I really wanted a new machine, I wouldn't purchase a Toyota or a Superba. The Toyota knitting machine is probably a very good machine, and I really enjoyed the Superba I used to own, but neither of them have been manufactured for decades, as far as I know. It would be nearly impossible to purchase a new one of these machines. Perhaps you know of someone selling theirs that you didn't mention?

Though it's a formidable task, I would begin prepping my older machines for sale — not all at once, just one or two at a time. I would set one or two up and try selling them "as is". True, they're not worth as much with a few parts missing, but it's probably possible to find buyers who are willing to put the energy into gathering the missing parts. That would be less work for me. If I happened to rekindle a fondness for a particular machine as I set it up, I would keep it around just a little bit longer. When all other machines are gone, I'd reevaluate keeping the one I like the most. If it satisfies both the technical itch and the creative urges, I'd keep it and be very satisfied that I'd found homes for the other machines. If not, I'd sell it too… and then get the Kniterate.

I know that was so much easier to write, than it would be to accomplish. But it's a plan. It might be easier to accomplish this task little by little than to think of it as one big chore. 

There have been several price increases since the machine was first offered via Kickstarter. The manufacture of the machine moved last year from China to Spain, and there was another price increase. It was stated that this increase was the "final price", so it's probably ok to move at a comfortable pace.

As an experienced machine knitter, I think you’ll really enjoy the Kniterate. When you’re ready, I’ll be happy to give you a Kniterate demo. I wish you the best!

O!

Updated 10July2024

DL asks, “How long did it take you for the machine to start listening to you?” This is a question that a lot of new machine knitters struggle with. Learning how to master your knitting machine can be a daunting task, especially when teaching yourself. 

An experienced hand knitter, DL has a Pfaff E6000 with 2 color changer and no motor that she purchased 20 years ago. She tried to use it when she first purchased it and had no luck. She says that for her, it was easier and faster to knit by hand. 

Since covid, she decided to try again but is finding it challenging. She knits every day and she is learning slowly, but it is hard. She found inspiration in my blog and reached out for tips and encouragement. 

DL, I've thought about your question a bit. People progress at different rates, so how quickly or slowly I progressed is almost irrelevant. I progressed steadily for a couple of years while knitting part time, then I needed to take a couple of years off. When I came back, I had to relearn the things I had forgotten. 

As with learning any new craft, you’re going to start as a beginner. And as a beginner, you will make mistakes. The key is learning why mistakes happen. I've often found that in the classes I teach the students that make the most mistakes at the beginning and learn from their mistakes, progress more quickly through the various techniques than students who "get it" right away. 

My advice is to embrace your mistakes as learning opportunities. Learn what each button and knob does and how it has an effect on the knitting. Keep an open mind and allow yourself to make mistakes. Analyzing your swatches can be a great way to get a better understanding of which controls are doing what. 

Machine knitting patterns aren't helpful if you want to really understand what you're doing. Try designing your own machine knitting pattern! This way you will have a clearer understanding of what the machine is doing. A background in hand knitting is helpful in that you understand fundamentally how knitting works, but hand knitting and machine knitting are very different in many ways. It might be helpful to think of hand knitting and machine knitting as two different crafts, and as you get more comfortable with your knitting machine and its controls and quirks, you’ll begin to approach it with a different mindset. 

“Is it possible to knit garter stitch or seed stitch on a knitting machine?” Valerie asked. “I know that you need a ribber to be able to alternate knit and purl stitches, so it seems to me that seed stitch should be possible if you had a ribber. I have also heard of a garter bar, but have no idea how it works.” Valerie goes on to describe the machine she owns, her past knitting experience many years ago, and a potential machine knitting venture.

Yes, Valerie, it's possible to knit both a garter stitch and a seed stitch on a knitting machine. The sample above with garter ridge (a garter stitch variation) on top and the basket weave (a seed stitch variation) on the bottom were both knitted on a Kniterate, but each stitch is possible on a home knitting machine with some manipulation, the use of a transfer carriage, or by using a garter carriage. In industry when both knit stitches and purl stitches occur in the same wale (column of stitches) the fabrics come under the category of purl knits or links-links. There are special industrial machines for creating this type of fabric. At one point a links-links machine was even created for the home market! @lifi68 acquired a domestic links-links machine a few years ago and posted it on Instagram. Unfortunately, the home machine is no longer manufactured.

Though it can get complex, you can knit garter and seed stitches on any knitting machine. Just as a hand knitter knits a row then turns the knitting and repeats, a garter bar helps the machine knitter perform the same task on a single bed machine. The machine knitter knits a row, then using a garter bar, turns the knitting and repeats. Sounds simple enough, but this is how a garter stitch really works with the garter bar. The knitter must:

1. knit a row

2. carefully remove the knitting from the machine needles onto the garter bar

3. remove the yarn from the feeder

4. place the needle stopper

5. turn the garter bar with fabric attached

6. carefully place the knitting back on the machine needles

7. free pass the carriage to the other side of the knitting

8. place the yarn back in the feeder

Whew! Now the knitter is ready to knit the second row. With the garter ridge stitch pattern, the turning happens after knitting two rows, rather than after every row. Or the knitter could turn the fabric every several rows for wider ridges. See the first video below under “Further Info” for a look at a garter bar in action.

A transfer carriage, such as the U80, U100, or U100e for a Passap machine will make a garter stitch in a different way. The fabric is knitted on a double bed machine. Instead of turning the knitting, the stitches are knitted on one bed at a time for a garter stitch. With a pass of the transfer carriage the stitches are transferred to the opposite needle bed. The sequence is repeated. Knit a row, then transfer the stitches to the opposite needle bed. Repeat. Set up the machine to only transfer stitches on selected needles for a seed or basketstitch pattern.

A garter carriage, used on a single bed of a Brother machine, is a slower operation, but it will be pretty much hands off after setup. See the second video below. Also a garter carriage has the capability of knitting and purling in the same row with just a single needle bed. That means that seed stitch and basketweave stitch patterns are possible.

With machines such as the Kniterate and the industrial machines, instead of turning the knitting at the end of a row with a garter bar or forming purl stitches one-by-one as the garter carriage does, the machines make use of two needle beds and transfer operations like on the Passap, only automated. Stitch transfers to the opposite bed are pre-programmed before the knitting begins. A row is knitted. Each stitch is then automatically transferred from one needle bed to the opposite needle bed. The next row is now ready to be knitted on the second bed. Transferring stitches to the opposite bed has the same effect as turning the knitting. The next knitted row will complete the garter stitch. The stitches are then transferred back to the first bed and the sequence begins again.

Knits and purls can be knitted with the same pass of the carriage, so stitch patterns such as a seed stitch or a basketweave can be easily knitted. It all depends on stitch arrangement and the programming of transfers.

Getting back to the garter bar question, if the idea is a faster way of producing garments from your handknitting pattern, understand that using a garter bar takes a lot of time and manipulation on the part of the human knitter. Using a garter carriage also takes a lot of time, though not as much human power. Both methods are probably faster than handknitting with a comparable stitch size. My suggestion would be to use a knitting machine but use patterns that don't involve garter or seed stitches! There are many beautiful stitch patterns based on jersey (stockinette) and rib stitches that are speedier to knit on a domestic knitting machine. Or if you want to make an investment, consider a Kniterate.

As it turns out, I have little direct experience with the garter bar or carriage. I welcome comments from knitters who actually use them.

O!

Further Info

See Helen Sharp of The Knitting School set up and use the a garter bar to turn fabric in this 5-minute YouTube video.

See the setup and the garter carriage in action in this 31-minute video from Thesweaterfactory on YouTube.

Did you attend one of my classes, but never got around to asking your question? Maybe you were machine knitting after the class and a new issue came up. Perhaps we’ve never met, but you have a question you think I can answer. Well, maybe I can! Or maybe I can’t. With decades of machine knitting experience, I certainly don’t know everything, but I’m always learning. If I don’t have the answer, with a little research I may be able to find an answer for you. Or at least point you in the right direction! Leave your question below. I’ll post the answer right here when I have one.