The 1764 Shepherdess

Did you know the first knitting machine was invented in 1589 by William Lee? Nope, I didn’t either.

I found a few great resources about old machines that I wanted to share with you.

What’s old is really new again!

Some of you might be interested in a knitting machine journey.

My best suggestion is to watch for them at estate sales, Craigslist, and local guilds. Let your friends and family know you’re looking for a knitting machine so they can keep an eye out too.

Research different models online. Find out the gauge of machine that would best suit your collection of yarns.

4.5 mm – standard gauge
6.5 mm – mid-gauge
9.0 mm – bulky gauge

I’m not going to go into much more detail, other than this is just another big rabbit hole to fall down during your lifetime.

I finally tallied up my machines. Between 2017 and 2018, I bought a total of 11 knitting machines. Not all of them were fully usable. Some I paid very little for, and others I paid top dollar. I never managed to get any for free.

Out of the original 11, I have 7 left. I gave one to a friend and two to a local farm. They were just basic machines without any extras.

This week, I tore down one Studio 700, removing all of its parts, since I have two of them. I kept the nearly new Studio 700 that I purchased from a friend who was gifted it by her husband in the 1980s. She’s from Germany and a hardcore hand knitter, so she never used it.

Seven knitting machines seem excessive, though if you are reading this blog post, you probably already know my style by now.

My final collection comes down to:
2 – 9 mm bulky machines
(Brother KH-260 & a Toyota Bulky, both punchcard machines)

2 – 4.5 mm standard gauge machines
(A Studio 313 (with a ribber I have never used) and a Studio 700, both punchcard machines)

That leaves the three KnitKing (Knittax) machines I own. Made in Germany, these machines are purely manual, with no fancy bells and whistles. However, they feature a spring/sinker system that enables knitting without weights.

The KnitKing is the machine I love to use for making SAYG (sew as you go) socks. I then finish the cuff rib by hand, and the socks are complete.

My first KnitKing, and my favorite, is the KnitKing Automatic. For $100 and a 1.5-hour drive down I-5, I met a nice lady who was selling her mother-in-law’s machine since no one in her family was going to use it, and it was new when she had it. It came with a ribber that I still need to learn how to use.

The other two KnitKing (Knittax M2) machines are at different stages of disassembly, cleaning off the 60+ years of grime, and being reassembled. I haven’t decided whether to sell them or keep them yet.

Now that you have my knitting machine story, what’s yours?

If you find that you’re interested in moving forward with a knitting machine and are seeking more guidance and a community that truly makes the membership worthwhile, may I recommend the Machine Knitting Community.  Here is the link.

Well, thanks for taking a read on today’s post.

I’ll end by sharing this short <8 min video on a framework knitting machine similar to the one William Lee invented in 1589!