First Circular Sock Machine Knit

I had been invited to a friend's house to try knitting on a circular sock machine and took her up on the offer.  It was something I was interested in and had no opportunity to try before, since most of the machines out there are antiques.  We began with some basic instruction and discussion of the machine parts and how it works.  For my first project, she recommended a tube scarf because it would give me the feel of the machine and how it cranks.

A gem of a skein of Wollmeise 100% (Pfauenauge colorway) had been tucked away in my for years because I had not found the right project for it.  We talked and I knew I was going to need to some series yardage if the scarf was to be long enough to comfortably wear, and everything fell into place.  I think it took about an hour or so to create and I finished the ends later that night.

First, I was amazed at the speed of the machine and how efficiently it worked.  If you were a woman at the end of the twentieth century and had one of these machines available to you, you could easily create socks, mittens, scarves, and more for your family and still have time available for other demands.

 

Second, the machines and process are quite technical.  There are a million variations (yarn weight, tension, number of stitches, ribbing, spacing between stitches, weights) that are thrown into the mix.  It reminded me of working with the loom - since there are a lot of decisions that are made as you set up the project and as you begin.  Unlike knitting however, you can't make too many modifications as you move through the project.  Once you're set, you're set.  The end on the right is a tad looser gauge than the one of the left, because we were adjusting and getting tension set.  I really enjoyed the project and I'm interested in learning a bit more.  We set a date to try for a pair of socks later this month!

PS - This is counting toward my personal sock club project for the month!