Here is the thread from the Trademe Message Boards PART 2

[Teabag]

51.i never had a wool winder until a few months ago when i got my knitting machine and i dont know how i got on with out it!!! just about every ball of wool i own has been rewound and they all look so pretty, oldgummy told me i could even do my twisted cords using it and it is so much easier and they look very professional hehe...fantastic invention!!!! Now i need someone to come and show me how to work the double bed knitting machine...
teabag75

52.i've hand myhank wool winder for a few years now and the other wool winder for just over a year. its wonderful. i always rewind wool now. makes it smaller for my handbag.
furrball

53.42/43 and 46 Thanks cariadg and tinybaldone for sharing those tips. very innovative ideas.
pheobe

54.Hi TinybaldoneMy hubby is not the workshop kind. I,m the one with hammer and nail, or sander or paitbrush in my hand. The draught strip.... BRILLIANT.. Well done.
cariadg

55.Double Bed knitting machine is all set upoiled and ready to go!!! DP thinks he might have a new jersey in the morning...I DONT THINK SO!!! I have to figure out how to work it!!!
teabag75

56.Teabag, I'm sure you won't have a problem - you seem to have taken to machine knitting like a duck to water. Have fun!
tinybaldone

57.well lets hope so tiny it seems a lot more complicated then my single bed one, but i will read the manuals over and over and I'm sure i will figure it out!!!
teabag75

58.no luck in finding a machine but thats ok money is a little tight right now. i thought it might take my mind off things that are happening right now.
furrball

59.if you can find a cheap one like mine furrball you will be away laughing...ive already made my money back!!!
teabag75

60.well there are none listed here. but its a pipe dream.
furrball

61.I have about 5 machines I think, Chunky, Bulky & 2 or 3 4 ply machines. I also have a few wool winders. I used to knit commercially and have knitted hundreds of items. Funny coming across this thread I thought no one used them anymore. I hauled one out of the ceiling the other day along with the stand and thought about setting it up again. You can also get for Singer Machines, cast off gadget, 6 prong transfer tools etc. lols I have them all. I have also fixed the pressure bars and used foam, but the draught strip is a great idea. I also have a lace machine. Reading this thread has me interested again. If anyone in Auckland needs a hand on how to work a machine I don't mind helping. I've had machines for around 30 years and used to sell them.
ynotbrich

62.odd i thought you could use all ply's on the machines. well you learn something new every day. i know dad used 4 and 8 ply on his machine.
furrball

63.well im having fun! I managed to get the singer knitting...but now its gone funny again. I can cast on the first row, but when I came back across again it doesnt knit but instead takes the first row off! im not sure what im doing wrong. Plus does anyone know were i can get spear needles from? I just replaced three bent ones but the spears that were in the box are slightly shorter than whats on there, so im guessing they are the wrong ones.
shane191

64.The bond i haveknits chunky wool better I have noticed and the singer i have been using 4ply and it looks really nice. I went into Ashfords yesturday to ask if any one does classes. she said she knows a lady who works with a knitting machine and is going to pass on my details to her, so im hoping to get some lessons. man I wish i was in auckland! lol
shane191

65.Hi shane191Sorry can't help with your problem - I'm sure someone with a Singer will help out. Re needles - until you can get some new ones, take the end ones out and use them. You seldom use the whole width of the machine for an article.
tinybaldone

66.Casting on are you using a double bed and if so how are you anchoring the first row. Never used a singer or actually seen one. On my single bed machine you knit the first row then use a nylon cord or cast on comb to anchor the stitches. On a double bed you use another type of cast on comb which for the life of me i can't remember its name other than cast on comb!!! once anchored on you knit 3 circular rows and then set it for the rib you require. Now i typed this I can't remember who had the problem!!! god i am going senile
nogin

67.oops actually if using a cast on comb for the single bed you anchor that on first before knitting. knit one row drop the c-o-c and place weights and knit. Depending on what you are knitting it is best to use waste yarn for several rows then knit with nylon cord for one row and then use your actual yarn for the garment you are knitting.
nogin
68.Re knitting one way and not the other, check that you've got the cam lever on stockinet, pointing straight forward. If it happens to be on slip and you have one side lever forward and one back, it will knit when the leading side is back, but not when the leading side is forward. Also make sure that the sstop knob (where you insert the punchcards) is forward on stop. Hope this helps.
brish

69.furrball - I found up to 6 ply on a 4ply machine knitted OK. You can use every alternate needle for double knitting as well. I have a knitmaster bulky which really is for double knitting and a bit thicker. The chunky is for 12ply on. Although I always waxed any wool I knitted, it makes it easier on the machine and your arms.
ynotbrich

70.It all sounds very complicated, I recently bought a double bed machine but still haven't managed to set it up properly, seems like something doesn't want to line up. I just hope I haven't wasted my money, and am thinking "fingers crossed I will work it out" or I will wish I'd stuck to my old Empisal which works but I hardly ever used because I wanted to be able to do the rib on the machine. Grrrr!
kuaka

71.i buy a lot of double knitting yarn. so god knows what i would need to buy. to be honest i wouldn't know where to start. but i need to focus on my health first i think. i'm knitting a fisherman's rib hat with a twist.
furrball

72.Im glad i have read all of that because it does make sense. Miss 15 made one leg warmer today on the double bed using quite a think 8ply and i know my other one wont do a thick 8ply maybe it would if i waxed the wool. What kind of wax do i need?
teabag75

73.I just use old big candles. I think Toyota used to have a gadget that held the wax on the auto tension, but i run it over the candle (or through it if you can get the wick out) on to the wool winder. That, and oiling the machine make a huge difference.
brish

74.Hi kuaka Is it anything that I can help you with? Did the pages of the manual turn out OK? If not, I can print and snail mail them to you.
tinybaldone

75.tinybaldone, yes they all seemed to come out okay, but I'm having a bit of trouble with the "slight adjusting brackets" I think they're called. All clear as mud. Maybe I need to have another couple of wines before I have another look, or maybe I need to look before I have the first wine. Don't know, but I can't seem to make head nor tail of that particular bit.
kuaka

76.Oh dear, kuaka Maybe you need a couple of bottles! My machine has been set up permanently in my sewing room for the last 30 years, so can't remember actually setting it up, but will brave the cold basement tomorrow and have a look to see if I can figure out what you're talking about. Perhaps I should have a few wines, too!
tinybaldone

77.Garter Bar and cast on comb, Are they the same? They look the same. What do you do with a garter bar and do they fit all machines?
pheobe

78.pheobe, not absolutely sure on this, but I think a garter bar is used to somehow hook all the stitches on, flip the whole thing round and then do another row of knitting, and if you keep on doing this you end up with "garter" stitch rather than stocking stitch. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will jump in and correct me.
kuaka

79.Reading this has made me realise the real reason I haven't got round to setting up my knitting machine! to scared I have forgotten everything I used to know as second nature!! Kuaka don't know what machine you have but i know that alignment of the beds is crucial. I remember having a problem and it was solved by just adjusting the tilt of the top bed. know where you clamp the top bed on the table and when you put the ribber on you tilt the top bed with brackets try moving the clamps on the brackets ever so slightly. No the plastic comb you use for pushing needles forward when both beds are pushed together the comb should sit in the gap with out falling thru. I am off to sydney for 10 days flying tomorrow hopefully it will be warmer there then it is here at the mo!
nogin

80.you ight be right there nogin. i use to watch dad and if i was lucky he would let me do a pass. all those extra bits and pieces would confuse me. i had enough trouble with a new hat pattern yesterday. and that was done on 2 needles. i got there in the end. and i have sewn it up this morning. all i can say it was interesting to do.
furrball

81.My post #68 was in reply to Shane191 for the singer machine:)
brish

82.thks everyone i have checked everything said and Im away again (didnt have the ravel cord right)I was looking at the ribber attachment yesturday and am tempted to set that up, but think I need to learn the basics first otherwise i mite complicate things! I discovered the shorter needles are for the ribber, and found three longer needles, so have replaced them. I am offically good at needle changing...lol
shane191

83.i like the sound of waxing the wool b4 knitting. So i mite try that today. im glad our thread is going strong. I think i would be lost without the help and tips everyone has been giving.
shane191

84.Hi kuaka - re slight adjusting lever......First put the ribber into position at top. The bracket lever is for letting the ribber down, the slight adjusting lever is for letting the ribber drop slightly to accommodate thicker wool. Normally the two levers are apart, when you want to do ribbing with thick yarn push the slight adjusting lever up to the bracket lever, then press the bracket lever and the ribber will drop ever so slightly. To go back to normal, push the slight adjusting lever back down away from the bracket lever and let ribber down as normal. Hope that this makes sense. Glad I don't have to follow my own instructions!
tinybaldone

85.miss 15 has made one leg warmer on the knitting machine...now on to the second. She did the rib by hand as we are not to sure yet how to use the ribber part. http://images.trademe.co.nz/photoserver/25/71067625_full.jpg
teabag75

86.here is what i was knitting and pulling my hair out with. that second purl fabric is folded. that wasn't easy to do for the first time. http://images.trademe.co.nz/photoserver/64/71067864_full.jpg
furrball

87.Thats cool furrball...I like it!!!
teabag75

88.Hi all machine knitters...I, too, used to knit commercially, til I got RSI..... I have nine machines, I think (includes a Passap body for spares) of machines, including a couple with motors... maybe one day I'll get back to knitting. Anyway... to all you newbies out there - you look like you're having fun. There are still chapters of the NZ Machine Knitters Association out there - there may be one near you! I've always found them generous with their help and their time, and a great group to join to learn new machine knitting techniques. Its amazing what you CAN do with a knitting machine. Have fun!!
punkinthefirst

89.my sister machine knitted commercially. thats why i can't look at teabag's pick of the leg warmer. i still have nightmares. she would zip them off that machine like worms and at night would sew them up. she made me a brown pair when i was visiting her. ugly things. thanks teabag that hat drove me mad.
furrball

90.furrball, that's a really cool looking hat. I know what you mean about some patterns driving you mad. I was asked once to make a hat for someone and like a fool I said yes without seeing the pattern first. Big mistake. These days if I'm asked to knit something I ask to see the pattern first.
kuaka

91.yes i know that feeling kuaka. but i bought the cleckheaton book and this hat is the only one done of 2 needles. and i thought yea i can do that. well i did it but now i understand why they say use a smaller needle to pick up the other stitches.
furrball

92.I used to make embroidered "sheep" jumpers and cabled arran ones that sold for megabux in the tourist shops in Rotorua. I was glad when I got off the treadmill - they have to be knitted and sewn up perfectly.
punkinthefirst

93.Hi there kuaka Have just been reading back to post 70 - are you having trouble actually lining up the ribber with the top bed? The slight adjusting levers have nothing to do with the set-up of the machine - they are for dropping the ribber down ever so slightly to allow the use of heavier yarn, i.e. 8ply. If it's the actual lining up of the ribber that's the problem, make sure that the pitch lever is set on P and not H. That's all I can think of at the moment - hope to hear from you later with good news!
tinybaldone

94.tinybaldone, no I'm having problems full stop! Am about to throw the whole thing out the window. Can't seem to get anything operational. (Hubby keeps anouncing that I have bought a "lemon" - oh sorry, make that a "white elephant" is what he is calling it) - seems as though the carriage for the main bed will work okay, as will the carriage for the ribber, but when you put the "connecting arm assembly" on, everything just jams up. It seems as though the "connecting arm assembly" is too low and the needles just don't go through, they get tangled up. Ye Gods, I thought this would be a piece of cake, instead it's real grey hair stuff!
kuaka

95.I dont even have a nachine and I love this thread. Kuaka, your pattern arrived today, thanks so much for that. I will knit or crochet a pair before winter is over. Furball, I love that hat you have knitted.
smartgirl

96.tinybaldone, make that "the needles jam" not get tangled up. Jam seems to describe it better. I'm wondering how much I will recover if I sell it off a needle at a time!
kuaka

97.smartgirl, pleased the pattern arrived safely. I'm sure I will never live long enough to need it, but if I do, I have it stored on my computer - course, even if I were to ever need it, I'd probably never remember how to find it.
kuaka

98.Kuaka Brain on go slow at the moment - have you made sure that the needles selected are not directly opposite one another? Also re connecting arm - make sure that you undo the screws on the knit carriage far enough for the connecting arm to fit into place correctly. Can't think of anything else right now - will sleep on it, hopefully - or will lay awake all night thinking about it!
tinybaldone

99.tinybaldone, please don't lose any sleep over it, I'm not. When I say the needles jam, they don't go through the connecting arm properly, it's as though the connecting arm is sitting too low, and we can't figure out how to alter or adjust it. Hubby is usually quite good at working these things out, but he can't suss it out either.
kuaka

100.Kuaka, at the risk of repeating myself.....not to you, but elsewhere in this column, have you checked that the sponge bar is in good order. The first time mine went on me, I had absolutely no idea what was wrong, but the needles were jamming and all sorts of weird things were happening. Because the bar was not holding the needles firmly, they were flopping and jamming. Could be your problem (I hope, I hope, I hope)
tinybaldone