Crafty Belles

The invention of the knitting machine was crucial to understanding the social nature of knitting. Only with this invention did knitting-by-hand take on such a social character. Much like crochet or quilting, knitting-by-hand became a non-essential craft and therefore penetrated the sphere of social activity. Using a different system, machine knitting can produce patterns identical to the ones produced by hand knitting.

Even though knitting machines revolutionized the process, there is literally a twist you must beware of! While purchasing a knitting machine you must be very careful to figure out and understand the “twist”. The texture and tension of your finished fabric will depend on the twist of the yarn. When knitting with a machine, the yarn that you use and the degree of the twist are what decide the texture of your finished product.

Most people go on to assume that knitting with a machine is a more complex task than knitting by hand. The fear that learning how to use the machine will be more difficult than learning how to knit, is baseless. Mostly, the problems that arise during knitting with a machine can be blamed on yarn texture and not on the machine.

When knitting with a machine, it is of great importance that you pick up the correct yarn for the pattern. Yes, you will find the specifications of the yarn to be used on the pattern itself. However, you must keep in mind that the specification, when applied to different types of yarn like cotton or crepe, can mean different results. The same specification when applied to different types of yarn will definitely give you different texture. This is primarily because of the twist of the yarn. A low twist yarn like baby will give you a much softer fabric than the high twist and stiff crepe. Most yarns differ from each other only to the extent of the twist when the fiber is the same.

This is how the degree of twist can affect your knitting: a high twist yarn will generally produce a stiff fabric that is unlikely to change shape and be flexible. This also depends on the level of tension used on a machine and the size of needles used in hand knitting. On the other hand, a low-twist soft yarn will give you a much softer fabric that will take on new shapes when pulled, pressed or crushed.

Therefore, before you start that knitting machine you just bought, be sure that the yarn you picked is what you want for the pattern!