Okay, so, I’ve been seeing these Sentro knitting machines all over the internet, and they look pretty neat. I finally caved and got myself a Sentro 48, the one with 48 needles. It arrived this morning, and I spent the whole afternoon playing with it.
Setting up
First things first, I had to get this thing set up. The instructions were okay, I guess, but there are tons of videos online that show you how to do it step by step. It took me a few tries to get the yarn tension right, I will admit. It was either too loose and floppy or so tight that the machine struggled to turn. I watched a video that had some tips, and after a bit of fiddling, I finally got it just right.
First project
- Casting on: I decided to start with a simple hat. The machine has a crank, and you just turn it to knit. Casting on was a little tricky. You have to guide the yarn around the needles in a specific way. I messed up a couple of times and had to start over, but once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing.
- Knitting the body: This part was surprisingly easy. I just kept cranking, and the machine did all the work. It was kind of mesmerizing to watch the hat grow row by row. I used a multicolored yarn, and it created this cool, striped pattern.
- Casting off: After I got the desired length, I have to cast off the hat. This was a bit more complicated than casting on. I needed to transfer the stitches to a piece of scrap yarn. This part took some patience, but I managed to do it without dropping any stitches.
- Finishing: Once the hat was off the machine, I used a yarn needle to close up the top. Then I made a pom-pom from the same yarn and sewed it on. And done, my first knitted hat in just a couple of hours!
My thoughts so far
I’m really impressed with this little machine! It’s so much faster than hand knitting. I can see myself making tons of stuff with it – hats, scarves, maybe even a sweater one day. There’s definitely a learning curve, but it’s not too steep. If you’re thinking about getting a Sentro, I say go for it! Just be prepared to spend some time practicing and getting used to it. I have already been dreaming up all sorts of projects I want to try next.
All in all, it was a fun and productive day. I’m excited to see what else I can create with my new Sentro 48!
