Okay, here’s my experience about the Creelman sock knitting machine, written in a conversational and personal style:
So, I’ve always been a bit of a hands-on kind of guy, always tinkering and trying to make things. Recently, I got this crazy idea to dive into the world of sock knitting, but not with regular needles – with a vintage machine. That’s right, I’m talking about those old-timey, circular sock knitting machines. And the one I got my hands on was a Creelman.
First off, finding one of these bad boys was a real adventure. I mean, these things are practically antiques! I did a lot of searching and I found one, a Creelman Brothers machine. It was used but seemed to be in good condition.
When this beauty arrived, I was like a kid on Christmas morning. It was a 6-inch model, which I learned is pretty standard for these machines. It came with a 24/72 and a 50/100 cylinder setup. I had no idea what that meant at the time, but I was determined to figure it out.
Now, I won’t lie, the first few weeks were rough. I spent hours poring over old manuals and diagrams. There’s a real lack of information on these, so I had to piece things together myself. I started by cleaning the whole thing up. Years of dust and grime had built up, and it took some serious elbow grease to get it shining again. I oiled up all the moving parts, replaced a few rusty screws, and hoped for the best.
Then came the actual knitting part. Let me tell you, it was a steep learning curve. I wasted a fair bit of yarn just trying to get the tension right. The machine has this crescent-shaped thing that I think is unique to Creelmans, and it took me a while to figure out how it worked with the yarn feed. There were so many levers and cranks, it felt like I was operating a mini steam engine! I started with the 72-needle cylinder, thinking it would be easier. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. My first few attempts looked more like yarn spaghetti than socks.
But I kept at it. I watched the very few videos about the machine on the Internet, tried to find any information online, messed around, and slowly but surely, I started to get the hang of it. I learned how to cast on, how to turn the heel (which is like the magic trick of sock knitting), and how to finish the toe. Each step had its own quirks, and there were plenty of dropped stitches and tangled yarn along the way.
Finally, after many failed attempts, I managed to knit my first decent-looking sock! It wasn’t perfect, a bit lumpy in places, and definitely not something I’d wear in public. But man, the feeling of accomplishment was incredible. I actually made a sock with a machine that’s probably older than my grandpa!
My Sock Journey
- Getting the Machine: Found a used Creelman 6-inch machine after a long search.
- Cleaning and Setup: Spent hours cleaning, oiling, and figuring out how it all worked.
- Learning Curve: Wasted a ton of yarn, but eventually got the hang of casting on and basic knitting.
- Heel and Toe: The hardest parts, but I finally figured them out after many tries.
- First Sock! Not perfect, but a huge personal victory.
Since then, I’ve made a few more pairs, each one better than the last. I even experimented with the 100-needle cylinder, which makes a finer knit. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m enjoying the journey. It’s amazing to think that I’m using a piece of history to create something new and useful. Plus, there’s something really satisfying about making something with your own two hands, even if those hands are assisted by a century-old machine. So yeah, that’s my Creelman adventure so far. It’s been a wild ride, full of frustration and triumph, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.
