OK, let’s talk about this Addi Express knitting machine. I saw it on someone else’s blog and thought, “That looks cool, I want to give it a shot.” So, I went ahead and got one.
When it arrived, the first thing I did was to unpack it. Inside the box, there was the machine itself, some yarn, and instructions. To be honest, the instructions were not super clear, but hey, who reads them anyway? I started by trying to figure out how to mount the machine to my table. It has these suction cup things on the bottom, which are supposed to keep it steady. It took a bit of fiddling, but I finally got it to stick.
Next, I had to thread the yarn. This was a little tricky. The yarn goes through a guide, then you have to bring it around a tension thingy, and finally to the needles. I messed up a few times, but after a couple of tries, I managed to get it right. The key is to make sure the yarn is not too tight or too loose. Once I got that down, I started turning the crank.
The first few rounds were a bit rough. I had some dropped stitches, and the tension was all over the place. I had to stop and fix the yarn a couple of times. But, as I kept going, I started to get the hang of it. It’s all about finding the right rhythm. Too fast, and you’ll drop stitches. Too slow, and it’s just, well, slow. I tried different speeds, and after some time I was able to make some basic stuff, like a tube. And that’s what this thing is good for – round or flat pieces.
- First attempt: Dropped stitches everywhere.
- Second attempt: Tension was way off.
- Third attempt: Started to look like something!
I spent a few hours playing with it, making a few different tubes. I even tried making a flat panel by going back and forth, but that was a bit more complicated. You have to manually move the yarn at the end of each row. I got a small panel going, but it wasn’t perfect. I thought I would get some more different color yarn to practice with.
I also tried different types of yarn. The machine comes with some basic acrylic yarn, but I had some other stuff lying around. I tried some cotton yarn, and it worked pretty well. But the machine struggled a bit with some thicker, chunkier yarn I had. It kept getting jammed. So, I’d say it’s best to stick with medium-weight yarns. I made a simple hat as well, which I found a video for and followed along.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I think the Addi Express is a fun little gadget. It’s not going to replace hand knitting, but it’s a neat way to make simple projects quickly. It definitely takes some practice to get it right. I’m still learning, but I’m excited to see what else I can create with it. Maybe I’ll try making a scarf next or some socks. We’ll see! Just remember to keep that yarn tension right and go at a steady pace. Happy knitting!
