Okay, so I got this thing called the Erlbacher Speedster. It’s a circular sock knitting machine, and let me tell you, it’s a real time-saver. I wanted to make some socks but didn’t want to spend forever doing it by hand. This bad boy does the job in a jiffy.
First off, I had to set this thing up. It’s not super complicated, but you gotta make sure you follow the instructions. It’s got this cylinder thing in the middle, and that’s where all the magic happens. You’ve got these needles all around, and they move up and down, pulling the yarn and making the stitches.
Now, I learned that most people use either 60 or 64-slot cylinders for ladies’ socks, and 72-slot ones for men’s. I started with the 60 and 72 because, why not? Later, I also got the 48 and 64-slot cylinders. Variety is the spice of life, right?
- I wound the yarn onto the machine. It goes around this thing called a yarn carrier.
- Then I started turning the crank. It’s pretty satisfying to watch it go round and round.
- The needles go up and down, and the yarn gets pulled through, making a tube. This is gonna be the sock.
- There’s this take-up mechanism that rotates with the cylinder. That’s important because it keeps the fabric from twisting. I found that out the hard way.
I picked a 64 stitch cylinder and chose the picot hem because it was featured in a video I watched.
After a few rounds, I added some weights to the bottom of the tube. This helps keep the tension right. You don’t want your sock to be all loosey-goosey.
Making the Heel and Toe
This is where it gets a little tricky. For the heel and toe, you only use half of the needles. It’s called short-rowing.
- I had to take some needles out of work and just knit back and forth on half of the cylinder.
- You do this a few times, decreasing and then increasing, to make the shape of the heel and the toe.
Once I got the hang of it, it wasn’t too bad. But I definitely messed up a few times before I got it right. Practice makes perfect, as they say.
Finally, I finished the sock by taking it off the machine and closing up the toe. You can do this with a special stitch called the Kitchener stitch, or you can just sew it shut. I’m still learning the Kitchener stitch, so I just sewed it for now.
And there you have it! A brand new, handmade sock, thanks to the Erlbacher Speedster. It’s a pretty neat little machine, and I’m excited to make more socks with it. Maybe I’ll even try some different patterns and colors next time. The possibilities are endless!
