I heard some folks talking ’bout them circular sock knitting machine patterns. Sounds fancy, don’t it? Reminds me of them city folk with their fancy gadgets. We used to knit everything by hand, you know. Two needles and a ball of yarn, that’s all you needed. But I guess times are changin’.
So, these roundy machines, they make socks, I reckon? Probably faster than my old hands can work these days. Arthritis ain’t no joke, let me tell ya. These machines got all them little needles goin’ around in a circle, like a bunch of ants marchin’ in a ring. Makes a tube, I suppose. Then you gotta do somethin’ special for the heel and the toe, right?
My granddaughter, she’s got one of them circular sock knitting machine. Showed me once. Lots of cranks and levers and whatchamacallits. Looked complicated to me. I just stick to my needles. But she made a pair of socks in no time. Striped ones. Looked right cozy.
Now, these patterns, they tell you how to make the socks, I guess. Like a recipe for your feet. I seen some in a magazine once. Lots of numbers and squiggly lines. Don’t make much sense to me. I just knit how my mama taught me. Plain and simple.
But if you’re usin’ one of them knitting machine, you probably need these patterns. Otherwise, you’d just end up with a long tube, and that ain’t no good for nobody. Unless you want a really long sock, I suppose. Some folks like them long socks, go all the way up to your knee. Keeps you warm in the winter, that’s for sure.
They say you can make other things with these machines, too. Not just socks.
- Hats
- Gloves, maybe, keep your fingers from freezin’
- Scarves, long as a country mile
I even heard some folks makin’ blankets, but that seems like a lot of work, even for a machine. I’d rather just use a big ol’ crochet hook for a blanket. Faster, in my opinion. Less fiddly bits.
But I guess if you got the machine, you gotta use it, right? And these patterns, they’re like the instructions. Gotta have ’em if you want to make somethin’ proper. Like followin’ a recipe for a cake. You don’t just throw things in the bowl and hope for the best. Well, sometimes I do, but that’s beside the point.
These circular sock knitting machine patterns, they probably tell you what kind of yarn to use, too. Some yarn is thicker than others, you know. Like that fluffy stuff, wouldn’t work too good in a machine, I bet. Probably get all tangled up. You need that smooth yarn, goes through them little needles easy peasy.
And they probably tell you how many stitches to do, and when to turn, and all that. Like I said, it’s all a bit much for me. But I can see the appeal, I suppose. Makin’ a whole bunch of socks real quick. Could make a pair for everyone in the family for Christmas. That’d be somethin’, wouldn’t it?
They say these machines use up a lot of yarn though. More than knitting by hand, that’s for sure. So you gotta keep that in mind. Yarn ain’t cheap these days. And if you’re makin’ socks for the whole family, that’s a lot of yarn.
And you can’t do all them fancy designs like you can by hand. You know, like them cable knits, or them lacy patterns. The machine just makes plain stripes, mostly. So if you like them fancy socks, you’re better off stickin’ to your needles.
I set up a corner just for my knitting, up in the attic. It’s right cozy. Got my yarn all sorted by color, and my needles in a little jar. It’s my happy place. I can sit there for hours, just knitting away. Now if my granddaughter will set her machine up there with me, that’s fine, too, I guess.
Anyways, these circular sock knitting machine patterns, they’re a whole ‘nother world. If you’re into that sort of thing, more power to ya. Me, I’ll just stick to my old ways. They haven’t failed me yet. And there’s somethin’ special about makin’ somethin’ with your own two hands, you know? Feels good. Like you’ve really accomplished somethin’. Even if it’s just a plain ol’ pair of socks.
