almost finished!

well, it is ages since i have posted, and this isn't film related, but i've almost finished the wee dress/cardigan thingy (based on a nightgown pattern, but of course i had to change some things) that i started ages ago. in my defence we've been very busy with family and of course all i want to do is nap!

without further ado, here is filmcraft's first ever machine-knit project:





i have a million ends to run in, and i want to add little daisies where the bodice meets the skirt (and yes i know, the making of flowers is what has stopped me from getting the in the mood for love sweater finished, but i don't care).

help!

crap, crap, crap. can anyone point me to a source for spare parts for a fifty-year-old knitting machine?

this morning i was picking up some dropped stitches (whoops - i do that a lot) on my knitmaster 4500, and the latch on one of the hooks broke!

where on earth can i find a replacement? does anyone have an idea? i know some knitmaster (aka knit-king) users will buy additional machines just to use for spare parts, but i don't know where I would find one... i guess if i have to, i can take one of the end hooks and use it, and just never knit anything using the full width of the machine? that wouldn't be as bad as missing a hook in the middle...

poop.

meanwhile, here's something to amuse you: a knitting machine made of lego! link courtesy of kidoodles on the knittingmachines yahoo group.

yay!

well, after some frustration re my inability to cast off, i signed up for the knittingmachines yahoo group. everyone there is so advanced - i have no idea what they're talking about - and the list is incredibly busy/fast-moving. yikes! got a few tips though.

best was some diagrams sent by susan rans, the woman behind my knitting machines and me. finally things are beginning to make sense! thanks to all for the tips.

i stumbled across this while googling "knitting machines." it brings new meaning to the phrase "go big or go home."

in other news, i am all bummed that i wasn't able to get borat tickets this morning - i spent twenty minutes dialling the tiff box office and didn't get through. i was also pounding away on tg's computer (it's faster than mine), and by the time i got through to the online box office they were all gone. wah. i wonder if there are any strings i can pull.

machine!!

finally, i have started messing around with the knitting machine! it's the beginning of a whole new era of frustration! so far, i have learned that you really need to keep your pyjama sleeves far away from the thing, and ditto long hair (ouch). i have also learned how to not mess up the tension, how to do a lovely picot edge (really irritating process), and how to decrease.

unfortunately, i can not figure out how to cast off. that should be the easy part, no? but it ain't. i keep screwing it up somehow. i've started knitting a wee baby nightie, largely because the pattern is extremely simple, and i've done the back except for casting off. i'm half tempted to just put it on a pair of needles and do it by hand.

now, off to google some diagrams, i hope... the instruction manual is woefully short on diagrams. since the machine is approximately 50 years old, i may be right out of luck!