Good Starter Tips for using a Circular Knitting Machine

For anyone considering getting a "starter" circular knitting machine (CNM), Margaret Olander at Sheepishly Sharing offers this helpful video:



At Margaret's recommendation, I decided to purchase the larger, pink generic CNM that she uses in the video above.   She offers a list of recommended CNMs at Amazon. 

 

I'd been considering the Knit Quick Knitting Machine by Loops & Threads that you can get at Michael's.  It would have been about $45 with a 40%-off coupon, but the reviews on it were terrible -- Most people said it was a piece of junk that wouldn't last long--In many cases, not even 1 day!  In the video, I believe it's the Knit Quick machine that Margaret said she took apart after it broke to find the gears were stripped--She showed that in another video.   Yes, I could have given it a try, and returned it after it broke, but I live 30 miles from the store, so the hassle factor would have out-weighed any temporary convenience.

I wanted a larger CNM to make sock blanks for dyeing yarns.  Yes -- I caught the bug from all the neat experiments Chem Knits has been doing!  But I didn't want to spend $200 on the Addi King, even though I have the Addi Express that I've very happy with it!   I did buy the generic pink circular knitting machine that Margaret using in the video.  I used my points at Amazon and got it essentially for free.  It shipped in 2 days.  

Let's hope this is a better investment for my purposes.

Preparations for the next Yarn Dyeing experiment.

Sock blank wound into a doughnut, awaiting the next dyeing experiment.

More useful links for CNMs from Margaret O.