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Old January 4th 04, 02:38 PM
Posey
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Hi,
This is a pretty quiet group but there is a Bond group on Yahoo, I believe.
See below for the replies I can provide. I purchased a USM 2 years ago
without any experience with knitting machines and though I had a hard time
getting it to work well and threw it across the room a few times, I finally
got it going and it led to the purchase of more machines, Brother and Studio
which I am learning gradually.
1. Can it it GARTER stitch? (I have bunch of DK weight yarns that I
like to use on a garter stitch garment)

NO, it will only do a stockenette stitch unless you take the whole piece off
and rehang it for each row you want to be a purl stitch.

2. When I use it to knit very stretchy yarns, will the tension be
even? (I got tons of stretchy yarns that I just hate to knit with
hand.. my tension varies from one day to another)


The tension will be even if you don't vary your method of operation, but I
am afraid that it will vary if you don't finish the entire piece in one
sitting. That is possible.

3. Is it frustrating to use? (I heard rumors that stitches falls out a
lot and every time it happens I have to rip out the whole rows...??)

YES in the beginning. It MUST be perfectly level and you have to take it
slow when learning to use it. I ran a contrasting color yarn through each
stitch across every 20 -30 rows so that if it did fall off, I could rehang
the piece without having to go back and start over. I had to watch the
video 3=4 times before I really understood what was going on. Also,
following the book and doing the projects as they were presented allows you
to learn step by step, even though you may not be interested in a pillow
cover or hat.
4. Any other USM accessories worth buying?

The row counter may help

5. Can I use it to knit ribbon/eyelash yarns?

Yes

6. Can I easily knit selvedge stitch in the fabric?

7. What handknit stitches can't be done on the machine? (I don't think
the machine can knit entrelac.. what about mosaic? drop-stitch?
twisted stitch? fishermen's rib??)

You have to hand manipulate any stitch other than straight stockenette, so
you'd be doing that for any fancy stitch pattern you want. It doesn't rib
unless you drop the stitch and rework it with a hook where ever you want a
rib to happen. I usually did the ribbing by hand and then would hang the
piece for straight knitting.


8. Is the machine long lasting or breaks easily?


It is pretty sturdy, but plastic, so not unbreakable.

If nothing else, it will open up the world of machine knitting to you. I
sold my USM to someone who wanted to extend their knitting bed to make wider
pieces. There are lots of people who love them.

Regards,
Posey



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