Tips welcomed for long knitting

Hi,

After a swift and helpful response to my first post yesterday (thanks
Helen), I am encouraged to ask another. This one really shows my
newbie credentials!

I want to knit my sweetheart some skirts and dresses. But when I get
to about 100 rows the weights on the cast-on-comb are touching the
floor. I have a Brother KH-260 which (to her credit and my inner
amazement) she lets me clamp to the kitchen table.

Short of fixing the machine to a high shelf and working off a
step-ladder, is there an easy way of overcoming this problem? How do
you re-hang the comb to ensure the tension is evenly distributed, or
is this not so important after 50-or-so rows?

Anyone found/made a nifty gadget that makes rehanging the comb a snap?

thanks in advance for any tips,

Ian

Hi Ian,

I'm sure there is a clever way to do it, but I usually just rehang the comb
as level and central as possible about 2 inches below the needles, making
sure that the teeth of the comb are well into the knitting. Try to uncurl
the edges of the knitting, so the edges are weighted evenly.
HTH

--
Sue in East Anglia, UK


"Ian Roberts" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

After a swift and helpful response to my first post yesterday (thanks
Helen), I am encouraged to ask another. This one really shows my
newbie credentials!

I want to knit my sweetheart some skirts and dresses. But when I get
to about 100 rows the weights on the cast-on-comb are touching the
floor. I have a Brother KH-260 which (to her credit and my inner
amazement) she lets me clamp to the kitchen table.

Short of fixing the machine to a high shelf and working off a
step-ladder, is there an easy way of overcoming this problem? How do
you re-hang the comb to ensure the tension is evenly distributed, or
is this not so important after 50-or-so rows?

Anyone found/made a nifty gadget that makes rehanging the comb a snap?

thanks in advance for any tips,

Ian

The message
from (Ian Roberts) contains these words:

Hi,


I want to knit my sweetheart some skirts and dresses. But when I get
to about 100 rows the weights on the cast-on-comb are touching the
floor. I have a Brother KH-260 which (to her credit and my inner
amazement) she lets me clamp to the kitchen table.

Leaving the cast-on comb in position, roll the knitting up around it
until it is well clear of the floor. You will find that you will have
room at the end of the combs for the weights. Just keep your eye open
when knitting, give the occasional tug to the combs and roll again if
necessary.

--
Marion

If it is single bed knitting, I just remove the comb and hang claw weights
evenly across the work near the needle bed, re-hanging them as needed when
the work progresses. You really can't leave the cast-on comb in place when
doing short-row shaping, anyway. Extra claw weights are worth the
investment, especially for short rows or working with hand spun.

If the project is all double-bed, I roll the fabric around the ribber comb
and re-hang the ribber weights in such a way as to prevent unrolling. How
to describe that? If you roll up so that the comb is in front of the
fabric, stop with the weight holes at the top and insert them so they hang
toward the back, pulling the comb against the fabric.

Hanging the weights on the ends is easy, the center is trickier. It
involves gently inserting the point of the weight through the mesh of the
fabric from the back and hooking it on the edge of the comb rather than
through a hole in the comb. With narrow ribbing and tight fabric, you can
skip that and just use balanced weights on both ends adding a claw weight
or two to the middle as needed. You can also remove the ribber comb or just
roll it and clip it with a few very sturdy clothespins or spring clamps,
then use the various weight hangers that came with your ribber. The wire 7s
are for the edges and there are also claws with holes at the other end to
take ribber weights. Again, remember to distribute the weight evenly.


Helen "Halla" Fleischer, Fantasy & Fiber Artist
http://home.covad.net/~drgandalf/halla/
Balticon Art Program Coordinator http://www.balticon.org

In article , Ian
Roberts writes
Hi,

After a swift and helpful response to my first post yesterday (thanks
Helen), I am encouraged to ask another. This one really shows my
newbie credentials!

I want to knit my sweetheart some skirts and dresses. But when I get
to about 100 rows the weights on the cast-on-comb are touching the
floor. I have a Brother KH-260 which (to her credit and my inner
amazement) she lets me clamp to the kitchen table.

I hope it is a square edged table, if it's not you will end up with
everything on the floor. The clamps don't clamp properly on a normal
radiused edge table.
--
David Toft

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I will try the comb-rolling trick,
hopefully our cat won't attack the bobbing weights and unravel the
whole assembly down on top of herself... :-)

Claw weights sound like another good option, but I knit mainly with
mohair and I'm not sure if they would provide enough pull on the work
to stop the knitting from clogging up on the needle bed. I only have
four so I don't want to buy more without knowing it would be a
success.

I like the ribber comb much better than the cast-on comb that comes
with the KH-260. Can it be used to cast on for plain knitting? For
example, can you create a perfect selvedge using the ribber and main
bed set for 1x1 rib and then transfer all the stitches onto the main
bed to carry on in plain? Would it turn out ok? Anyone else tried
this? If so, what tension seems to work best?

Thanks again,

Ian

| On 2 Nov 2004 06:50:37 -0800, (Ian Roberts) wrote:

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I will try the comb-rolling trick,
hopefully our cat won't attack the bobbing weights and unravel the
whole assembly down on top of herself... :-)

Claw weights sound like another good option, but I knit mainly with
mohair and I'm not sure if they would provide enough pull on the work
to stop the knitting from clogging up on the needle bed. I only have
four so I don't want to buy more without knowing it would be a
success.

I generally run my thumb nail along behind the knitting every few rows to
free fuzzy yarns from the gate pegs. I use a fair number of claw weights
with fuzzy yarns I have ones from my standard gauge machine, my bulky and a
few spares I bought on sale, so I always have enough to spread evenly
across the bed, about every 4 inches

I like the ribber comb much better than the cast-on comb that comes
with the KH-260. Can it be used to cast on for plain knitting? For
example, can you create a perfect selvedge using the ribber and main
bed set for 1x1 rib and then transfer all the stitches onto the main
bed to carry on in plain? Would it turn out ok? Anyone else tried
this? If so, what tension seems to work best?

You could try it, and you might find the look of it acceptable. You can
also make a hem by casting on in full needle rib, continuing an inch or so
in circular, then transferring the ribber needle stitches on top of the
main bed stitches to close it. You might find that to be more work than the
usual method of turning a hem, though.

Helen "Halla" Fleischer, Fantasy & Fiber Artist
http://home.covad.net/~drgandalf/halla/
Balticon Art Program Coordinator http://www.balticon.org