I have to tell you, I am a sucker for bargains – and when I saw this Brother KH-860 knitting machine at our local thrift store for just $24.95, I couldn’t pass it up even though a dear friend had given me a Singer knitting machine a couple of years ago. Not only did I get the knitting machine, but I got a box full of punch patterns, lots of machine knitting books and a tub full of accessories including a yarn winder! Now I didn’t recognize the yarn winder at first, but once I got everything home and started shuffling through the tub, I immediately knew what it was.
You see, I have plans and those plans include making things – scarfs, afghans, etc. – out of my handspun yarn. Now I could do this by hand – or even using my hand looms or floor loom – but frankly, I’m slow when it comes to crafting. I get frustrated and then my projects sit there, half-done. I’m sure you know others like this – thus I thought a knitting machine would help solve the problem especially since it will allow me to knit far faster than I ever could by hand.
Well, that was the plan. The knitting machine was going to make life easy. Instead I have been frustrated beyond belief. First the K-carriage would get stuck and become impossible to move. I joined an online machine knitting group, searched online for answers and even scoured You Tube videos. I learned a lot. We tore the machine down and found it was full of stuff – dust, bits of yarn and who knows what else. We cleaned all the stuff out – but darn it, the K-carriage was still hard to move and sticking. The decision was made to take it to Peru to the Knit Knack Shop and just pay to get it serviced.
It was a good thing I did too. Not only was the machine out of time (there is no way I could have fixed that), but it also needed oiled. The man was kind enough to show me how to oil it – and it was a good thing too. He oiled it while it was there, but I ended up oiling it again later that day. I guess it is really hard to tell how much oil something might absorb before it finally ends up getting the right amount of oil in all the moving parts.
I finally ended up so frustrated last night that I put the machine away and went to bed. This morning when I woke up, I started playing with the machine again. I have made several sample knits today, but think either my tension is still off slightly or I am just getting frustrated and not moving the K-carriage the right way because I am still experiencing problems. The lady at the Knit Knack Shop in Peru said she could offer private lessons – and I may just take her up on that once spring arrives. I am sure once I figure this machine out I am going to love it.