My new circular knitting machine

May 23, 2017
3 min read

I mentioned my amazing new machine in my last post, so it's time to show it off!

I went on a hunt for an antique sock knitting machine a few months ago. The machines made more than 100 years ago still work just as well as they did on day one. After a lot of research, and a ton of time watching e-bay auctions, I finally dove in. While I had my mind set on an antique machine, I ended up buying a new one, because the one I was hoping for got bought up before I could get it. The only reason to get a new one is that sometimes the old ones don't have all the parts. I didn't feel like waiting around for another antique machine to come around with all the extra parts I wanted.

I found the company Erlbacher-Gearhart who makes replica machines and had fun ordering "The Speedster" in race car red. I got to pick out 2 different cylinders and a ribber to go with it. I kind of hesitated over the "buy" button for a minute, since this is the most expensive thing I've ever purchased.....other than the house and car. I will warn you - a circular knitting machine is a big investment! It's not some toy you buy on a whim and only use a few times....unless you have lots of money for that sort of thing lol. The antiques cost less, but like I said, sometimes you can't get all the parts with it and end up having to order replacement parts. That'll still be cheaper than a new one. I just REALLY didn't want to wait any longer hahaha!

So, here's the pic of what I ordered

It arrived in under 2 weeks in a really nice, solid wooden crate. I forgot to take a pic before I started unpacking it! They did such a great job of stuffing every little space with balls of newspaper, it was like Christmas morning! I had no idea what was under it all!

Here it is after I started pulling stuff out.

Everything is bolted to the crate so nothing gets bumped around, then they pack in some goodies and stuff it all with newspaper so nothing can rattle. It was the best packing job I've eer seen!

They gave me a bunch of scrap yarn for practicing, a sample sock they knit on this machine to test it, a book with assembly instructions, step by step getting started instructions, a bunch of beginner patterns, tips, advice, and a phone number to call with any questions at all. They also included a full size bottle of machine oil, extra needles, spring, and other little bits that could break while I'm learning, and the wrenches and screwdrivers I need for assembly and maintenence! Not little throw away tools like some stuff comes with, but real tools. I'm quite impressed with this company!

I first set it up on a TV tray, since my table is butcher block and way to thick on the side for the clamp on the machine. It's pretty heavy, so I had to counter-balance the tray table with a 25lb weight. It's hiding under the book, so you can't see it in this picture.

The next day I went out and bought a small workbench to put it on. I was really happy to get the workbench, so I didn't have to worry about it tipping over! This gives me a great place to keep my yarn winder too.

I've had my CSM for about 3 weeks now. I finally can make a sock that fits right and looks good! I can also do this without having to restart a ton of times :D I didn't think to get pics of all my failures lol. There were a lot! There's definitely a steep learning curve. Here are my successes so far.

The black, red, and white striped ones are my favorite so far, but the cool red, pink, and purple swirly ones fit PERFECTLY! I've finally got it figured out! Well.....I have enough figured out to make an acceptable pair of socks in my size 10 anyway. Next up is learning how to do ribbing for a better fit. Right now it's just mock ribbing made by removing needles.

Here's one of the cool things about using a sock machine - watching the stripes form. This yarn happened to make a spiral as it swirled around. It's absolutely mesmerizing watching it as I work!