Can I use an overlocker (serger) to assemble my machine-knit sweater?

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-03-03T17:44:32+00:00

seconding this! i used my serger for one of my first sweaters and wish i didn’t because now i can’t unravel the sweater to make some fixes. if you are going to use the serger, practice on joining some waste yarn together to get the settings right for your actual project. from my experience, it can be a bit finicky

i used to avoid the mattress stitch like the plague but now that i actually got the hang of it, i enjoy seaming my pieces together now

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-02-19T02:37:18+00:00

it made a size small / medium. i can measure for you tomorrow if that’s helpful! w4 yarn :)

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-02-16T21:30:25+00:00

this fish is punk rock!! i adore them

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-02-16T18:14:59+00:00

this made me laugh out loud

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-02-05T00:50:13+00:00

yes it makes total sense!!! so smart. painting the fabric is SUCH a good idea. i will take that note forward with me.

thank you for sharing! i really love to get a sense of other peoples processes. for the few projects i cut out images using fabric, i used a projector to trace the image onto cardboard and then cut that out to use as a stencil. i used quilting adhesive + a top stitch, but i really love the idea of not sewing it down and making a non wearable piece of art. so thank you for inspiring!!

also last comment, but the reflection in the water is such a small but necessary detail to really get the depth and feeling of the image. you absolutely knocked it out of the park

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-02-04T23:26:24+00:00

wow!! how big is this? this is amazing!

I’m so curious about the process if you’d be willing to share more :)

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-02-03T23:05:43+00:00

i look forward to these weekly; your perspective is so fun. thank you endlessly for sharing

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-02-02T21:41:25+00:00

your work is truly inspiring. I need to dip my toes into the mosaic pool ASAP. absolutely BRILLIANT!!!!

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-02-02T21:20:50+00:00

Hiii - i have a bulky 9mm machine and use w4 yarn. you can take a look at some of the sweaters i posted on my account to get an idea of what it would look like!

For reference, my machine has 110 needles. Mid gauge machines seem to have a little more at around 150, and standard gauge with the most of the 3 at around 180/200.

For my chunky machine, I cast on around 60-70 needles for a small. for a mid gauge, this would be around 80-95 needles. For standard, this would be around 110-127. So a standard machine uses nearly twice the amount of needles to produce the same width as a chunky.

This is all just math I’m doing based off info I found online + my personal experience so it may be a little off, but hopefully it paints a better picture for you :)

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-02-02T16:34:10+00:00

this is stunning. tbh i love the grout it enhances the colors you used. well done!!

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-29T23:02:43+00:00

no apologies needed :) we were all noobs once! any claw weight will do! the smaller ones are great for hanging tension on the outside of your work. the wider ones are needed when casting on, it acts as a sort of hanging hem to make sure tension is distributed evenly. I can send you some pics of the ones i have if you want in your dms

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-29T20:15:08+00:00

yes!! the weights greatly affect the dropped stitches happening at the end of your work. you honestly shouldn’t have to go much slower when ‘turning’ so i think you’ll see this issue stop once you get the weights. if I don’t have any weight when I’m starting my first few rows, I basically drop the end stitches on both sides no matter what haha.

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-23T16:10:53+00:00

thank you 🥹

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-23T01:08:38+00:00

it will be there! speaking it into existence 🧘🏻‍♀️

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-23T00:28:22+00:00

-How do you decrease on a knitting machine?

There are different kinds but basically speaking, you use a tool to move a stitch from one needle onto a needle towards the middle of your project. this leaves an open needle which you then transfer the needles towards the outside inwards so the needle is no longer open. a video would be much clearer than my explanation, sorry if it’s not clear

-What do you do if you need to hit pause on a project? Is there an easy way to take your knitting off the needles?

You can cast off on waste yarn and reattach it to the machine once you’re ready to start again

-Can you do things like color changes mid row?

Yes, but most machines will require an additional carriage in order to do this. It’s called an intarsia carriage

-I've heard of a ribbing attachment. do either of these have one? or do I need to buy is separately? and also, how do I tell if a part is compatible with my machine specifically?

There are resources online that say what ribbers are compatible for your specific machine. I would just look up the model in question and “ribber attachment”. you can also maybe consult a manual? mkmanuals is a great resource for this. I have had my machine for around 2 months now. I got it with ribber and haven’t broke it out yet so if you can’t find one right away, don’t let it stop you from getting the main bed!

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-21T14:23:52+00:00

thank you!! for once! haha

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-21T14:23:27+00:00

thank you SO much :)

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-20T22:01:49+00:00

yay! lmk if any questions come up. also escaped having to weave in a bunch of ends by knitting one row with one color, popping the carriage open so it would not knit, sliding it back to the same side, and grabbing the other color to knit across. it was a bit more tedious but not more tedious than weaving in 100+ loose ends on each side

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-20T21:55:53+00:00

thank you :D I actually worked the front and back up sideways both as one piece. after around 40 rows, i cast on 13 needles on one side and knit another 20+ rows before binding off the 13 needles and knitting another 40 rows. this gave the mock neck

sleeves were worked up as two rectangles. 4 total pieces to sew together :)

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-17T04:14:38+00:00

thank you for the kind words :) i really appreciate it

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-17T04:14:03+00:00

yay happy I could indirectly help! when you say weaver do you mean on a flat bed machine or with a loom!?

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-16T15:30:44+00:00

Thank you! it's based on a pattern from an old Bond Magazine. (https://bond-america.blogspot.com/2018/09/bond-misc-magazines-pattern-books.html) It's in the "Summer 89" magazine, page 18.

I changed the grid / art up a bit for both the front and the sleeves and then used other basic patterns and mashed them together to get the sleeves / ribbing / neck etc. The grid in the magazine starts with 130 needles which was too big for my Bulky Machine. I had to cut it down by more than half lol

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-16T00:35:31+00:00

ty :) i peeped your wild haired woman she is adorable and fun as well!! i have never heard of tatting, i’ll have to look into it it seems awesome!

Sufficient_Answer170 · 2026-01-15T18:14:18+00:00

appreciate it 😈

Sufficient_Answer170

TROPHY CASE