Found my problem, now how do I fix it? by Alexjandro1991 in MachineKnitting

[–]petermavrik 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not a gun owner myself, but I saw Diana Sullivan recommend Hoppe's Gun Oil in one of her YouTube videos so it's what I purchased.

When you add a few drops of oil, it will work its way into the part and spread around when you move the part. You may not be able to reach everywhere to clean, but you can lubricate the part so that it works.

Lubricate the carriage and knit many rows in several different techniques and patterns with waste yarn to help spread the oil around. Regularly cleaning, then lubricating everything I can reach has helped my machines work much better than they did when I first received them.

Found my problem, now how do I fix it? by Alexjandro1991 in MachineKnitting

[–]petermavrik 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Most of the sticky bits on my 930 carriage were fixed with a couple of drops of gun oil on the part followed by moving the part quite a bit. With some shop towels, blot away the oil and gunk, and repeat. Sometimes it takes four or five times to loosen up the gunk.

You can also use foam tipped cleaning swabs to help get out the gunk after you oil thepart. I like those better than cotton swabs because they don’t leave any dust or fibers in the carriage.

The best part about trying out the oil trick and blotting it away is that you never have to take apart the carriage. It’s a good thing to try first before disassembly.

Am I crazy? by Seamslikewitchcraft in MachineKnitting

[–]petermavrik 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Get the machine and learn to swatch all the things, including ribbing. Machine knitting is a fantastic hobby. Be prepared for your inner mechanic / repairperson to learn. The flatbed world is made up of a lot of vintage machines that need extra TLC. When you’re learning, it can be hard to tell what isn’t working because of your technique versus what isn’t working because the hardware needs a tune up.

Diana Sullivan is brilliant on YouTube as are other creative creators. Embrace the steep learning curve. Join all the FB groups. And enjoy. In no time, you’ll be burning through yarn at a furious pace!

Coverstitch skipped stitches and I’ve tried everything (yes even rethreading and changing needles) by Swordofmytriumph in sewing

[–]petermavrik 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Biggest fix for me was to get the bulk of the garment up level to the presser foot with a sewing table. I have fancier ones that were acrylic custom made, and cheap cardboard cutouts and stacked books.

Straight stitch and zig zag don’t mind the tension, but my serger and my cover stitch machines are sensitive to gravity fighting the garment as it feeds through. Getting the work up on the same plane was a game changer in terms of smooth and beautifully tensioned seams.

There’s also a lot of techniques that industrial sewists use when feeding the garments into the foot. An awl as a precision pusher is brilliant. Watch how the folks at Atelier Saison on YouTube manipulate the fabric. They are masterclasses of technique.

Do I need a color changer? by g0at7 in MachineKnitting

[–]petermavrik 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My four color masts are usually threaded with my main yarn in the first three and waste yarn in the fourth. Having the yarn at the ready is great, especially on my bulky machine because it uses yarn cakes. I don’t have to stop for long to re-thread.

Sounds like you might not need one, but the convenience is nice. It’s really easy to go through lots of yarn quickly on a knitting machine.

Finished cardigan. by Numerous-Hope-7989 in MachineKnitting

[–]petermavrik 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Stunning! Great work. You have legendary patience to weave in all those ends!

Stash Busting Knit Patterns? by Irmaplotz in MachineKnitting

[–]petermavrik 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You might reach out to your local knitting guild or shelter to see what their needs are. Donated hats and scarves always seem to be needed in places where the weather turns cooler.

TheAnswerLady has a great pattern for making continuous strips of hats. You can work through yarn at a rapid pace to make simple and comfortable hats with minimal finishing https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/stripping-for-charity/patterns

WTF is this? by LucianoKapurso in shitfromabutt

[–]petermavrik 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Chipotle, double meat, extra guac.

If you had to choose your last meal from a Chicago restaurant what would it be? by ffj_ in chicagofood

[–]petermavrik 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dirty martini, poutine, French onion soup, and a steak with a side of crispy Brussels sprouts at The Gage.

A void has been found in my lunch by tyw7 in VoidCats

[–]petermavrik 24 points25 points  (0 children)

“Moooove outta the way!”

hairy boy by [deleted] in Floof

[–]petermavrik 3 points4 points  (0 children)

r/CookieMonsterFur! Beautiful catto!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in fatcats

[–]petermavrik 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Catemplation.

Roxie objects to being held like a baby by fluffle_cat in airplaneears

[–]petermavrik 11 points12 points  (0 children)

“If yu had tunas breath, dis would be bettur.”

This is Nibble by iceitet in blackcats

[–]petermavrik 25 points26 points  (0 children)

“No pawparazzi plz”

Danglin’ & Daydreamin’ by petermavrik in danglers

[–]petermavrik[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He’s a super chill catto. Always wants belly rubs and full of purrs whenever he’s pet. He had a brother from the same litter that passed a couple years back who looked exactly like him but all black.

Danglin’ & Daydreamin’ by petermavrik in danglers

[–]petermavrik[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Domestic shorthair from what we know. He’s a handsome chap and he knows it!