Getting Started with the Erlbacher Circular Sock Machine

15 July, 2022

This is something I’ve been waiting to share with you for a long time now… today, we’re going to talk about sock knitting machines!

Earlier this year, in February, I talked about circular sock knitting machines (in this vlog episode) and how I had placed an order with Erlbacher for a new machine. Well, it has now arrived and I want to share with you the unboxing and to tell you a little bit about the machine. About all that came with it, and about all of the things that I’ve made with it so far!

I would love to hear from you if you have a machine… what was your learning curve like? What process did you go through in order to learn the very first steps, and then what did you do next? Let me know in the comments!

IN THIS EPISODE

  • what I mention in today’s vlog: Here are links to items I mention in the video…

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  1. welcome to the cult!!!

    I have 2.4 Auto Knitters (antique ones) and if I knew then what I know now, I’d buy new from Erlbacher or possibly Dave Lord in Quebec (except the waitlist…)

    The learning curve is crazy – not sure if you didn’t say or if you didn’t know, but first socks require at least a box of wine and the iteration of many many expletives… you’ll drop the weights dangerously close to (or on) your toe; you’ll get through most of that heel and then drop a stitch; you’ll have lost count of up and down needles; etc… and that’s just for socks 1.0 with the folded top. I have had my machine (one works well, #2 makes great tubes, .4 not there yet but I’m frankensteining #3) for a while and still have not mastered ribber (socks 2.0) but the folded top sox are perfectly fine too…

    best fun and learning was attending a crank-in – we’ve had a couple in Victoria but there are more regular sessions in western coastal washington or northwestern oregon. SO MUCH FUN… perhaps you could host a mini crank in?

    hints:
    -oil, lots of oil…
    -make lists of procedures on file cards until you get the routine ingrained into brain (heel spring on/off; right side then left side, move the heel forks before you need to)
    -use a knitting machine needle as latch hook
    -listen to the machine – some of us only use weights sometimes and ‘hold/pull (which others disagree with!)’ the sock and can feel better when something skips
    -oh, have fun

    there’s probably only about a dozen machines in the lower mainland and the island so we know many of the folks…

    congratulations!

    1. “first socks require at least a box of wine and the iteration of many many expletives… you’ll drop the weights dangerously close to (or on) your toe; you’ll get through most of that heel and then drop a stitch; you’ll have lost count of up and down needles; etc… and that’s just for socks 1.0 with the folded top.”

      This made me laugh so much!!

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