Circular Knitting! Machines & Reviews

With the Facebook changes in how groups are showing in newsfeeds, I tend to access groups where I'm a member on my mobile app by clicking on that option in my top tool bar. (Kinda looks like 3 people outlined with one in front and two behind... like a ... group. LOL!) I haven't always used that feature, but it's proven to be pretty handy.

I'm in a lot of groups where artisans and makers buy/sell/swap supplies, with yarns and threads being my go-to supplies. One day, I saw a woman posting that she had Sentro large knitting machines for sale, and having nothing else pulling at my attention, I gave into curiosity. I'd never heard of such a thing! I primarily crochet, but I also hand knit, and the idea of a circular knitting machine that could speed up knitting time appealed to me. The group seller had already sold out of her supply, so I looked around online to see what I could find.

Several $50-ish versions of a white plastic machine with pink accents filled my Shopping tab on my browser. Sentro, Jamit, Santro, Singer... Different needle counts, but basically the same concept as a sock knitting machine, just on a larger scale. Then I saw the name brand Addi, and those were four and five times the price of the white-&-pink ones. I had no idea if I'd like machine circular knitting enough to invest in that expensive one, so I ordered the Sentro brand 22-pin and 48-pin machines.

At first, I thought, 'Ok, this is cool, but I still love crochet.' About a week later, my creativity started to explode, and I discovered so many things I could do with the circular knitting machines. Purses, blankets, dolls, pillows, dog fashion sweaters, tote bags.... headbands, beanies (i.e. toboggans, toques, watch caps), scarves, and mittens.... It occurred to me that I could combine knit tubes and panels to embellish with crochet to make unique and trendy goods! That's when I upgraded to the Addi Express Pro (22 pin) and Addi Express Kingsize (46 pin).

I've been working my way through various "recipes" that I've seen online. Here are some examples:

Now I've started to branch off and design my own items. Instead of patterns, the instructions for knitting machine items are called "recipes," but that isn't fitting to me. I've decided to call them... Knotty Incantations! Knot Magick is, indeed, a real thing. What better way to learn how to knot fibers into something magical than to have the spell being given by an Incantress?

Watch out for Knotty Incantations videos to start popping up soon! For now, enjoy this clip of my business mascot Roxy and me working on our latest project.