May 26, 2009

Back to the Knitting Machine

Last year after Winter, I gave away virtually all my jumpers as by then they were three sizes too big and looked like a "hessian bag"! A trip to the shops recently to accumulate some warm gear for our cold winter was futile. There was just nothing in the colour, style or warmth that I was looking for.

I knew I had a stash of wool in the cupboard so decided I would make a couple of cardigans for myself. I have not been able to knit by hand for 20 years or so as the muscle in my left thumb is totally worn out and the right hand is not much better. The movement in knitting means that bone rubs against bone which is very painful, to say the least. Many years ago I purchased a Knitting Machine second hand. It was old when I bought it, so it is really vintage now. Evidently my Singer Memomatic 321 was made about 35 years ago, but it is the most wonderful piece of engineering and still works like a charm.


I hadn't used it for 4 years, so I needed a day to work out how to do everything. Then it was out with the wool - a lovely colour called "All Spice" from Bendigo Woollen Mills where I purchase all my wool -

then lots of arm exercise moving this gadget back and forth across the needles


and some hand tooling every so often to make the cables, and hey presto, the garment was complete!
3½ days was all it took, with supermarket shopping and housework in between. It takes as long to sew it up as it does to actually knit it! And it is just so lovely and warm!
I'm now on my second one. The sleeves are plain on this new one I'm making and so it only takes an hour to knit a sleeve! It puts a new slant on the term 'instant'.
Regards
Val

4 comments:

Janelle said...

Nice jumper Mum!

Unknown said...

Is it that long ago that I also had one of these Singers? I bought mine new when I had two little boys to knit for, one being a baby!!
I don't have this knitting machine any more but I sure used it to death. Eventually I bought a second hand Empisal machine as well, so I could make beautiful lacey patterns (same as handknitted lace) for both myself, and matching jumpers for my dearest daughter, who we adopted from India when she was 13 months old. (I can still picture the lovely mid pink jumpers with the lovely fabric collars I put on them. Gee they looked nice. I sometimes wish I still had the knitting machines!!!!!

Muriel said...

Hi

I have been looking for a long time for the manual for that knitting machine Singer Memo-Matic 321
Do you have it?
My Email is coord1@live.com.au
Please respond

Muriel

Bavo76 said...

I just purchased a Singer Memo-Matic 321 off EBay today so I'm off to pick this item up tomorrow in Melbourne. I can't believe how nice that jumper of yours turned out so hopefully when I get the hang of this new machine I'll give it a try. Muriel just tonight I looked up Singer Memo-Matic 321 manuals and I found it on a Google search which was for free to download so please reply if you are still after this manual. Thanks Darryl