Sock Workshop

This summer, I have been planning a Sock Workshop at our community center for the knitting and crocheting ladies and gents who attend our regular knitting group. About a month ago, I purchased a singer knitting machine. It is made for children to 'play' with, but I had seen some videos of knitting ladies who use them to make sock blanks.
   Sock blanks are merely yarn that is held double strand and knit either in a tube or a flat piece. We use them to dye into personalized yarn for our sock creations. If you go to KnitPicks and check out their sock blanks, you will see that they charge a little under $20 for 100 grams of yarn knit into a blank. 

Sock Blank from KnitPicks Yarn

   After I found Dyers Supply and the wonderful yarns they sell that are raw yarn without dye, I realized that there had to be a more economical way to get blanks to dye. (Think of all the extra yarn we can buy just for saving money!) 
     The first knitting machine was a Singer and costs about $25. It is very small and knits very small blanks. It is enough to make a blank, but not quite what I wanted, so further investigation was needed. I came upon the Loops and Thread at Michael's Craft store. It is larger and knits a much larger blank, plus is is easier to use than the smaller Singer. The Loops and Thread machine is just under $75, but with their famous 40% or 50% off coupons, it is not a lot more than the Singer, and in my estimation, worth the extra price to pay. I found the Loops and thread much easier to use, less dropped stitches, easier to crank, faster knitting with less futzing.
   In the following photo, you can see the difference in size between the two machines.

Pink Singer, Black/White Loops and Thread

    One particular issue with both machines is the dropped stitches. The Loops and Thread machine comes with clips that you can add to the blank as it is knit to weigh down the newly formed fabric. This helps control the material so that the yarn doesn't slip off the needles. Second is the size of the knitting area. It is easier to see if there are potential drops in the knitting by watching the needle separators to see if any yarn gets stuck above rather than getting slipped below. This makes it easier to push these yarns down and under, otherwise you will get a slipped stitch the next pass. You may need to click on the picture to see the difference.

Two left and two right are normal. The two middle will slip.

Middle stitches are over the needle guards and will result in slipped stitches.

The sock blanks are nice and evenly stitched, wider so you get finished knitting them faster. I prefer the Loops and Thread machine over the Singer. The price difference with the coupon made it worth investing in the larger machine. There are much pricier models on the market, but for what I will be using them to do, it doesn't seem worth the price to pay over $100, $200 and up for a knitting machine. 
   Here is the first blank I created...

....now to find the dye and pattern for this beauty. Next time, we will talk about dyeing the sock blank. Friendly hugs to you all and happy knitting.