It's Been Awhile...

Well, it's been almost a month since my last post, but nothing significant has been happening in my fibre life or in my life in general. It's become a routine of work and home really. Work has been quite busy, and I have over 25 hours in overtime, so I get to take an extra week off at Christmas. This means I will be off for 3 weeks, yipee!! I have so many plans, I just hope I can materialize some of them.

The loom is still waiting for it's new texsolv heddles and a reed, until I have them I can't really warp it, hopefully I will be able to get them before the holidays begin. However, I have finally got one video (Dress your loom the Swedish way), and a CD book by Laura Fry. I've had a brief look at both and they are fantastic resources.

In the knitting machine world, there is some good news and bad news. The bad news is, the SK 120 8mm machine has proved to be a bit trying to say the least. The sponge bar is flat, and there are no new ones to be found. Refurbishing it is not an option, as it's a very strange bar, it's extremely narrow and the channel is very deep, I have spent hours trying to come up with various solutions, but nothing works.
I tried the ribber and that was a disaster, it's not the greatest ribber, which is probably why they did not make one for the SK 140. However, all is not lost, I have just heard a machine knitting friend's son can refurbish my bar with the right sponge etc. So I just might be able to use it soon.

The good news is, I hauled out this black tilt stand I have had for years, and decided to give it a try; well, it's really sturdy, much better than any table I have tried. So, now it has a place in my room (the SK 120 is sitting on it at the moment).

Okay, here I go again, I am hankering after getting the new Artisan 70D plus mid-gauge, fixed double bed machine! Gosh, does this ever end?? It costs a $1000, I can't afford one just yet, perhaps in the New Year. I feel I really need a mid-gauge of some sort, as I have a ton worsted and DK weight yarns. I definitely can't afford the SK-860, it is way too expensive. The Artisan is affordable, and from all accounts the newer models are much better made.
Partly, the reason I want a brand-new machine is, I am really getting tired of serving and hunting for missing parts for all the used machines I have. I have so little time and would rather use it knitting, not being a mechanic! Don't get me wrong, I love the mechanical aspect, I just don't want to be doing it more than knitting. Heck, if that's what it takes, then I should do it as a business, at least then it would be worth it.

On the sewing front, I cut out a winter coat last night, and will be cutting out a suit as well. I need clothes for work, and must sew a few items. I will also see if I can fit in sewing some pants over the holidays.

So much to do, and so little time, gosh how I hate working!!

Good Quality Weaving Tools, At Affordable Prices

While I love to weave, I must say it is an expensive artform! The prices for some weaving accessories are not for the faint of heart. I do understand the logistics of it all, but the fact remains, is it is expensive.

As I am upgrading my loom, I am slowly purchasing items, starting with the less expensive ones first. I have been looking for raddle for a long time, and yes I know I can make my own, but I really can't be asked. I barely have time to knit, sew and weave, so adding "making tools" is a bit much. If I didn't have to work, I would happy to make them, but my time is too precious for all of that.

Anyhow, I have found a weaver, who also makes certain weaving accessories, like raddles, cone holders, benches etc. Her name is Janet Fox, she makes good quality items at affordable prices. I just bought an all wood 36" raddle with a screw-on cap to protect the warp bouts. It arrived yesterday, and I am very pleased with it! Price? It cost me $49 including shipping.
However, the best of all is Janet's wonderful customer service. Here is someone who cares about her customers, makes sure the customer is happy, has excellent communication skills etc. A rare quality these days.

I am a very satisfied customer and will be purchasing more items from Janet as I need them. I just wanted to share this experience with all you.

Knittax Ribber Cams

A lady on the Knittax list was having a hard time knitting rib on her Knitking (Knittax) machine, after we had exchanged a few posts, I realized that perhaps the cams on the ribber carriage were stuck. Well, that is exactly what it turned out to be! So I made a short video on how these cams should behave when working right and when they are not working right. I used one of my ribber carriages to demonstrate.

You will see me pushing down on the right cam, and it springs back easily, but the left one is stuck. This is the first time I have ever made a video, I used my camera, as I do not have a video camera, so please bear with any weird inconsistencies.



Hope this helps with anyone else having problems with the ribbing. I will try and post another video on how to fix this.

The Loom Is Slowly Being Upgraded

Well, the loom is slowly but surely being upgraded. I started out with the changing the roller cords and the treadle cords, they weren't expensive, $30 got me nice new, shiny cords :). The next two are the costly ones, texsolv heddles and some reeds. I priced the heddles, I can get 600 for $123, but the reeds are a different scenario.
The stainless steel ones are just too expensive for me, so I will go with carbon steel. The cheapest stainless steel ones I have seen are Toika reeds, at $74 each. The Leclerc ones are frightfully expensive, nearly $100 each with taxes and shipping!!!

The other items I am considering are; a set of Purrington angel wings, the four-hole version, so I can insert four lease sticks, and the Harrisville tensioning device. Of course these are pure "wants", not needs, so I won't be pursuing the purchase of these anytime immediately.

I do believe when I go on Michaelmas hols, I will be able to weave, as I hope by then I will have all that I need.

Mounting Plate For Knit Radar - SK 120

I had promised awhile ago to post some more information on the Singer SK 120 8mm gauge machine, but work has kept me very busy (they keep telling me slow times are ahead) and the home has been just as busy.
Anyhow, here is the first of a few posts I will be doing on this machine. Below you will see a series of pictures on how the mounting plate for the knit radar is attached, and how the tripper works. The instructions show the KR 6 being used, but you can also use your KR 7 and I am sure, your KR 5 as well. So long as the grooves on the bottom of the radar are spaced right, they will snap onto the plate.

As you can see, it fits very well, and is a neatly thought out design. These plates are hard to find, but I sure there are few knocking about. This machine also has a weaving arm, a drive knit accessory and a garter bar.