![\"CSM\"](\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/IMG_20131231_112900_trm_sm.jpg\")
<\/a>This is the second of two CSM’s that Husband acquired in his search for the perfect holiday gift for me.\u00c2\u00a0 The first one turned out to be missing too many parts to be serviceable.\u00c2\u00a0 This one had previously been rescued from an antique store (it seems the store owner didn’t know what it was), and lovingly used by the rescuer for many years until she became too old to take care of it herself.\u00c2\u00a0 The instruction booklet it came with is dated 1914.\u00c2\u00a0 It had been stored for a while before Husband bought it, so he and my dad conspired to fix it up in Dad’s shop and then surprise me with it after they got it working again.<\/p>\nI was shocked, surprised, and delighted.\u00c2\u00a0 And I was never so glad that I had finally finished the striped socks from doom for him as right then.\u00c2\u00a0 Even though they had taken two years.\u00c2\u00a0 Any other gift for him would have seemed silly.<\/p>\n
He had thoughtfully set the machine up for me and loaded it with yarn.\u00c2\u00a0 I sat down to try it out right away.\u00c2\u00a0 He also thoughtfully provided a host of YouTube videos to walk me through how to make a heel and toe.\u00c2\u00a0 Because, quite frankly, you need the videos.\u00c2\u00a0 Those people are clever, and the instruction manual is rather thin.<\/p>\n
Now I know several people who have named their cars, various machines, and even their spinning wheels.\u00c2\u00a0 I never really got on board with this until the CSM came into my life.\u00c2\u00a0 She would go along just fine for rounds and rounds, and then…just when you thought you were getting the hang of things…wham!\u00c2\u00a0 She would drop several stitches in a row.\u00c2\u00a0 And since the knitting only works if there is tension on the fabric – there are weights either hung from the fabric or placed inside the tube – those dropped stitches were suddenly four to six rounds back from the current\/working round.\u00c2\u00a0 I’ve been fixing knitting mistakes for years, but the tension combined with the stitch size means that it’s nearly impossible to pick those dropped stitches back up again.\u00c2\u00a0 You end up with a nice big hole and have to rip everything back out to start over again.\u00c2\u00a0 Assuming that you didn’t want the hole there for lovely artistic effect.<\/p>\n
<\/a>That hole on the left? It’s not supposed to be there.<\/p><\/div>\n
What I’ve learned is this:\u00c2\u00a0 If you don’t have your weights on right, or there’s not enough weight, or the weight is hung in the wrong place, or you’re not paying attention to the yarn supply, or you haven’t oiled it properly, or you aren’t holding your tongue just right, or\u00c2\u00a0 you are breathing too heavy…she’ll drop a stitch in an instant.<\/p>\n
Persnickety!\u00c2\u00a0 [per-snik-i-tee] – adjective; 1. overparticular; fussy. 2. snobbish or having the aloof attitude of a snob. 3. requiring painstaking care.<\/p>\n
I finally completed my first sock after about eight hours of starting, cursing, ripping back, starting again, cursing, ripping back, starting yet again, cursing, and finally getting to the end.\u00c2\u00a0 Whew!\u00c2\u00a0 The second sock only took me an hour.\u00c2\u00a0 I apparently learned a thing or two.\u00c2\u00a0 However, it will be a while yet before I can complete a sock in eight minutes like the pros on the Internet (no kidding!).\u00c2\u00a0 I see lots and lots of play time in my future.<\/p>\n
A few years ago I was blessed with seeing a demonstration of a fabulously restored circular sock machine (CSM) at the Madrona Fiber Arts Festival.\u00c2\u00a0 It was amazing, and I quickly snapped a picture of one they were offering for … Continue reading <\/a>Still, it’s much faster than hand knitting and I can use my favorite no-sew knitting tricks for the toe and heels.\u00c2\u00a0 The stitch count is perfect for knitting a sock that fits my narrow feet well.\u00c2\u00a0 We’ll see how well it will do on a sock for Husband’s size 13 feet.\u00c2\u00a0 If she can do that, she might just get a new name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"