I’m an old high school English teacher. Well, that is . . . I’m old(ish) and I was a high school and middle school English teacher for a number of years. Thus, I build “lesson plans” rather than demonstrate random, isolated skills. The reason I chose, all those years ago, to design this course was that I wanted to teach the skills of making a sweater in context and in sequence.
This is what 100 years of public school and Department of Defense teaching experience taught me (well . . . not really 100 years, but I get extra credit for teaching in mammoth high schools outside of Detroit for 9 of those years). Things need to be relevant to our lives in order for them to stick in our heads. You wanna make sweaters right? Well, here’s your first one. Follow the steps and it will be a huge success. You will be totally stoked!
Enjoy!
Hi Cheryl,
I found your videos and am enjoying them. I did some machine knitting years ago and a getting back into it again. I have a Brother 360, so I know the gauge is very close to the Bond. I am going to follow your videos to try to make the size 3 sweater. I’m having some problems, however, converting Key Plates to a tension on the bulky machine. I know all about hold position, changing yarns, etc. I’m wondering if you have a conversion?
Thanks,
Irvin Johnson
Vancouver, WA, USA
Meant to say Brother 260.. bulky machine. 9MM
Irv
Hi Irv,
The BOND has an 8mm pitch so it’s close, but I’ve never used a 9mm machine so I don’t have conversions. The 3 keyplate gives a pretty loose gauge . . . but is regularly used for a worsted weight. Have you knit much worsted on your machine? If so, I would go with the tension that yields the closest to 4 stitches per inch. The gauge isn’t critical in this sweater since it’s really just an exercise to learn the sequence and skills but the closer you come to that gauge, the more we can count on it holding its proportions.
The best way to figure it out is to make some gauge swatches and compare them with the pattern, I have a 4.5 mm machine also and my tension 10 converts to the keyplate 1, I would try your center or the lowest setting first. Hope this helps.
Cheryl, I watch your videos too many times to count, each time I learn new things. Thank you so much.
Mrs. Brunette,
I found your videos last Friday and I think that I have now watched them all. I notice that you used an older Bond with the wire frame in the front. Have you used the newer Bonds without the wire? How do you think that they compare?
I am interested in your lace notebook mentioned in one of the first videos. Is it available anywhere?
Thanks for making your videos available. I really learned a lot. I think that even my hand knitting will improve based on some of the things I learned from your videos.
Ritta
Hi Ritta,
I’m so glad you found the videos and that they are helping you. I have, in fact, used newer versions of BONDS, though my experience is more limited with them. I think there have been improvements on the newer carriages that make certain techniques easier. In general, however, I prefer my original bed. It seems stouter and truer (flatter) than the later beds that were cut in two for marketing/packaging/shipping reasons. There is a single 1/4-inch steel rod that runs through all the modules whereas the newer ones have parts that are bolted together.
I sometimes use a carriage from an old KnitSmart machine which was a very short-lived version of the BOND over which there were some intellectual property issues, with my original bed.
As for the lace article . . . I’ll eventually get it up here. I have to find the magazine it’s in and scan it, optimize it, etc. It’s on my list, but thanks for reminding me that some people are waiting for it.
Dear Cheryl,
I love to crochet, but when my sister gave me a Bond Knitting Machine, I’ve become addicted to learning how to use it to make a sweater. But I’m confused on several points.
For instance, I tried to make a sweater following the directions in a book called Sweater Machine. I purchased it from Bond-America of Washington, NC. The pieces are completed, but I’m not so sure it was done correctly. The reason I say that is on your Meet Your Bond sample when you made the ribbing you changed from a 3 key plate to a 2 and completed it with a 4 on the last row. My instructions, from the book, said nothing about changing the key plates. Another example was how the shoulders were done. They finished the shoulders with binding off where you used waste yarn (which I like better) so they could be knitted together rather that having to sew them together.
I guess the confusion is in whether or not I can incorporate some of your methods in the directions of another sweater even though the pattern is designed for the Bond Machine.
I’ve decided to go back and make the First Bond Sweater before I try an adult one again. That reminds me of another question. Is there a method of increasing the size of a sweater that only goes to a large, to an extra-large or bigger?
Last question, I promise! Did you ever make an adult pattern for the one you used to make the First Bond Sweater? I’d love to have a copy.
Thank you for your time, and sorry this is so long.
Iam having trouble setting up and getting te carriage to knit. What could I be doing wrong? Thanks