Okay, so I got this idea stuck in my head about making my own electric knitting machine. It all started when I saw some cool automated knitting stuff online, and I was like, “I gotta try that!” First thing, I gathered all the materials. I already had some knitting needles and yarn lying around from my grandma’s old stash. Then I ordered a cheap motor online, nothing fancy, just something that could spin.
When the motor arrived, I started messing around with it. I took apart an old CD player – yeah, those still exist – and salvaged some gears and belts from it. I’m not gonna lie, it looked like a total mess at first. Wires everywhere, bits of plastic, and my cat looking at me like I’d lost it.
Building the Frame
- First, I grabbed some scrap wood from my garage.
- Then I cut and screwed them together to make a basic frame. It wasn’t pretty, but it was sturdy enough.
- I attached the motor to one end and tried to rig up a system where the knitting needles could move back and forth.
This part was tricky. I spent hours trying different setups. I used rubber bands, more gears, and even some Lego pieces – don’t judge – to try to get the needles to move smoothly. After a lot of trial and error, and a few accidental needle launches across the room, I finally got something that sort of worked.
The first time I tried to actually knit something, it was a disaster. The yarn got tangled, the needles jammed, and the motor made this awful grinding noise. But I didn’t give up. I tweaked the setup, oiled some parts, and adjusted the tension of the yarn. Slowly but surely, it started to come together.
First Successful Knit
I remember the first successful, albeit small, piece of fabric I made. It was uneven and full of holes, but it was knitted by my janky homemade machine! I was so pumped. I showed it to my wife, who just laughed and said, “That’s nice, honey,” but I knew she was secretly impressed.
Since then, I’ve made a bunch of improvements. I added a speed controller to the motor, which helped a lot. I also figured out a better way to mount the needles so they wouldn’t fly off. It’s still a work in progress, but every time I use it, I learn something new.
So yeah, that’s my story about building an electric knitting machine. It’s been a wild ride, full of frustration and little victories. If anyone’s thinking about doing something similar, my advice is: just go for it. You’ll probably mess up a lot, but it’s totally worth it when you see your creation come to life.
