Okay, so, I got this thing, a knitting machine, ’cause I thought, “Hey, why not make my own sweaters?” It’s one of those round ones, called the Addi Express King Size or something like that. I saw it online and thought it looked neat. I first had to find it for sale online, and there were actually some pretty good deals on these things. I shopped around for the best price I could find, I do not buy the first product I see.
First off, getting the yarn on this thing was a bit of a pain. You gotta follow these little guides and make sure the yarn’s feeding in just right. It took me a few tries, not gonna lie. I messed up a couple of times and had to start over. My hands were all fumbly, and I was getting a little frustrated, but I figured that is part of the process.
- Thread the yarn through the yarn guide.
- Make sure the yarn tension is just right.
- Turn the crank slowly at first.
Then, you start cranking the handle. Round and round it goes. It’s kinda loud, to be honest. My husband kept asking what all that noise was, but I found it strangely relaxing, in a way. You can see the stitches forming, and it’s pretty cool, I guess. I had to get used to it, but eventually, I started getting faster.
After a while, you get this long tube of knitted fabric. I followed a pattern I found, but it was pretty basic, to be honest. I started with a simple tube and kept going for the body of the sweater, making sure it was not too loose or tight around me, but just the right fit.
Making the Sleeves
For the sleeves, I did the same thing, just smaller tubes. Then I watched a tutorial about how to attach them to the main body. It is not easy to follow at first. That part was tricky, and I had to redo one sleeve ’cause it looked all wonky. But, I got the hang of it. The sleeves were a bit of a pain to attach, I will not lie. But, I did it!
Finally, I had to finish off the edges. I messed up the first time and it got all unraveled, but I learned from my mistakes. I carefully stitched up the edges to make sure they wouldn’t come undone, and I used this special tool to bind off, which was easier than I thought it would be. I added a little ribbing to the bottom and the neckline, just to make it look a little nicer.
And there you have it, a sweater! It’s not perfect, a little lumpy in places, but hey, I made it. It’s actually pretty warm, too. I wore it around the house, and my daughter said it looked “cozy,” which I took as a compliment. It felt good to wear something I made with my own two hands, even if it did take a bit of figuring out. And, I still have the sweater today!
