Alright, let me tell you about the time I finally tackled cleaning my Addi knitting machine. It’s one of those things you know you should do, but you keep putting it off, right? Well, mine started to sound a bit… crunchy. Yeah, crunchy isn’t a good sound for a knitting machine. And it was getting a little stiff to crank. So, I figured, enough was enough.
Getting Started – Facing the Beast
First off, I had to gather my courage. I’m not gonna lie, the thought of taking it apart, with all those little needles and gears, was a bit daunting. I’ve seen pictures, and it looks complicated! But I told myself, “It’s just a machine. People design these things, people can fix ’em.” So, I cleared off my table, took a deep breath, and got my tools ready.
I didn’t have any special Addi cleaning kit or anything. I just grabbed:
- A couple of small Phillips head screwdrivers (you’ll need one for those tiny screws on the bottom).
- An old, clean toothbrush.
- Some cotton swabs.
- A can of compressed air (like you use for keyboards).
- A soft cloth.
- And a little bit of sewing machine oil – just a tiny bit!
Oh, and good lighting! You definitely want to see what you’re doing.
Taking it Apart – The Point of No Return
Okay, so the first real step was flipping the machine over. There are several screws on the bottom plate. I unscrewed them carefully and made sure to put them somewhere safe, like a little dish, so they wouldn’t roll away and get lost forever. Those little guys are escape artists.
Once the screws were out, the bottom cover came off. And let me tell you, wow. It wasn’t pretty under there. All that lint, yarn fluff, tiny bits of fiber… it was like a secret woolly monster had been living inside my Addi! All caked around the gears and in all the little crevices. No wonder it was protesting.
The Big Clean-Up
This is where the toothbrush and compressed air really became my best friends. I started by using the toothbrush to gently brush away all the loose lint and dust. I tried to get into all the nooks and crannies. You’d be surprised how much stuff accumulates in there.
Then, I took the can of compressed air and gave it some good blasts. Poof! More dust bunnies went flying. It’s pretty satisfying, actually. For the really stubborn bits, especially around the gears and where the needles slide, I used the cotton swabs. Sometimes I’d moisten a swab ever so slightly with a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol if something was really stuck, but mostly dry brushing and air did the trick.
I spent a good while on this part, just making sure everything was as clean as I could get it. I also gently cleaned the needles from the top, making sure there wasn’t any gunk in their tracks. I wiped down the inside of the cover too before thinking about putting it all back together.
A Little Bit of Lube
Once everything was squeaky clean, it was time for a tiny bit of lubrication. And I mean tiny. You don’t want oil getting all over your yarn. I put a very small drop of sewing machine oil on the main gear and a few other moving metal parts. Then I turned the crank a few times by hand to help spread it around a bit.
Putting It All Back Together
This was basically the reverse of taking it apart. I carefully placed the bottom cover back on, making sure everything lined up. Then I put all those little screws back in. I tightened them gently – you don’t want to strip the plastic or crack anything.
The Moment of Truth
After it was all assembled, I gave the crank a turn. Oh, what a difference! It was so much smoother and quieter. It felt like a brand new machine. I threaded some scrap yarn and knitted a few rows. Perfect! No more crunching, no more stiffness, and the stitches were looking lovely and even again.
So, yeah, that was my adventure in cleaning my Addi. It took a bit of time, maybe an hour or so, but it was totally worth it. It’s not nearly as scary as it looks, and now I know I can do it again when the time comes. My machine is definitely happier for it, and honestly, so am I!
