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A knitting machine ribber attachment protected by a custom cover, with knitted fabric draped safely over it, demonstrating proper needle bed protection
Machine Knitting Tips
accessory ribber

Ribber Cover

It can take a while to get used to how the needlebed is tilted when you first start using a ribber. It's also easy to catch your knitting, sleeves or fingers on the ribber needles or gate pegs.  Here are some tips for covering your ribber.

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Screenshot of the Knit it Now glossary page showing machine knitting terms and their definitions, organized alphabetically
Machine Knitting Tips
abbreviations mk terms

The Secret Language of Machine Knitting

Machine Knitting has it's own unique set of terms and abbreviations that can be confusing. Use the Knit it Now Glossary to translate.

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A flat lay arrangement of various machine knitting weights, showing different sizes and styles of claw weights and ribber weights used for tension control
Machine Knitting Tips
claw weights weights

Using weights when Machine Knitting

By using weights when machine knitting, you can achieve success even with those "difficult" yarns and stitch patterns and ensure that your stitches form more cleanly.

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Close-up of a knitting machine's tension mast showing its angled position when set up for ribbing, highlighting the intentional bend that guides yarn correctly
Machine Knitting Tips
mast tension tension setting

Tension Mast Assembly

You may have noticed the bend in your machine's tension mast. It's there for a purpose!

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Technical diagram showing a tuck lace knitting pattern with needles marked for out-of-work positions, illustrating proper stitch selection
Machine Knitting Techniques
lace needles out of work stitch patterns tuck tuck lace

Tuck Lace Challenge

For Tuck Lace, determining which stitches to put in out-of-work position can be a challenge. Here are some tips to make it easier

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Close-up of main bed and ribber bed clamps on a knitting machine, showing the metal fasteners that secure the beds to the table
Machine Knitting Tips
clamp tip

Have you checked your clamps lately?

"Take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you" Dad

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Technical drawing of a sweater showing different sleeve length options, from cap sleeve to full length, with measurement indicators for customization
Knitwear Design
garment shaping garment style measuring shaping sleeve

Sleeveless Sleeves

You've found the perfect pattern, and sleeveless just isn't comfortable for you.
Easily add custom sleeves to drop shoulder or square armhole sweaters with the Knit it Now Sleeves Tool.

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Close-up of a clip attached to a knitting machine's needle bed, holding a yarn tail securely to ensure proper stitch formation
Machine Knitting Tips
tip yarn tails

Secure those yarn tails

No matter what cast on method you use, it's important to secure the yarn tail so the first few stitches knit correctly.

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A machine-knitted tuck stitch pattern swatch with visible stitch markers, demonstrating proper gauge measurement techniques for textured patterns
Machine Knitting Techniques
gauge swatch

Swatching with Stitch Patterns

To establish the gauge of your knitting with a stitch pattern (fairisle, tuck, slip, lace , etc) Knit a "proper" gauge swatch in the same manner as swatching in plain knitting. Take care to carefully place markers for accuracy.

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A Brother knitting machine's tension mast assembly showing a white wax ring positioned to coat yarn as it feeds through the system
Machine Knitting Tips
accessory tip troubleshooting yarn

Waxing Knitting Yarn

Do you wax the yarn you use for machine knitting?

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DesignaKnit software window showing the Symbols Organizer with red question marks where stitch symbols should appear, indicating missing font files
DesignaKnit Tips and Tricks
DesignaKnit

DesignaKnit: Missing Stitch Symbols

If you've "lost" the stitch symbols in DesigaKnit Stitch Designer, there's an easy fix

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A blocked machine-knitted gauge swatch with visible markers and measuring guides showing how to count both stitches and rows per inch
Machine Knitting Tips
gauge measuring swatch

3 Ways to Match Gauge for Machine Knitters

If you are using a knitting pattern with an established gauge, you must swatch with your machine and yarn to match the designer's gauge.
Here are 3 ways for machine knitters to match gauge.

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