(almost) Everything I learned about knitting machines while designing one of my own

[@Shazzner]

This video should be required viewing for all engineers.

[@trekski]

"after a lifetime of trying to take my one-of-kind or bespoke creative work to market, I am tired of internalizing the idea that the most important measure of any acitvity's success or worth is whether it's optimized for capitalizm." ❤❤❤

[@SquiddyKy]

*genuinely* shocked five minutes into watching this when I looked down and you only had 50-something subscribers, absolutely outrageous, illegal, should be rectified immediately Anyways, AGREED. ALL OF THIS. Especially the staring-into-the-distance 'I bet I could make that part' XD As a creative person that works in tech, so much of what you said resonated, and I very much agree that there's no point in trying to 'efficiency' all the fun out of your hobby. Can't wait to see the machine you wind up making! Also, I got my hands on a very cheap and very rusty Knitmaster 360k flatbed a few years ago, and wound having to pull it *completely* to pieces to clean and service it before it was useable again. It's punchcard & garment shaping, and I've scrounged all the manuals for it, so if you ever need any extra references for how various odds and ends work, I'd be more than happy to pull it apart again for the sake of someone else's very cool project. (Also also, my partner has university access to most journal and article sites, so if you wanted the rest of that Candee, RM 1998 article, I can probably email it over?)

[@SparksCuriosity]

You are so kind, on all counts! That Knitmaster spruce-up sounds intense but soooooo fascinating; I wouldn't ask you to dismantle it on my account but at some point I may follow up to chat more about the punchcard mechanics if you're open to that. I went on a little mental side-quest early in this project trying to understand how punchcard data is transferred and stored in the carriage and I think that's something I'd like to tinker with down the road. If your partner happens across that article I would love to read the rest of it! I had some journal access while I was studying but I often got stumped when I strayed too far from obviously computing-adjacent topics. So frustrating!

[@SquiddyKy]

@@SparksCuriosity Welp, KZbin completely failed to give me a notification that you'd replied to me, so I'm only just seeing this now after watching your newest video I'm definitely down for talking about punchcard stuff though! After you mentioned knitting machine hacks, I meandered down a rabbit hole myself, started wondering 'okay, but what about _non_-electronic machines?', and am now somewhat planning to rig 24 micro servos together somehow. I'll probably have to take bits and pieces of my machine apart to figure out how best to make it work, so I'll try and grab photos/videos when I do. I'll send you that article too! Journal sites are hell to navigate, but I think my partner's uni never bothered restricting his access to just topics related to his degree XD

[@buZztiaan]

This is awesome, i cant wait for more. Can't wait for the whole series. Really should dig out my KH900 :)

[@ruthvermeulen2098]

OMG I FOUNG A CHANNEL LIKE THIS!!!! I was thinking about something like this but I thought no way someone already put in the work and did this. Hell yeah!!!❤

[@sleepydrJ]

I love your fusion vibe of of academic + top notch KZbinr ! Thanks for such high quality videos- we really appreciate your time and effort!

[@trekski]

OMG I cannot express how much I love this video on how many levels!

[@rebeccagentes8675]

I was spellbound by this video. I have a Brother KX-350 machine myself that I got off Ebay, and I totally fell into a rabbit hole a year ago researching which one to buy. You presented all that info so well and there was so much I hadn't heard of! I also love your soap box about demystifying rather than taking away the craft from the crafter. When researching previously, I found myself somewhat disheartened by the lack of options in the market and info available for domestic machine knitting. Also the quote from Abrams& Gardner !! Sorry I could go on, this video was amazing.

[@stashbuster]

Love the philosophy! Outstanding work! Looking forward to the next. :)

[@SparksCuriosity]

Thanks so much! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@dq8431]

The quality to recognition on this video is not up to par. Beautifully made! Excited to see what comes next

[@SparksCuriosity]

Thank you so much!

[@ecrivonlunyx]

Great research! Loved all the citations and how you processed the information, I loved the little editing quirks, it may look more comfortable if you scooched the camera down a teeny bit next time, gorgeous set design and lighting.

[@SparksCuriosity]

Thank you! Yeah, I definitely struggled a bit with my framing on this one and kicked myself once I got into editing for not fussing over it more on the night. 🤦🏻 I appreciate the feedback!

[@doughntworry]

Thank you for sharing all that you have learned and presenting it so clearly. I have been interested in open source knitting systems but have not yet taken the leap to try it out myself. Your videos are a great inspiration.

[@SparksCuriosity]

That's so lovely to hear, thank you! 💖

[@GamyH]

Hi there! Wanted to put in a little help, there is a book about the development of the home knitting machine, its a translation of a Japanese book, and I've only found one copy available at a university library. Anyways, my research dates the Home Knitting Machine to the knitting implement created by Masako Hagiwara in 1925, it was imported into the US in the late 1920s as the Fleisher's EME Fast Knitter. The Hagiwara family continued to inovate on the KM front and then expanded their knitting school into the field and then became the Fashion Institute of Tokyo (iirc).

[@SparksCuriosity]

OMG thank you for the tip!

[@Falney]

I've been going down this rabbit hole my self with the intention of making a 3d printed whole garment machine similar to kniterate. The fact intarsia is not available on the kniterate is surprising to me since everything they need to do intarsia is already there, on the machine. Also, you are correct about openknit/kniterate. The makers of open knit started on open knit then tried to kickstarter it. But then they got external investment instead and moved to building kniterate on the back of open knit and close sourced the project. Or at least subsequent versions.

[@SparksCuriosity]

That sounds really cool! I'd love to hear more as you make progress on it. And thanks for the additional context on kniterate... definitely a cool machine.

[@Falney]

@@SparksCuriosity I plan on documenting the progress on yt so as long as my adhd doesn't go "ooo new project idea" you should see it there soon :D

[@SparksCuriosity]

Fabulous, I look forward to seeing it! And SAME 😅

[@shepalderson]

This was a fascinating history lesson on knitting machines. Looking forward to seeing what comes next. 😄

[@SparksCuriosity]

Thank you! 😊

[@JaneConnorEmbellisher]

I just found your channel. So much to say, but don’t want to overwhelm. I have seen CSMs 3D printed but hadn’t thought about 3D printing a flat bed machine. I subscribed and eagerly await your videos on this topic. I am 60 something and have been on the bandwagon of latest and greatest in the sewing/embroidery machine arena. There came technologies and features that I felt were, for me, taking the ingenuity and fluidity away from my creative thought processes. I am all for tools to help me accomplish what I want but are flexible to be repurposed or expanded for my next creative thought. I like the modular nature of the knitting bed you show in your videos. I own and am refurbishing a plastic knitting machine that offers dual gauges. The needle bed is setup for a 4.5mm pitch but switching the gates I can knit 9mm gauge. I am a plus size girl and the machine I currently own is 220 needles wide and so I need to “panelize” patterns to knit them on my machine. Fortunately I am creative enough and have enough experience to overcome this on this machine. The modular nature of your design would allow me to create a machine for my size as well as for larger sized projects like blankets. Have you dreamed up a ribber for your knitting machine? Like I said have a lot I could say. I just now need to find someone with a 3D printer. If I wanted to purchase a 3D printer to print your machine what specifications are required?

[@blenderintraining]

I can't speak for her design, but I am a huge 3d printing nerd and may be able to offer some guidance. The printer she has is a pretty standard sized printer (An Ender 3 V2 in this case). It's build volume is 220mm x 220mm x 250mm. Most printers are this size or a little bigger, so just about any printer would handle the knitting machine she is designing. Personally, I would HIGHLY recommend getting a printer that has automatic bed leveling. For beginner (and expert) 3d printer operators, bed leveling is where a lot of problems exist. My dad is also 60 something and I convinced him to get a Bambu A1 mini. So far it's been a fantastic little printer and very easy to work with, he's been printing a bunch of stuff for himself and my mom, with very little help from me. For printing this knitting machine, sizing up to the Bambu A1 would likely be needed. Prusa is another fantastic option, but they tend to be a fair bit more expensive. If you were my mom, I'd probably suggest the Bambu A1. There are tons of 3d printing youtube channels that are excellent resources. Teaching Tech and Maker's Muse are both excellent. Also, you really don't need to worry about ton's of bells and whistles. There are some super cool printers that can print multiple materials or colors at once, but would be entirely unneeded for a beginner. Look for something that can print the most common plastics (PLA and PETG are the most popular) and has auto bed leveling. Also, like any other machine, there's a learning curve, and 3d printers are by no means magical. It'll take time to learn how to reliably print on it, and to do the maintenance on it.

[@shannonec]

Have you looked into expanding an lk150? If you could find 2 used ones you could take them apart and add the center 2 sections to the 1st machine making it 200 needles instead of 150 and then you can put the 2nd machine back together to make a 100 needle machine for small projects. There are videos on here that show how but I can't remember who created them. Let me know if you can't find it and I'll look it up for you.

[@JaneConnorEmbellisher]

@@shannonec I’ve seen those videos and it doesn’t look hard to do. I have an obscure machine that is a kh400 but with a different name. I on occasionally find my version of machine on ebay and have thought about putting parts together.

[@sparkyal43]

Thank you for this excellent video. I am a bit addicted to knitting and sewing machines(old ones) and have a few. I have learned quite a lot from your video.

[@kamilasledz25]

I'm really excited about your project already! I found out about knitting machines from a video of a youtuber trying out a vintage flatbed machine, and then i learned how much they cost... Still, can't wait to see the code and model files (and maybe attempt to build one for myself or my local hackerspace), and i really enjoy your philosophy/perspective on both this intersection of fiber arts and maker culture and on labor/automatization issues!

[@Vortalos]

Just subscribed, I'm excited to see more of what you come up with!

[@SparksCuriosity]

Aw, thank you! I'm excited to make more!

[@antiussentiment]

Pay walling academic papers! How is that even a thing? And this project sounds fabulous... Power to you. EDIT 2; and I really enjoyed the philosophical exploration.

[@demyhallar6227]

I was so curious of how all of these working, thank you for the research!

[@SparksCuriosity]

I'm so glad to hear that, thank you!

[@benruniko]

GOD i am so sick of living in a culture owned and operated by corporations. Literally entities designed to optimize my enslavement through debt which has been given the same legal protection as an actual living human. I hate that.

[@rhiannon3353]

Amazing videos. I love hand knitting, but I'd love to have a flat bed knitting machine. I don't want to do deskilled work, but I am disabled and i know moving the carriage back and forth myself would take too much from me. Im wondering if id be able to take a regular flat bed and attatch the carriage to a frame with motor to do the carriage moving part for me. I am so excited to watch the rest of this series!

[@muriellemermaid]

Oh my goodness I need the a knitting cyborg attachment so bad. Sensors to give me info? Yes please. I’ve got nerve damage and I miss knowing at a touch.

[@DasBilligeAlien]

I greatly enjoyed his video.

[@QuentinWes]

This is an incredibly cool project. Do you own a flatbed knitting machine already? I think that having one to hold and fiddle with is super informative and lets you build a lot of intuition regarding the mechanics that at least I could never get from videos. Your design looks a lot like a lot of 'toy' (not an insult, just how they are typically marketed) ones out there, but its neat that its open source so that further customizations can be made. Bulky machines are super expensive where i live so it will be great to be able to have a semi accessible option. They tend to have different needle proportions though, so hopefully the openscad has that built in. Like you said, there are so many different machines out there that it is impossible to accurately get to every different corner, and the deeper you go the weirder the shit you can find. I live in New Zealand, which conveniently has no land border with any major manufacuring hub, but is also sorta in between both japan and the usa, so we have a weird mishmash of stuff available. We dont have as many proper big fancy ones (hence bulky machines being super expensive), but I catch a lot of really weird super old ones that have design quirks that you just do not see on later machines. Best one has a bed like yours, just a solid chunk with grooves in it, which was fairly standard at the time, but it was a v-bed setup so you would never have just one bed. The carriages are the same as eachother, except for one having a connecting arm as part of it. They have serrated wheels for gauge control in either direction, and a wheel in the center to set the setting. Modern machines set the settings by setting levers at certain points, which force the needles places. This has one lever each side pushed by the needles, with its motion restricted by hitting the gauge wheel or the pattern wheel in the middle. Directional patterning too. So you can have it do a different thing in each direction, and have the exact same control on the opposite side bed, its amazing and i have never seen the wheel thing on any other machine, but its the sort of thing that would work for this sort of project where you want to minimize really small thin pieces. I do much prefer the slotted beds that are more common, having to lift two attached meter long solid slabs of brass is not generally advisable for any reason, though i have no clue how you would do it in a 3d printed system since they require a constantly bent comb to keep the needles up. Once someone solves that bit its over, I'm making a 30 foot one and noone can stop me. While knitting machines are not akin to 3d printers in the way that they are entirely hand operated and often each row is manually designed, they are akin to 3d printers in that often the machine is the actual hobby and not the items it makes. Yeah its cool that i can make a pikachu figurine, or knit a custom sweater, but what if i simply spent 90% of my time disassembling it and working out its mechanics and getting injured in increasing impractical ways? Super cool project and I hope to have fun making wildly impractical addons whenever the github is released

[@HarbourStorms]

I bought a used flat bed kniting machine (Singer SK155) that works amazingly well. all the bells and whistles. Cost me $100. I wanted to print one too, would have cost me nearly $1000

[@hellishblue]

Ahh!!! So excited to hear what’s next. I loved your comments on capitalism and why people make things. Reading Fabric: The Hidden History if the Material World and I feel like you so eloquently captured some of my thoughts regarding how spinning and weaving technology changed and how the aspects of quality / money / quality of life did not all fit together linearly. Thanks again for this series!

[@riftlee]

This is amazing!

[@Erhannis]

9:27 >I bet I could make this Hahaha, I am right now babysitting a print of some cable clips I could probably have found on amazon for like $10, but noooo, I wanted it to be "customizable" and "easily replaceable", haha

[@seraphina2690]

very cool!

[@vrpansy]

awesome video! i love learning! subscribing to learn more 🧠

[@SparksCuriosity]

💪🧠 Thank you!!

[@doughntworry]

incredible video I learned a lot.

[@SparksCuriosity]

Yay! I'm glad to hear it!

[@fridamartextiles]

You neglected the img2track project for loading images to the electronic knitting machine.

[@awwastor]

Annas-archive btw