Sock Knitting

What a fabulous afternoon! Janet came with her sock knitting machine, many of the Hexham Knitting Group turned up with plates of delicious food and we had a fine old time.

This is the machine - a British built thing of great age - the one you can see on the left of the picture is a Canadian one - a bit more flimsy according to Janet - but still very handy.
This is a picture of the ribber being hooked up.

then Janet whizzes away for hardly any time at all to knit the leg.

then she does a bit of cleverness with the needles to knit short rows to turn the heel, more straight for the foot then some more short rows for the toe to be grafted together at the end. 

Here it is on Ruth's foot. It was like magic.

Having vowed to buy NO YARN until some of my stash has been used up, I ended up with this which will knit up like zebra. We all had such a fun time we decided to have a Hand Knitting Sock Afternoon soon so I may find someone to help me knit some zebra socks with this. In the meantime, I have asked Janet to make some machine socks for me, I have much more chance of getting something wearable from her than from my efforts!

I have such lovely knitting friends.

Comments

[allison]

How fun to enter into your world! Thanks for swinging by my crazy quilt blog, too.
You knitters are every bit as passionate as the quilters and beaders out there; visiting your blog is like slipping easily into a parallel universe!
I will enjoy stopping by again!

[Zoe]

Sounds like you all had a great time. I love the photos of the sock knitting machine and what fantastic fast results. Does Janet take orders?

[michele]

Our whole family were fascinated by the sock knitting machine! What fabulous things you get up to in your shed!

[Alan]

What a fantastic machine! I want one! You lot seem to be having a ball - keep it up and ENJOY!

[wendy]

How does that wool do that?

[filambulle]

I can't stop looking at those machines! So great! (But isn't it cheating?)
I like your blog.

[weirdbunny]

I've never seen anything like that, how wonderful. This is the first time I've been to your blog is brilliant.

[Sue]

Most impressed by your blog! I was going to send you a pic of a sock I made in Ireland, but I can't find a way of pasting it in, so you will just have to take it from me that it is very nice! A woman round here has a very similar sock machine to the one you have shown. She used to take it round garden parties and things to demostrate it.
Love,
Sue