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Question: Could my dear old Mum handle a modern domestic home knitting machine
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Asked by johnfrommelbourne on Thu 5 Nov 2009 - 12:22 pm UTC:
My 75 year old mother is a very energetic very healthy woman who, like her parents, will probably live to over 90 years.She is looking for something to keep her active and productive. She is a skilled knitter and being so active wonders if she could get back into knitting machines again, as she did when they were fairly new on the scene 50 years ago. Of course back then although she managed quite well the machine she purchased and used for a few years was nothing like what would be available now, (I assume).I.E The machines of yesteryear were basically mechanical while today's are basically computerized, yes? What does the use of a modern household knitting machine entail? Does one have to be computer literate to cope with the modern day knitting machine. Am I right in assuming today's machines operate via a computerised card where basically the pattern is on a card which orchestrates much of the work while the operator( eg my Mum) would do the finishing work that the machine could not handle.Just how much of a knitted garment( ie the work/time involved) would a modern machine cope with?? 60%, more? less? And with reference to all of the above would a relatively smart old lady like my mother be able to manage such a modern day machine.
Question clarification by johnfrommelbourne on Thu 5 Nov 2009 - 12:50 pm UTC:
What I meant in following sentence from above was "Just how much of a FINISHED knitted garment( ie the work/time involved) would a modern machine cope with?? 60%, more? less?
Comment by User probo on Fri 6 Nov 2009 - 12:32 pm UTC:
Well, John, 24 hours have elapsed so I can now jump in where the Real Researchers have feared to tread .... The Answer is YES - Of course she can! The probability is that someone will have to show her the ropes but, after a bit of practice, she will soon amaze you with the garments that she will be able to produce. Please do not under-estimate the older generation! Bryan
Comment by User myoarin on Fri 6 Nov 2009 - 1:17 pm UTC:
Bryan still thinks Australia is about the size of the home country and that one can just pop up to Sydney for an evening. Melbourne does have its own opera. But I agree, that John's Mum should be able to use a knitting machine. This supplier says an eight year-old can operate it, but maybe not set things up. But John and his children would probably be delighted to help. http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewing/Ultimate-Deluxe-Knitting-Machine/3344333/product.html This seems to be an indepth site on the subject: http://www.yarn-store.com/selecting-your-knitting-machine.html It has the suggestion to buy a machine from a nearby source, where someone could help answer questions. Regards to John and Melbourne. Just read that PM Rudd had his money on the right horse for the Melbourne Cup. Myo
Comment by User probo on Sat 7 Nov 2009 - 6:17 am UTC:
I bet John has followed up my suggestion and has gone to Sydney. (Sorry, John, I hadn't realised it was such a trek.) Hope you enjoyed the opera or whatever the Sydney Opera House is presenting this week. If not Verdi then hopefully 'Highlights of the 2009 Ashes'. Bryan
Comment by johnfrommelbourne on Sat 7 Nov 2009 - 12:11 pm UTC:
Thankyou Bryan and My oar In, much appreciated. Yes she will probably be able to handle it based on web links info and other insights I have been able to glean. Yes it is god to be ale to make contributions and read comments again. it is not quite a critically important question so if no-one responds with much else that is Ok by me, but of course would have preferred a more comprehensive run-down on pros and cons ofa kniting machine if at all possible. I expect researchers have more important research to do for those clients offering bigger bucks than what I can and that is quite understandable. For instance I see some punters offering over $100 and even $400 in this last week or so. MYO your comment that people think one can simply be in Melbourne one morning and pop up to Sydney in the afternoon is not that far from reality actually. People from abroad just dont seem to understand that the country is about the size of Europe and I think actually bigger. Recently my sister was asked if she could pick an overseas guest up at Sydney instead of Melbourne where she lives just the day before arrival!! The person in question when advised the difficulties literally had not a smidgen of an idea of what the distances involved were. We had Britney Speares arrive here just four days back and I am sure when she landed at Sydney the capital of one state she was not expecting to spend another 3.5 hours in another plane to get to Perth, the capital of another state, on same day,( where her first concerts were). And then find time-wise she had not lost hardly any time as there is now 3 hours difference between the two states. .
Comment by User probo on Sat 7 Nov 2009 - 5:43 pm UTC:
John I've been to the Land of Oz several times and I've often travelled between Perth and Sydney, the only two places I ever really got to know. I see Australia got lucky in today's Rugby Union encounter with England. This shows that we can't win them all. Bryan
Comment by User myoarin on Sun 8 Nov 2009 - 2:23 pm UTC:
When I was last in Australia - in the end of the last century - I heard that Melbourne had become quite popular with some folks in Sydney, who would "pop down" there for a weekend of shopping or whatever. But may be those were just people riding high on the dot-com stock bubble.
Cancelled by johnfrommelbourne on Tue 10 Nov 2009 - 3:30 am UTC:
No response after five or six days is suggestive of a mismatch between (a) ease/difficulty of procuring required information and (b)fee offered, so canceled question/s with that in mind. John From Melbourne
Comment by User probo on Tue 10 Nov 2009 - 7:53 am UTC:
John, I suggest that the problem is that nobody can predict how your Mum will take to one of the new knitting machines: she may love it or hate it. However, it may be that Myoarin in his infinite wisdom has taken you as far as possible. In the circumstances, I think it would be a kindly gesture on your part if you were to send him a few cases of Australian Chardonnay. Between you and me, he's no connoisseur and he'll probably slurp it down in the mistaken belief that it's really good stuff. All the Best Bryan
Comment by Researcher Roger Browne (eiffel) on Tue 10 Nov 2009 - 11:24 am UTC:
Hi John, It's certainly a reasonable question that you asked, but hard to answer. It's not just that we don't know your Mum, it's also that there is a huge range of knitting machines available from basic to advanced, simple to complex. You can get an idea of these machines by looking at some YouTube videos. Here's a cheap, very basic, plastic handle-driven circular model, which would certainly be easy for your Mum to use but would probably be unsatisfying because of its limitations: YouTube - Innovations Knitting Machine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5rkLg-I09U More likely you'll be considering a flat bed knitting machine. I've never seen one of these "in real life", but the Japanese make loads of these, and this series of videos suggests that they all work pretty much the same: YouTube - Brother Knitting Machine Set Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNmgzFNixCA The subsequent videos in the series are listed in the "Related Videos" panel. But I really wonder whether a knitting machine is worthwhile. Is your Mum planning to mass-produce woollen items for the local market? Or would she get more satisfaction patiently hand-knitting small quantities of higher-quality items? Most retired people have plenty of time on their hands. I think if it was my Mum considering a knitting machine, I'd look for a local knitting club with a member who would be prepared to "show her the ropes" on their machine, so that your Mum and you can see if it's for her. Best Regards, eiffel
Comment by User myoarin on Tue 10 Nov 2009 - 12:29 pm UTC:
Hi John, If your Mum wants to learn to use an advanced knitting machine, I am pretty confident that she can. My first impression when reading the descriptions of what they can do - many different kinds of patterns - was that I would have to see someone operate one. Maybe the YouTube sites that Eiffel suggests can do this. Personally, I would want to see someone I can talk to demonstrate. Someone your Mother's age might be more convincing to her about letting her think that she also could do it. Maybe a store selling the machines could suggest such a person. It wouldn't have to be the same machine you or she thought was ideal from looking at other information - but she might just feel more confident getting the machine she had seen demonstrated, maybe having found a new friend for her hobby. Good luck - and don't buy any more sweaters if she gets a machine, Myo
Comment by User probo on Tue 10 Nov 2009 - 2:01 pm UTC:
John For you mainly but also in the interests of science, I am prepared to act as a guinea pig for some of the output from your Mum's new machine. I take XXL in sweaters and Size 10 in shoes. These are British sizes and I have no idea whether or not these have the same significance in Oz. Two or three nice sweaters and half-a-dozen pairs of socks will do nicely for starters. Many thanks. Bryan
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Comment by User probo on Fri 6 Nov 2009 - 6:16 am UTC:
Hi John, great to see you around again! I thought that you were sulking on account of the thrashing that we gave your lot in the Ashes. (Our South African imports gave us the edge.) Regarding your question, I would advise caution because, try as we may, no man has yet succeded in pleasing any woman for very long. A visit to Sydney Opera House (if it's still standing and if it still serves opera) could be helpful - although I suspect that some Aussie entrepreneur has probably already converted it into a hotdog emporium. The opera that I suggest you see is 'Rigoletto' by Giuseppe Verdi and, although first produced in 1851, the message 'La donna รจ mobile' ('Woman is fickle') has truly stood the test of time. All the Best Bryan