| | |  | Needlework Frames | Home » » The Ultimate Knitting Machine | | | | | | | Description: | | Imagine knitting 1200 stitches a minute! With this machine you can! It is so fast you can make an adult sweater or afghan in 2 evenings, or a child's sweater in an evening. It accepts yarns from sport to chunky. Best of all, no knitting experience is needed. This machine is compatible with hand knitting patterns as well as ultimate knitting books. Machine is capable of making cables, lace, picture knits, tuck stitch, Fair Isle and many other fancy stitches. Machine has 6 key-plate to match every size knitting needle, from 6 to 10-1/2. Make an afghan or sweater up to 100 stitches across, or you can add in some extension kits or add another Ultimate Knitting Machine for an even longer reach.
What's included:- Needle bed with 100 needles (total length: 38")
- Carriage (that does the knitting)
- 4 keyplates (6 sizes - 2 keyplates are reversible - these form the stitch sizes)
- Instructional video (1/2 hour, showing setting up through fancy stitches)
- Accessory box with everything you need for your Sweater Machine
- 4 rod weights (inserted in the hem to allow the knitting to stay on the needles)
- Instruction book (in picture format)
- Pattern book (with 12 patterns for sweaters, accessories, afghans, and more plus information on using hand knitting patterns)
- Ball of practice yarn (so you can start knitting right away)
| | | Features: | |
• Accessory items that can be purchased seperaetly include:
• An extension kit, row counter , intarsia plate, books & quarterly magazine.
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 4.25 inches | | Product Width:
| 23.25 inches | | Product Height:
| 15.5 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.62 pounds | | Package Length:
| 23.25 inches | | Package Width:
| 15.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 4.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 10.1 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 11 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 So far, so goodJan 13, 2010
I was nervous about this machine because of all the negative reviews I saw here and at several other sites. At an average of $150, it's a pricey investment in something that seems hit-or-miss. The decision was taken out of my hands as I received it as a Christmas gift, and I was determined to give it the best chance I could.
I'm glad I did! I am very pleased with the machine so far.
Yes, it takes some time to set up and troubleshoot. Watch the DVD IN ADDITION to reading the instruction manual - neither is optional as each has important information not included in the other. Expect to spend half your time in the first few projects ripping out rows and picking up dropped stitches. Most of these are caused by operator error and not due to machine malfunction, and once you really master the tricky balance of keeping the yarn at the right tension (slight when approaching a row, NONE when knitting the row) most of these problems are eliminated.
Admittedly, so far I have only done very simple projects without any complex shaping or fancy stitching. I'm sure that will come with its own set of issues, but I expect most of them will be due to my own inexperience. Like anything else, this machine takes some time to figure out. Go slowly and complete each practice project. Don't expect to push a button and watch the machine do everything for you. That's not how it works.
Experienced hand-knitters might find this to be more trouble than it is worth. I crochet, so I understand the relaxing joy of handwork, but with two preschoolers in the house I simply have not had the time to devote to mastering hand-knitting. This machine will, I think, make it possible for me to clothe everyone in the homemade garments I covet without making me spend endless hours perfecting my stockinette stitch. Furthermore, every knitter makes mistakes. The machine makes it easy to fix them. Ripping out rows is tedious, but so is "knitting backwards", I'm told, and at least with the machine I don't have the added discouragement of knowing I must re-knit all those stitches I'd just spent so much time on - since the machine can re-knit them in seconds.
I do have a few little quibbles. Number one: the plastic "teeth" at the edge of the machine, right where the needles protrude, often have little flaky bits of plastic left over from the mold. These can snag the yarn and cause the stitches to catch and the machine to jam if not corrected. It's an easy fix - just clip off the little flakes with nail scissors - but something to watch for when starting out. Number two: the machine doesn't come with a tapestry needle, which you will need for binding off and finishing a project. Given that it comes with EVERYTHING else you need, including practice yarn and piddly things like rubber bands, I think it's pretty lame that the manufacturer couldn't throw in a two-inch plastic needle that probably costs fractions of a cent wholesale. Unless you're already a yarn crafter, it's not something you're likely to have lying around, and that could be a big disappointment for someone who's just gotten the machine and is all stoked up to use it right away.
I agree with a previous reviewer who mentioned that a small crochet needle would be more useful for picking up dropped stitches than the tool they give you. Their tool does have its purposes, though, and is specifically designed for the machine, so don't throw it out.
Overall, I am happy so far, and looking forward to learning how to do more complex things on the machine. I highly recommend this machine if you are a novice knitter discouraged by the time it takes to complete anything. If you are an expert, and not interested in spending a lot of time learning a different method of doing something you already know how to do, you might consider spending your money elsewhere.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Machine Great but Supporting Material AwfulNov 08, 2009
The knitting machine is great. Both my 8-year-old daughter and I love it. I can't say the same about the video and written material that comes with it: The video starts by telling you that you should use the machine after your kids are in bed. Well, you can image how my daughter felt, who had got the machine for her birthday! True is that the machine lacks proper teaching material and troubleshooting instructions. Most people who have used this or a similar machine will probably agree that one of the main ways of recovering from problems is to move the needles by hand. It would take very little time or space in the video and brochure to explain how to do that. In fact, that manual operation mode proved to be a wonderful introduction to machine knitting for my daughter, and made clear to her how the process works fundamentally. As a matter of fact, teaching my daughter problem solving skills was my main motivation for getting the machine in the first place, and it serves that purpose wonderfully. Given the presentation of this product I cannot help but thinking in analogy to the movie Babe "... for it is well-known that women are unable to reason logically ...". Image a photocopying machine being delivered without instructions on how to remove a paper jam, and instead with the advice to only use it in a room with doors closed such as to avoid distractions.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
It definitely takes patience to use this.Oct 13, 2009
Several hours after setting this machine up, I was pretty certain that it was a piece of junk and I was going to send it back where it came from. Thankfully, it was night time and could not do it right away, because the next morning, something clicked with me and the machine. I think with several more hours of practice, I will have it completely under my control. There are a couple of things the video doesn't mention - and I agree that the video is less than great. But with all of the emphasis on watching the video, it doesn't tell you how important it is to wax the edges of the plate that goes in the carriage. Oh my gosh, after an hour and a half of trying to get the carriage to slide over the needles, I found the mention in the book about waxing the plate. That made a huge difference. After knitting about 12 inches in length, the next pass with the carriage dropped almost the entire row! GEEEZ! I certainly got plenty of practice picking up dropped stitches. It took almost an hour to get that problem solved. The little hook tools that come with the kit are pretty worthless because of the way they are made. Do yourself a favor and get a small crochet hook and a small latch hook tool. It is true that if you are an experienced knitter, you have no advantage in using this machine. I eventually discovered that to keep from dropping stitches, the weights in the hem have to be "heavy" enough to keep tension on the stitches that are on the needles. As soon as you notice slack in the stitches, make sure your hem is hanging freely. Also, NEVER put tension on the yarn that is being pulled from the ball - it will make the carriage jam and make YOU pull your hair out. Look carefully at each row before you knit the next row to make sure there are no dropped stitches and the stitches on the far right and far left needles have been completed. Believe me, you cannot sit down and produce spectacular projects without considerable practice and attention to detail. BUT, once you have put in the time, you WILL knit faster than you ever could with two needles. You really CAN knit 1000 stitches in just a couple of minutes and a 200 yard skein can be completely knit in under 10 minutes.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 I Love This MachineJun 25, 2009
I think the negative reviews here are very misleading. The machine does come with an instruction booklet and the DVD is very helpful but not state of the art. It takes seconds to fast-forward to the instructions you need. It only took about 20 minutes to setup the machine and learn to work the first project (not 10 hours). I am taking the time to make each project in the instruction book in the order they are printed. The booklet is designed to teach you step by step. I am very experienced at crocheting and have been learning to knit. I love this machine because it knits so quickly and it is just plain fun to work.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Don't waste your time or money.Mar 31, 2009
Two words. The. Worst! The instructional DVD was poorly produced (sometime in the late 80's, I'm guessing.) No chapters so you have to fast forward to the parts you want to see again. Might as well still include a VHS tape. Even when you do watch segments, the instructions are convoluted in the DVD. But looking in the instruction book won't help you. Those instructions frequently differ from what is presented in the DVD and there are clearly some lines of text MISSING from patterns! And don't think you can go on the website and find an answer. That's a waste of time.
I can knit. I bought this machine to produce items at a faster pace. Unless you are looking to make a bunch of squares with NO frills, this product is garbage. I am so upset that I spent my money on this product. For the price of this machine, you could take lessons and learn the proper way to knit. For the time you spend trying to fix the problems that arise during use of this machine, you could do your project by hand.
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