It’s no secret that I love my Addi Express knitting machines but I’ve always wished they could be motorized. I finally accomplished it with the help of an old sewing machine motor! One of my main goals was to accomplish this with as little alteration to the Addi as possible and since I know very little about electrical and mechanical engineering, it had to be EASY! Here’s how I worked it out:
Sheepishly Sharing
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Hello Margaret
I love all of your stuff….very nice to see such a sweet lady that is down to earth and enjoys helping others…I love all of your stuff! I do have a question for you though, I was looking at getting one of the Addi knitting machines. I do have a few questions though; I’m horrible at following knitting patterns. I’m a self taught knitter, I can cast on, bind off, pearl, cables, knit 2 together, not sure if I increase/decrease correctly or not…that’s for another time. I want to learn how to make socks, slippers, booties, and much more. I have made easy stuff like a 3 cable scarf, hats, dish cloths. I’m a what you call stressful knitter; which means I do a very tight stitch. I want to make the little sheep that you made awhile back…he is so cute. Also I would love to be able to make sweaters etc. So, with limited pattern knowledge do you think I would be able to use the addi,if so; which one do you think would be better suited for me…the small one or the big one? Can you make the same things with both? Can you make sweaters, blankets etc on both? I was leaning more towards the smaller one, but not sure if it would be big enough for sweater making etc. Also, do you have any suggestions on how to fix your mistakes…like lost a stitch (so there’s a hole now) without having to take it all back out. Is there a easy way to tell if you are working front or back? Counting rows, I tend to get confused…you count cast on row as 1, than in between would be row 2, then 3…etc? I think you should offer a knitting boot camp…not sure where you live, think I seen somewhere in Mississippi, I’m in Indiana unfortunately but would love to be able to meet you and learn some of your awesome talent and knowledge. I seen that you were moving as well, I’m hoping it is something that you wanted and that it goes smoothly. If it isn’t, I’m truly sorry than that you are going through this difficult time, because you seem so sweet and would hate that you would have to leave your home if you really didn’t want to. So sorry for this being sooo long. Thank you so much for taking time out of your very busy schedule to answer all of my questions.
Look forward in hearing back from you. Please feel free to e-mail me.
First of all, thanks for your kind words!! I’m just grateful to have people to share my love of yarn with… like you! As far as your questions go, you’ve asked far too much for me to answer in the written word! Let’s see how I can help.
1. I used to knit tightly when I first started. I think it’s very common and your tension will usually loosen up as YOU loosen up!
2. The little sheep is made in crochet and if you don’t like to read patterns you won’t like it. Very pattern intense.
3. You don’t need to read patterns at all to use an Addi. There are very few written patterns and since you can’t purl on an Addi, the instructions are very simple. You’ll learn most of what you want to do by YouTube videos.
4. I can’t tell you which Addi to buy but here’s a video where I answer all the Frequently Asked Questions to help you make that decision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq3j6fC4BP8 I also answer a lot of your other Addi questions there, too.
5. Fixing knitting mistakes: it depends on the type of mistake. Go to YouTube and search “how to fix knitting mistakes” and you’ll see all sorts of helpful videos. You can also search by the specific mistake like “how to fix a dropped stitch.”
6. Most knitters mark the right side of their work with a stitch marker or a small scrap of waste yarn. Just tie it to the right side of the project.
7. The move is a good thing but like any move, it’s hard to leave behind the people and things that you love. Thanks for your sweet concern!
Margaret
Sorry, few more questions, I also have trouble figuring out stitches per inch, and how to downsize/upsize a size. Example, I want to make a pair of slippers smaller than the pattern so they would fit me, or bigger so they would fit bigger person. Almost thinking I might be a lost cause…
Thanks
Again, YouTube is your friend! (I learned almost everything about knitting/crochet from YouTube!) Go to YouTube and search “how to measure gauge in knitting” and you’ll get lots of help! (Watch more than one whenever you search something. You learn different things from different people.) Sometimes a pattern will give you different size options. Sometimes it’s as simple as going up or down a needle size. If you don’t have directions for other sizes and if you need to drastically reduce or enlarge then there’s math involved so I’m not the person to ask! Get on Ravelry and search for a similar pattern in the size you want!
Margaret
Thank you soooo much, I’m not sure why I didn’t think of you tube for some of this. Thank you again and look forward to your video’s…I love them and seeing all the wonderful items that you make:)
Thanks again!
Stacey
Hi, I’ve just opened my addi professional. The row counter has been on for hours. How do I turn it off to prese battery power?
There’s no way to turn it off as far as I know. It just goes off after a minute or so when the machine is not in use. If it won’t turn off OR if the display has strange shapes on it, then you need to change the battery.