Nov 23, 2015. Finally picked up my new Erlbacher Gearhart Speedster from the Post Office. This is going to be a sharp learning curve. I couldn’t even open the silly box (well, I could, but first, not knowing what I was unscrewing, I unscrewed a hinge instead). Spent about 2 hours, with Nathan’s help, and got the machine to the point where it was clamped to a table with the sock bonnet on and yarn going down from the top thing through the middle. Then I couldn’t find any instructions about actually joining the yarn.

Bonnet: that thing that looks like a sock toe, but has “live” stitches that are glued or something, so they don’t come undone. You have to put the loops onto every second hook. (eta: I think it’s actually a picot edge made by yarn-overs, folded over)

I pouted just a little bit over in the EG group, feeling frustrated, and got some advice which I will try tomorrow. I’m not finding the book helpful, but youtube might work.

Learning curve: I will give The Thing 2 of my hours (while the kids are at school) each day this week.

Nov 24

Here are the links MeasuredThreads sent me
Opening the box, etc.
Starting off

Another one about wrapped heels

They were great! I spent my 2 hours today watching those and then cranking most of a skein of sock yarn into a long tube! Woot!

So, I used 80g of Moseley Park Elliston, which is BFL/nylon 80/20. It knit up beautifully, without dropping any stitches. I loosened the tension cam one click, because it seemed thicker than the scrap yarn.

Only problem I had was that my yarn wasn’t in a cone. I must figure out a way to wrap cones. I had to pull the yarn from the ball and lay it in little piles all over the table (so that it would draw from the top of the pile). It took longer to do that than it did to knit it up. I timed a table-ful once. 90 seconds to crank 60 rounds. :)

I ended up crankin about 300 rounds, and left 20g in a ball. Heels and toes for another day. I might handknit them.

This is a little loose, when I pull it over my foot. Therefore, I might give these to Nathan (for helping me yesterday) once the heels and toes and cuffs are done :D

Toe math
72st + 68 + 68 + 64 + 64 … +24 + 24 +12 = 1194
1194/72 = about 17
17 rounds of the tube, frogged, is enough for a toe decreased down to 24.