A knitting machine is not as intimidating as one may think. For novice hobbyists trying out their new equipment, here are a few tricks and tips that can help you save time when creating exquisite machine-knitted pieces.

To keep your buttons from falling off machine knitted garments, use a dental floss or fishing line instead of thread to fasten them to your garments. Conceal the line or floss by knitting yarn over it. Fishing line and dental floss are also great for making ravel cords.

Pins tend to get in the way when you are running a garment through the knitting machine. When working with zippers, set them in place using fabric glue instead of pins. Whenevr the glue dries out completely, you may sew the zipper on the fabric smoothly. Before applying glue, treat the fabric with anti-shrinking chemical to maintain its form during washing.

Fairisle refers to a stitch of two yarn colors knitted on a single row. Most knitting machines can do single fairisle stitches, with slip stitch options to accommodate three to four more colors. On the other hand, Intarsia lets you knit as many colors as you want on the same row as long as you use the right needles.

To make fancy picot edging on a knitting machine, pull out alternate needles to the farthest position. Apply an e-wrap cast. Place machine knitting carriage to the right and knit 10 rows. Place carriage again on the right while pulling in the needles you did not use earlier and knit 12 rows. Pick up the hem and hang it on every needle.

Don’t measure your garment against a tension square that you did not knit yourself on your knitting machine. You must knit the test swatch square of every machine knitted garment you will create.

A bleach test can help you determine if your yarn is synthetic or naturally made from animal or plant. If you dip a length of yarn in bleach, animal yarn will form bubbles and melt in less than one hour. If the yarn does not melt but fades to white, it is made from plant fiber. Synthetic yarns are capable of resisting bleach.

When working with custom patterns, you don’t want to make a wrong estimation and end up with so much leftover yarn. Do a trial run of 100 stitches (width) and 100 rows on your knitting machine using the same yarn and stitch you will be using for your project.

Organize your swatches according to yarn type, needle size, and washing instructions. Store them neatly in your machine knitting work area for future reference.

I hope you have found these knitting machine tricks and tips useful for your own knitting!