After returning from the
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, I decided I wanted a circular sock knitting machine. I wanted one enough to do some internet research, choose Erlbacker Gearhart to manufacture my machine, and lay down the substantial amount of money required to buy a reproduction machine manufactured in the United States. What I wasn't expecting, in this Amazon-will-have-that-to-your-door-tomorrow world, was the long lead time. Once I started investigating the lead time, I learned most people were saying 8-10 weeks. Then, when I started asking people in circular sock knitting groups when they had ordered their machines -- and received them -- I heard very different numbers. I was seeing production times as long as 13 weeks.
Don't get me wrong. I know all those things in Amazon warehouses were manufactured long ago and many of those products made the long cruise across the ocean from other countries to reach U.S. shores. Time already spent in manufacture or transit that I just wasn't seeing.
I ordered my machine on May 6th, 2019. The order was acknowledged and placed in the status "awaiting fulfillment". That is exactly how I felt. Week after week, for ten weeks. On July 15th I received my shipping notification. I followed that package every day until the status changed.
For those of you keeping score, that means from order to delivery was 73 calendar days. From order placement to machine shipping was 70 days. That's right at the 10 week lead time I was hoping was the outside production time. Seems it is more like the norm. Please do not take this as I am unsatisfied with the product. I'm just setting expectations if you do decide to embark on this journey.
Each machine comes in a sturdy box manufactured just for the purpose of holding the machine. This box is then packed in a cardboard box for shipping.
What comes inside:
- Erlbacher Gearhart circular sock knitting machine
- second cylinder
- ribber assembly (still wrapped in paper under the handle)
- yarn guide and mast (mast is still wrapped in paper under the machine)
- weights (two are inside the second cylinder, the other screwed down under the still wrapped ribber)
- hand tools, including a screwdriver and wrenches to assemble and disassemble the machine
- cardboard cone with waste yarn
- set up bonnet suitable for the cylinder
- machine manual
- certificate of ownership
The manual gives you everything you need to get started. This diagram helps the new machine-knitter get familiar with all the parts of the machine. It also includes instructions on how to set up, knit on waste yarn and get knitting with a couple easy projects. I'll go over these in later posts.
The first thing I did was set up to knit with the provided cast on bonnet and cranked out a few rows with the provided waste yarn.
The first thing I made was this entirely too short set up bonnet. It was a valuable learning project, though.
With this simple first project I learned:
- how to attach the set up bonnet,
- knit onto waste yarn,
- adjust tension to avoid dropped stitches,
- switch to project yarn,
- again adjust tension,
- transfer stitches for the picot edge,
- pick up and hang a hem without dropping stitches,
- transfer stitches and pull needles to switch to the mock 1x1 rib,
- and bind off with a crochet chain.
There is so much left to learn. I spent the majority of Saturday with the machine learning how it works, how to drop stitches, how to pick them back up, and so much more. Even with the long lead time I'm super pleased with my purchase. Look forward to more posts about circular sock machine knitting. I plan to focus the next few posts on simple projects and highlight the tools used. There are so many little tools and tips that I have found all over the place. I'm going to add a new page to hold all this great information in one place. There are also some great videos on YouTube that will show you how the machine works.
If I had an opportunity to point out only one thing to the nice people at the Erlbacher Knitting Machine Company it would be this: Clearly explain your manufacturing process and lead time on your website. I don't mind that it took 10 weeks to manufacture. I do mind that it wasn't clear on the website, or in the order acknowledgment email, that there is a long lead time.
