Helpline

If it’s any help you’re not alone and there’s actually a ‘knack’ in removing this bar. Do make a mark on the side of the comb you should use first to remove the stitches which is the side that has the little grooves. Also make sure that you pull all the stitches you’ve lifted off firmly on to the bar so that they’re in a completely straight line.

1. Remove the yarn from the carriage and turn the comb so the grooves now face the machine. (Some knitters find it helpful to put a claw weight on both ends of the work.)

2. Bring out any needle on the machine and examine the needle hook. Look at the stitch now on the garter bar and note that a strand of yarn lies over the groove. The hook of the needles is going to grab this strand of yarn as the garter bar is laid on top of the needles. Return the needle you were examining to non-working position.

3. Lay the garter bar on top of the needles with the left end stitch exactly over the left end needle. Be firm in your movements. Get this stitch right and all the others will also be ‘grabbed’.

4. Carefully pull the garter bar towards you a little and slightly tilt it upwards. Peer over to see if all the stitches have been ‘caught’. If not you can tilt the comb back ease off the comb and start again.

5. Assuming the garter bar has all the stitches on it now comes the vital bit. Keeping a firm grip on the bar tilt it slightly towards you. The bar gets caught in the hooks of the needles because you take the bar downwards without tilting it so the hooks catch in the holes of the garter bar. In one movement tilt the comb towards you and downwards. This must be done firmly and not too slowly. Some knitters find it best to hold the base of the bar with the fingers and place their thumbs on top of the bar to control the movement more easily. It’s no more than a gentle rotation of the wrist and gentle pull downwards. Once you do this successfully with the medium sized bar you can do it with the large one. Practice to get the knack and you’ll soon perfect the technique.

Best wishes
Anne

Have a look at you tube there are demos on there as to how to use a garter bar
Hilda b

Hello Claire and welcome to the new site! Thanks for getting involved.

In answer to your question yes you can and before starting the front wind a ball of yarn in the main colour. This will be called Yarn B although it’s the same yarn as in Feeder 1.

For a ‘V’ Neck
Thread Yarn B into the second feeder as for Fair Isle. Set carriage for Fair Isle and bring all needles left of centre 0 to holding position. Knit one row. Note that the right-hand side knits with yarn in Feeder 1 and left side knits in Yarn B. Bring all needles left of centre 0 to holding position. Lay yarn B on top of the left-hand side needles and knit back. The same thing happens so continue like this always bringing the left side needles to holding position on every row. Decrease for the ‘V’ as usual although you do the shaping at both sides on the same row. Please note that you can’t use holding position or upper working position for needles at any time on the right-hand side.

For a Round Neck
Cast off the centre stitches with a separate piece of yarn or take them back to non-working position with a nylon cord. Continue exactly as for the ‘V’ neck working both sides at the same time. This method of course is only for stocking stitch and not for patterned knitting.

For a Lace Neckline
This method works beautifully with the Brother lace carriage but not for Silver Reed and Knitmaster one-action lace carriages which have a quite different action. At the neckline and using a separate length of yarn cast off the neck stitches. With the lace carriage knit the number of lace rows as usual. Knit the two rows with the main carriage as in the method above. There are a couple of things to mention and look out for and the first is to make sure that Yarn B which trails across from left to right does not foul up the lace carriage. If necessary just hold down the strand of yarn while you knit the lace pattern. It’s also important to make sure you weight both sides evenly and put back at least two end needles on the neck side to working position so they don’t knit the lace pattern.

Knitting both sides at once can of course also be done on Passap and Pfaff machines. Wind off some main colour and put it into Feeder 2. Cast off the centre stitches with a piece of separate yarn at the neck edge. Bring pushers to working position beneath the needles at the left of work and pushers to non-working position at right of work. Set locks to BX (left arrow key) / GX and you must now start with Colour 2. This is important to prevent Colour 1 catching in the end right-hand needle. With Colour 2 knit two rows. With Colour 1 knit two rows and so on shaping as necessary.

I hope that helps
Anne

Hello Elaine and welcome to the new site!

If you don’t get this right sideways knitting is going to be a problem!

For increasing
At the carriage side and where the increase is required bring two needles to holding position and e-wrap them both with the main yarn. Knit one row. Bring out those same two end needles to holding position again and as you take the carriage back across they will knit back. Repeat bringing out two more needles to holding position and e-wrapping them. Knit one row bring those same two needles out to holding position again and knit back across This way instead of increasing one stitch every row which makes the edge tight you increase two stitches every two rows. Use hand tension or a claw weight on the new knitting for a few rows.

For decreasing
Take a length of main yarn and at the end to be decreased knit the end stitch by hand with this separate length of yarn. Take the second end stitch on to the end needle and bring both stitches back to the empty needle. Knit one row and repeat always knitting the end stitch by hand before working the decrease.

Increasing several stitches
To increase a large number of stitches at one end work as follows. At the carriage end bring to holding position the required number of needles and e-wrap over them. Knit one row. Bring all the needles involved in the increase to holding position again and knit one row then repeat. This method sometimes works but if you’re using a fancy yarn it may give you problems so here’s another technique to try.

Start with the carriage at the end where you’d like to work the multiple increases. Hook a spare piece of knitting on to the empty needles to be used. Remove the yarn from the feeder. Over these needles only (put the others to holding position and set carriage to hold) knit one row with a nylon cord. Bring those same needles out to holding position again and then take the carriage back. Now using main yarn e-wrap over these needles. Re-thread the main yarn and continue to knit over all needles but bring those increased stitches to holding position for a few rows to make sure they knit off correctly The extra piece of knitting hooked on to the needles gives you something on which to hang the claw weights for just a few rows until the knitting runs smoothly.

I hope that helps.

Best wishes
Anne