Here’s another DIY project that lets me have more than a 3 prong
transfer tool for my knitting machines. With
these tools, simply made with a piece of wooden molding or a ruler and some
hair bobby pins and hot glue, I’m able to transfer multiple stitches the same as
with a garter bar but much easier to handle and maneuver. They are particularly useful when evenly
decreasing the top of a stocking cap.
I’ve made several lengths to be more adaptable to whatever I’m
knitting. I began with one the same length
as the needle pusher and then made several sizes smaller. You can make whatever length you desire,
depending on your needs. I made a set
for each of my midgauge and bulky machines.
The bobby pins are too wide to go thru the gate pegs of the standard
machine so I’m afraid that these are strictly for the midgauge and bulky
machines.
The every other needle tool is indispensable when I make my
favorite crossed stitch hat band, especially nice for chemo caps, as seen in this project.So here’s how I made the tools:
1) With your favorite cutting or snipping tool, cut the rubber
tips off the bobby pins. You don’t need to be real precise, just so the rubber
tips are cut off. Then spring the bobby pins open just a little bit so the two
sides lay parallel to each other and will be about the same distance apart when
you hang them on your needles.
2) Open the latches on desired number of needles and hang the
bobby pins, facing the same direction, on knitting machine needles. Push the
needles back toward the bed just far enough that the bobby pins lay even and
flat against the needle bed.
3) Place a wooden ruler or piece of wood molding in back of the
bobby pins, with the flat side against the bobby pins.
4) Use little clamps to hold the end bobby pins onto the wooden
strip. Make sure all the needles are hanging straight and the wooden strip is
hanging even. Leave ¾ to 1” of the bobby pin sticking above the wooden strip.
5) With a hot glue gun, run a bead of glue over the middle bobby
pins that aren’t under the clamp. Do not move until set. Remove the end clamps
and run a bead of glue over the end bobby pins. Again, make sure they are
straight and laying even.
6) When the bead of glue is dried and pins are secure, remove
the strip from your machine and finish gluing the pins. Keep the glue about ¼”
from the edge of the wooden strip. Cover the ends of the rest of the pins with
glue making sure that glue gets in all the nooks and crannies. The backside doesn't look the prettiest but gets the job done.
7) When the glue is thoroughly dried and set, cut the wooden
strip so that only about ¼” goes past the end bobby pins. Don’t want to leave
it too long otherwise it will bump into the other needles on your machine when
you’re transferring stitches.
