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 |  | Hand-operated Plastic Machines: $10-$50 |  | Basic Models: $150-$500 |  | Advanced: $750-$2,500 |
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Manually-operated knitting looms are faster and easier than hand-knitting, and electrically powered machines are even faster still. Knitters either love these machines or disdain them, and avid machine knitters say using them takes a unique set of skills and creativity.
Typical costs: | - Hand-operated plastic knitting "machines" are around $10-$50; check for strong construction and durability. More durable wooden hand looms or frames cost about $10-$25 each; you'll need several for different projects or weights of yarn. Whether plastic or wood, these "machines" are advertised as requiring no knitting experience. They're faster than hand knitting, but usually not as flexible in the range of stitching styles produced. Some of the plastic machines are designed as children's toys; others are aimed at adult hobbyists who want to produce basic knit products more quickly and in larger quantities.
- Electric machines start around $150-$500 for basic hobby models that will craft sweaters, afghans and other projects; average $750-$1,100 for versions with punch-card programming, wider needle beds and more stitching options; and run $1,000-$2,500 or more for wide-needle-bed models with computerized pattern programming and other features. Accessories start at $5-$100 for small attachments or tools but can run $250-$1,000 or more for options such as an additional needle bed. Currently the main manufacturers are Artisan, Bond[1] and Silver Reed[2] .
- Yarn is always the main cost of any knitting project; knitting machines can use any yarns intended for hand knitting (although some yarns work better than others) but for power knitting machines it's simpler (and sometimes cheaper) to use yarns wound on cones, because they're sold in larger lots. Standard yarn costs $15-$45 on one-pound cones, but can run $50-$75 or more for a similar cone of lightweight or specialty yarn. Enough yarn for a simple scarf starts around $5-$10, but can be $80-$100 for extremely expensive yarns, such as pure cashmere. As with hand-knitting, material for a basic sweater starts around $25-$50, but can run as high as $200 or more depending on the yarn and the style of the sweater.
- Free online machine knitting patterns are available from BackToBackKnits.com, ClearwaterKnits.com[3] , Suzanne Glass Machine Knitting and Machine-Knit.com.
- How-to and pattern books/videos/DVDs[4] can cost $5-$90, and a subscription to Knitwords, a quarterly magazine on machine knitting[5] , is $30 a year.
- Computer software ranges from $50-$100 for simple design programs to $500 or more for complex software which allows you to translate your own drawings into machine patterns.
Related articles: Knitting and Crocheting, Embroidery, Needlepoint or Cross Stitch, Quilting
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What should be included: | - Manually operated frames or looms contain a row or rows of pegs; yarn is looped around the pegs in various ways to create different stitches.
- Each electric knitting machine works best with a certain weight of yarn, either light or bulky. Many machine knitters own several models, to use with different yarns. KnittersReview.com gives a good overview of knitting machines[6] .
Additional costs: | - Be sure every option you need is included in the total price quote; for some machines, the computerized software and hardware ($500-$1,000) is sold separately from the actual knitting machine.
Shopping for a knitting machine: | - Yarn-Store.com provides an overview of what you should know before buying a knitting machine[7] . Machine-Knit.com posts clubs, dealers and other knitting machine resources and the Knittin' To It Knit Club lists retail outlets for knitting machines[8] .
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External Resources: | - www.bond-america.com/
- www.knitcraft.com/silver/index.php
- www.clearwaterknits.com/freepats/freepats.html
- www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-4684780-9639314?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&fi...
- www.knitwords.com/
- www.knittersreview.com/print.asp?article=/review/product/050929_a.asp
- www.yarn-store.com/hand-and-machine-knitting-the-differences-and-similarities.html
- home.mindspring.com/~stylist/id16.html
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