I am learning pretty quickly that without the right tools, certain tasks are difficult or impossible.

Tonight I realized my brother cast on comb and its components are either too long or two short to attempt a cast on with them using all the needles - of course this was AFTER I had e-wrapped each and every D position extended needle etc. Argh.

I had been dreaming of a weighted cast on comb (not the ribber one) that would go the length of the bed for upcoming large panel projects but SILLY ME - why do I feel I need to BUY that? Why don’t I MAKE IT!!!

Thus this project and blog entry is born.

Using a SK700k I loaded scrap acrylic from a cone into the machine where the tension mast (over head tension setting) was a looser 3 (higher number=tighter tension) and CAM Lever was a bigger stitch 7 (higher numbers=bigger stitches). With the carriage on the right I threaded the machine, secured the yarn tail under the machine on a post and ensured the yarn was in the carriage.

SETTINGS: Side levers down (stockinet) | Russel Levers on 2 | CAM setting on stockinet |

CAST ON: With the carriage on the right still, once it was ready to knit I brought all the needles into the D position (furthest extended position. I neither too slow or fast - moved the carriage to the opposite side. Happiness! I then chose to do the Open Cast on with Ravel Cord where you now lay Ravel cord on the outside gate pegs of the needles in work and bring each end of the Ravel Cord together down and in front of the machine, effectively pulling down on the cord ends to keep scrap yarn down between needle and gate peg. I added my own trick by using clips (hemostats) and joined the Ravel Cord ends and added a weight (handsfree option). I then worked maybe 6 rows and removed the Ravel Cord. If done right none of the scrap will have snagged any of the pegs - if the downward pressure wasn’t enough, the scrap will raise at the wrong time and snag irrevocably on the gate pegs (and a restart would be needed). SUCCESS. Now there’s enough worked knitting to hang weights.

I do own many spiky weight combs so I placed 5 which spanned all the needles.

I will work maybe 10 more rows of scrap, add a row of Ravel Cord and then start my project yarn from the right.

This project edge will have a “turned hem” or a “Hung Hem” as its known in the circular sock machine world on this end of the project and a modified version on the opposite end that will have picot (knit 2 together) with a 6mm split ring in each picot. This will in the future allow me to use a ringed cast on bonnet with every second needle extended to cast on while allowing space to hang weights!

This is a cast on item I designed and continue to use to cast on with ANY circular sock machine using ANY cylinder (regardless to number of needle slots being used).

Today I reinforced the join off the machine of the off machine hung hem LOVING the finished project - can be used to hang weight/cast on for any number I’d stitches for any project - full bed or not.

Dec 21, 2022:

Tonight I used the cast on bonnet to cast on and oops forgot to bring the every second needle in A out of work - to the working position - prior to starting the project row. Thank goodness I fixed that huge error. Loving the bonnet. Perhaps bigger split rings?