# Machine Knit Baby Afghan



## yourownsister

I am looking for a quick and easy, yet pretty, baby afghan pattern for machine knitting. I have a brother 930 electronic machine so am interested to see if anyone has anything that they would like to share that I could use. I once had a pattern that used tucks, etc. but I can't find it. I would appreciate any help or ideas that you may have. Thanks in advance! Beverly


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## deemail

this site shows a 'swirl blanket' which can be used for a throw or a baby blanket, just depending on how you use the colors....each section is done separately (attached, but one at a time) so colors are easy to mix and manage....

any knitting machine can be used...this address is for part #1 but it leads to 2 and 3...the demonstrator does a great job with enough details and good pix....you can watch, pause, do that step on your machine and then go watch some more...good luck....


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## yourownsister

Thanks - I'll check it out!


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## plrigg

Thanks for sharing this link .. I haven't used my knitting machine in a very long time & this gave me the urge to sit down & try to be creative .. Thanks Again Pat


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## plainjane

I also have the brother 930. If the youtube doesn't work for you, I could go through my patterns and see what I can find. It's been a while since I have used my machines-must get them from underneath the bed! Just pm me.


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## grannygee

I haven't used my knitting machines in a long time either. That makes me want to try it again. Does anyone else have Toyota machines?


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## yourownsister

The Swirl blanket looks absolutely intriguing and I will definitely give it a go - but I also was hoping for something that I wouldn't have to do too much thinking with. Something that I could just set a pattern, cast on and go. I'm still looking for that pattern stitch that a friend gave me many years ago. When I find it I will share it with everyone - that is if I find it!


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## Floknits

Hi I just came aboard to this Great Forum, 4 days ago.The knowledge that every shares is so special. It is so good to see machine knitters still going strong.I am not familiar with the the differnt types of machines, all of my machines are Brothers you have the 930, and one of mine is the 970 electronic. Already I am hooked. (sml) I guess it was my lucky day when I came upon this site.


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## yourownsister

I love my knitting machine too! It's hard to find patterns any more. Used to be all over the place. I wish I had a ribber. Lots of stuff out there for them. I only have a G-Carriage. Welcome aboard and let's go knit something!


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## yourownsister

Well, I just finished my first swirl blanket. I must say that it takes longer to finish it than it does to knit it. The worm edge is very pretty but takes a long time to complete. I agree I could crochet it faster but my hands are giving me trouble so I guess it will have to do. The camera doesn't do it justice as it is a very pretty lime green.


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## Daphnee08

How much yarn did it take? I watched those videos yesterday on utube, and want to make one too. She doesn't say how many skeins she used. Is it like 1 skein per triangle? I love the lime green. Very pretty.


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## yourownsister

Oh no no no - the actual triangles are not that big. I used 2 skiens of Baby Bee Sweet Delight Baby yarn, each 4 oz. and I have some left over. The yardage was 377 yards per skein. One thing that I did do and depending on your machine - was - I noticed that her directions were for a bulky machine. I have a standard gauge. Rather than taking the time to figure out how many needles I would have to pull out for my machine I decided to turn my machine in to a "bulky" machine by pulling out every other needle so that I had the 60 she is talking about and leaving the rest in non working position. Worked just fine. Before you block it it looks kind of like an octopus without any legs - not truly round. But I found that when blocking it it got pretty round. It's not totally round. I'm not sure that I did it absolutely correct - I'm going to make another one to see if I can make anything differently. It is really fun to make. Good luck! (When you're done why don't you post a picture of yours.)


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## jkruse1971

LOOOOVE this pattern! I made one too, yesterday afternoon! Only I found Diana's pattern for the USM...my standard machine needs a spongebar and is fighting me all the way. The USM pattern is much smaller and uses a different technique...think Ill try using more needles next time...regardless - LOVE IT! You did an awesome job!!
Julie


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## Maryknits513

yourownsister said:


> It's hard to find patterns any more... I only have a G-Carriage. Welcome aboard and let's go knit something!


Hi,

You can make some really nice baby blankets with your g-carriage. Try using pattern 468, 470, 477 or any of the other stitch patterns you like. Use Tamm Sport 2/7 or a 3/15 or 3/12 yarn. Cast on between 180 and 200 stitches, knit 300 to 400 rows depending on how big you want the baby blanket.

If you have Design A Knit, or a disk drive for your knitting machine, or one of the emulator cables http://www.knitandsew.demon.nl/dk/dak_usb-en.htm you can download some great designs into your knitting machine to knit baby blankets. Check our Lora Kinan's designs at www.daisyknits.com or Charlene Shafer's designs at www.knitknackshop.com Another favorite is Cheryl Jiles who wrote several "CribKnits" books.

Happy knitting!


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## yourownsister

Thanks so much! I do have Designaknit but it's outdated. But I also have a disc drive and cable. There are so many things that can be done. I'm going to look at my stitchworld book right now to look at those patterns. That would be the ticket - make the G Carriage do ALL the work. But wouldn't that take a long time? It's been so long since I used the G Carriage but if I remember correctly it's pretty slow!


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## jkruse1971

Ooo I see you used Baby Bee sweet delight...Have you ever used that yarn on you standard machine using all the needles? I tried the same yarn and it didn't knit well at all...(assumed it was the sponge bar or the yarn's too thick...couldn't possibly be me, right? LOL) Anyway, just curious if you've had luck with that guage yarn before?
Thanks,
Julie


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## yourownsister

I did try it a while back and if I remember correctly it was not very soft. So, the every other needle is probably the way to go. I've got a little left - will try it this afternoon.


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## Maryknits513

yourownsister said:


> Thanks so much! I do have Designaknit but it's outdated. But I also have a disc drive and cable... make the G Carriage do ALL the work. But wouldn't that take a long time? It's been so long since I used the G Carriage but if I remember correctly it's pretty slow!


What version of DAK do you have? The most current is DAK7, with occasional updates available at wwws.knitcraft.com for users in the US, or www.softbyte.com for the rest of the world. I use DAK a lot and might be able to help you get started using it again. Check Cathie Sander's DVD for learning DAK www.northtipton.com Knitter's Edge, a subscription website, also has DAK lessons, and stitch patterns you can download. www.knittersedge.com Disclaimer: I write patterns for Knitters Edge.

The G carriage is SLOW, and nicknamed "Turtle" for a reason. However, it doesn't doesn't have to go to work, it doesnt have to cook or clean, it doesn't get tired, or go to work, etc. so in a way it can be faster. A baby blanket, 200 stitches X 400 rows takes about 20 hours. A turn-around cam helps shorten that time. they are available at http://www.waynecord.com/wccams.html -- no affililation except as a satisfied customer.

Happy knitting!


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## jules2358

Your blanket is beautiful. I just tried this pattern. I'm having a bit of trouble though. The sections did not end up the same length. Also, when I went to remove the waste yarn one of my sections came unraveled. I have tucked it away for now and will return to it next week with a fresh eye. The edging does take a long time to finish but I don't crochet (yet). I think part of what I did wrong was repeating 2 rows twice on the same stitch.


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## clogden21

when I made one I used 10 skeins of 1.5 oz skeins, I used 1 skein per panel It was very pretty.

There is another way to make it with out casting off each wedge, I will try and find it



yourownsister said:


> Well, I just finished my first swirl blanket. I must say that it takes longer to finish it than it does to knit it. The worm edge is very pretty but takes a long time to complete. I agree I could crochet it faster but my hands are giving me trouble so I guess it will have to do. The camera doesn't do it justice as it is a very pretty lime green.


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## jules2358

I tried this pattern on my Bond machine and it went well after I figured out that I needed a considerable amount of weight on the right hand side. I ran into a couple of problems regarding the lengths of each section so am redoing some of it . Apparently I don't do well at counting when I'm tired. I'm new at this and this blanket was pretty ambitious for me. I used Caron Simply Soft, pistachio, sand, and a warm brown (can't remember the color name). Colors look great and I'll post a pic when I'm done.


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## clogden21

What does a turn around cam do?? I have an older brother non electric that is great for sport weight yarn.


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## Maryknits513

clogden21 said:


> What does a turn around cam do?? I have an older brother non electric that is great for sport weight yarn.


Hi,
It's for use with the Brother garter carriage. It makes the garter carriage change direction faster.


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## yourownsister

jules2358 said:


> Your blanket is beautiful. I just tried this pattern. I'm having a bit of trouble though. The sections did not end up the same length. Also, when I went to remove the waste yarn one of my sections came unraveled. I have tucked it away for now and will return to it next week with a fresh eye. The edging does take a long time to finish but I don't crochet (yet). I think part of what I did wrong was repeating 2 rows twice on the same stitch.


A little tip - do not remove your waste yarn until AFTER you have the worm edging done. Then your knitting won't come unraveled unless you miss a stitch. I found that I missed a couple but just picked them up and wove them them into an adjacent bundle. Also, I found that my sections were all longer than the adjacent one. I just winged it because I had restarted the afghan 3 times and finally just said forget it and finished it up!


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## yourownsister

Maryknits513 said:


> yourownsister said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks so much! I do have Designaknit but it's outdated. But I also have a disc drive and cable... make the G Carriage do ALL the work. But wouldn't that take a long time? It's been so long since I used the G Carriage but if I remember correctly it's pretty slow!
> 
> 
> 
> What version of DAK do you have? The most current is DAK7, with occasional updates available at wwws.knitcraft.com for users in the US, or www.softbyte.com for the rest of the world. I use DAK a lot and might be able to help you get started using it again. Check Cathie Sander's DVD for learning DAK www.northtipton.com Knitter's Edge, a subscription website, also has DAK lessons, and stitch patterns you can download. www.knittersedge.com Disclaimer: I write patterns for Knitters Edge.
> 
> The G carriage is SLOW, and nicknamed "Turtle" for a reason. However, it doesn't doesn't have to go to work, it doesnt have to cook or clean, it doesn't get tired, or go to work, etc. so in a way it can be faster. A baby blanket, 200 stitches X 400 rows takes about 20 hours. A turn-around cam helps shorten that time. they are available at http://www.waynecord.com/wccams.html -- no affililation except as a satisfied customer.
> 
> Happy knitting!
Click to expand...

I have DAK 5 - it will cost me $280 to upgrade to DAK7. Plus I think I need to buy an adaptor for my cable that is compatible with my computer. That's going to cost about $80! That just shows how long it's been since I've used it. I really love it because I make a lot of Christmas stockings and it's so much easier to download the patterns than it is to program the myself.


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## deemail

i feel so proud of you! your blanket is really nice looking...what's your next project?


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## yourownsister

deemail said:


> i feel so proud of you! your blanket is really nice looking...what's your next project?


And I owe it all to you! Thank you so much for the link. That one question certainly has sparked a lot of conversation hasn'tt it? I am really impressed with this forum!

My next project is to finish my magic cable sweater. I started it a couple of weeks ago and wanted to take a break - thus the baby afghan. I only have the sleeves left. Last night I did the cut and sew neckline and shoulders. Those cut and sew necklines are so nerveracking but so nice when they are done.

How about you? What are you working on?


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## deemail

am fighting my way back from the second bout of flu this winter so am hand knitting and sleeping in my recliner...have done 4 hats, half way thru my second pair of gloves, 2 scarves done, and a long-range aran even got a few rows...haven't gotten so much hand knitting done in years, i usually spend my daytime energy on quilting and then knit while listening to tv at night...but this winter has put me way ahead on my cold winter wardrobe...not all bad...

ps...put my brother 864 in the living room, thinking i would have enough energy to do a bit here and there, but so far, putting it up is all the attention it got...maybe tomorrow...


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## yourownsister

Sorry to hear you are under the weather. It's no fun to be sick, that's for sure. I used to watch TV at night and night but now I have trigger fingers and have had to stop because I don't want to keep getting cortisone injections. At least you are being productive while you are sick. Not a lot of people can say that! Take care and get well soon.


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## deemail

thx...getting better every day, just always shocked at how recovery gets slower as i get older....lol....now i wanna do a new swirl blanket...got me inspired,


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## dahbunny

Hay! Did you consider working this blanket sideways with short rows to avoid the "making up" at the end? It wouldn't have quite as much swirly effect, but I'm all about avoiding the make-up part. Just saw something like this done at a knitting conference and I love the concept.


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## deemail

jkruse1971 said:


> LOOOOVE this pattern! I made one too, yesterday afternoon! Only I found Diana's pattern for the USM...my standard machine needs a spongebar and is fighting me all the way. The USM pattern is much smaller and uses a different technique...think Ill try using more needles next time...regardless - LOVE IT! You did an awesome job!!
> Julie


check youtube for instructions on how to renew your sponge bar, costs pennies and takes minutes...


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## Hagridsmom

Ok - I have knitting machines under the bed too!! I don't have the vaguest idea how to set them up anymore and have some concerns about the integrity of the sponge bars,etc. Is there anyone close by to St Charles MO that feels like taking on a person who needs remedial knitting classes? 

I've got so much yarn too that I would love to work up. I'm getting really itchy to do this again. I started machine knitting when in Denver CO and have had many moves since then and the change - I don't think I can wear sweaters anymore. My thermostat is set on warm all year round.


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## deemail

again, go to youtube...there is everything there from 'setting up your machine' to knitting entire sweaters. you may not find the exact brand you have but there will be more similarities than differences. just keep your search simple to begin with, 'knitting machine', maybe, and then later you can specify more and get really detailed info...two of my favorite machine knitter video teachers are clogden21 and cherylbrunette. neither of them uses the same kind of machine i do, but each is a really good teacher and what they show can be translated easily to my bulky machine and almost as easily to my regular machine. there is also a video on replacing your sponge bar. it is quick and inexpensive and easily done. makes even those old, ignored machine feel new and energetic again...get 'em out, you'll love it again...


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## glynisbev

hi, i,ve just been reading your post.i to have tried the blanket off youtube but found it quite small then i realised it was knitted on a bulky size machine. i,m new to knitting machine,s could you tell me what you mean about turning your machine to a bulky one . do you meen bring one needle to working position and bring one to none working and so on till you have 60 needles in working position. this is a great site. i look on here every day. thanks glynis manchester uk


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## BJWHITE

If it has been a long time sense you have used your G carrage be sure to check you sponge bars as you can really mess things up if you sponge bar is not in really good shape


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## Weegie

your swirl blanket is wonderful! Great job!
Betty


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## Weegie

I have an Elna chunky...which was Toyota till they changed the name.


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