A peek at my new toy

[Steve Ashton]

Some of you may remember that a few years ago Freedom Kilts had access to an antique circular sock knitting machine.

If you don't here is a little background of these fascinating machines.

Invented in the late 1800's the hand-cranked circular sock knitting machine was often sold door to door by traveling salesmen before Fuller brushes and vacuum cleaners. They were sold to housewives with a contract to purchase the yarn from the same company who would buy the finished socks back.

Thousands of these machines were made and sold by over 50 different companies. Legare and the Auto-knitter in Canada, Gearhart in the US. There were English, French and German machines.

Here is just one link, to just one site, dedicated to these machines.
http://joybileefarm.com/lest-we-forg...ne-to-freedom/

In WWI The only commercial sock knitting company was producing 5400 pairs of socks a week. Far fewer than the demand. When the call went out through the Red Cross for socks, caps, and scarves for servicemen overseas everyone started knitting. Colleges set up knitting clubs. Andrew Carnegie converted a ballroom of his NY mansion into a knitting factory. Both men and women knitted on buses and trains on the way to work.

It is estimated that 40% of all the socks used by soldiers during the war to prevent trench foot were knitted on Circular Sock Machines in living rooms and kitchens all across the U.S. and Canada.

After the war ladies kept knitting socks earning a little extra income for the niceties of life. With their own money and the pride of earning it themselves it was only a matter of time before they wanted the vote.

The Circular Sock Machine holds a place in the history of the Women's movement.

Until very recently these machines were only available as antiques. Usually found at farm auctions and estate sales they were discovered by home knitters and the eccentrics like me who were intrigued by the machine itself. But re-conditioning a 100 year old machine that has sat in a barn is not easy.

A few years ago a company in New Zealand began producing a new Circular Sock Machine, AKA a CSM.
In 2007 a small gear manufacturing company in Cape Girardeau, MO also began reverse engineering one of these antiques.

http://stores.erlbachergearhart.com/

Here are a few pics of my new Earlbacher Gearhart CSM.

[Steve Ashton]

With the former machine we were able to make kilt hose pretty well.



At the time they were the longest and thickest kilt hose I knew of.



One the top is my Heritage Hose made on our CSM.
In the middle are the Pipers Hose from Gaelic Themes.
And on the bottom the standard Wool Rich Hose also from Gaelic themes.

We were also able to do custom hose as requested.
One customer has very thin legs and wanted to wear his hose in the Military style so wanted them shorter than today's standard.
One customer had his toes amputated so needed one foot very short.

This new machine set me back a few dollars so I will need to make about 300 pairs to pay it off. That is not the reason I bought it though.
I have yet to make a full sock. I'm still learning and perfecting techniques. But I should soon be able to again offer my Heritage hose. Custom made, hand crafted.

I even hope to be able to fit athletes with huge calves.

Stay tuned for updates.

In the mean time enjoy this 8 min video on making a sock.

[cessna152towser]

Nice one Steve, congratulations on your new acquisition.

[Mike in Dayton]

I never knew such a machine existed. Looks like it turns out an excellent sock.

[MacKenzie]

Fascinating. I never knew such a machine existed either.

It's great when old technologies get a new lease on life.

[Tomak]

Fascinating...I wish you luck with your new machine, it looks like it may take some time to master.

[Grizzled Ian]

Thank you Steve, as is often the case, you come up with something unexpected and interesting. When I first read the title of the post, I thought it may perhaps be a companion for the Jag.

[Old Hippie]

Monstrously cool! Penny's a spinner so we go to wool gatherings quite often. I've been secretly coveting a sock machine for years. I always have to chuckle at the gathers that usually it's a guy running the CSM. There used to be a lady just over the water and down the road from you in Mission who restored CSMs and wrote extensively about them. Trying to remember her name, now...

[Steve Ashton]

There is a new development.

The kind folks at Erlbacher-Gearhart just sent me the world's first ever cylinder and ribber combination where there are as many needle slots in the ribber as the cylinder.

This has been one of the major complaints about CSM's all this time. The usual configuration is half the number of needles in the ribber as the cylinder.

For those who have no idea what this means I'm sorry but I can now do 3-2, 3-3- and 4-3 ribs. Just like modern Kilt Hose.

I am really excited. The new ribber and cylinder showed up in the mail today and I'll install it tonight.

I will be trying this new rib on socks all weekend so stay tuned.

[jhockin]

I will be trying this new rib on socks all weekend so stay tuned.

Just remember to eat, drink and sleep too! eh?