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Hey y’all! Today I am super excited to share my very first machine knitting tutorial! This past Fall I took an intensive machine knitting course at FIT here in New York, and have been obsessed ever since. I purchased an LK150 knitting machine and have had so much fun learning what I can create with it. You can finish most projects in a day which is AMAZING!
I wanted to create a tutorial for the beginner machine knitter, covering some basic techniques that you can do with your machine. I’ve adapted one of my most popular knitting patterns, the “Girly Knits Bra Top”, as it is a great piece to learn and practice on, and it’s super cute!
In the video I show you step by step how to make this design, including casting on, doing mock ribbing, increasing, decreasing, putting your knitting on hold to work one side at a time, and knitting in I-cord (so fast and fun!) I also cover seaming your bra top and using Kitchener stitch to join the front to the back. See the bottom of this post for the times in the video of each technique! The yarn I use in the video is Lion Brand “Pound of Love” in Oxford Grey.
If you don’t have an LK150, no worries at all! These techniques apply to any flat bed knitting machine, and if you get the pattern, I have instructions for adapting this pattern for any yarn/gauge you’re working with. The pattern is called the “Get it Girl” Bra Top which you can find on Ravelry here! To see all of my LK150 machine knitting patterns, check them out here.
I didn’t want to leave anyone out, so this pattern is available as a hand knitting pattern too! As this pattern is based off of the “Girly Knits Bra Top“, it is very similar, though this pattern now includes extended sizes, a different back making joining the straps easier, instructions for knitting the pattern flat if you don’t have circular needles, tips for measuring your bust to adjust the pattern to fit your personal cup size, and instructions for how to adapt this pattern to any yarn/gauge. Want to use fingering, sport, or bulky yarn, or create a size not listed in the pattern? No worries! I have included a guide for calculations you can do so you can plug your numbers into the pattern and make it work for you.
I also have a new pattern for a tank dress that uses the same machine knitting techniques covered in the video, available as a machine knitting and hand knitting pattern called the “Dream On” Tank Dress. For this dress I used Knit Picks “Brava Worsted” in Cobblestone Heather.
I hope you enjoy this tutorial! If you make either the “Get it Girl” Bra Top or the “Dream On” Tank Dress, please post a photo on Ravelry, or tag me on instagram, @girlyknits! There is nothing I love more than seeing your creations!
Here are techniques and times in the video 😊:
Casting On: 4:10
Ravel Cord: 7:10
Mock Ribbing: 8:38
Folding and Joining Mock Ribbing: 10:25
Knitting Joining Row: 13:00
Decrease at Left Side: 14:04
Knitting Body of Bra Top: 14:54
Increasing: 15:15
Removing Waste Yarn: 17:55
First Underarm Dec Row: 19:00
Putting Left Side in Holding: 19:40
Decreasing at Underarm and Neckline on Right Side: 20:40
I-Cord Straps: 25:22
Removing Straps from Machine: 27:45
Working Left Side: 28:48
Working Left Strap in I-Cord: 32:35
Finished Front: 33:45
Remove Back from Machine: 34:40
Seaming Sides using Mattress Stitch: 35:29
Joining Strap to Back using Kitchener Stitch: 38:10
Weaving in Ends: 41:52
💜 Lauren