lk150 tutorial

How to Knit Lace on an LK150 Knitting Machine using the Needle Beetle

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Hello! Today I have a new video tutorial where I will be showing you how to knit lace on your LK150 knitting machine using the Needle Beetle by Kris Krafter. The Needle Beetle is an automatic needle selector and will help you knit lace by selecting which stitches you will need to transfer each row for your lace pattern, eliminating potential mistakes and making the transfers much easier to see. The Needle Beetle selects repeats of 8, so you can use it with any pattern that is a multiple of 8 stitches. Check out the video to learn more about the Needle Beetle and see it in action to fully understand how it works and can help you knit lace.

In this demo I show you how to read a lace chart and translate that to the Needle Beetle. I walk you through every row of a 26 row lace chart which is the lace pattern featured in my two newest designs, “Awesome Blossoms” Lace Sweater and Dress and “Lace for Days” Leg Warmers. After the lace demo, I show you how to do a latched up ribbed edge, a technique used in the leg warmers pattern. To give you an idea of how quickly you can knit lace on a knitting machine using the Needle Beetle, the picture below is the front of the sweater which I knitted in only one day!

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“Awesome Blossoms” is a machine knitting pattern that can be either a sweater or a dress, and is based off of an existing hand knitting pattern I designed years back called “Take a Bow”. This sweater is updated from the original design to have a crew neckline and sloped shoulders so that you can add sleeves. I’ve added an additional .pdf to “Take a Bow” so you can make these mods with the hand knitting pattern – if you have purchased the pattern you should have received an update! I love this design as a drop shoulder sweater with sleeves, and I hope you do too.  The yarn I used for this sweater is a gorgeous DK Merino Silk blend which unfortunately is discontinued, but a yarn that has the same fiber content and is just as beautiful is Knit Picks “Gloss DK” which I used for another one of my machine knit samples as well as the original hand knit version.

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I hadn’t thought of this dress design being a beach cover up before, but this cotton yarn I used from Knitcrate inspired it! This yarn is so much fun – it is a Pima Cotton with a subtle variegation that almost makes it look tie dyed when knit up, especially in lace. It was a limited edition yarn called Uru Yarn Cotton Basic that is now sold out, but I’m wondering if there’s something similar out there? If a yarn comes to mind let me know! I’ve also seen knitters make this dress into a graduation dress, a wedding dress (!), and an everyday top, it’s so versatile! Any DK yarn will work with this pattern (as long as you’re able to get the gauge stated) so I encourage you to go ahead and use your favorite.

This is another version of “Awesome Blossoms” with just a touch of lace, that is included as an option within the pattern. This version is nice in that it knits up faster with less lace, and that you can just wear a bra with it without worrying about having to wear a tank top underneath. Which version do you prefer? One knitter pointed out that this lace pattern looks like tulips which was inspiration for the name, do you see them?

“Lace For Days” is a leg warmer pattern that features the same lace pattern as above, but on a much smaller scale if you want a quick win! Wear them under boots, over tights, or to lounge around in to make your legs look pretty. Available in 5 sizes to fit Girls-Adult, this is both a hand knitting and machine knitting pattern and you will get both when you buy the pattern. They feature Skacel Knitting’s “Simplicity” Metallic which has just a hint of glimmer to give your legs some extra sparkle.

A couple other things I mention in the video are the handheld steamer I use, and an invite to join my machine knitting facebook group!

I hope you enjoy this tutorial and and learned something new about using the Needle Beetle.  If you do make any of these designs, please share photos on Ravelry or Instagram where I’m @girlyknits, I would love to see what you make! To see all of my LK150 machine knitting patterns, check them out here.

Happy Knitting!

💜 Lauren

How to Knit Shorts and Pants on a Knitting Machine – Beginner LK150 Tutorial

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lk150 machine knitting patternHey Guys!  I’m super excited to be back with another machine knitting tutorial!  This time we’re talking about shorts and pants, woohoo!  I have two brand new designs, “Cozy Up With Me” Shorts and “Cozy Up With Me” Pants.  They come in sizes 0-26 and have tons of options for making them custom to you.  The techniques used for both designs are the same so you can use this video tutorial for either pattern.  And, if you’re a hand knitter, I’ve got you too!  These are also available as knitting patterns (featured in fun colorful yarns!) as “Ombre All Day” Shorts and “Ombre All Day” Pants.

In the video I demonstrate making the size Small Shorts, and walk you through every step including how to cast on with waste yarn, knit and join the bottom leg bands (including how to do a picot hem), how to bind off for the crotch, shape the front and back, do short rows at the top of the shorts, knit the waistband, add an eyelet for a drawstring, how to fold and join the waistband on the machine, and bind off using a backstitch bind off. I then show you how to seam the 2 legs together, and finally demonstrate the steps for knitting an i-cord drawstring on your machine. I hope you find this video tutorial helpful and that you learn some new things!

lk150 machine knitting pattern  lk150 machine knitting patternlk150 machine knitting pattern  lk150 machine knitting patternThe yarn I use in this tutorial is Lion Brand “Touch of Alpaca” in Blush, the grey shorts pictured use Knit Picks “Brava Worsted” in Cobblestone Heather, and the yarn I used for the knitted pants is Lion Brand “Pound of Love” in Charcoal (and I only used 1 skein!)  These are all great options that come in beautiful heather colorways, but any worsted weight yarn you like will work.

If you make either the of these designs please post a photo on Ravelry, or tag me on instagram, @girlyknits!  There is nothing I love more than seeing your creations!  To see all of my LK150 machine knitting patterns, check them out here.

Here is a list of times of everything I demonstrate in the video 😊 :

Casting on with waste yarn – 2:59

Using ravel cord – 4:05

Joining main yarn to knit the bottom band – 4:25

Knitting a row of eyelets for a picot hem – 5:07

Picking up and joining the hem – 6:10

Joining Row – 7:26

Knitting the inseam and tips for length – 7:55

Binding off crotch – 8:49

Decreasing at front and back – 11:28

Additional back decreases – 12:16

Removing waste yarn – 13:55

Short Rows – 14:14

Knitting the waistband – 17:44

Eyelet for drawstring – 19:25

Picking up row to join waistband – 20:36

Joining waistband – 24:15

Backstitch bind off – 24:46

Removing shorts from machine – 26:56

Seaming inseam – 27:15

Seaming backs together – 28:50

I-cord drawstring – 30:45

E-wrap cast on – 31:05

Drawstring tips – 32:35

Conclusion – 33:39

💜 Lauren

How to Knit a Bra Top on a Knitting Machine – Beginner LK150 Tutorial

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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