Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Sweater Machine

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I absolutely love my Ultimate Sweater (Knitting) Machine. In fact, I enjoyed knitting with it so much, I went out and got a professional knitting machine and disappointed with that because the Ultimate Sweater Machine works so much better and easier.

Before being able to take full advantage of this machine, I needed to accessorize. Yes, more money but worth every penny. I needed the extensions to make it longer and the row counter (couldn't live without that) and the yarn winder and the table (you need a table with a square edge so the clamps have something to hold) and some large hair clamps to hold the knitting off the floor (it can`t touch the floor and the clamps work better than the knitting needles they recommend -- just roll and clamp) and some additional weights (to weigh down the knitting so that the knitting stays on the machine and knits evenly). Go to the Ultimate Sweater Machine website to find all necessary materials.

The beauty of this machine is that it takes the standard yarn we find in the craft stores like Michaels. Fluffier yarns can get caught and make the experience frustrating, so I recommend standard 4-ply yarn to start.

It takes practice, make sure not to let the yarn pull or snag as you are knitting. I usually leave the ball behind the table and unwind enough so there is absolutely no pulling on my knit work. There is a learning curve. Don't give up!

Fancy stitches take a lot longer to complete, because we have to do it manually. People see the knitting machine and think it's easy and quick. Maybe it's quicker than traditional knitting, but it can take me a week or longer to complete a sweater, especially if I have a bunch of fancy stitches to put in.

Great machine. I'm glad I found it. Just keep in mind this kit will get you started, but you are going to want the accessories to get the most out of it.

I was nervous about this machine because of all the negative reviews I saw here and at several other sites. At an average of $150, it's a pricey investment in something that seems hit-or-miss. The decision was taken out of my hands as I received it as a Christmas gift, and I was determined to give it the best chance I could.

I'm glad I did! I am very pleased with the machine so far.

Yes, it takes some time to set up and troubleshoot. Watch the DVD IN ADDITION to reading the instruction manual - neither is optional as each has important information not included in the other. Expect to spend half your time in the first few projects ripping out rows and picking up dropped stitches. Most of these are caused by operator error and not due to machine malfunction, and once you really master the tricky balance of keeping the yarn at the right tension (slight when approaching a row, NONE when knitting the row) most of these problems are eliminated.

Admittedly, so far I have only done very simple projects without any complex shaping or fancy stitching. I'm sure that will come with its own set of issues, but I expect most of them will be due to my own inexperience. Like anything else, this machine takes some time to figure out. Go slowly and complete each practice project. Don't expect to push a button and watch the machine do everything for you. That's not how it works.

Experienced hand-knitters might find this to be more trouble than it is worth. I crochet, so I understand the relaxing joy of handwork, but with two preschoolers in the house I simply have not had the time to devote to mastering hand-knitting. This machine will, I think, make it possible for me to clothe everyone in the homemade garments I covet without making me spend endless hours perfecting my stockinette stitch. Furthermore, every knitter makes mistakes. The machine makes it easy to fix them. Ripping out rows is tedious, but so is "knitting backwards", I'm told, and at least with the machine I don't have the added discouragement of knowing I must re-knit all those stitches I'd just spent so much time on - since the machine can re-knit them in seconds.

I do have a few little quibbles. Number one: the plastic "teeth" at the edge of the machine, right where the needles protrude, often have little flaky bits of plastic left over from the mold. These can snag the yarn and cause the stitches to catch and the machine to jam if not corrected. It's an easy fix - just clip off the little flakes with nail scissors - but something to watch for when starting out. Number two: the machine doesn't come with a tapestry needle, which you will need for binding off and finishing a project. Given that it comes with EVERYTHING else you need, including practice yarn and piddly things like rubber bands, I think it's pretty lame that the manufacturer couldn't throw in a two-inch plastic needle that probably costs fractions of a cent wholesale. Unless you're already a yarn crafter, it's not something you're likely to have lying around, and that could be a big disappointment for someone who's just gotten the machine and is all stoked up to use it right away.

I agree with a previous reviewer who mentioned that a small crochet needle would be more useful for picking up dropped stitches than the tool they give you. Their tool does have its purposes, though, and is specifically designed for the machine, so don't throw it out.

Overall, I am happy so far, and looking forward to learning how to do more complex things on the machine. I highly recommend this machine if you are a novice knitter discouraged by the time it takes to complete anything. If you are an expert, and not interested in spending a lot of time learning a different method of doing something you already know how to do, you might consider spending your money elsewhere.

Several hours after setting this machine up, I was pretty certain that it was a piece of junk and I was going to send it back where it came from. Thankfully, it was night time and could not do it right away, because the next morning, something clicked with me and the machine. I think with several more hours of practice, I will have it completely under my control. There are a couple of things the video doesn't mention - and I agree that the video is less than great. But with all of the emphasis on watching the video, it doesn't tell you how important it is to wax the edges of the plate that goes in the carriage. Oh my gosh, after an hour and a half of trying to get the carriage to slide over the needles, I found the mention in the book about waxing the plate. That made a huge difference. After knitting about 12 inches in length, the next pass with the carriage dropped almost the entire row! GEEEZ! I certainly got plenty of practice picking up dropped stitches. It took almost an hour to get that problem solved. The little hook tools that come with the kit are pretty worthless because of the way they are made. Do yourself a favor and get a small crochet hook and a small latch hook tool. It is true that if you are an experienced knitter, you have no advantage in using this machine. I eventually discovered that to keep from dropping stitches, the weights in the hem have to be "heavy" enough to keep tension on the stitches that are on the needles. As soon as you notice slack in the stitches, make sure your hem is hanging freely. Also, NEVER put tension on the yarn that is being pulled from the ball - it will make the carriage jam and make YOU pull your hair out. Look carefully at each row before you knit the next row to make sure there are no dropped stitches and the stitches on the far right and far left needles have been completed. Believe me, you cannot sit down and produce spectacular projects without considerable practice and attention to detail. BUT, once you have put in the time, you WILL knit faster than you ever could with two needles. You really CAN knit 1000 stitches in just a couple of minutes and a 200 yard skein can be completely knit in under 10 minutes.

I bought this machine several weeks ago in order to make the larger knitted items that I always wanted to make but as a student never have the time to make. I have been hand knitting for a few years now and as much as i love making hats in the round and scarfs I didn't have the time to devote to say a sweater or a blanket project.

When I got the machine I didn't realize I had to have the 'perfect' table to set it up on but i managed (hijacked the dining room table) and with a little help from my father I was able to fix the poorly designed clamps to attach to the rounded sides of the table. I will agree with many that the DVD is pretty lame but it helps give the overall idea.

You really have to make sure that you don't have any intension on the yarn coming from the ball and don't expect too much from the first try. I had issues with iot dropped stitches at first but turned out I was either holding the yarn too tight when doing a row or I was holding it too loose. Also trying to go too fast was a big issue. In order not to get too mad at myself or the machine I walked away from it for a bit. The DVD doesn't tell you about waxed the plates but make sure you do cause thats also a big pain.

After fiddling with it for a few days after that I decided that I was going to start my first 'big' project. The braided blanket was insanely easy. Took me two days to make the five knitted strips (a few hours here and there) and only another day to 'braid' the edges up. The longest part was really crocheting the edges to give it a more finished look!

I adore this machine and have since learn to create blankets, hats, scarfs, shrugs, baby clothing and I plan on trying my hand on making a full sized sweater soon. I wouldn't recommend this machine for children or adults that aren't willing to work with it. This is just a machine to make knitted rows faster. Its not a magic machine that makes everything on its own without you having to work. If your not willing to try and make it work and find out why its not working then don't spend the money.

... and honestly ... youtube users have better vidoes that explained alot more and were more helpful :)

I bought this machine recently. I'm giving it one star because of several reasons. First, there is nothing on the box on the outside, nor anywhere I've seen advertised, that states you need the perfect table for this machine, but you do. Luckily I had one out in the garage, but otherwise would have had to go out and buy one. There is also no written instruction manual. The instructional DVD doesn't include a table of contents, nor is it divided up really well, so you can't just jump to exactly where you need to go to find what you need. Besides, the DVD doesn't include enough detail anyway to help a person make this machine work. I looked online, and didn't find any sort of instructions on the manufacturer's website, either.

It took several hours to get it set up correctly. Everything has to be exactly PERFECT on this machine for it to function properly, I guess. I spent approximately ten hours getting this machine ready, and then trying knit a simple scarf. I only ever got to the third or fourth rows, when the machine would then drop several stitches in a row, or the entire weighted hem would fall off. The thing is so cheaply made that parts would keep falling off or out as I'd use it.

All of this was made more frustrating by the lack of user/instruction manual.

Last, after watching the DVD, I was disappointed to see how much hand work goes into everything, such as casting on, binding off, and even simple things like ribbing. The machine doesn't do this for you, as I had expected when I bought it.

It's definitely much easier to stick with the good, old-fashioned way of knitting. I think in the end it's much faster, too. I finally had to give up on this machine, and am checking with the seller about returning it.

I really enjoy knitting with this machine. I can knit 60 rows in less than ten minutes. The only negative I've found is the instructional video doesn't explain everything. I wanted to bind off and so I watched the video, the contents said binding off but then it jumped right to the fancy stitches. My knitting looked so professional. I've just been practicing with the yarn that came with my machine. It is so easy to use that my 7 year old daughter can knit too! She thinks it's great fun. I've bought extensions now and a row counter. I can't wait to get started on my first real project.

I think the negative reviews here are very misleading. The machine does come with an instruction booklet and the DVD is very helpful but not state of the art. It takes seconds to fast-forward to the instructions you need. It only took about 20 minutes to setup the machine and learn to work the first project (not 10 hours). I am taking the time to make each project in the instruction book in the order they are printed. The booklet is designed to teach you step by step. I am very experienced at crocheting and have been learning to knit. I love this machine because it knits so quickly and it is just plain fun to work.

I've had my USM for several years and experienced the frustration of many of the negative reviewers. They all turned out to be user errors. Yes, you have to follow instructions and there isn't wiggle room for not following instructions. Your table must be flat and level because the rigid carriage cannot pass over a wavy machine. Proper functioning depends on tension - too little tension and the stitches will fall off the needles; too much and the carriage won't move. You can use a wide variety of yarn, but if you use yarn outside the capability of the machine, you will have problems. With all of this in mind, you will often be in machine knitting heaven, but expect to spend some time in machine knitting hell, too! Overall, the good outweighs the bad. Heavier duty knitting machines cost MUCH more than the USM and are hard to find. I've made sweaters, hats, blankets and love this machine. Another thing to keep in mind is that this is machine knitting and not hand knitting! The two are very different and mastering this craft is very rewarding!

All that said, make sure you use a sturdy table! I tried a rickety table and the clamps failed and I broke my machine :-( I'm planning to re-purchase and use the unbroken parts to extend the length of the new machine.

I was determined to make the Ultimate Sweater Machine work. It seemed like a great idea, and I thought that all the blogs extolling its virtues meant that there was little chance of failure. I'm a gadget nut, and have a fair degree of mechanical ability, but this device left me puzzled and frustrated. The (antiquated) video advised that mastery would take practice and patience, just like learning to knit. This point was repeated often, which should have been a red flag.

Well, after 4 days of trying, and even returning the USM and getting a different one, the same problems emerged. I scrupulously followed the directions for setup, even clamping a board to the tabletop I needed to use, to assure a steady level edge to attach the machine to. Over and over again, I ran the video to be sure I set the weighted hem, and passed the carriage with the yarn aligned correctly over the needles. I watched to make sure the yarn tension was right, and nothing was tangled, no needle was mis-aligned. Every single time, the carriage jammed and wouldn't complete even one row of knitting.

In the incomplete row there were dropped stitches that the manual and video cheerfully advise that you can easily repair. But who needs this aggravation to create a swatch of stockinette stitch knitting?
I followed the troubleshooting suggestions, but never could correct the problem of many needles getting stuck on the outside of the carriage, instead of passing through the internal channels of the carriage to make the front of each needle pull a new loop of yarn through an existing loop. The backs of several needles would bang into the side of the carriage instead of slipping under it the way they were supposed to, and then it would be necessary to take out the plate, push the carriage back to the beginning of a row, unravel that row, and begin again.

I watched many youtube videos of users successfully passing the carriage back and forth over their Ultimate Sweater (or Incredible Knitting) Machine with no jamming problems but an occasional dropped stitch. Perhaps the newest version of this machine has a flaw that the earlier ones in the Youtube videos don't have. After getting two machines that seemed fresh out of the box with the components in sealed plastic bags, I can only assume there is a design flaw in this current model. The two that I tried were manufactured in January 2011, according to the label on the box. The colors and styles of several parts were different from what was on the videos.

I've invested a lot of time and patience in trying to make the Ultimate Sweater Machine actually knit, and I now admit defeat. This second machine is being returned, and I will either go back to hand knitting, which does have its charms, or look into a much more expensive Silver Reed machine that has a better chance of performing well.

My advice to all buyers is to make sure that your vendor has a reasonable return policy, since you will have to open and assemble the machine to try it out to know if you got one that works. I'm happy for those who wrote glowing reviews; I just wish I had gotten the model you folks got.

The Ultimate Sweater Machine just went back!! I received it as a Christmas present. I started using it the day after Christmas. From that day forward I have never been so disgusted and frustrated in my entire life. This machine drops stitches constantly, does not catch the yarn on either end when making a pass and requires a very time consuming set up. I really wanted this to work. I can see how it could very possibly be fun for the "seasoned" machine knitter. However, please do yourself a favor, save your time and money and look at other machines on the market. Even though this was a gift, it's just horribly engineered and manufactured.