Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Using Wax on Hand Knitting yarns to Machine Knit

When knitting hand knitting yarns on my SR 860 I have found that using wax makes all the difference in how well they knit up. Years ago I bought wax holders for my machines. I still have them, but wax for knitting machines is no longer produced, so I decided to make my own.

I bought a mold from a Candle supply store. It is the size to make tea candles. It worked out to be a perfect fit for my wax holders. Then, I bought some canning wax at the grocery store. I used a screwdriver & small hammer to break off pieces of wax & melted it in the microwave using a small Pyrex container. (be careful, wax does have a flash point) When it was completely melted I poured it into the mold & put in a small metal rod for the hole. Then I let it sit over night.  The hole wasn't quite big enough for the wax holder so I  used a Phillips screwdriver to enlarge it. It has worked out perfectly.

Wax Holder for knitting machine.


I knitted up this scrappie yesterday while the repairman was here. He was fascinated by my knitting machines. & He only charged me $50 to repair the dryer. LOL

4 comments:

Mar said...

Great idea! I was thinking of doing the same to make my own wax thingies. Where do you attach to the 860?

Sheryl Evans said...

Hi Mar, It goes on the yarn tension unit & the yarn runs across it as you knit. I bought the holder from an online dealer, but I don't remember which one. I'm adding a picture to this post so you can see what it looks like. Sheryl

Bella said...

I'm not familiar with the term :canning wax. Is this different from tea-light wax? I usually thread the yarn through a tea light when using the yarn winder, but often wondered if it was the correct type of wax?

Sheryl Evans said...

Candle wax is fine. The kind of wax I am talking about is for pouring over your jams & jellys to seal them, when you make them up yourself. Canning wax costs much less than candles. But using a tea candle is fine. I like making them in the mold because I can re-melt them to use over when they need it. Sheryl