There are several varieties of knitting machines. The most common is the single bed machine which frequently can be found for a minimal cost at estate sales, auctions and on EBay. All machines have an instruction manual which is essential for newcomers to the craft. To become an experienced machine knitter, the beginner should gain a familiarity with the basic techniques using yarn before trying wire.

Machine knitting is efficient and versatile. The wire knit on a machine will take the form of a flat sheet. The sheet can be any width or length the knitter chooses. In fact, the width of the sheet can be increased or decreased during the knitting process by adding or removing needles on either or both ends. The machine knit piece can also be made into a pliable tube which can encase a cord or beads for stylish contemporary jewelry.

KNITTING WIRE
The primary adaptation from yarn to successful wire knitting is the hand manipulation of stitches. By not using the carriage, the knitter maintains control of the tension and eliminates dropped stitches. Although the knitter may want to experiment with other wire sizes, thirty gauge wire is the recommended choice for beginners. Below are the steps to follow when using a machine to knit wire:

1. Decide how wide the finished piece should be and pull forward the appropriate number of needles. (Note: Seven needles make a piece that is approximately one inch wide.)
2. Thread the machine and cast scrap yarn onto the selected needles. Knit six to ten yarn rows with the machine carriage, inserting claw weights into the yarn after a few rows of stitching.(Note: Weights keep the stitches firmly inside the hook as the next stitch is formed.)
3. Cut the yarn. Unthread the yarn from the machine. Move the carriage to the right side.
4. Thread the wire onto the machine but not through the carriage. (Note: Wire should be threaded onto the machine to provide tension, to maintain uniformity in stitch size, and to prevent kinks.)
5. Leaving a two to five inch tail, begin hand knitting the wire manually. Push a needle forward from the working position until the stitch slides back on the shaft, opening the latch. Lay the wire on the hook and push the needle back to working position. As the needle pushes back, the old stitch slips forward closing the latch and going over the new stitch. (see Figure 1)
6. Repeat step 5 for all stitches in the row.
7. Move the counter by hand at the end of each row to keep track of rows. (Note: Approximately eighteen rows equal one inch.)
8. Continue hand manipulating stitches keeping the tension even until the piece is the desired length.
9. If the piece is to be a flat sheet, leave a two to five inch tail; if the piece is to be a tube, measure the wire so that it is three times longer than the knit sheet. Cut.
10. Unthread the wire and thread the yarn through the machine and onto the carriage. Using the carriage, knit three to five rows of scrap yarn onto the wire piece. Remove the piece from the machine. Begin to create!

FINISHING FLAT JEWELRY
To create a flat piece, weave the tails into the first and final rows of the piece and remove the yarn. Shape the flat sheet into the selected design and use the remaining tails to sew any seams together or to create loops. An example of machine knit flat jewelry is the fourteen caret gold pendant pictured below:

FINISHING TUBE JEWELRY
Use the yarn knitter’s Kitchener stitch to make a seamless tube around a cord: (see Figure 2.)

1. Weave the tails into the first and final rows of the piece and remove the yarn. Wrap the flat knit sheet around a cord.
2. Bring the long wire tail (with or without a tapestry needle) through the first stitch on one side from below and pull through that stitch.
3. Cross to the other side and insert the wire into the first stitch from above. Insert the wire into the second stitch from below. Be careful to keep the wire taut with each insertion.
4. Cross to the first side. Insert the wire into the first stitch from above (where the wire had come out before). Insert the wire from below into the second stitch.
5. Continue until entire seam is closed.
6. Draw the wire wrapped cord through increasingly smaller holes on a drawplate.

An example of machine knit tube on a cord is the fine silver and polished cotton bracelet pictured below:

The Kitchener stitch is also a technique to use to enclose beads into a machine knit tube. Follow the stitching directions above without the cord to make a hollow tube. Insert the wire through a bead at regular intervals before crossing to the other side for new stitches. An example of a fine silver machine knit tube that encloses colored glass beads is the bubble necklace pictured below:

Variations on these models are endless. In the hands of a creative artisan who has mastered these few simple processes, the knitting machine will find new life, and the creator will discover enormous satisfaction.