Not dead...

....just up to eyes lately with social engagements, work, and being too bushed to do much else when I'm at home apart from slump in front of the telly or sleep.

However, last week I picked up a Brother 950i for a steal on Ebay. The courier had a good go at smashing it, but mainly damaged the lid (which will have to go down the tip). I had to cannibalise some bits from a spare carriage because the sinker post screws were bent - so much so I had to bend them with pliers to get them undone.  The electronic end on the LHS was loose, but is fine now I've popped the tab back into the casing. Luckily, it's all in good nick apart from needing a good clean and a new spongebar.

No, I didn't really need another knitting machine, but the red mist descended when I saw MachineMama's beautiful garter stitch afghan on Ravelry done with patterning across the full bed. So I dug out my garter carriage on Sunday. It refused to knit unless I pressed it down onto the bed. Eventually the light came on - it needed the additional rails, despite the fact that the 950i has the slotted rail built in. My garter carriage is the oldest one (KG88) and I'd never had much luck with it before - it used to turn around too early and generally misbehave. So I was overjoyed when it worked perfectly (once I'd put the rails on, DUH!).

Alas, was it ever that simple? Had a bit of a game casting on a sleeve (the pattern is a T shape, for the charity tee jumper I make a lot of), so did that bit with the ordinary carriage. Got it running with a new pattern when calamity occurred! I was tidying up the rest of the room (I had to pack my SK840 and its ribber etc away) and I managed to swing my chair around and catch the gc. There was an almighty ping! and it started to drop stitches - the needle was broken. Replaced it, but it still drops stitches, so I think something more permanent and irrepairable may have happened. The KG88 is the oldest of the garter carriages and the foot plate has hairline cracks, so perhaps I should upgrade to a newer model. Gave up in disgust about 8pm Sunday, the knitting is still partially hanging on the machine. Will get to it at some point, but out every night this week! :)

See, even when things are going well, I have an innate ability to screw them up! Thinking about getting the Cog to help me remodel the knitting room, with dedicated machine shelves (but that would mean decorating and everything packing away into the attic. Horrors!). Either that, or I start putting knitting machines up in the bathroom. What do you think?! :)