Making Friends with a CSM

Two years ago, I was given a Creelman/Legare 400 Circular Sock Machine. Thank you, Sue I am so grateful!!!

I don’t know if you have ever seen one of these things, they are seriously cool! A cast iron, made to last for about a thousand years, a piece of history still in use today. Mine is about 100 years old, and while still working when I got it, it did need some help.

Here are some links to the history of this machine, and circular sock machines in general.

Colorado Cranker Creelman History

Old Thyme Stockings Creelman History

Circular Sock Knitting Machine Society

I gave it a good spa day when I got it home. It had a serious buildup of old oil and dirt. Took several scrubbings with dawn dish soap and a toothbrush to get it all off. I took out all the old needles and soaked them. I planned to replace those with new ones but did save the old ones.

Once it was all cleaned up, I put it back together and it did run, however it was still missing some vital parts. Namely, a yarn mast, new needles for both the cylinder and the ribber, and the spring the holds the needles in the cylinder.

I was able to source the parts needed and made a very sad attempt at making a sock.

It was ugly.

My friend Judy took pity on me and started teaching me the in’s and out’s of these machines. Judy is a CSM Goddess!

She realized there was something not quite right about the machine and took it home with her to work out the issues. It kept dropping stitches and getting hung up when in use. Even after her spa treatment and adjustments it was still not doing what it should be doing.

Enter Laurette. She and Judy conspired to send the machine back to its country of origin, Canada, to Dave Lord.

Dave was able to figure out that the new needles are just a tad bigger than the original needles and it was catching as the carrier was moving around. He re-machined the cylinder and now the needles move the way they should. He also did more clean up on it, polished the brass, and made it all pretty again.

When I got it back from Judy, she also added in a new/better yarn mast with slots, a slotted yarn carrier, and a different, better ribber.

I am so grateful and thankful for Judy, Laurette, and Dave for this gift they gave me. Thank you, all of you!

My second attempt at a sock was not much better, even with Judy sitting there telling me exactly what to do. The learning curve on these machines is pretty steep for me. I honestly never had so much trouble learning a skill like this in the past 30 years.

I was so frustrated with this machine, I considered just consigning it to the back corner of the studio and not ever using it again. Judy had the patience of a saint with me and my inability to learn.

I chalk it up to covid hangover and widow brain. It really sucks. They want me to do more computer based stuff at the store I work at and learning that has been a serious challenge also.

Judy has patiently sat with me multiple days teaching me, and some of it must have sunk in, since I can now crank out a tube to make winter headbands!!

I am slowly making friends with this machine. She can still be cantankerous, but she is much better than at first. The mechanics of it are starting to make sense to me, so that is an improvement. I am not making the same mistakes I had been, instead I make new ones now.

I still need to tackle socks on this thing, and I would also like to turn out some fingerless mittens. I’ll get there eventually!

I am hoping this will open up a new revenue stream for me so that I can keep my farm going. Good thoughts and crossed fingers!

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Other Farm News:

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was quite with good food, and conversation with my son.

We did get winter finally! That storm last week gave us about 2.5” of snow. And cold. As I had hoped, we got two days of over 40 degrees and the sheep have been walking in a bit of mud and hopefully it is softening up their feet. I have not had any more broken toes.

Mr. Rudah got a bandage change last week. I tried to take a few pic however he was less than cooperative, and they came out blurry. I’ll try again when we change it this weekend.

Miss Lucy is doing great! Her arthritis is giving her some pain with that last storm and the front we have coming thru today. She is a bit slower to get up, and a bit more gimpy when she is moving around. But she eats, drinks and still will follow me around the yard.

She says Hello to all her fans here! I do tell her when I get comments about her. She listens quite intently and shakes her head yes as a thank you to all of you!

As you can see, she likes to wear her breakfast!

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Blessed Be!