This is the workshop I was most looking forward to this semester, learning how to use the industrial Dubied machines is one of the reasons I stayed in grays.
week one was mostly just learning the basics of the machine, how to thread it up, how to cast on, how to identify what kind and thickness of yarns you should use on the different gauges.
One reason people choose to make garments on the Dubied machines is because of the wider range of gauges you can have. A domestic machine is often 5 gauge (5 stitches per inch), whereas the Dubied machines can create much finer knits at 7 and 10 gauges. This creates a much smaller knit structure. It also means that both sides of the knit are in stockinette appearance and the shape and structures are more consistent.
The set up of the machine is a lot more intimidating when you look at it, but in reality, it is quite simple. There are 8 cams in total, 1234 are the raising cams that control which beds are in action and in which direction. 5678 are the holding cams that are used to create different stitch structures according to the needle set up.
For the first week, we worked together in order to understand the machines. The first sample I made was on the 7 gauge in pink lambswool at tension 12.
I also got the chance to try out the process in full by moving onto the more fiddly ten gauge machine using a cotton yarn in blue.
