Fine Gauge Knitting - Learning to Use the University Dubieds!
Note before reading: This blog was written in 2018, when I was studying for my MA (hence the Harvard referencing!). Where needed, I have edited these posts to correct any factual inaccuracies. This post was last edited Jan 2025.
Earlier this week I finally took the plunge and booked a quick refresher on the Dubied knitting machines. Prior to this I'd only used these machines once, with lots of supervision, but I did remember the basics when prompted.
Today I branched out my own and decided to give myself a challenge by booking the 12 gauge, the finest gauge in the studio. The needles are so tiny compared to what I am used to (see finger in image 3 for scale), but after an hour of frustration I eventually made a tube (below)!
I've been knitting in Ecru/white yarn in different types of wool and linen in 2/30 Nm for sampling, which I plan to piece dye with indigo and other natural dyes. As of yet I have yet to source any British Wool that is this fine, and so I will need to rethink my sourcing if I plan to continue working at this gauge. Surplus yarns from knitwear factories is one option...
There's a lot to learn with these machines and no helpful punchcard mechanism with these machines, I feel the learning curve will be quite steep!
References:
Burns, R. 2018. Dubied 1-4. Photographs.