How to make a hat quickly using an Addi or Sentro Knitting Machine: Video Tutorial
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Video Tutorial on how to quickly make a hat using your, Addi or Sentro, hand-crank circular knitting machine. Make hats fast for last-minute Christmas gifts, selling at market, or donating to charity.
New Bonus! Free Printable: Quick Tips for Addi and Sentro Knitting Machines
Circular knitting machines, like the Addi, can be somewhat controversial in the yarn community. But I am here to say these hats are 100% handmade! Yes, you are using a machine instead of needles or a crochet hook but you are still hand cranking the wheel hundreds of times. My favorite thing to make hats for are to donate to charity. I really enjoy making hats for the homeless around Christmas time and with my Addi, I am able to make a much bigger impact than I would crocheting hats.
These hats are extremely warm since they are basically double-layer. You can also easily change the size of your hat by either increasing or decreasing the number of rows. Once my local hospital starts accepting donations again for the NICU, I want to figure out how many rows it takes to make little preemie hats to donate!
If you’re new to your Addi, be sure to check out my other blog post where I go over the BEST and the absolute worst yarns to use on your knitting machine. You can find that post here!
One important thing to note is that you want to maintain a loose, consistent tension on the yarn for the entire hat. If your tension changes your hat will be very funny looking. Also if the tension is too tight then your hat will be much smaller than anticipated.
For this tutorial, I am using the following:
- Kingsize Addi Knitting Machine
- Lion Brand Pound of Love
- Yarn Needle (I like this set with the travel case)
An affordable alternative to the Addi is this Sentro Knitting Machine. I’ve heard really great things about it!
Another thing to note is in the video, I use waste yarn at the beginning and the end of the hat. This is what I recommend beginners to do that way you won’t get any dropped stitches. Once you get a few hats made and are more comfortable, I recommend not using waste yarn in the beginning but still start the hat the same way by alternating the teeth. Also you can easily pick up the stitches in the end with a yarn needle as they come off the machine. I don’t recommend those tips for beginners but wanted to share a few different options!
Be sure to save to Pinterest for easy access later!
And finally, here is the video!
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