There are so many wonderful machine knitting resources floating around on the internet, but they’re not always easy to find. The Resource Roundup series will go through the links on the Helpful Links and Resources page in more detail to help you discover new places to learn more about machine knitting.
What is “The Answer Lady” all about?
The Answer Lady, Kathryn Doubrley, not only has a website full of books, patterns, and articles, she also has a YouTube channel featuring machine knitting videos and repair advice from her husband Jack.
To be blunt, the website looks outdated and visually unappealing, but don’t let that keep you from exploring it. You will miss out on a wealth of knowledge.
Doubrley has filled the site with her designs featuring different techniques, such as “cables” that do not use crossed stitches or circle sweaters with fun construction and lots of drape. Just clicking through her book offerings and seeing the pictures could have you thinking, “I didn’t know you could do that with a machine!”
Doubrley’s books are offered as PDF downloads through Ravelry’s store system, and she even advertises Zoom lessons on some book pages. Even if her website design doesn’t keep up with the times, her pattern delivery and accessibility sure do. I believe her pricing is very reasonable, and she also offers some freebies on her site.
There is a new Answer Lady & Friends app for Android devices, but I am an iOS user, so I can’t try it out. If you’ve tried it, let me know what you think!
Ask Jack on YouTube
If you have a knitting machine, you need to know how to maintenance it! Unfortunately, shops and dealers who maintenance machines are few and far between, and shipping a machine to and from the shop is fairly expensive on top of repair costs.
Doubrley’s husband Jack, a former mechanic, used to accept machines for repair work, but he is currently on a break. You can still benefit from his knowledge with The Answer Lady’s YouTube Ask Jack series.
This Ask Jack & Machine Maintenance playlist on YouTube is a priceless resource for any machine knitter, especially those of us without someone who can repair machines in our state or even our country. There is also a topical video index on their website.
Watching Jack repair and explain his process will help you maintenance your machine, and it will also teach you more about how your machine actually works.
I have used these videos to learn to clean carriages, and I’m currently restoring and repairing a Brother/Knit-King KH-260 bulky machine using Ask Jack and parts manuals as my guides.
If you decide to maintenance your machine yourself, I advise watching the relevant Ask Jack video a couple times before you start working on your machine and having it pulled up as reference while you are working.
Do you have a resource to share? Comment below or send it to me via the contact me page!
ELY Knits 