I decided to make my own claw weights. I went to Walmart and found everything I needed.
Cost $3.71 + tax
Time Two hours (only because I had to let the paint dry or it would have been 15 minutes)
The list is as follows:
6 for a dollar forks Cost: $1.00
different size bank sinkers (in the aisle with the fishing gear) Cost $1.75
spray paint $.96
needle nose pliers Everyone has a pair I hope. Cost Free
saftey pin or heavy duty thread or scrap yarn extras lying around the house Cost Free
Step one
Use the needle nose pliers to bend the tines of the fork down so that it will hook into the knitting without falling out.
Step two
Bend the handle of the fork back in the opposite direction of the bend of the tines. This is to hold extra weight. I am not that strong so I put the end of the fork under my foot and pulled up to start the bend.
Step three
Spray paint sinkers. The sinkers have lead in them and just to be safe spray paint.
Step four
Place sinkers on heavy duty thread or a big saftey pin.
You may add more weight as needed right on the end of the fork.
Wow!! You now have your own Claw Weights for a lot less. Total Cost for 6 weights $3.71 + tax.
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17 comments:
Thank you so much for these instructions! I was starting to have serious problems with the Bond knitter, as the piece is ready to hit the floor and render the cast on weights useless. I do have some weights ordered, but they're taking their sweet time coming in.
I modified your instructions a bit, being cheap, cheap, cheap...and lazy! Too lazy to leave my knitting and go to Walmart, I raided the garage floor for some clean-enough gravel pieces, bundled them into "about" 4-oz packages with plastic wrap and scotch tape (leave enough plastic wrap to twist into a loop, then sock it all down at the bundle with the tape) and hung the bundles by their loops to the forks. I used some old, cheesy tag sale forks I had hanging around in the flatware drawer.
I never, never would have thought to make the bundles if not for your bent-fork instructions!
:D
I'll keep this in mind when I discover I need some weights! I just won a bid on eBay for an Incredible Sweater Machine and now I'm looking around so I might know something before it arrives.surdstie
I LOVE IT! I sell yarn and am a big yarnophile. I am known for buying way below normal costs for everything and love the online "hunt". I have been knitting/crocheting for 25 years but have only machine knitted for about 8 months (am addicted like any other way to knit & crochet! :-) I have two of the Bond claw weights and have even taken the long bar weights (that are in the hem) and threaded them through for my afghans after the hems reach the floor. These would be PERFECT to bend a little more on the handle to hang the hem weights instead of threading them through the knitting itself. THANK YOU, I will post it on Yahoo USM group.
Thank you Carrie. I just roll my hem up when it gets to long. I find I drop less stitches when I keep the knitting off the floor. I even place my fork weights across the top for extra weight. Happy Knitting.
I roll the hem up and then use those large plastic clips with long tines for hair (at wal-Mart, that are used to pull longer hair back. Then rehang my weights off one or two long hand knitting needles loosely woven through the remaining stitches under the needles. Mary
I also roll up the finished knit and clip with plastic hair clamps (Wal-mart hair dept), with the long curved tines, and then loosely run 1,2 or 3 knitting needles through remaining stitches just under the needles on machine and keep going. I also tug down a lot inbetween rows, just to tighten the stitches as I go.
I apologize for so many comments - I thought I was being rejected by the way this thing was working - (blush)!!!!!
I have tried the large hair clips and did not find they worked very well for me. The hair clips seemed to slip off. I roll the hem up and use clothes pins on each side to hold the fabric up.
Brilliant! I love the bent fork idea and am on my way to Target to find some!
Great idea. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks to this blog I made my claw weights for free. I used forks I already had and used plastic drink bottles with 4oz of water in them attached with rubber bands around the neck of the bottles. Can't wait to see how well they work:)
cymrywitch on ravelry
I like all the different ways people have made weights for the Bond. I, myself, recycled some test strip bottles and put cup hooks in the center of the top attached lid and put in pennies and then when making socks where you have to have some weights to hold down the toes, heels, then I use a long pronged hair clip and hang acouple of my penny weights on the hair clip and that does the trick. When making baby blankets, or sweaters, any thing long, I just roll up the hanging hem up to the bottom of the knitting machine and then baste though the knitting with contrasting yarn, then keep going until desired length. No more hassleing the hanging garment laying on your lap or on the floor. Also, when making something on my Bond, I have put in some closed ring hooks every so often on the mounting board for my bond, so I can use bungie cords of different sizes to hold back the knitting against the machine and less likely to drop stitches whilw knitting. I have been Bonding for about 5 years and just went back to it after a stroke of 3 years ago. Chris Lucas, Milwaukie, Ore.
THis is so great! I really need to make some of my own, thank you so much for posting! I found it years later, and it's such a help, even now!
This is such a great idea and most importantly, very very cheap! Thank you for sharing!:)
I would like to thank everyone for their comments as well! My name is Michael. My wife Kristie always does things I like, hobbies, games, etc. This time she asked me if I would consider knitting with her. How could I say no??? So we purchased a USM Deluxe and 2 shopping carts full of yarn that went on sale for the Labor Day weekend. Now all I have to do is finish the table I'm making specifically for the USM. Until then, we are enjoying reading your tips and getting new ideas on what we can look forward to accomplishing!
What a great idea for claw weights! I have 2 Bond USMs, one is nearly 10 years old and the other I bought at 50% a few years later. They have both been hiding on the top shelf in a closet for over 6 years. I just recently rescued one of them, and have been relearning how to use it.
I've been spending a lot of time watching YouTube videos - there are so many tutorials there, as well as creative USM users who have made their own accessories/tools for the Bond.
Hi. Thanks for such a great idea. I've just got an older Bond from a friend but no claw weights in the box. I've made some with plastic forks (the ones you get with take-out) which are much easier to bend. I heated them over the hot plate until pliable and then bent them to look similar, hung the weights and Voila! so far so good.
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