More Pictures of "Doris"

Several of you asked for more pictures of "Doris" and I'm always thrilled to share her story. My daughter and I bought her on eBay from Quebec. That can always be "iffy" but the seller had a great reputation, so we went for it. I had researched CSMs (circular sock machines) for quite awhile and had read that the Legare 400 was known as a work horse and capable of producing thousands of socks. Sounded good to me. She arrived in perfect condition and it was at that point that I named her Doris after Doris Day. The reason - I just had a hunch that she'd be able to really hum and sing once I figured out how to work her. The problem tho - the how-to manual was in French! With that, I did more searching on the internet and found a fabulous circular sock machine group on Ravelry that was a tremendous help. They listed several utube videos that I ended up watching over and over.

It took two long months of practicing tubes and heels/toes before I felt confident in selling the socks.



When working the heels and toes, fork weights have to be used to keep a strong tension on this area so that it won't "jump" off the machine. Obviously, they're called fork weights for a reason!

Check out the CSM group on Ravelry because they also talk about "crank-ins" that are held throughout the country. If you can make one of those events, you can see one of these machines in action. There's also several sites where you can purchase one and get lessons, too.

"Doris" came with two cams - one holds 72 needles and the other 54 (or maybe it's 52) - I usually only use the 72 with sock weight yarns. In the photo you can see the ribber that I've put in place. She can do different ribs, but I'm rather fond of working a 1 x 1 for about 20 rows and then jumping right into a stockinette stitch.

I'm always asked, 'how long does it take to make a pair of socks?' The answer - about 3 hours to complete one pair and that includes the handwork to close the toes.



In the evenings I like to handknit, so I'm back to designing some new little purses for key rings for my Etsy site.

Thanks for visiting today and I hope you enjoyed the pictures of Doris.

Don't forget about our September Sock-Give-A-Way. Please read that post for all the details. Tomorrow is the last day to enter and then on October 1st, I will announce the lucky winner of one pair of women's hand cranked socks.

Have a wonderful day.