There is no such thing as a beginner machine!

Circular sock machines are surprisingly complex and have a steeper learning curve than most people expect.

The best machine is a working one!  Everyone seems to swear by the particular brand machine that they currently own. My only recommendation is to purchase one you have actually seen produce something knitted (either in person or by video). 

There are many machines for sale that are NOT in working condition and some that will never work (deteriorated beyond repair and/or thrown together with mismatched parts by unscrupulous sellers.)  I recommend that any beginner stays away from machines that need repair/work. It’s difficult enough learning how to use this machines, but when you don’t know if it’s you or the machine that’s the problem, it makes it even more difficult.

The price for a machine is anywhere from free (inherited, gifted, found) to over $5-6k USD

The AVERAGE price for used is $1000-2000 USD depending on accessories and number of cylinders/ribbers. Slightly more for machines with more cylinders/ribbers, slightly less for older machines with a single cylinder.

New Machines

(in alphabetical order)

• Chambord CSM (Accuknitter 400), in Canada.

• Erlbacher Knitting Machines, (Erlbacher/Gearhart & Bumblebee) in the USA.

• LAMB Knitting Machine Corporation (Tuttle/LT150), in the USA.

• Sock World Hokitika (NZAK), in New Zealand.

• Tru-Knit by Jamie Mayfield (Tru-Knit), in the USA

3-D Printed Machines

• Dean and Bean’s Sock Machines, in the USA.

• Circular Sock Machine 3-D Printed Facebook page. You can download the files and print your own 3D machine.  There is a Facebook group dedicated to helping people who choose to go this route.

Repair/Refurbish Machines

• Pat Fly at Angora Valley Fibers Fibers

• Deb & Pete Oswald. “We can do everything from advice to repairs to complete restorations on any brand of machine.”  Pete is on Ravelry and Facebook.

• Chris Thurman “I refurbish & sell antique sock machines of all makes & models”.   Chris is on Ravelry and Facebook.

Parts/Needles

• Angora Valley Fibers in the USA, sells a large selection of needles for various machines. They also occasionally have some parts and machines for sale.

Note: Some companies that build new machines also sell spare parts/cylinders/needles. Check the websites above for details and availability.