Can machines crochet?

[mwedzi]

I know that machines knit, even cheap ones I can buy at Michael's, but I don't think I've ever seen the label "machine crocheted". Are there machines that can crochet? --Nikki

[Crochet Nanny]

Don't quote me on this but from things that I have read, crochet can not be done any other way than by hand. That makes me feel special, since I can do something that can not be mass-produced. I could be wrong, but I still feel special. Hee hee

[queen_mo]

Ditto on that! We are irreplaceable, unless they come up with something robotic that can pull it off!

 

Besides, I've never understood why you would want to use a machine to knit for you. I think that the whole point in handmaking garments, etc. is that they are HANDMADE!!! As in made by your hand.

Is it just me?

[threeolivemartini]

so not true

 

 

there are crochet machines .. they do mostly trim work not whole garments but it can be done mechanically

the point of the machines are to mass produce.. or if you knit for profit you can do bodies and sleeves faster with embellishment later by hand

[Katchkan]

It has been my understanding that there is not a machine that can actually duplicate a crochet stitch, mimic yes, duplicate no. the stitches are totally different on the machines that mimic crochet. it can sort of look like a shell st but it isn't a shell st.

There was a big discussion on this last year on one of the other forums I belong to. There was a challenge put out to find a piece of machine made crochet. It didn't happen.

I could be wrong, but this is my understanding.

[Tamara]

I'm really interested in this too - because I see things every once in a while that I look at and really think it looks like double crochet. I know it has to be done by machine because of the price and the number of items they have on the rack. It's interesting that machines can mimic it so well. I'm going to look at it a lot closer next time I see one to see if I can see the difference.

[Katchkan]

Again this is what I have learned from other sources.

Normally what you are seeing is crochet that is done over sea's. The clothing/ fabric industry can get crochet work done for next to nothing over there. It is fair wages for them but we could'nt even begin to compete for that type of work over here. Our cost of living is too high. But it is cheaper for them to have it done over there than come up with machinary that can do the same thing.

[dhaunae]

There are crochet machines, although I can't vouch for the quality of their product and I've only heard of the industrial type, not a home machine. Here's a link to just one such. http://www.made-in-china.com/products/show/freemember/prod/TAwMDMxMTc0N/mic/Machinery_Textile_Machinery_Crochet_Machine.html

 

Because all of the details on these are in Chinese it's kind of hard to figure out exactly how much crochet they really do; most of them seem to be pretty much limited to doing trim or strips. But who knows? And witness the mile-a-minute afghans, there's a lot that can be done with strips.

[Katchkan]

It is my understanding after reading all the information put out in the discussion I referred to earlier is that this machine can mimic crochet but not really do crochet. The difference being it uses 2 threads a warp and a weft and actually sort of weaves a stitch that looks simular. But crochet is one thread and to my knowledge there isn't a machine that uses just one thread that can produce an actual double crochet or variation thereof. Its all in the archives at the Irish crochetlovers group I just dont feel right copying out excerts of someone elses statements. The discussion took place in August and September of last year. very interesting reading.

[viggie]

If you stop and look at "crocheted" edgings it's very close to crochet, but you can tell it is twisted and not actually crocheted if you study it.

[eurolyons]

One of the crochet encyclopedias I just got, in the beginning of the book, said that there wasn't a machine that can crochet...and I've never heard of a crochet machine like a knitting machine...there are things I've seen that from a distance look like crochet, but up close turn out not to be crochet. There are times that I've seen something that I could have sworn was crochet and it would turn out to be knitted...

 

I like the idea that crochet, at least for the time being cannot be done by a machine...

[eurolyons]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574862820/qid=1139437418/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-3929644-1908711?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

 

Donna Kooler's book is the book I was talking about in my previous post.

[AidanM]

Those machines sound more like tatting than crochet. :\

[Babci]

I know that machines knit, even cheap ones I can buy at Michael's, but I don't think I've ever seen the label "machine crocheted". Are there machines that can crochet? --Nikki

 

There was one on the Internet that was made in Japan that cost 6 figures.

I have it bookmarked - someplace -.

It's been a while since I opened it, so I'm having trouble locating the URL.

I may have lost it when I had some PC trouble.

 

There is a machine - Merrow - that does crochet edges.

 

http://www.merrow.com/product-lineB.htm

 

As I understand, these are industrials. To my knowledge a different machine is required for the variety of edges a Merrow will sew. Though one specific machine will do several applications with configuration changes.

 

:-) 's

[mwedzi]

Thanks, everybody, for all the input. --nikki