In Which the Pirate Tucks.

I had the idea to make a tuck rib hat on the 8-button knitting machine, because what’s the fun of having a machine like this unless you’re going to knit projects that let you push the buttons? The stitch pattern came from a book for 8-button machines, so I could follow the chart without having to first “translate” from a punchcard. Sometimes it’s easy to go from idea to execution, and sometimes it takes a few tries before everything comes together. My first attempt at transitioning from a 2×2 ribbed brim to the tuck rib pattern was a little offset: On my second attempt, I got the transfers correct, but then I forgot to set the carriage to tuck. If you don’t push the tuck buttons, you don’t get tuck stitch no matter what needles you select. On my third attempt, not pictured, I accidentally moved the ribber racking handle with my knee and got my stitches all out of whack. (The newer ribbers have knobs which turn to slide the ribber over; this one just has a side-to-side handle.) And on…