The problem's plain to see: too much technology

I've had a few more Roboto questions recently, so I'd thought I'd share a few of the cons.

The biggest drawback with Roboto is that you have to sit in front of a table and go at it. This is not the thing you can relax and do in your living room and watch a movie. You need to set aside a couple dedicated hours to do it. It's not portable. It's more kin to a sewing machine then the quiet handcraft we are all used to.

It also clacks and clicks. While it isn't loud enough to keep you from listening to your favorite tunes or podcasts, it could very well tick off anyone you share space with. Your family may want to kill you after a hour if you put on your kitchen table.

You have to adjust your knitter's logic a little bit. Row gauge is just as critical as stitch gauge. The fabric is under tension with weights for it to knit correctly. That means the fabric is stretched out, so there is NO WAY to measure the size of your finished work while it's on the machine. If you don't know your row gauge, you will have no idea how big the item will be.



There is no way to avoid a swatch. Because of the tension the fabric is under, you need to wet block and allow your swatch to dry and relax before you even think of trying to measure it. Plan on one night of swatches before you start any project.

Roboto is not your man if finishing gives you the heebie geebies. Everything is going to be knit flat and need seaming. If you can forsee 15 UFO sweaters still in parts hanging around your house waiting for you to break down and seam them, this may not be for you.

For me, all this is moot. I knit a whole sweater front last night in about 2-3 hours. It makes all the above worth it, for me at least!