'Circular Sock Knitting Machine' fascinates observers

By Karen Edelbach

"What is it?" asked observers of Bernis Invaldson's unusual machine as she diligently spun her wonder yarn into something unrecognizable at the Bagley Senior Center Tuesday. 

"It's a Circular Sock Knitting Machine," she explains. "The 1924 manual that went with it gave the name. Then I went to the library to research it."

She taught herself how to use the machine to create several dozen beautiful, custom-sized pairs of socks in the ten years she has owned it, along with the help of you-tube videos. 

"Amos Fultz also helped me," Bernis says. 

Always up for a challenge to learn new things, Bernis acquired it from the Illies Estate Sale, though she did not know what it was when she bought it. 

"I thought it might be some sort of car part at the time," she recalls. 

It takes her about two hours to make a pair of socks. She uses mostly light weight wool-blend yarns of white or variegated colors.

Bernis enjoys taking her sock knitting machine to summer pioneer farming shows, yarn group gatherings such as at the Bagley Senior Center the first and third Tuesdays of the month, as well as to regional gatherings such as Fiber Gatherings Under the Pines. The next gathering is March 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Gonvick Community Center, on Main St. in Gonvick. Bring your own fiber project, your spinning wheel or come learn about spinning and other fiber arts. Or just stop in to visit.