I've been working on a project recently. I was asked to make hats, with the group logo, for a group by a friend. I decided to do a simple hat knitted as a rectangle, sewn into a tube, and gathered at top and bottom. Then one end is folded into the other and the brim is folded up. It's simple and fits most people well.
Let me explain that I've never done production knitting and rarely take commissions. I think the market is accustomed to fast-fashion, inexpensively-mamufactured garments that are produced on an industrial scale and priced accordingly. I don't want to work in a sweatshop!
This hat is made of 2/24 acrylic yarn. I thought I would have enough of the white to make a dozen hats, but as it turned out, I ran out.
I knew that new 2/24 acrylic in quantity is available from MacKellar Associates in Rochester Hills, Michigan. They buy it in quantity for their baby blanket business, The Blanket Lady. We were travelling to Michigan anyway this week, so we stopped by to pick up two cones of white yarn. It was only an hour out of our way, and took us up familiar highways from our ten years living in Michigan.
The lady at the front desk was kind enough to take us back to the blanket-knitting area for a quick tour. They had four Brother electronic knitting machines, very similar to my own, with motor drives, just like mine. Two women were each monitoring two of the machines, while a third woman in each trio ran the steamer to flatten the curling edges to prepare the fronts and backs of the blankets for seaming together on the Merrow industrial seamer.
Our tour guide mentioned they have hundreds of orders. The blankets feature the baby's name and birthday. She mentioned, as I already knew, that the machines were manufactured in the 1970's and they are looking at getting new machines. I was curious, and she said they may get one from Barcelona. I wondered if it was the Kniterate. That retails for about $16, 000. I shamelessly begged to come back to see it.
