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Bobby Pin Cast-on Comb

I think this is really a practical little gadget and I use this comb all the time to cast on with. I still use the weighted hem but only to hang over the comb. I am going to make one with three rulers and 114 pins today, so far I have just used the 38-pin sections as they do not really have to be connected. You could also knit your own hem, then hang it over the bobby pins.

Why Would You Want One?

The main reason I like it is because it can be easily removed from the bottom and put back in place on top of the knitting. You can use it to cast-on by first laying the ravel cord in the needles, then hang the comb over it, in between the needles. Or you can e-wrap your needles and then hang the comb over the floats that have formed. You could even cast-on with the yarn itself, the only problem, it's a bit difficult removing the pins from such a cast on row because the tip of the pin is coated and thicker than the rest of it. If you have a 38-pin comb, you can also hang weights from the holes in the rulers for small pieces of knitting instead of using the weighted hem.

It's also handy for rehanging in the middle of the knitting when you might need extra weight on tuck stitches which are sometimes hard to knit off. You push the pins out of the knitted piece and hang the comb between the stitches of the row you have just knitted, then keep going! Or if you were going to increase quite a few stitches on each side of the bed, you could simply put another section of the comb on both sides and keep going.

The only thing I haven't managed to do with it, is to hang it over a crochet cast-on and knit from there, it's just too thick, so I still have to knit a few rows of waste yarn.

What You'll Need:

Several sets of 12" rulers (2 for each section)
Small clamps
Bobby Pins (there are 60 in a package, so 2 will make a large comb)
Carpenter's Glue
Pair of Needle Nose Pliers
Fine Line Pencil or Pen
Freezer or Masking Tape, whichever you have on hand.

Getting the right Spacing on the Rulers:

The easiest way I have found so far to get the right spacing on the rulers is to tape them together lengthwise with a piece of tape across the numbered side - tape 3 of them together if you want to make a comb with 114 pins - and lay them, blank sides up (see picture below) across the back of the needle bed, right against the needle butts. (I'm using a spare section, that's why there's only 2 needles!) Make sure that the spot where two rulers are joined together does not fall right into the center of a needle channel, but in between one. With a pen or pencil mark the center of each needle channel on the top and bottom edges of the rulers. Then put them on a flat surface and connect the marks, this will give you straight lines where each pin will need to go.

Break Pins in Half:

You'll only need one half of each bobby pin, the straight part. The last package of pins I bought was real cooperative, they broke as soon as I bent them apart, the package I have now is not quite this helpful, but if you pry one apart, then apply the needle nose pliers just short of the curved part and bend the other half back and forth, it will break pretty quickly in the center. You will need to bend 38 pins into hooks with the needle nose pliers for every section you want to make, you might want to make a short one to see what you think first!

Bend the Pins into Hooks:

If you place the pin into the pliers so the tipped end just protrudes from them and just a bit in from the edge of the tool, you can then bend the longer section of the pin up over the tool with your thumb and form a hook. You only want to bend it in one direction and not back and forth or it will break. Usually, the broken off end will curve up slightly and I left it that way, then curved the hook in the opposite direction because I thought that it might "bite" into the ruler when the second ruler is applied on top of it. If it sticks up too much, you might want to straighten it a bit.

Position the Pins:

Turn the ruler over and put a strip of freezer tape along the upper and lower edges of it so that half of it extends outwards. It's also a good idea to put freezer tape over the holes in the ruler - I didn't and had glue oozing out from there, ugh! Turn the ruler over. Take a second ruler and butt it up right next to the the first one, putting it on the freezer tape that extends outwards. Take something with a straight edge like CD cases, video cassettes, etc. and butt them up with the edge of the lined ruler (see picture below). Sounds goofy, I know, but I did that to make sure the pins would be in a straight line along the top.

Put Carpenter's Glue along the blank ruler, let it get a bit tacky, then line up each bobby pin, hook facing up, with one of the lines on the ruler, top edge of the hook right up to the CD tape or whatever you used. I used one of the pins to move the others into position, everything is a bit wiggly at this point. Drizzle some more glue across the pins until they are covered. Let everything dry completely before you apply the top ruler(s). I didn't, and when I clamped the rulers on top of the other ones, the pins flipped up and I had to line them up again, sigh...

Adding the Second Layer of Rulers:

Once the glue has dried, you can remove the other ruler(s) and the CD cases or whatever you used to line up the pins with. If the tape is still good along the lower edge of the ruler, leave it in place, otherwise add a new strip, half on and half off the ruler on the lined side. Apply more glue and and place either 1- or how ever many rulers you are using - in place, lower and side edges lined up with the first ruler(s). I turned these so that the metal strip was now on the opposite edge from the first layer. If you're using three like I did, you'll have to cut one in half and put those two halves on both ends. Fold the tape over the rulers along the bottom edge- this will keep the glue from oozing out. Attach the clamps in several spots, put them especially where two rulers meet. Fold out the little "legs" and stand the whole contraption upright, that way the glue can settle inside between the hollow spaces and make things sturdier. As it does, add some more glue until everything is filled in.

NOTE: If you think you might make some other homemade tool in the future, you might want to keep the marked rulers and use others to glue to the comb. That way you'll have everything marked already and you'll be a step ahead!

Breathing a Sigh of Relief: It works!!

Well, there it is, my first 114 needle comb! It didn't turn out real "purdy" but I just cast on with it and it did work although the pins weren't all exactly in line like they should be. I started with ravel cord in the hooks and knit several rows with just the comb and no weights at all and the stitches stayed in the hooks.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I still have a few rulers left and all those leftover pin halves, I could use those to make a couple of needle selectors, hmm.........

Anyway, it you try this thing out, let me know what you think, ok?

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This page last updated 14-September-1999