Sentro Knitting Machine Review

GUYS! Do you like the look of knitting, but it hurts your hands? For all my OG crocheters out there does knitting take you FOREVER? I have a fantastic solution...get a knitting machine. It is seriously game changing, especially for anyone doing market prep!

Now I know the most popular brand at the moment for knitting machines is the Addi, but it is not your only option. The Addi, with it hefty price tag, is obviously top of line, however there are way more affordable options out there that work just fine!My first venture into the world of more affordable knitting machines was one by Loops & threads. It worked perfectly except it only had 40 needles which resulted in tiny items. This is perfect for baby/children's items, but I was looking for a machine that could handle adult sized items. So I returned the Loops & threads machine and I am now using the Sentro knitting machine and I am obsessed. It has 48 needles and makes perfect adult sized items.

It takes some searching online to find good resources on how to use these knitting machines and what yarns work best so in today's post I will share my experiences and tips i've learned thus far.

My first stop was to Taylor Lynn's Crochet blog & YouTube channel. Taylor has some great tutorials on how to her twisted headbands and bonfire beanie's (a double layered slouchy beanie). Taylor uses the Addi machine, but these patterns work perfectly fine on my Sentro machine. I had to do some tweaking for yarns other then Caron Simply Soft (more on that to follow), but don't be discouraged if  you see a pattern for the Addi, you can 100% make it on a non-addi machine. The way all these machines work are basically the same, the price tag comes down to the actual build quality of the machines. Yes the Addi is made from materials that are more sturdy and will likely last a long time, but a more affordable machine will work the exact same (it will just be plastic as opposed to metal and wont hold up as long over time).

Let's start by looking at the Twisted headbands. I tried Taylor's pattern in 4 different yarns:

1)Caron Simply Soft

This is what the pattern calls for and honestly, spoiler alert, is by far the best yarn to use with a knitting machine. I followed the pattern exactly except for the tension. The sentro like most knitting machines has 3 levels of tension. I find the sentro does best when on medium or high tension. For Caron Simply Soft medium tension works best.

2)Loops & Threads Impeccable

This is a medium weight 4 yarn and it worked, I just had to increase the number of rows from 75 to 95. It turned out, but was not as nice as the one made with Caron Simply Soft

3)Bernat Softee baby

This yarn was amazing. A close second if not tied for first place with Caron Simply Soft. It works up the exact same as Caron Simply Soft. It is a light weight 3 yarn though so I used the tightest tension, but 75 rows came out the same size as Caron Simply Soft on medium tension.

4)Lion bran Vanna's Choice

This is another medium weight 4 yarn. It was softer then the Loops & Threads Impeccable, but not my favorite. Like the Loops & Threads Impeccable it needed an extra 20 rows to fit comfortably.

Conclusion: #1 Caron simply soft with medium tension followed closely by Bernat Baby softee on the tightest tension. Coming in third place is Vanna's choice, with (sorry) Loops & Threads Impeccable last.

Moving on to the bonfire beanie pattern:

1)Caron simply soft

Again worked absolutely perfectly on medium tension.

2)Lion Brand Scarfie Yarn

Worked way BETTER then I anticipated! This yarn is a bit fluffy so it needed to be on the loosest tension, but it worked up so well. I kept the row count the same (110) and was a perfect fit. The color changes in this yarn are beautiful and I was so pleased with the result. I didn't love crocheting with this yarn where it is kind of fluffy so I was so happy to have a use for it.

3)Red Heart super saver

I had a bunch of random medium weight 4 yarn laying around and figured I'd try it. It worked but like the Loops & Threads Impeccable it was a tad stiff. What I did for this hat though was I switched yarn colors at the half way mark (Row 55) making it a reversible beanie!!! I love this and plan to make some more reversible beanies (just with better yarn lol)

4)Loops & Threads Shabby Boho

Again like Loops & Threads Impeccable it was a bit rough for my tastes, but it worked fine. Sizing was fine on medium tension, just did't have a nice slouch to it.

5)Bernat Baby Softee

Like with the twisted headband it worked fantastically. It is soft and has a perfect amount of slouch.

Conclusion: Top yarns again were Caron Simply Soft, Bernat Baby Softee & Lion Brand Scarfie yarn.

So what did I take from my little experiment...  Well one knitting machines cut down on your knitting time drastically lol. A twisted headband now takes me like 25 minutes total. I LOVE the look of knit wear, but it hurts my hands to much so I am very happy to have a way to enjoy "knitting" without the pain. The best yarns were clearly Caron Simply Soft and Bernat Softee Baby. This however is based on personal preference. All the yarns I tried so far worked, they just had different textures and held their shape differently. I prefer the nice soft drape of the Caron Simply Soft and Bernat Softee Baby.

I have not yet ventured into the realm of flat panel knitting, but plan on writing another post about it when I do. I think knitting machines are a great tool, especially for anyone planning on doing markets. If you can afford or want to spend the money on an Addi go for it, but if you can't don't fear there are options out there for you to enjoy. I personally LOVE my sentro and I am so happy with it.Whatever machine you choose just make sure it has a row counter. The first machine I got (the Loops & Threads one) did not and I didn't even think about being something important until I started in aha. I hope this was helpful to anyone who has been wondering about knitting machines.

My suggestions for other online knitting machine resources are:
Taylor Lynn's Crochet Blog
Taylor Lynn's Youtube Channel
Yay for yarn Youtube Channel (she has so many tutorials!!!)

Yarns mentioned in this post can also be found on lovecrochet.com

Happy Making :)

-KGC