The Helpful Serger

As I've stated before, a serger isn't mandatory for cutting and sewing sweater knit fabrics, but it certainly is helpful and efficient. It trims an edge and immediately finishes it; two tasks are completed at virtually the same time. While my serger is out being serviced, I got to thinking about the history of the overlock machine in general and my history with it in particular.

My machine, with handy threading diagrams

When I first started making fully fashioned sweaters, the very thought of using a serger on my knitting seemed odd and unnecessary. I, as well as other machine knitters, already had the skills and tools to shape our garments, thank you. I more recently have come to appreciate the serger as a tool that can make crafting a beautiful sweater fun, easy and accessible to those who don't knit or crochet, as long as the crafter has basic sewing skills and access to beautiful knit fabric. ;)

As the people over at Merrow Sewing Machine Company tell it, the first Merrow Crochet Machine was invented in 1868 by Joseph Millard Merrow to finish the top edges of men's socks knitted at their Merrow Mills of Hartford Connecticut. The history is fascinating, if you enjoy that type of thing, and you can read about it here. After more than a century of development of this technology, the company, now called The Merrow Sewing Machine Company, is run by the great-grandnephews of inventor Joseph Millard Merrow.

Today, of course, there are many fine manufacturers of machines that do overedge stitching and trimming for both the industrial and domestic markets. Hopefully, my machine will be back and doing my bidding really soon.

O!