Open the Latches Tool by Natalie Langkilde
(all rights reserved, please ask before copy or distribution to others except personal use) e-mail nammyl@charter.net http://www.nataliesknitting.com
Once in a while it is handy to be able to open all the latches on your machine needles. Such as when you are using the garter bar, and want to hang the bar in all the hooks at once. This home made tool can do the trick. Take an old credit card, or one of the plastic dummy cards sent to you in junk mail and cut a slice out of it.
With the needles are out to the farthest position, run the
point of the card into, and along hooks from left to right (or
right to left) along the needle bed length. The point goes into
the latch, and the angle of the slice opens the latches, as you
slide the card along the center of the hooks. (see photo)
You can also place the card on the needle shaft, above open latches,
to close them with this tool. Place the needles all the way out
in the farthest position, and place card above and past the latches
that are open. Pressing the edge of the card against the shaft
of the needles tipped back so you can scoop toward you with the
card. Slide the card toward the hooks, catching under the open
latch, and pushing it to the closed position.