r/MachineKnitting • • May 10 '26

Value Pinned post for value discussion

16 Upvotes

This thread is an attempt to keep discussions of machine cost/value/pricing in a single place. Once this thread is old enough or full enough, it will be retired and new thread created that links it to that one.

When asking question about value, some important items to include if known are your general geographic region (prices are highly localized), the gauge of the machine (fine gauge/standard/bulky/other), the brand of the machine, the model of the machine, the quality of the machine (clean/dirty, intact/broken pieces, and stand alone/included accessories. If you have photos, you'll probably want to include them.

In general, in person person sales are usually less expensive, and don't require expensive shipping, but you will find a larger selection on online sites. Caveat Emptor for any online sales.

Some places you can find/sell machines for sale are:
* Your local Silver Reed Distributor
* Your local knitting or fiber arts guild
* Craigslist or your favorite secondhand sales site
* Goodwill or your favorite second hand store
* Ebay or your favorite auction site
* Facebook Marketplace or Facebook knitting groups
* r/MachineKnitting for specific machines (include proper flair and useful information)


r/MachineKnitting • • Jan 08 '22

Machine Knitters Discord Server

48 Upvotes

Hi all,

I've seen a few comments over the last week suggesting that it would be nice to have a place to chat about machine knitting and maybe organize some local meet ups or online events, so I've made us a discord.

Feel free to join and invite any other machine knitters, whether or not they use Reddit. :)

edit: trying a new link - https://discord.gg/yVJNM6Bghz


r/MachineKnitting • • 2h ago

Patterns Looking for testers

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7 Upvotes

Hello, I’ve recently launched a website for my own machine knitting patterns, where you can customize them based on your own gauge and measurements.
Since the website is still new and this is my first time doing something like this, I’m looking for people who’d be willing to test it out and give me some feedback. I’d love to hear from both experienced machine knitters and beginners.
I’ve attached some examples of the patterns currently available.
To clarify, these are all patterns I’ve made myself, the videos, photos and punchcards on the website are all made by me.
If anyone’s interested in trying it out, let me know in the comments and I’ll send you the link
I’d really appreciate any help or feedback :)

Also this is a continuation of my previous post from 10 days ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/MachineKnitting/s/tICS3UDJj4


r/MachineKnitting • • 18h ago

Getting Started Just bought a KH970. Any suggestion?

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18 Upvotes

I’m a beginner to knitting, and since I didn’t want to knit by hand, I bought a second-hand knitting machine. I’m not sure how to get started—does anyone have any advice?


r/MachineKnitting • • 9h ago

Help! Ribber (KR850) Setting Plates Swivel/Movement

3 Upvotes

When the ribber is up as high as it will go, I push a carriage across and the ribber moves half a centimeter. The setting plates swivel left and right when the ribber is set to be right against the main bed.

Is this swivel movement supposed to happen?

Ultimately, I need to get the ribber to stop shifting when a carriage goes across. The parts that connect to the main bed are fine, the legs are clamped to the table, all the screws are tightened.

The big knob at the bottom left to shift the ribber left/right a needle space can also be turned micro movements between each click. Maybe that is the issue...?

Thank you in advance for the help.


r/MachineKnitting • • 1d ago

Help! Please help me before I go insane :D

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone! So I have a KH830 with a ribber that I got serviced by a guy that has been working on these for 30+ years, so there is a new sponge bar, it is oiled, etc, but I am struggling to go past the initial stage and actually start learning stuff because it is causing issues almost all the time. I managed to knit a swatch cca 50ish rows when suddenly my cast on comb and the work just dropped to the floor and that's when all the trouble starts. the yarn would get caught in the sinker brushes, get drawn in front of the work, there would be rips in the swatch - so I thought it must be because that yarn is multistranded, let's try a single strand, but nope, it did not help. On the space of 20-25 needle to the right is where the issues usually occur, and I have replaced a needle that was slightly bent after a few problematic swatches, but the issues remain. I have reseated the sinker, the carriage, tried everything I can think of. Can anyone point me in the direction of what could be wrong and what to do next?


r/MachineKnitting • • 1d ago

Finished Object Smashed tomatoes cardigan

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185 Upvotes

Kind of a silly sweater I did for a local charity art auction, supporting women in prison. Knit on a KH-260 with ribber from purple eyelash yarn, beige cotton plated with fine white cotton nep yarn. The tomatoes were knit with all sorts of yarns, and applied after finishing.


r/MachineKnitting • • 2d ago

Resources Courses

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50 Upvotes

Do you recommend any online courses for machine knitting? I have silver reed sk-280 and I’m buying brother KH-260 this weekend. I want to learn more with a reliable course 😊. I’ve learned from YouTube vids, but I feel like I need so much more to learn. On the pic is my first sewed parts on the machine 😊


r/MachineKnitting • • 2d ago

Help! Sled of brother KH892 is struggling really bad to go over the needle bed

3 Upvotes

Hey all! My girlfriend has this problem with her knitting machine that whenever she slides the sled over the needle bad, it makes a weird noise and sometimes its getting stuck. She already replaced the sponge bar and cleaned the sled/needle bed. Does anyone have an idea what could be wrong with it?


r/MachineKnitting • • 3d ago

Equipment Bargain Brother KH400

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29 Upvotes

I’ve got chosen by thrift gods!
I found this beauty on Marketplace for just $125.

It has built in intarsia mode - very interesting!

Does anyone have an experience with this machine? I would appreciate any info tou would like to share 🌸


r/MachineKnitting • • 3d ago

Equipment Brought a Silver Reed Sk2200 page one. Anything I should know about this machine?

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3 Upvotes

I brought this machine for $60 and awaiting its arrival. And when Researched I found out this was strictly made for Japan market and no manuals in english. So anybody have this machine? Anybody have used this machine? If so care to share your resources, tips anything? Like spare parts, can I upgrade this? Will a needle beetle will work in this etc? Or instruction videos? Because I dont see anything on youtube for this model. Thank you


r/MachineKnitting • • 3d ago

Help! back again with more pictures of my passap M-201

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18 Upvotes

since last time I posted

I found drawers! full of stuff!

I had to replace the feet on the legs, and I need to replace the bolts holding the machine to the wooden case

I have not even looked at the PDF (I've been busy), but every 201 I see looks completely different from each other. what is all this stuff, and what am I missing? (skein of cheap yarn not pictured)

SAM! GET OUT OF THE PICTURE GALLERY!


r/MachineKnitting • • 3d ago

Help! Toyota KR501 Ribber Screws

2 Upvotes

Hello! I recently got back around to setting up my Toyota KS901 & KR501 but have very sadly found that I am missing the ribber screws.

Does anyone have any ideas for replacements? Or if there are any available online in the European región?

Thank you in advance!


r/MachineKnitting • • 3d ago

Getting Started Hand crank

5 Upvotes

Are any of the hand crank circular type machines not trash? I’m helping someone that needs a one handed option for knitting. I know how to knit but I’m really not familiar with machine knitting. I found a $250 electric one that is out of the budget and a $40 option with pretty mixed reviews


r/MachineKnitting • • 3d ago

Resources Chunky SK machine stranded colour work

2 Upvotes

Is there an equivalent to yarn separators for a standard machine for a chunky? I find my yarns keep getting out of place without them when I pass the carriage back and forth and I have to separate them manually at the end of each row. If so it would be a massive help and save me so much time 🙏🏻 Thank you!!


r/MachineKnitting • • 3d ago

Getting Started Why do circular knitting machines top out at 50ish sts?

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3 Upvotes

r/MachineKnitting • • 3d ago

Getting Started Tutorials on how to use Passap E6000, with 3000A motor

3 Upvotes

I have a Passap E6000 that I've spent a few years fixing up and am getting into using it.

Looking for some guidance on how to use the machine more proficiently, specifically on how to attach the motor to the machine.

As a note, I did have the machine disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled by an expert and he confirmed that the machine and the motor are both in working order.

I've followed a tutorial on YouTube from Zabbez for how to make a sock, translating his instructions from a Duomatic 80 to my E6000.

Grateful for any tips or direction.


r/MachineKnitting • • 3d ago

Resources What do you want to know about wool and science in the mid-twentieth century?

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3 Upvotes

Just passing along an AMA that machine knitters might find useful.


r/MachineKnitting • • 5d ago

Techniques this type of stockinette edge

32 Upvotes

Does anyone know how this type of stockinette edge is achieved? This is on a cheap acrylic scarf from a thrift store, but definitely looks mass produced.


r/MachineKnitting • • 5d ago

Help! Help needed with Brother KH270 - Fair isle knitting problems

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5 Upvotes

Dear machine knitters, I’m in desperate need of help!
I have a Brother KH270 that works fantastically in almost every aspect except Fair Isle knitting.

A little background on the machine: I’ve fixed the stuck buttons on the carriage, thoroughly cleaned it, and repaired some loose strings. The sponge bar is brand new, and the needles have been freshly cleaned. I’ve also adjusted the vertical position of the sinker plate, among other things.

Tuck, hold, and slip-stitch knitting are all working better than ever. The machine can even knit a four-row tuck stitch without a single mistake. Pattern selection and patterning also work great without making mistakes.

However, whenever I try to knit Fair Isle, the stitches become very small, the yarn sometimes splits, and stitches drop quite frequently.

I’ve tried cleaning the carriage, experimenting with every tension setting from 0 to 10, and adjusting the weights, both adding more and removing some. I feel like I’ve tried almost every possible combination of tension and weight, but nothing seems to solve the problem. I’m really lost and don’t know what else to try.

The sinker plate adjustment
Before I adjusted the vertical position of the sinker plate, Fair Isle knitting actually worked quite well. However, the sinker plate was pushing the needles up too much, and the machine couldn’t knit hold stitches or short rows properly. The patterning was also very messy, with needles seemingly being selected at random.

I followed the service manual for the sinker plate adjustment, but the procedure requires bending the sinker plate itself. I was afraid I might break it, so instead I placed very thin plastic shims near the screws to achieve the required spacing. I checked the spacing against the service manual, and it matches the specified measurements.

Could this alternative adjustment method still be causing problems with Fair Isle knitting, even though the spacing is correct?

Patterns I’ve tried
For testing, I tried the Gingham pattern, which has floats of up to five stitches. I also tried a small houndstooth pattern, where the floats are no longer than three stitches, but that didn’t work well either. The machine can knit 1×1 Fair Isle reasonably well, although even that isn’t perfect.

Does anyone have any ideas about what might be causing this? Could the sinker plate alignment or its interaction with the needles and carriage be affecting Fair Isle knitting? Is there anything else I should check or adjust?
I’d really appreciate any suggestions or advice. I’m running out of ideas and would love to get this machine working properly!

Thank you so much!


r/MachineKnitting • • 6d ago

Help! Update: seeking threading help

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7 Upvotes

Japanese Studio SD-502 -- cannot find a manual. Currently referencing Singer MK1.

New machine, slowly trying to figure it out. I’ve now reached the point of attempting an open stockinette cast-on on the back bed, but I am not confident about the correct yarn path through the carriage.

There appears to me to be two possible yarn-guide areas. The more obvious slotted guide is farther away from where I expect the yarn to be laid into the back-bed needle hooks. When I tried threading through it, the yarn travelled ahead of the moving needles but did not settle across the open latches or enter the hooks.

I have already broken two needles while experimenting, so I am feeling quite hesitant at the moment. Does anyone recognize the SD-502’s carriage and know:

  • the yarn path for back-bed stockinette?
  • what do each of the two apparent yarn-guide areas do? is the yarn supposed to pass through both areas in sequence?
  • After i thread it, what do i do with the tail of the yarn? is it supposed to thread down that channel in the carriage somehow?
  • anyone out there familiar with the SD-502 or SD-503?

Separately, can you get replacement needles for this machine?


r/MachineKnitting • • 6d ago

Help! Brother kh-830 punch card only works in one direction

3 Upvotes

I’m at my wits end, please help! When trying to use the punch card reader on my machine, it patterns beautifully going left to right, but when I go right to left miss patterns. Steps that I’ve tried so far to try to fix this include:
1. Deep cleaning the carriage
2. Cleaning all needles
3. Replacing sponge bar
4. Cleaning out bed of old fluff
5. Oiling/cleaning the punch card reader assembly, without taking it apart as I’ve seen many warnings to leave this intact
6. Oiling and cleaning clutch wheel

Tomorrow I’m going to look into maybe re-fitting the belt, but I don’t think that is my issue.


r/MachineKnitting • • 6d ago

Help! Does anyone know what causes these types of “tears”?

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6 Upvotes

r/MachineKnitting • • 6d ago

Techniques Just sent a new jacquard chart off to be knitted. Curious how it'll turn out?

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17 Upvotes

Another one from my paintings: 506 × 2008 stitches, two colours. This time I charted it at the measured density instead of the machine gauge, so fingers crossed the size comes out right.
The part I'm least sure about is the dithered bits. They'll either read as a nice mid-tone or turn into noise.
I'll post the knitdown when it's back if anyone wants to see.


r/MachineKnitting • • 7d ago

Equipment A knitting-loving student researching an at-home digital knitting machine

8 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m a student who loves knitting, and I’ve often wondered why there isn’t an easy-to-use machine for making custom knitwear at home from digital designs.
That question led me to start an independent school research project exploring what a truly useful at-home digital knitting machine might look like.
I’d love to hear from machine knitters, hand knitters, and anyone interested in making knitwear. You don’t need any experience with knitting machines to take part.
This is early-stage personal research for a school project.
Survey link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_WZhOj71E6NPMfHR4r0Cpzu10Db8b4-i8f0rA4SPCqdwVww/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=111773978374675393962
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I’d really appreciate any feedback! 🧶