.. this article is a constant work in progress as I collect more information and personal experience…
… Please, read the whole article first before proceeding.
Abbreviations used below:
KM = knitting machine
If you purchased your KM serviced from a reputable seller, you can this post and go straight to the post where I recommend the very first steps/tests with your new KM.
If you were not as lucky and got a machine that still needs TLC, below are the steps you can follow. A lot of new machine knitters get a machine from friends and relatives or just find one on a garage sale and feel very overwhelmed. Well, I hope the steps below will help you to guide your approach to cleaning and testing your KM.
First inspection, cleaning, and servicing steps:
Check against the manual if all parts are present. (If your KM did not come with a hard copy of the manual, search its model number and you will easily find a free PDF file of the manual). The most critical ones are a carriage and a sinker, they are a MUST-HAVE. The secondary is a tension mast (I managed to knit on a machine by just holding the yarn in my hand and creating tension by hand, but this is far from ideal but doable if you have to.). Also nice to have are claw weights. If others are missing, you can probably manage to knit without them. If the major parts are missing, search on the Internet to purchase them and while they are arriving, work on the steps below.
Clean/wipe the visible dirt from all parts.
Remove the retaining bar (metal strip sitting on top of the needles). Push it on the side until the other end shows up and then pull completely out. The manual should mention the retaining bar in the section about needle replacement. If you have a long-tail brush, insert it into the channel for the retaining bar and clean the gunk out of there. DO NOT RUN THE CARRIAGE ON THE NEEDLE BED UNTIL YOU INSERT A RETAINING BAR WITH THE NEW SPONGE BAR. I have a separate blog post dedicated to the retaining and sponge bars and how to clean/refurbish/restore them.
After the sponge bar is out, remove all needles, clean/wipe them, and inspect. I visually inspect if there is deep rust (if there is just shallow rust – I gently polish the needles with fine sand-paper), and obvious bends. Wipe all the needles while inspecting them. Check if the latches move freely back and forth and do not stick (sticky latches can lead to incorrectly formed stitches, especially to tucked stitches).
Vacuum the needle bed from the top (simply run the narrowest attachment your vacuum has over the needle bed). If you are brave, and if the machine has them, unscrew the top plastic panels, detach all the plastic components from the machine’s front panel, and vacuum underneath.
If are you even braver, remove the plastic end-caps and vacuum from the sides as well. But: if the machine is clean under those long front panels, you probably don’t need to remove the end caps, which is good news because they are kind of a pain to deal with.
While the panels are out of the way, check if the punchcard reading mechanism moves freely. Often those gunk-up too (or freeze simply due to time) and need to be cleaned. There are video resources available online on how to clean the punchcard reading mechanism. However, I do not recommend disassembling the punchcard mechanism completely without trying less drastic measures (like simply spraying with Kroil oil and cleaning with wipes and Q-tips). It is often not even needed to go that deep and the error of assembling those intricate mechanisms back happens quite often.
Then check if the buttons on the carriage move freely (middle button and tuck/part buttons). Those often get stuck as well. Kroil Oil will take care of that: spray the Kroil oil over the frozen parts and try to jiggle them every several hours. Reapply Kroil oil as needed.
Check the undercarriage for visible lint, dust, dirt, etc. Clean with Q-tips if needed. If the carriage is very dirty, use the UP lubricant/cleaner for a faster (but significantly smellier process). Make sure all levers on the undercarriage move symmetrically when you press the buttons on the carriage. Move the levers with your finger or a tool and ensure they move freely and snap back to the original positions without lag.
Inspect and clean the sinker plate. Often yarn is caught
Insert back all the freshly inspected and cleaned needles.
Insert a refurbished or new retaining bar with the new sponge. (Read my other blog post on how to clean/refurbish/restore them.) I will soon have some sponges and complete retaining bars in my store. Make sure the retaining bar is inserted correctly (with the spongy part touching the needles and the retaining bar being on TOP of the needles.)
Put together all large plastic pieces (covers, boxes, and lids) if you removed them for cleaning.
Place the carriage onto the needle bed.
Attach the sinker plate according to the instructions.
Once you are satisfied with all the cleaning, you can start testing your machine. Please read the first tests I do for my freshly-refurbished knitting machines in my other article.
Brother KH800 and KH801 knitting machines have unique designs for needle selection: they accept 12-stitch punchcards that are positioned flat on the special panel on the machine (called “card presser”).
Brother KH800 pattern center with the 12-hole card pressure in the middle.
If your machine came with original punchcards, you are super lucky! If you did not get the punchcards, or you want to make more cards for your own custom patterns, it is very easy to do.
Below are step-by-step instructions. You can also watch a video I made with these steps.
You need to cut a piece of paper, 20.5 x 6.5 cm (8 x 2.5 inches). Regular printer paper will work. Or print this file which shows blank cards for KH800. Another option is to print a standard set of cards (from the file downloaded here) and then punch the holes using the steps I will describe below.
Insert the cut-out punch card into the pattern card cassette holder. The manual describes all the steps of inserting the card really well. The only difference from the manual is that you will have to push the paper through the setting pins.
If your machine comes with a special puncher, you are again lucky. You can now use it to punch your pattern through the holes. If your machine did not come with it, you can use a marker with a relatively thick end. Ideally, find a marker that no longer draws (dried up or broken) so it does not draw on the machine.
Continue punching holes according to your desired pattern.
The holes do not have to be fully complete: they just need to be open enough for the patterning rods to go through upon activation.
Watch in the second half of my video how I tested and ensured that the rods indeed went through.
Happy punching and Happy knitting!
Also, read or watch about the patterning mechanism of Brother KH800/801.
If you own a Brother flat-bed knitting machines, like pushbutton KH551, KH585, KH588 and KH710, or Brother punchcard machine like KH830, KH840, KH860, KH890, etc., or even electronic models, like Brother KH910, KH930, KH940, KH950, KH965, and even KH970, you can make cords on these machines in just quick 5 minutes or less.
The steps are outlined below. Or, if you are a visual learner or some terms in this article are not quite clear, watch this video.
1. Move the carriage to the right-hand side of the needle bed and press the right-hand side PART button.
2. Move to the most forward position 3-4 needles and perform an e-wrap cast-on with the short end of the yarn being on the left side. This post does not go into details into e-wrap cast-on, so if you are unsure how to do it, there are a lot of online resources on it.
3. Thread the long piece of the yarn through the carriage as usual.
4. Move the carriage from left to right while pulling the short end of the yarn down. After the first tow is knitted, if you prefer, attach the claw weight to the formed stitches. Or, pull the knitted fabric down by a free hand.
5. Continue knitting with the carriage moving it side to side while pulling the formed cord with the free hand.
6. When a desired cord length is achieved, cast off with your desired method. Tie a knot on each end and fasten the knot by sewing several stitches over the know with the yarn left on each end.
The cord can be used for hoods, hats, neck warmers, or for decorations.
Brother KH830 is a knitting machine with 200 needles, positioned 4.5 mm apart. This machine is capable of automatic patterning and needle selection performed using a punchcard reading mechanism.
The post below is dedicated to this specific machine. To read details (including the pros and cons of the Brother KH830 model in general, refer to a blog article dedicated to this model.
Brother KH830 knitting machine tested by me in January 2024 comes with all major assesories: tension mast, cast-on combs, lace carriage, row counter, and extension rails.
All major assesories fit nicely into the lid. I did not knit lace during my tests by all knobs and levers move freely on the lace carriage.
Almost all minor assesories are included as well.
The minor assesories that will not be included are:
Hard copy of the manual but it can be found online for free.
Tapestry needle (any needle will work).
Wax and wax container
Oil (the one that came with the machine was too old). Use Hoppe’s Elite Gun Oil from Amazon instead.
The rod for the card reader was missing. So, I used a hand-knitting needle instead and it worked fine: all the tests shown in my video were performed with my custom-made card-reader rod.
All tools and minor assesories fit into the built-in storage box.
Additionally, I included brand new (new stock) claw weights because the old ones had bent teeth. The little knob for the card reader was cracked, So I replaced it with the freshly 3d printed one.
I cleaned the machine, replaced the sponge in the retaining bar, and cleaned and inspected all needles.
To test the machine’s functions, I knitted on a full bed using tuck-, slip- and fair isle patterning (see the video of these tests). I knit on a full bed while testing my machines because I want to make sure all needles knit and form stitches correctly (without sticky latches and without forming tuck stitches). In the test video, you will see how I identified two flawed needles. I ran this test until I could obtain a knitted panel without any tucked or mispatterned stitches.
This model already has built-in (or preinstalled by the previous owner) Garter carriage bars.
The following paragraphs list minor flaws I identified:
The card needs to be guided into the card reader with a bit more attention than usual. Because if you don’t pay attention, it might get inserted a bit crooked and mess up your patterning. So, carefully line up with the whole and then watch if the card goes in smoothly. If the card is lopsided in one direction, pull gently to straighten.
There is a minor crack on the plastic panel to the right of the card reading mechanism. There is also a minor scuff (in front) and a microcrack (to the left) of the punchcard reading mechanism. Those did not affect knitting.
There are a couple of minor scuffs on the front panel and on the case as well. The pictures below show the most noticeable out of all of them.
The end caps of the bottom and top parts mismatch in color (the machine came to me this way) but the case still closes well without any problems. There are only some minor gaps probably due to the age of this machine.
One of the cast-on combs has minor bents but it does not prevent them from being used effectively (for all my tests I used those combs shown below).
The carriage has some minor rust or wear/tear rust spots. (These spots are pretty typical for these vintage machines.) I treated them with protective oil. I did not observe any static while knitting or any other problems.
Despite these minor flaws, this machine worked great. I knitted the Christmas-themed bag that I will use next year to put presents in 🙂 I hope you soon will be able to make something even more beautiful.
… this article is constantly being updated depending on the questions my customers ask me. So, check frequently.
LAST UPDATE: January 22, 2026
My customers often ask me: what machine will I recommend for a beginner, for a fiber artist, for an experienced hand-knitter, to start a small craft business, or to experiment with stitches and techniques?
There are several things to consider. For example:
You are a hand-knitter (or crocheter) with a large stash of yarn and fiber, or your stitches are not even, or the small finger movements are no longer feasible for you;
or you have never hand-knitted before and just want to explore what machine-knitting is.
If you know how to hand-knit, then the next question is: what do you want to do with this machine? Design cloth, make new fabrics, make custom patterns, or simply knit through your yarn stash? Do you want to make blankets and throws and if yes, how wide? Also, ask yourself: do I just want to knit for friends and family or to sell? The next series of questions is how much patterning you would like your machine to do. And of course, you need to have a clear picture of what your budget is and how comfortable you would feel with servicing a new-to-you machine.
Here are some of the things to consider for the options mentioned above.
If you are considering getting a machine to go through your stash quicker, check what is the thickness of the yarn you have the most. If sport-weight and below, you will be able to go through your stash with the standard-gauge knitting machine. If thicker – then you should consider getting bulky and mid-gauge knitting machines. Fine-gauge knitting machines create wonderful, profesionally-looking fabrics, but they are not recommended for knitters who are just starting to explore machine knitting.
Overall, good entry-level knitting machines are circular plastic ones (like Addi or Sentro), and plastic flat-bed mid-gauge, like Brother KX350 or Silver Reed LK-series. These will take worsted yarns or double-threaded thinner yarn (available in craft stores for hand knitting) and will create lots of great hats, scarves, vests, and simple sweaters.
If you are a hand-knitter transitioning that just wants to make sure all stitches are even, the panels are knitted faster but you are not quite ready to give up the satisfaction from hand manipulation stitches (like creating cables, lace, etc.), consider standard-, bulky, and/or mid-gauge knitting machines with only manual/basic patterning capabilities.
If you want to create a lot of intricate patterns and designs, you will need to consider machines that can pattern with less annual needle selection and stitch manipulation. Namely, the needles would move to the patterning positions with some button pressing and the type of stitches will form in a predetermined way. The highest technology for such performance is electronic knitting machines. Those not only have several hundred built-in patterns but can also accept custom patterns from external sources. You can create those patterns yourself. Knitters can still do all the same manual stitch manipulations on electronic machines as on basic knitting machines (just turn off the electronics and select needles by hand). Read separate posts on how to choose Brother and/or Studio/Silver Reed/Singer electronic machines. Also, let’s not forget that Passap also made electronic machines for hobbyists and small shops.
If you are not super technology-savvy and could settle for less intricate patterns, consider machines with punchcard-reading capabilities. They come in bulk and standard gauges. The repetition pattern is typically 12-24 stitches. There are so many various designs circulating on premade punchcards. You can also punch your own cards (doable but quite a tedious process). Some drawbacks are somewhat finicky punchcard reading mechanisms, that sometimes cause troubles. Also, punching custom-punchcards is somewhat a tedious process but doable with enough patience and practice. On a punchcard machine, knitters can still do all the same manipulation and stitches as on manual/basic machines if the punchcard reader is not activated.
If even this seems too much to manage, consider push-button or turn-knob machines. These machines offer 4- to 8-stitch repeat patterns. With some hand manipulations, patterns with more stitch repetitions can be accomplished. Despite being the oldest patterning technology in machine knitting, these machines are robust (almost all metal), and offer endless possibilities. I only saw standard- and fine-gauge turn-knob and push-button machines. I put couple of articles together on pros and cons of pushbutton, turn-knob, punchcard and electronic knitting machines.
A lot of fiber artists like pushbutton machines a lot because they feel more control over the stitch manipulation and needle selection, yet it is still not completely manual. However, sometimes it is hard to accessorize these machines with attachments (knit-leader, ribber, color changer) due to their vintage nature.
Now, about picking a machine depending on your desired projects. If you know for sure that you want to knit sweaters or garments, you should probably get a machine with a built-in knit leader (aka charting device) or a machine that can be attached to one. Some older models of knitting machines cannot be accessorized with knit leaders, so keep that in mind.
If you want to knit beanies: do you want them to be seamless (then get a circular machine) or you dont mind seams (flat bed is ok in this case)?
If you want to knit colored patterns (jacquard or fair-isle) with more than two colors, your desired machines should probably be compatible with color changers unless you are willing to manually changing color, which is a rewarding but tedious process. Also, do you want to knit double jacquard, no floats in the back? Then you will need your machine to be compatible with a ribber. Some ribbers have an automatic option to allow knitters to know double-jacquard semi-automatically (read on Brother KR850 ribbers). Some still require hand-manipulations but much easier than if you did not have a ribber.
If you want to knit blankets that create knits mostly resembling handknitting, get a machine with the most stitches in a row like a mid-gauge manual SK160 or electronic SK860, but, boy, they are pricey and hard to find. Standard-gauge machines will knit wide enough panels but it will look like machine knitting. If you want to knit custom patterns, or for production, consider electronic machines as they can be fitted with many additional accessories later. Additionally, for blankets, knitters often get a couple of plastic bed machines, like HK100 and KX350, and combine the beds (it is very easy to do – just remove the connecting plates and then reconnect the plastic parts of the bed onto the first bed) to get a double length.
With regards to the manufacturer, very popular machines for beginners are Brother (also branded under Knit King and other names) and Silver Reed (also branded under Singer and Studio names). The parts for these machines are still available in the new and used markets, which is a huge advantage. There are other wonderful knitting machine makers, including Toyota, Corona, Passap, etc.
A lot also depends on your budget. Plastic flatbeds are typically less expensive. Brother machines in general are a bit more expensive than Silver Reed, but it all depends on the dealer or the marketplace where you are looking. Additionally, the more patterning capability diversity the machines have, the more expensive it is (because it is more desirable). Thus, electronic machines typically cost more than manual or pushbutton. Additionally, bulky machines are more expensive than standard-gauge machines. Mid- and fine-gauge are the most expensive because not so many of them were on the market to begin with and they are highly desirable. As you can now guess, the most expensive machines are electronic bulky and mid-gauge machines. All these machines have their pros and cons, about which you can read in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia.
You need to think about what kind of stitches and fabric you want to knit. Lace? – make sure your machine comes with a lace carriage. Garter stitches? – Make sure your machine is compatible with Garter carriages (only standard-gauge Brother knitting machines model numbers KH8xx and up). Fair Isle? – better if you can use at least two yarns at a time. Or make sure your machine is compatible with a color changer. The same principle applies to weaving.
Also, would you like to knit both purl- and knit-stitches? A ribbing attachment does a good job doing that so choose a machine that can be matched with a ribber. Ribbers for electronic and punchcard machines are somewhat easier to find than ribbers for pushbutton and turn knob machines but they are still doable. Another nice attachment that can knit purl stitches, is a Garter carriage but it is only available for Brother knitting machines.
Also, consider your physical limitations. Can you lift a 20+ pound knitting machine? If yes, then metal flat beds are indeed for you. If not, you should consider getting a plastic flat or circular bed knitting machine. The latter ones are also great if you cannot live without knitting and want to travel with your machine.
Last but not least consider how much you want to grow with your new hobby of machine knitting. (I know – sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know but we know ourselves). For example, do you think you might outgrow the basic functions of your machine quickly and will want to purchase add-on accessories (ribbers, color changes, etc.)? If so, consider getting machines for which these accessories exist and are easy to find. For example, some basic vintage machines never had ribbers or color changers manufactured for them. Some push-button Brother machines and some turn-knob Silver Reeds had ribbers but those are hard to find. So, settle on punchcard-reading machines.
But I do not recommend buying a machine with all accessories at once (Unless you came across a super deal in a local garage sale where the machine is included with all accessories). You will be overwhelmed, and intimidated and might regret spending all that money at once.
To sum up and not considering factors like maintenance and availability of the spare parts: if you are just exploring and want to get rid of your hand-knitting yarn stash, get a simple machine, like Addi or mid-gauge plastic bed (like KX350 or LK100). If you are exploring but with specific projects in mind, get machines that can pattern more automatically and can grow with you.
I wish all of you good luck with discovering your dream knitting machine and starting your new adventure of machine knitting. Shoot me a comment on what machine you decided to get and why.
The table below lists the lengths and widths of various knitting machines I measured myself. Use this table as a reference to ensure you purchase the correct retaining bar for your machine.
… this article is in constant progress as I learn about various knitting machines and their retaining bars.
Almost all knitting machines and ribbers have retaining bars. Some machines have retaining bars with a sponge attached to them. Some machines (the majority of plastic flatbed machines) have only a long and narrow sponge (without the metal holder). Ribbers come with either a “retaining bar+sponge” assemble or only with the plastic retaining bar (no sponge strip).
The main role of these retaining bars is to hold the needles in place and to prevent it from bouncing up and down when knitting.
Below are the situations when you want and need to remove (and inspect in many cases) the retaining bar:
When you just purchased your machine (especially used and NOT recently serviced), the first thing you need to do is to remove your retaining bar and inspect it. I made a short video on how to do it because I have been asked about it so many times by my customers.
When you need to replace faulty needles.
When you need to clean your machine.
When you notice your knitting machine mispatterning without any good reason.
Hopefully, you purchased your knitting machine new or recently serviced. In this case, the sponge should be 1-2 cm above the metal edge of the retaining bar.
But in most cases, this is not the case. Thus, it is possible that when you remove the retaining bar, you will see a disintegrated sponge. I’ve seen some spongy strips being just a gooey mess. The old sponge needs to be removed as soon as possible (since it often corrodes the needles) and replaced.
There are two ways to approach this replacement.
First approach: just replace the spongy strip
If you decide to replace the sponge, you will need to remove all this goo. I first use a flat-head screwdriver to scrape all the residue out of the retaining bar canal. Then, I use “Goo Gone” to remove the rest of the residue. I typically do it outside because it is a very messy process. I pour a thin layer of “Goo Gone” liquid into the retaining bar and wait for hours. Then I scrape the remains of the old sponge again with the screwdriver. Lastly, I wash the retaining bar with soap and water, wipe it really well and let it dry (or blow dry it). You can purchase just the sponge in my store.
I sometimes read in forums that some thrifty machine knitters get a simple weather stripping and use them as sponge strips. Well, those have different dentistry and sometimes do not have a silky ribbon on one side. Also, they are not suited to be exposed to oils and might decompose rapidly leaving a sticky (potentially unremovable) residue inside your machine.
I read that experienced machine knitters use different ways to attach the spongy strip to the retaining bar. (By the way, the width of the spongy strip is not as critical and it can be a little bit narrower than the channel of the retaining bar but not by much). I tried different glues and my current choice is hot glue. Some machine knitters use wood glue. I apply the glue to the metal part of the retaining bar and attach the strip to the metal by the sponge side (not the silky ribbon side). I then tape the ends if the sponge to the plastic ends. I like using medical tape. Only one layer of the tape is enough to secure the ends of the sponge. More layers will only get stuck when you insert the newly refurbished retaining bar back into the machine. To avoid stripping this tape, push it down on the ends of the retaining bar while inserting it into the machine.
Second approach: buy a new retaining bar
Or if you do not feel like dealing with all this mess, you can purchase a retaining bar with a sponge already in it. Before you order a new retaining bar, make sure you measure the dimensions of your old bar: its width and its length.
Most commonly used by machine knitters Brother, Studio/Silver Reed/Singer, and Toyota knitting machines have somewhat similar retaining bars but there are some differences depending on the model and the gauge of the machine.
For the retaining bars for these machines, there are three different lengths (41, 43, and 47 inches) and two different widths (0.375 and 0.5 inches). This is why it is important to measure your old retaining bar to ensure that you are getting the retaining bar suitable for your machine. Most JUKI, Toyota, Silger/Silver Reed/Studio, Artisan knitting machines use 0.375-inch wide retaining bars. The lengths are either 41 or 43 inches (depending on the model).
I’ve read stories on FaceBook groups, where the new machine knitters were puzzled by the fact that they JUST replaced the sponge bar and the needles do not move, advance, or retract the way they are supposed to. I especially see I happen to be the owner of 8-push button Brother knitting machines. There is somewhere out there some incorrect information on the retaining bar for these machines. 4-push-button machines use a 0.375-inch wide retaining bar and the 8-pushbutton machines use a 0.25-inch wide retaining bar. (I’ve refurbished over a dozen pushbutton machines and I know the difference first-hand).
Brother ribbers use plastic retaining bars without sponges. When (re) inserting the retaining bar into the Brother ribbers, the concave surface (the “channel”) should face you.
There are machines with unique retaining bars – I will update the blog soon when I learn more. I am also putting a table on machines (and models) and retaining bar compatibility. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, enjoy your adventure in retaining/sponge bar replacement!
PS. I measured several dozens of retaining bars with my calipers. Even though the “official” measurement is 0.375 and 0.5 inches, mine are measured as 0.40-0.41 and 0.44-0.46 inches respectively. This inaccuracy in inches makes me like the mm scale (aka metric) a bit better. So the narrower retaining bars are 10.0-10.5 mm while the wider are 11-12 mm wide. Who knew that just 1 mm would make such a difference but it does! I had an incorrect bar installed on my KH581 8-pushbutton machine and the needles would not go back from E to B (or A) position!!!
