knitting machines, repair, techniques and more...

Studio mod. 324 knitting machine is a standard-gauge knitting machine with 200 needles. Read more about this model in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia. This post is dedicated to a specific machine serviced and tested in my shop in May 2025.

The setup will include the machine with all major accessories and a stand-alone knit radar (model KR7).

The machine, the carriage, the card reader, and the knit radar were thoroughly cleaned. I opened the carriage and cleaned it of old gunk. The atterning drums move freely (see the test video) so do all levers, knobs and buttons on the carriage.

All needles were removed, cleaned, and inspected. All latches were checked on how they move (sticky latches form tucked or other incorrect stitches). All faulty needles were replaced.

I replaced the end racks as well. Some minor discoloration spots, which seemed like rust, were covered with a protective coating.

A new sponge was attached to the original metal retaining bar.

With regards to the minor accessories for the machine:

The machine came with almost all of them. Even the oil looks good, so it will be included (which I normally do not do and recommend getting Hopp’s gun oil off Amazon). The table clamps and the claw weights are new (new stock). The hard copy of the manual was missing, and I do not have one in my collection either. But it can be found online for free. This original manual does not list all accessories on one page. Thus, I borrowed the accessory diagram from the manual of another similar machine. But that machine has a slightly different set of accessories (I know – confusing).

So, the accessories that were supposed to be included but will not be are:

crochet hook (any will work, and honestly, with all the machine knitting work I do, latch hook and needle transfer tools are the most handy tools);
tapestry needle (any needle of your personal choice will work)
cast on cord (any silky and strong yarn will work)

The accessories that are on the diagram below but still not be included are:

rib frame components (they did not come with the machine)
3/1 and 1/3 needle pushers (they also might be for that older machine, and they did not come with this machine either)
needle retaining bar pusher (I honestly have never seen it be included with any of the setups I had experience with. I simply use flat-head screw driver the push the retaiing bar out of its slot.
the intended table clamps are not slanted (the old-fashioned ones) but flat. The diagram above shows slanted table clamps. But this diagram from an earlier model (it still reflects all accessories correctly, just not as accurately). The original manual shows flat table clamps.

The weaving and round brushes are original as well. The only briefly explains what the round brushes are for (and it is also buried inside a lot of other info). There is a diagram showing that these brushes are used for tuck and plating knitting/patterning. I did not test plating, but tuck-knitting was performed without these brushes and it knitted very well on several different yarns.

The toolbox to store accessories is in great shape. All accessories fit nicely into the box.

Apparently, the lid can be hooked onto the one of the sticking metal “screws” to use as a tool tray (refer to the manual).

The punchcard set looks like the original one. It includes the card with the description, which punchcards can be used for what kind of patterning, in case they don’t match what the manual mentions.

I am also including two custom punchcards (as a thank you for waiting for my patience customer! :))

I am also including two extra card clips (transparent ones) as I think the original white ones are kind of hard to clip.

The setup will include a stand-alone knit radar KR7. The hard copy of the manual will not be included but a pdf copy is available online.

As you can see in the video, the carriage moves super smoothly when the needles are in A and B positions (I was able to move it with just one hand). All levers, buttons, and drums move well too, which is extremely important for patterning and advanced knitting.

I tested the carriage by knitting swatches using different yarns (not all shown in the video) as well as on the full bed to ensure all needles form correct stitches. I like doing full-bed tests with card #1 because any mispatterning or faults will be noticed immediately (even the tiny random ones): the fabric will not be even.

In the video I show tests with tuck-, slip-, and fair isle stitches/patterns using Etamin yarn (for hand knitting). I also used slightly thicker yarn (sport weight) but it needed the loosest tension possible. These tests are shown at the end of the video. However, it is recommended to use sport-weight yarn on every other needle.

Knit radar:

It is in great shape and looks like it has barely been used. It will come in its original (although kind of beat up) packing cardboard box.

However, it did not come with a hard copy of the manual but a good quality online version can be found (for free) here. One plastic panel chipped on the side (not shown) – I glued it together. It is barely visible. It does not affect the functioning of the knit radar.

Stitch scale #4 is missing. If I find it, I will ship it later for free.

If I think of something else while I pack the machine, I will post it accordingly.

The original pattern paper is missing, but I am including a generous 5-sheet pack of graphed paper. It is wider but can be easily cut. It is the same quality (thickness and feel) as pattern paper for other knit leaders I have (but they are half size).

When I was looking for a replacement pattern paper, I did a lot of research. Even if I found the original paper, the overall opinion in the knitting machine groups is that the models of the closing on those patterns are outdated. So it feels like you will be better off using he graph paper for your own designs than having the original patterns, which would be useless.

Some imperfections include the missing accessories (described above), some minor scratches and dents on the case, and discoloration on the plastic parts (from exposure to sunlight). Some are shown below.