Author: Thoughtful Knitter

Brother KH601 knitting machine was released by Brother in the 1970s. It is a standard-gauge knitting machine with the needle selection performed by the pattern center and the 8-push buttons. Read more on pros and cons of this model in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia.

The machine discussed in this blog was refurbished by me in May 2024. I lenjoyed working with this model and learning its mechanisms.

The machine comes with all major accessories (lace carriage, cast-on combs, extension rails, tension mast). The standard set includes one long cast-on comb (for the full bed) and one short one. The short one did not come with this machine so I will include a cast-on comb from my stash but its color is slightly different: greenish (while the original is greyish).

Most minor accessories are included as well. The row counter is not the original one (the original emerald-color one was missing – so I included a brand new cream-colored row counter from my stash). A hard copy of the manual will be included as well.

The accessories that are NOT going to be included are: cast-on thread (any strong thin yarn will work) and a bottle with oil (use Gun Oil instead). Laying-in thread feeders are already attached onto the sinker plate. Also, the machine did not come with the 1×1 needle ruler and I think this is such a basic tool that I included one from my personal stash. It is not metal like the original needle selection rulers but does the job.

All minor accessories fit into the toolbox. Unfortunately, the old plastic became fragile and the box has several cracks and misses pieces that cracked. It still holds all the tools well and will be included with the machine.

The carriage of KH601 differs a bit from all other 8-pusbutton machines I knitted on (KH5552-KH588-KH710): it has a sliding hold cam lever in the middle of the carriage right under the tension dial instead of two levers on the side.

The writings on the carriage and on the pattern center are in Japanese. But the previous owner left some marks in English – so it will be easy to understand and follow the manual.

The hard copy of the manual that came with this machine shows a slightly different carriage (a more standard for 8-pushbutton machines – with side levers rather than with a slide lever above the buttons on the carriage). There is a one-page insert (provided by the manufacturer, I believe) that shows the setting for this particular carriage.

I recommend using the manual for the KH800 to guide you on the HCL position (the sliding lever above the TUCK, PLAIN, and PART buttons) during patterned knitting.

I thoroughly cleaned the machine, inspected and cleaned all the needles, replaced the sponge in the retaining bar, and cleaned and serviced the carriage (ensured all the levers, knobs, and buttons move freely). I then tested the needles by knitting various patterns on a full bed watch the video of these tests here).

All tests were passed with flying colors! The patterns I tested were the “butterfly” pattern with needles being held and then knitted, a 1×1 tuck pattern (the trickiest to execute out of all tuck-pattern, in my opinion) and a slip-stitch siz-zag pattern. All neeles worked great!

The knitted fabric was then converted into a reversible cowl/neck warmer/hood.

Now about imperfections:

• Buttons #6 and #7 in the pattern center are a bit sluggish when are revered to the unpushed position. But only if they are unpushed by themselves. When pushed and then unpushed together, they are pretty perky. My video shows this flaw at the end but it did not affect the patterning or the knitting of the machine.
• There are some minor scratches, stains, and bends on the case and the lid (not shown here but I will document them when I pack the machine).
• The cracked tool storage box, with some especially fragile cracked areas, is missing. The lid for the storage box is a bit cracked too (not shown).
• The greenish cover for the tension dial has a small broken nugget that holds it in place. It sometimes gets loose. I did not glue it completely because it needs to be removable in case the carriage requires disassembling. It does not affect the functioning of the carriage or the tension dial.
• The carriage has minor rust and metal discoloration spots. It did not affect the functioning of the carriage.

Overall, this machine behaved very well. With regular oiling and cleaning, it will serve your knitting needs for many years!

This machine as well as other machines with punchcard patterning capabilities can be purchased from my Etsy store, or in my independent shop (for less).

Not sure which machine is right for you? Read how to choose the right machine for your needs. Regardless of the machine you choose, check out easy-for-beginners projects for your first knitting machine. Also, check my website for a blog article on the first steps with your new-to-you knitting machine.

Have questions? Get in touch with me through FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/MightyKnittyMachines

Silver Reed SK120 knitting machine is a flat-bed metal knitting machine with needles 8.0 mm apart. The bed contains 120 large needles. Read more about this model in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia, including its pros and cons. The rest of the blog is dedicated to a specific Silver Reed Sk120 machine I serviced and tested in May 2024.

I loved working on this machine especially because of its simplicity. The machine I worked on was also marked as Kantan Bulky. This machine comes with all accessories except oil (use gun oil instead). All minor accessories fit into a toolbox, with an attached lid. The box is in great shape.

A hard copy of the manual will not be included but it can be found online for free.

I cleaned and inspected all needles and then tested them by knitting on a full bed (to ensure all needles form nice stitches). I replaced a sponge bar. The retaining bar is very narrow for this machine. Thus, it was a challenge to find such a narrow sponge. After a long online search and consultation with numerous online chats and forums, I settled on a window seal strip with the glue on one side. It is more rubbery than spongy. It was also somewhat hard to insert but I finally got a hang of it (used a thin plastic knife and gently stuck it one inch at a time. Check out a short video I created to help other knitters insert the sponge into an unusual retaining bar of Silver Reed SK120.

Although not ideal, this rubbery strip did a good job. Why not ideal: it seems that the needles rub against it and remove small chunks (see the picture below). Because of this, I feel the rubbery strip will need to be replaced a bit more often than on other knitting machines. But I will include the extra strip that I have left – enough for 2-3 more replacements. Additionally, the machine needs to be cleaned after each use. I gently vacuum it with the soft brush of my regular vacuum to remove these things after each use.

The machine handled thick yarns very well. The yarns I tried on this machine are:

• Alara 50% acrylic/ 50% merino worsted yarn (50 g/ 100 m). I knitted a top of a hat.
• Think, sport-weight like, 100% acrylic yarn. Those yarns often cause lots of static, which causes carriage jams.
• Textured acrylic blend
• Mohari-blend fuzzy yarn – made a two-layered neck warmer, transferrable to hood/cowl.

The machine handled all these yarns well (see the video of these tests). In some cases, I needed to apply extra wax and oil the machine well. The sturdy table will help a lot when operating on this machine with thick yarns on a full bed. I strongly recommend using every other needle on worted yarns.

Below are the things I made while testing this machine:

If you are considering purchasing this wonderful machine, do not forget to read in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia about pros and cons of the Silver Reedk Sk120 bulky knitting machine.

The only imperfection about this machine was a minor rust spot on the cast-on comb.

In conclusion, the most exciting feature of this machine is that it creates a fabric that looks and feels like hand-knitted. This personal observation is even supported by the marketing brochure from the 1970s I found in my stash.

Brother knitting machines with model numbers KH800 and KH801 have a very unique patterning mechanism: a combination of a punchcard reader with the ratchet tool activating the needle being pushed forward (also known as “needle selection”)

When I was refurbishing a Brother KH800, I had to open the case up to see why the machine was mispatterning. I, thus, had a lot of fun looking at how the patterning works. (By the way, mispatterning was due to the selection strips/plates being tucked together – nothing that a good layer of Kroil oil can’t fix).

Brother KH8000 and KH801 accept punchcards with 12 holes. There are also twelve selection rods.

Punchcard-reader pins poke through the holes in the punchcard when the ratchet tool is moved.

This pattern is then transferred to the patterning rods, which move according to the holes in the punchcard (see the video).

Notice in the picture below how the distance between the rods is no longer even because some of the rods were activated and some were not. This “activation selection” is determined by the punchcard pattern. I was testing this machine with the punchcard with every other hole unpunched.

These rods determine which tabs are pushed towards the needles.

Notice below how these tabs push forward only every other needle….

…according to our punchcard pattern.

Here is a closer look at these patterning tabs. Notice they are grouped in twelve.

Another view from a different angle:

So, if your machine mispatterns, it is very likely due to this mechanism. The good news is: it is probably easy to fix since everything is 100% mechanical.

Although I did not really open up any of the pushbutton machines (4-button like KH551 or 8-button like KH581, KH585, KH588, KH710, etc.) to watch their needle selection mechanism, I suspect that it is performed the same way as on Brother KH800 and KH801.

Even 24-stitch punchcard-reading knitting machines (KH8XX series, like KH840 and KH891) have similar patterning rods.

This article lists several short overviews of projects very friendly for machine knitters who are just beginning to knit on their machines and are tired of just making swatches. Each project builds on the skills introduced in the previous one.

Enjoy, and let me know how it went!

1. Cord

Knitting a cord on your flatbed knitting machine is very easy and fast. These cords can be used for a variety of projects. I use them to insert into hats, bags, and socks as strings but also for decorations.

Read step-by-step instructions here.

2. Cowl/neck warmer.

This project can be done on a full bed of any flat-bed machine (mid, standard or bulky gauge) with or without patterning capabilities. No swatches are needed. While working on this project, you will learn how to 1) cast on with waste yarn, 2) create mock-ribbing, 3) fold the knitted fabric over, 4) cast off, 5) knit a cord (also a skill from the previous tutorial), and 6) make a buttonhole. You will need to know on your own how to sew panels together (mattress stitch or whatever stitch you feel comfortable with). You will also learn about how 1) your machine knits across the full bed, and 2) how all your needles function (whether you have sticky latches or badly forming stitches). It is a fun project and can be done with any yarn of your choice (as long as it knits on the machine of your choice).

Read the full description here.

3. Vintage girl’s hat, bandana- or headscarf-like shape, with cables

With this simple project, you will learn increases/decreases, buttonhole making, and simple cables. Optional ribbing on the front can be done by hand, on the ribber, or left as is. It can be done on standard, mid-gauge, or bulky knitting machines in a similar way. No gauge calculations are needed.

4. Mock-ribbing, mock-purl stitches double-sided blanket.

This is a very simple project, but it requires a lot of yarn. So it is good for destashing. You will use the skills from the previous projects (making cord, mock-ribbing, and folding the fabric on the machine as well as making cables). It can be done on any machine using ALL needles. If you are using the same two contrasting yarns, no swatch is needed: just keep track of how many rows you knit. If using yarns of a different weight, a swatch is recommended to calculate the appropriate number of rows.

Read the full description here or watch a video tutorial.

3. Simple 1 x 1 rib hat.

For this project, you will need a flatbed knitting machine and a ribber attached to it. By doing this project you will learn how to operate your machine with the ribber, how to adjust/attach side weights, and how to cast on and cast off. It is a fun and very easy project to do. The knitted panel can be finished as a hat or as a neck warmer

5. Christmas Bag for presents and decor.

With this project, you will learn how to make a two-color cord, knit mock-ribbing, to make a buttonhole, basic fair-isle patterning, as well as optional tuck- and slip-stitch patterning, cord making, as well as optional usage of garter bar (but can be done without it as well). You will need to know how to insert the cord into the folded fabric, and how to sew panels together (using basic stitching like back-stitch or mattress stitch).

Best if done on a punch card or electronic knitting machine for faster fair-isle patterning with two colors.