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Brother KR230 ribber tested on Brother KH230 knitting machine

Brother KR230 ribbing attachment works with only one knitting machine: 9 mm -gauge (bulky) Brother KH230.

This post is dedicated to the KR230 ribber I refurbished in my shop.

To learn about the overall pros and cons of Brother KR230 ribbers, refer to my other blog post in my Knitting machine Encyclopedia.

The ribber came without a lot of accessories but I was able to collect most important ones.

Thus, all major accessories will be included with the ribber with the exception of:

  • yard tension stand: since the machine I tested did not have the original (to the KH230) tension rod but a generic Brother tension rod, the yarn tension stand was unnecessary. But if you are buying JUST the ribber from me, and your Brother KH230 has the original tension mast, contact me, and I might be able to source the original yarn tension stand for you. I am actually not quite sure why the ribber came with this special yarn tension stand – maybe to create a right angle for the tension mast because it is quite unique and is unlike any other Brother knitting machine tension masts.
  • cast on thread: any silky and strong yarn will work
  • case for the needles
  • Knit leader setting plates: the machine did not come with those. Typically, new knitters new to machine knitting rarely use the knit leader and as a result, these parts get misplaced. If you advance enough to use KH230/KR230 setup with knit leader, these setting plates are available online for a reasonable cost.
  • hard copy of the ribber will not be included, but it can be found online. Keep in mind that the manual is written pretty poorly with typos.

I cleaned the needle bed, and side brackets. I cleaned and inspected all needles individually. Needles in good condition but with some minor rust were polished until they are smooth to touch (however, some discoloration might still be visible but it does not affect the needle functioning). I inspected the carriage and the connecting arm thoroughly too and replaced some broken plastic parts in it.

I included a brand new retaining bar with a brand new sponge.

I am also including new table clamps for the ribber (not shown). All tests were done with these table clamps (incorrect table clamps can create an incorrect angle between the main and the ribber beds and cause misalignment and, as a result, missed/dropped stitches).

The cast on combs that came with the ribber are in great shape.

I also sourced out completely new setting plates for KR230. Notice that the setting plates are asymmetric, unlike settings plates for all other ribbers.

One feature that I like about the KR230 ribber is that there are markings on the needle bed for the working position (position B) of the needles.

I serviced and oiled the connecting arm to ensure that the wheel inside it moved freely as it is responsible for the indicator arros as well as for lifting the pressers to assist with pushing the stitches down.

To ensure all needles knit properly as well as other are no hidden problems, I knitted on 20-30 needles as well as on all neeldees using several different yarns: acrylic sport-weight yarn, double-thread worsted-thickness acrylic-wool blend yarn, and a mohair-blend with Lurex thread in it. The machine handled all the yarns like a champ!

These tests are shown in my video. Prior to the tests, I made sure the distance between the needlebeds was adjusted to the optimum to ensure no missing stitches during the cast one and further one.

Below are the finished projects made from the panels knitted on Brother KH230/KR230 setup using the two out of three yarns I mentioned above.

Let me know what you think.

The ribber does not come with its original packaging. It will very likely be shipped in two different packages – long one for the needle bed and a smaller one (in size) for all other parts.

Below are the pros and cons of the Brother KR230 ribber I serviced in my shop (to read overall pros and cons of Brother KR230 ribber, refer to my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia):

PROS:

  • easy to set up
  • takes a variety of yarns (thickness- and texture-wise)
  • comes with all major accessories

CONS:

  • some minor accessories are missing (see above); however, their absence does not affect the functioning of the ribber.
  • The part of the side bracket that gets inserted into the machine on the left-hand side was a bit bent and I straightened it. (The top surface of that section has scratches as a result of my strainitening it). The series of pictures below shows that bracket and that area from different angles. Again, it did not affect setting up the machine but the bracket needs to be pushed in with a bit more force than the other one. Just something to keep in mind when connecting the ribber to the main bed.

As you can see, I invested a lot of both time and money into this ribber to ensure it has all accessories and that it functions well before I pass it on to other knitting machine enthusiasts.

Brother KR830 ribber serviced for Tyan

This Brother KR830 ribber was prepared (cleaned, serviced, and tested) in January 2025. This post is dedicated to this specific ribber. Refer to my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia to learn the pros and cons of Brother KR830 ribbers.

The ribber did not come with a carriage. Thus, I used a carriage from my stash. However, the carriage is from Brother KR850 ribbing attachment (which is a bit more advanced – read here): you can see “lili” buttons on the carriage picture, which are specific to KR850 ribbers only.

However, as shown in my video, KR830 needle bed, KR830 sinker plate, and KR850 carriage worked well in tandem with my Brother KH940 knitting machine. In fact, the carriage slides easily even with the yarn fed through it (as also demonstrated in my video).

Despite being not for the KR830 machine, the carriage works great and is in great shape. All levers, knobs and buttons move on both sides of the carriage.

The ribber came without some other accessories. I put together a set of accessories. All major accessories will be included.

The original cardboard box will not be included. Regardless, the machine will be packed for shipping really well.

The table clamps are exactly those used during the tests. So the angle between the ribber bed and the main bed will be the same. The needle selection ruler is new stock as well.

The aluminum claw weights are new. The rack lever is new (thus, it is lighter in color than all other plastic components).

The hard copy of the manual for the Brother KR830 will be included as well.

Refer to a free manual available online to learn about the functions of the KR850 carriage.

I cleaned the ribber, thoroughly oiled it, and removed old grease. I inspected all needles (individually and then by knitting on the full bed) and replaced the bent and faulty ones with the needles from a new stock.

I dedicated a lot of time to adjusting the distance between the main bed and the ribber. It is one of the most important parameters during knitting.

Knitting on a machine attached to a ribber is often an interplay between the yarn the knitter is using, tension, and the angle between the ribber and the main bed. The distance was adjusted for the thin yarn (boucle) and slightly thicker than the sock-yarn-thickness yarn (see my video).

During the tests, while the tension was chosen too loose for my first yarn, I was losing stitches (shown in my video – see a clip starting at 2 min 30 s). But as I adjusted the tension, the knitting became flawless.

I knitted on the full bed to demonstrate that all needles form nice stitches. If the latches did not work well or if the needles were bent, it would manifest itself as tucked or missed stitches.

Typically, it is challenging to need a full ribbing on the full bed (All needles are in working positions). Thus, I chose an every-other needle ribbing pattern and knitted on two different sets of every other needle.

I would not recommend beginners to start knitting on the full bed since there are several challenges associated with it:

  • hard to insert the side hanging weights when all (or almost all) needles are in their working positions (you can see of bit of this struggle in the video);
  • the knitter needs to pay especially more attention to the carriage position on the edges of the needle bed and to the yarn tension to avoid side floaters (I experienced them – see my video)

Pattern one (see video) had three needles NOT selected on the ribbing attachment. It used slightly thicker yarn. Pattern two had two needles not selected on the left-hand side of the ribber bed. I used thinner but boucle yarn. Both yarns produced wonderful fabrics. I made two great hats out of the knitted panels.

Imperfections:

1. The main bed has two minor rust spots underneath that I covered with the rust-stopping liquid. It is not pretty but at least it prevents further corrosion.

2. The cast-on combs, both small and long, had rust spots that I also covered with Rustoleum. I know it does not look pretty after i applied to liquid but it stops further corrosion. I did not have problems with the yarn catching on the rust spots. These are mostly cosmetic defects.

One cast-on comb side has more spots than the other (on both combs).

The yarn holder looks a bit rusted too but is relatively smooth to touch:

The plastic fine knitting bar is packed inside the ribber itself:

BTW, the hats were donated to a woman, who hand-embroiders the textiles ( as a hobby) and then donated to the women who lost hair due to the alopecia.

Overall, I am very pleased with the performance of this ribbing attachment. Hoping you will be too!

Problems with needle selection on your Brother knitting machine?

Hello, and I bet you are extremely frustrated after you discovered that the new-to-you knitting machine does not select needles properly.

I bet you watched numerous videos and thoroughly cleaned the punchcard reading mechanism, but nothing works…

I’ve been there … I disassembled my machines and discovered that this problem is pretty complex. And the service manual does not really explain well how to solve it. On top of that, most manuals available for free online are of poor quality and sometimes it is hard to see clearly enough all these small (and extremely important) details.

Below is one of the solutions to why your punch-card knitting machine does not select needles correctly.

This article applies to standard-gauge punchcard Brother knitting machines with model numbers KH820-KH894. (For bulky models, like Brother KH260, the alignment of the plastic cylinder with the clutch wheel is a bit different.)

I will not go into details on how to disassemble to the state shown in the pictures below: there are enough resources. Just one piece of advice : take detailed pictures of each step of disassembly or even record a video.

First of all, if you had to replace or remove your timing belt, make sure that the piece of the belt where the ends get together needs to be aligned with the little divot of the pulley (the manual calls it a concave part).

If you still need help, consider purchasing a lesson from my Etsy store. We’ll figure it out together!

Brother KR260 ribber serviced in August 2024

Brother KR260 ribbing attachment fits bulky knitting machines Brother KH260 and Brother KH270. Read more about this ribbing attachment in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia (…coming soon).

The article below is focused on the ribber I tested in August 2024 in my shop.

The ribber bed was thoroughly cleaned, the side brackets were cleaned and oiled, and all needles were removed and inspected individually (and then tested by knitting on the full bed).

The distance between the main bed and the ribber was easy to adjust. I almost instantly got the optimum distance and was able to knit a swatch right away. See the pictures of the first cast-on row: all distances are even and there are no missed stitches.

I left the side brackets in the machine so the next owner will not have to make too many adjustments. I knitted the swatch to several rows and made a narrow scarf out of it (see pictures below).

The retaining bar is new with the new sponge. (Typically I reuse the retaining bar (the metal part of the needle pusher) and attach a new sponge strip to it. For this ribber, I used a brand-new metal retaining bar with a brand-new sponge strip.

The machine comes with all minor and major accessories. One exception is a spare needle case: it was so old, that it crumbled as I opened it. The spare needles are inside a regular plastic bag.

Some accessories (1/2 and 2/2 needle pushers) are brand new from new stock.

The 1×1 needle pusher is also a handy tool but it is included with te main bed (Knitting machine).

All other accessories came with the machine but they are still in great shape.

Watch the tests on full bed in my video. I knitted 1×1 ribbing on every other needle on the bed and on the ribber. Thus, to check all ribber needles, I knitted two combinations of those needles to ensure I knitted in all needles. All stitches formed nicely! Thus, all needles, their latches, and the retaining/sponge bar functioned well.

The connecting arm is in great shape. All brushes are intact.

The ribber carriage is also in great shape and all buttons and levers move freely.

I will include the yarns I used to test this machine with the purchase so the next owner will start familiarizing themselves with this machine with the proven threads. These turns turned out to be pretty staticky. On the small swatch (narrow scarf, olive green color), the static was so strong that I could even feel it on my legs as I was knitting the long panel. On the large piece (olive green hat) the status was even stronger but the machine handled it very well: no grinding noise and no problems with tension. I did not use wax with the olive green yarn.

An original cardboard box for the ribber will NOT be included. I will, however, put the ribber into a cardboard box and wrap the accessories in bubble wrap.

Ribber cast-on combs are in great condition. If the wire does not go inside the holes, just rotate it a bit and it will slide in.

Brother KH260 knitting machine serviced in August 2024

Brother KH260 is a bulky (9 mm gauge) knitting machine with 114 needles. Read about this model, as well as the pros and cons, in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia. All information below is about a specific machine service in my shop in August 2024.

I cleaned and inspected the machine. I removed, cleaned, and inspected all needles. The needles and the patterning (including the punch card reader) were inspected with various cards. All of these features were also tested on all needles and with various cards. Watch the video of these tests here. This machine was also tested with a matching ribber, Brother KR260. watch the video of those tests here. The machine behaved very well during all those tests by itself and without the ribber. It was easy to adjust the proper distance between the machine and the ribber, which implies no warping of the metal beds.

The rubber wheels on the sinker plate are in great condition. The wheels for tuck-knitting move freely.

The machine will come with all major accessories: sinker plate, cast-on combs (short and long ones, attached together by the metal clip), tension mast (not shown in the picture above – forgot to include it, sorry) and a detachable row counter.

I also replaced the retaining bar: I inserted a completely new retaining bar + sponge bar (typically, I attach a new sponge to the existing retaining bar).

The machine will come with most minor accessories, including a hard copy of the manual (which is in decent condition).

The only accessories that are included are the cast-on thread (you can use any strong, silky yarn/thread) and a punchcard holder pin (all the tests in the video were done without that pin and all worked great).

Table clamps, stitch-measure scales, punchcards, and claw weights are brand new, from the new stock.

All minor accessories fit inside the toolbox.

The carriage lock is not the original (the machine did not come with one). I attached the machine with the carriage lock from the ribber (because I left the setting plates in after testing the ribber). But I am including a white plastic replacement carriage lock in case the machine is sold in the future without the ribber.

Since the machine came without the punch cards, I had to purchase them. The punchcard set included is marked with the letter P (as it is supposed to be for the KH260 models) but it is not an original set. It is brand new but the paper/plastic is a bit thinner than the original set. However, I checked and the card corresponds to those in the manual.

The machine came with the wax and oil in decent condition. Thus, those will be included as well. The mast still contains a piece of wax I used when I tested the machine (some yarn was a bit more staticky than the other but only when tested with the ribber).

The machine originally came without the carriage. I have included a substitute carriage (which was fully serviced and tested) this is why the color is a bit different from the main bed.

When selecting needles, make sure that the needle buds are as close to the marked B position as possible otherwise the carriage might have trouble. It is true for all knitting machines but bulky machines are especially “sensitive” to misaligned needles probably because the needle buds are so much bigger.

A couple of other very individual things for this machine: if the numbers in the row counter do not get triggered reliably, two things can be done. 1. Gently shift the plastic cover on which the row counter sits towards you. Even a little bit of movement will shift the row counter enough to make it more reliable. I installed it properly but the top cover can shift during the shipping/transport a little bit, enough to increase the distance between the tripper on the carriage and the row counter lever. 2. Pass the carriage slowly next to the row counter. If the carriage is moved quickly, the row counter is still triggered but the number does not increase. I thought it was the problem with the row counter, but I tried several. The best thing that works is to slow down around the row counter. The slower motion triggers it better so the number changes.

Imperfections:

  • the end caps have minor cracks. Those are super minor – I’ve seen machines in much worse conditions.
  • the lid and the case have some staining from scotch tape. I will be washing them off with soap and water but not with strong solvents (as it might severely damage the coating). Sometimes some especially sticky residues remain.
  • The case and the lid have minor scratches. Below is an example of the biggest one. Other minor scratches are not shown.

KnitKing KH881 refurbished, serviced and tested in my shop in July 2024

KnitKing KH881 knitting machine is a standard-gauge knitting machine with 200 needles, 4.5 mm apart. It is identical to Brother KH881. It contains a built-in knit leader. Read more about this model in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia. The remainder of this article will be dedicated to a specific KnitKing KH881 knitting machine, serviced in my shop in July 2024.

This machine was cleaned; the card reader mechanism was thoroughly inspected and cleaned as well. The sponge in the retaining bar was replaced. All needles were taken out, cleaned, and inspected. Faulty needles were replaced with new ones (from a new stock). The knit leader was also deep-cleaned and inspected.

The machine came to me without the carriage and all other major accessories. I collected the major accessories from new and old stock to ensure a complete set. Thus, the knit-leader scales, sheet guides, mylar sheet, extension rails, tension mast, sinker plate, tool storage box and cast-on combs are all included.

The lace carriage, however, is NOT included with this machine. The absence of lace carriage is reflected in the price of the machine. Lace carriages can be purchased either as a new- and/or old-stock online for $70-100.

The machine was tested by knitting on a full bed to ensure that the patterning is flawless on the whole needle bed and that all needles form the correct stitches. Watch the video of these tests. I demonstrated in another video how a faulty needle was identified and replaced. after it was replaced, all stitches formed very nicely. The patterning on the full bed was done using tuck-, slip- (part) and fair-isle stitches. All patterns were knitted beautifully.

The carriage moved very smoothly and I did not experience any static with the two different yarns I used: very silky etamin yarn, 100% acrylic yarn of fingering weight and a textures yarn with some fuzz and occasional boucle features. The machine handled all these yarns wonderfully. Below are the items I made from the fabrics I knitted while testing this machine. They are going to the local charity.

The knitleader was not tested with the mylar sheet but all buttons and levers of the knitleader move and the wheels rotate (thus, the paper will advance) as the carriage moves across the needlebed triggering the knitleader advancement mechanism.

Because the machine did not come with this particular carriage, the color of the carriage is lighter than that of the plastic on the rest of the machine: it is yellowish from the sunlight damage.

The long cast-on comb is in excellent shape but is from my personal stash. The color is a bit off-white since it is from another machine.

The majority of the minor accessories are also included, including a hard copy of the manual.

The toolbox sits on the needle bed when the machine is not in use.

All minor accessories fit inside a toolbox with a lid. The table clamps and the craw weights are from the new-stock and are still clean and shiny.

A couple of minor accessories that are missing and not going to be included are:

  • tapestry needle,
  • punchcard rod (during my tests I knitted without using this rod and the punchcard reader worked well and the cards advanced without problems)
  • wax – the wax that came with the machine was so old, it stumbled.
  • oil – it was brown and old so I disposed of it. For your knitting machine needs, use Hoppe’s gun oil available on Amazon.

The only knitleader accessory that is not included is a felt pen. I read on forums that Crayola markers work well. Check out my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia on recommendations for the felt pen substitute.

Now about imperfections:

  • The color large cast-on comb is a bit off because it did not come with the machine and is from my personal stash
  • No lace carriage is included, which is reflected in the price.
  • the case and the case lid have some minor bends and scratches (too many to list here)
  • Some of the punchcards that came with the machine are a bit torn/bent but they still work really well (I’ve seen cards in worth conditions and they still worked well)
  • The small cast-on comb has a slight bent. It does not affect its functioning (latching onto the stitches). See the video demonstrating that the teeth latch onto the stitches very nicely without any problems. In the video, some of the teeth are slightly bent. I already unbent them (which was very easy). But keep in mind that these teeth bend easily but it is also very straightforward to push them back into their correct position.

Happy knitting with this wonderful machine!

Brother KH860 knitting machine cleaned, serviced and tested in my shop in August 2024

Brother KH860 is a standard-gauge knitting machine with punchcard reading capabilities to select needles according to the pattern of the punchcard. Brother KH860 is a wonderful machine. Read more about its pros and cons in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia. This blog entry is dedicated to a particular Brother KH860 knitting machine, cleaned, serviced, and tested in my shop in August 2024.

The machine was cleaned, all needles were removed and inspected for bends, faulty latches, and sticky latches…. The needles were cleaned, and polished where needed. The faulty ones were replaced with the new stock.

The sponge in the retaining bar was replaced. The machine was cleaned on the inside (without any major disassembling: I removed the end caps and the top plastic panel). The carriage was deep cleaned. All buttons and levers on the carriage move freely. The sinker plate was also cleaned and inspected. The tuck wheels move well. The brushes are in good shape.

Additionally, I tested the patterning (AKA needle selection) as well as the needle-in-action while knitting on the full bed. The video of these tests is here. The full bed tests included stockinet, tuck- and slip-stitches. I did not test weaving and lace.

I typically like making something when I test these machines just to be able to show something from these tests. And if it is a wearable item, I donate it to charity. So, I converted the knitted fabric into a beret and a Christmas gift bag.

The lace carriage was not tested but all buttons and levers move freely. It is a very simple carriage and extensive testing is typically not needed.

Typically, I use card #1 for patterned tests. It is the card where every other needle (EON) is selected and the position of these EON needles alternates every row. In this case, any mispatterning will be immediately visible. Check out the video: all stitches formed beautifully. Also, for fair isle tests, I use very contrasting yarns where ANY mispatterning will be immediately noticeable.

The machine handles two kinds of yarn types very nicely (one an acrylic blend and 100% acrylic) and no static formed.

Some sources claim that Brother KH860 typically does not come with built-in garter carriage rails. Well, this is already the third KH860 that I came across that had them. Built-in garter carriage rails are great for future accessorization with a Garter carriage.

The machine had all major accessories (I only had to get cast-on combs from my stash – they are shown below in a disassembled state): lace carriage, extension rails, sinker plate, tension mast and of course the main carriage. They all fit into the lid of the case.

The machine came to me with very few minor accessories but I was able to find and collect the replacements.

The claw weights, transfer tools (with 2×1, 3×1, and 2×3 pegs), table clamps, set of motif cams, and the needle indicator strip are all new from the old and new stocks (yeah, new stock is probably a knock-off but serves the purpose).

The missing accessories are wax (it was so old it crumbled), a punchcard holder (a rod that is inserted into the small hole behind the punchcard reader) a tapestry needle (any needle will work – I like plastic needles), oil (get a gun oil on Amazon), and a cast-on thread (I use a strong silky thread or a thin acrylic yarn as my cast-on three).

The absence of these accessories did not affect the functioning of the machine. For example, all the tests shown in my video were performed without them: I did not need to insert a punchcard holder rod into the slot and the punchcards advanced without problems.

The punchcard set that came with this machine is not the original set. The original cards should have been marked with the letter J. Those included with this machine will be marked with the letter S. These cards correspond to those in the manual for the KH868 knitting machine (available for free here).

The hard copy of the manual for the KH860 model will also not be included with this machine but it is available online for free here.

Now about imperfections:

  1. Crack on the plastic near the knob for the punchcard reader. Although cosmetically not pleasing, it did not affect the functioning of the machine and/or the punchcard reader.

2. Because of the garter carriage rails and the carriage stoppers on each end of the needlebed, the carriage gets a bit stuck when pulled too far to the right or to the left (see the last couple of minutes of the video). It is just something that you’ll need to get used to.

3. The lid and the case have some minor stains, scratches, and scruffs. Below are the pictures of some of them. Despite these minor cosmetic imperfections, the overall states of the case and the lid are pretty good. One of the best ones I’ve seen.

Happy Knitting!

Review of Passap electronic knitting machines.

… still a work in progress

Pros:

(+) More needles than any of the hobbyist’s Silver Reed/Studio and/or Brother electronic knitting machines.

(+) Double bed: no need to putz around with aligning robbers to the main needlebed.

(+) Numerous built-in patterns.

(+) Knit great double bed jacquard, lace, etc.

Cons:

(-) Bulky: big in size; bigger footprint than other knitting machines

(-) More expensive than other electronic knitting machines. The exclusion would be bulky electronic Brother KH270, Silver Reed SK890, fine-gauge Silver Reedk SK830, mid-gauge Silver Reed SK860, and standard-gauge Brother KH970. Those machines are either on the same price range or just a bit more expensive depending on the geographic area and demand in your market.

Brother electronic knitting machines: description, comparison, pros and cons.

… still in progress. Stay tuned as I collect more information.

If you already read my post on how to choose a knitting machine and decided that you want an electronic knitting machine and in particular a Brother one, you are in the right place then.

I would strongly recommend electronic knitting machines to both computer/electronics savvy and non-savvy knitters.

People who are just users of electronics can have a lot of fun with the over 500 of various built-in patterns (only 50 for KH900 and non for KH910).

On top of that, computer-savvy people can create their own patterns in various programs, download them onto the machine, and knit wonderful custom things. Some even hack/modify the electronics to get the machine to read the patterns automatically from the computer.

Pros of Brother electronic knitting machines:
– Electronic brother machines have a lot of built-in fair-isle, weaving-, tuck-, part/slip-, and lace patterns (the exception is KH 910 – more on that later).
– All electronic Brother machines can be accessorized with a color changer (4-color changer for most KH9xx machines and 6-color changer for KH970). 4-color changers are easy to find and are pretty affordable.
– All electronic Brother knitting machines can be easily accessorized with ribbers (KR830, KR850, KR880 and KR900), which are also easy to find.
– Custom patterns with different colors could be created using various software and then transferred to the machine (read a separate article on that).

– Electronics can also be modified and the patterns can be read by the machine directly from the computer. Thus, no need of transfers (some machines do not have enough memory to accept a large pattern. In this case, the pattern needs to be split into several transfers, which adds uncertainty to inexperienced knitters).

Cons of electronic knitting machines:
– Brother KH910 without conversion (aka hacking) to AYAB can only use mylar sheets to knit patterns. Those are hard to find. But still possible. It does NOT have any built-in patterns. Because of all of this, and because of only the 60-stitch repeat pattern built-in mechanism, machine knitters learned how to hack the electronics, forgo the mylar sheets, and just pass on the patterns from the computer.
– Brother KH930: has over 500 built-in patterns. It is a bit more desirable than KH910 because of this. It, however, has limited memory and large custom patterns need to be uploaded in parts. but there are ways to go around it. KH940 is identical to KH930 but has a bit more of memory (but harder to find than KH930) and a whole pattern for, let’s say, medium size throw can be loaded in one file transfer.
– electronics can be finicky sometimes and, thus, need lots of TLC and attention (like, making sure the machine it turned off and not left ON overnight; if the machine feels warm, stop knitting and turn the machine off). However, replacement motherboards are still available or the machine can be converted to AYAB.

– KH970 are very desirable but also hard to find. However, be aware that some knitters love it and some hate. The electronic console is not as straightforward/intuitive to learn. This machine can still be connected to DAK. AYAB is not recommended because this machine is so expensive and because it has so many prebuilt-in patterns.

Brother punch-card knitting machines: quick reference

All Brother punch-card knitting machines have 200 needles. Except for the Brother KH260 model, all other punch-card Brother knitting machines are standard gauge (4.5 mm distance between needles).

Below is a summary of which punchcards were released for specific machines. Keep in mind that all these cards are interchangeable.

Miscellaneous
Card Set, letter
Standard-gauge machines
Brother KH830-836D
Brother KH840G
Brother KH860,881J
Brother KH890,891M
Brother KH864/868S
KnitKingKK93/KH893R
Bulky-gauge machines
Brother KH260P
Miscalleneous
Garter CarriageB-KG
Ribbers

Needle positions for Brother and KnitKing knitting machines.

Machines/Ribbers Model numbers
Needle Positions

12-stitch punchcard machines
KH800, KH801ABCDIDIIE

24-stitch punchcard machines
Bulky: KH260
Standard: KH810, KH811, KH820, KH821, KH830, KH831, KH836, KH840, KH850, KH851, KH860, KH864, KH871, KH881, KH890, KH891, KH893, KH894

A

B

D

E

Ribbers matching the Brother and KnitKing punchcard knitting machines
KR810, KR830, KR840, KR850, KR890, KR900, RK900ABDE
A – non-working position
B – standard working position
D, DI, DII – patterning positions
E – holding position

More summary information on punchcard knitting machines is coming up.