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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!

… 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.

… 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 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.