Category: Machine or accessory?

Brother KH551 knitting machine serviced in November 2023

Brother KH551 is a standard gauge knitting machine with 4-pushbutton-based patterning mechanism. This blog is dedicated to one specific machine I serviced. If you want to know more about the Brother KH551 knitting machine model, refer to my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia article.

The machine (including carriage and all needles) was cleaned and serviced. All levers and the buttons on the carriage were checked and they moved and worked without problems. These levers were also tested while knitting. All needles were also checked while knitting on a full bed. No faulty needles were detected.

The 15 needles on each side (30 total) came from my refurbished stack. Thus, when I was knitting on the full bed, I was inspecting the edges especially closely to make sure all these refurbished needles worked well. Also, because of such a high number of refurbished needles, I am including the set of 5 spare needles (instead of usual 3).

The machine comes with all major assesories.

Several missing minor assesories are:

  • A hard copy of the manual is not included but can be found online.
  • Sinker plate yarn hangers, left and right. It can honestly be replaced with a regular paper clip (just unbent them to a desired shape). The manual describes their usage on p. 18. manual
  • The tool storage box is not included
  • Oil is not included also but I recommend Hoppe’s Elite Gun Oil.

Additionally, the small cast-on comb is not all metal – I pulled it out from my own stash.

On the full bed, I knitted stockinet, tuck, slip and hold patterns (see the video of tests – all went well). Butterfly stitch is my favorite on this machine.

Now about flaws and imperfections:

I had to replace the push-buttons but I did not have a part for the button marked #1. So, I replaced it with the button marked as #4 but it is of different shade of white. If you want, you can put a sticker on it with “#1” (I prefer not to put stickers on machines since it damages and stains the vintage plastic).

Despite being vintage, this machine will still serve your craft needs for many years especially if regularly serviced.

Happy Knitting!

First steps of testing new-to-you ribber.

If you just purchased or snatched a ribbing attachment to your knitting machine, I can imagine how happy you are!

If your ribber came to you fully serviced and tested, you still need to learn yourself how to use it and attach to you machine. So, follow the steps below. However, if your ribber came to you AS IS, follow the steps outlined in my other article on how to clean and service it before you start the knitting tests.

  1. The first most important step is attaching your ribber to the main knitting machine bed. Your ribber manual is the best source for this. If you are a visual learner, there are plenty of youtube video on how to do it for your particular ribber.
  2. Before you even attach the ribber carriage, main carriage and the connecting arm together, you ABSOLUTELY have to make sure the distance between the main and ribber bed is the optimum. Too wide or too narrow distance between the beds will cause all kinds of problems: yarn is not latching onto the needles, resulting in dropped stitches, grinding noise, difficulties to move the carriage, bent latches, etc. for Brother knitting machines, the best manual that explains how to do it is for the Brother KR810 ribber (available online, just Google it). There are also a lot of YouTube resources on how to establish the optimum distance.
  3. Check all magnets on connecting arm and carriages to make sure nothing got stuck to them.
  4. Once you are satisfied with the distance, make sure the connecting arm is attached to the main carriage properly. (Poorly attached connecting arm will manifest itself in dropped stitches, grinding noise, difficulties in moving in one or both directions, damaged needles or needle latches). Follow manual instructions to the dot. Once you attached the connecting arm to the main carriage, run through the needles (no yarn) to make sure nothing is touching the connecting arm. Start with 20-30 needles and if everything is good, add another portion of 20-30 needles, and so on.
  5. Attach the ribber carriage (unless you have a vintage, earlier model, of ribber, in which case you don’t need to do that) to the connecting arm/main carriage assembly. Again, follow instruction to the dot. Then run again the carriage assembly through just the ribber needles. For this purpose, only bring 20-30 needles to working position and run the carriages through. If everything seems smooth, add another section of 20-30 needles, and so on.
  6. Start knitting on a small swatch. Start with 1×1 rib on every other needle. (When setting up the ribber and knitting the first cast-on rows, it is extremely important to move the needles to the B working position as close as possible. Otherwise the carriage might bend the latches.) Use very thin yarn at first. Preferably the yarn that is no prone to static. (Quick side note on how to check the static of the yarn: bring a small strand of yarn to the crack between the beds and if the yarn sticks to one of the beds, yep, you probably have static. Change the yarn or apply wax). Do not use cotton yarns. Thin smooth acrylic yarn should work. Starting with the very thin and smooth yarn will prevent you from having problems related to JUST yarn: static, tension, friction if yarn has texture. (Please, do not think that knitting swatch is a waste of your yarn or time. There are several learning opportunities. For example, you will also learn how to choose the right tension for the yarn you chose, practice transferring the stitches (by hand or using a transfer carriage), whether there is static with this yarn, etc.) Follow the cast-on and knit instructions to the dot. Knitting just a small swatch will let you 1) check whether all buttons and functions move freely on the ribber carriage and 2) master the cast-on procedure.
  7. Knit on a full bed using the yarn you had success on with the swatch. Start with the 1×1 rib on every other needle. I do not recommend knitting on ALL needles on the ribber – leave 1-3 on each end in non-working position. It will be easier to attach wire-weight-hangers and will also ensure you all stitches are knitted before the carriages returns in the opposite direction. Knitting on the full bed will show you whether all needles function well (If a needle is bend, misaligned, or has a sticky latch, stitches will not form properly. You might also see dropped stitches, tucked-stitches or lots of pull stitches. ) And also discover (if any) additional problems with the setup. (All minor problems not seeing while knitting the swatch might manifest in a full bed in a more pronounced way). The panels knitted on the full bed during your tests can be converted to hats (knit 100-120 rows for one-layered hat with a brim and 200+ rows for a double-layered hat). During your tests on a full bed you’ll also learn how to hang and rehang the wire-hangers with weights to ensure nice edges, how to recognize dropped stitches, how to catch dropped stitches on the very ends of the panel and what to do to prevent them, etc. Knitting on a full bed when you are just starting is a whole new game.

Let me know how the first test went!

Brother KR850 ribber prepared for Judith in December 2023

Brother KR850 ribber fits numerous standard-gauge Brother knitting machines. Read more about Brother KR850 ribber in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia. The blog below is dedicated specifically to the ribber serviced in December 2023 for my customer.

Brother KR850 was serviced and tested for Judith in December 2023. My store offers other ribbers for Brother and other knitting machines.

This ribber comes with all assesories including a hard copy of the manual (not shown in the pictures).

The bed, carriage, and assesories were cleaned, inspected and tested. All needles were cleaned and inspected individually, first visually and then by knitting on a full bed 1×1 ribbing (in two different combinations to make sure all needles were tested).

Swatch test was performed first. Swatch tests are useful to ensure that the carriage functions work well. In the case of swatch tests, we do not have to worry about artifacts and problems (such as the correct tension of the yarn, yarn thickness, yarn texture, correct number of barrel weights, side weights, etc.) associated with large number of needles in working positions.

Then the machine was tested on a full bed in two different configurations to ensure that all needles form nice and correct stitches. Carriage is very easy to move on swatch and on a full bed.

All tests went great. See the video of these tests in my youtube channel.

When knitting on the ribber, tension, the correct number of weights and the distance between the ribber and the main bed play a very important role. This machine handled really well two different distances between the ribber/machine beds and three different yarns (with different thicknesses and texture, see my video). One of the yarns was a mohair-containing fuzzy yarn. The machine handles it well too although some tests on the correct tension was needed as well as some wax (fuzzy yarns are more prone to static formation than other yarns).

The machine will come in its original packaging: two Styrofoam forms to fit all assesories …

… and pads inside the bottom of the cardboard box to support and protect the machine.

The only obvious flaw was the tape attached to one of the cast-on combs. I did not remove it because actually it is convenient to have that tape to store the fine bar ( the long plastic and very fragile rod-like bar) more easily (often it is overlooked during unpacking and thrown away).

This machine would serve long years especially if regularly oiled, cleaned and stored in controlled environment.

Brother KH840 cleaned and tested in September 2023

Brother KH840 knitting machine is a knitting machine capable of creating patterns using a punch-card-reading mechanism. The machine has 200 needles, spaced 4.5 mm apart, which makes Brother KH840 a standard machine. Read more about this model in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia.

Now about this particular Brother KH840 machine. This Brother Knitting machine was cleaned, serviced and tested by me in September 2023.

Removed, inspected and cleaned all needles. The ones that were bent were replaced with the new stock. I replaced sponge in the retaining bar.

The carriage, sinker plate and then punchcard reader were cleaned, serviced and oiled.

I also knitted on the whole bed (using all 200 needles) to make sure all needles form nice and even stitches. I knitted the whole bed using tuck-, slip- and fair isle patterning. See a video I created of these tests. I did not test lace and weave capabilities of this machine. All levers and knobs move freely on lace carriage.

This machine comes with all major …(lace carriage, cast-on combs and extension rails)…

… and minor assesories.

All minor accessories fit into a built-in compartment. All major assesories fit into the case lid when now in use.

A couple of very minor assesories missing are:

  • Bottle with oil (it was too old, and I had to discard it. I recommend using Gun Oil).
  • Wax
  • Cast-on thread (any silky and strong thread will work fine).
  • Hard copy of the manual will not be provided but I can be downloaded online for free from here.

The machine comes with a set of punch cards but they might be slightly different from what is shown in the manual. Please, swatch before knitting for garments and knitted panels.

About imperfections:

Everything works great on this machine. The only minor flaw (with the exception of minor bumps on the case) is the small rust spots on the sinker plate and tension mast. They can be barely seen and when I used this machine to knit a cowl, there was no static and everything worked smoothly.

Overall I did not encounter any problems with this machine (with the exception of couple of minor scratches on the case). I hope you will be a proud owner of it to make a lots of fun and warm garments. Like the one I created (shown below) while testing this machine.

Brother KR830 ribber, prepared for Vivian in August 2023

Brother KR830 is an attachment for Brother knitting machines. These ribbers are compatible with Brother knitting machines starting with models KH8XX and above, all the way to the electronic models. It is one of the simpler ribber models.

Brother KR830 ribber attaches to the main bed through a series of clamps/bolts to knit purl stitches and to create ribbing for necks, collars, and sleeves. The attachment setup is described in the manual and is pretty easy to follow.

About this particular machine. It was thoroughly cleaned, wiped and inspected. All needles were taken out, cleaned, inspected and inserted back into the bed.

This KR830 ribber comes with all assesories mentioned in the manual.

All the assesories are supposed to fit into styrofoam form but this machine will come without the original box/packing. All the tools will be packed with extra padding.

The hard copy of the manual is not included but can be found online.

It took me a good amount of time to set the distance between the machine and the ribber correctly. It was done by following wonderful instructions in this video. Unfortunately, the manual was not much help in setting the distance between the main bed and the ribber correctly. Since the ribber was sitting too far from the machine (too high) I had to remove the “lift” brackets. The manual mentions them but apparently incorrectly.

Below is the first row of the double-bed cast-on. The first sign of the incorrect distance between the beds is missing stitches, which I got.

After the adjustments and measurements of the correct distance between the beds, I got a perfect zig-zag-like first cast-on row.

After all the distance adjustment was performed, further tests were very easy. Additionally, the KH830 knitting machine that also goes to Vivian was used to test the ribber and to set the distance between the machine and the ribber. Apparently, knitting machine chats often discuss how ribber  adjustments depend on the particular knitting machine (not just a model).

These tests were performed on a small swatch and on a full bed using every other needle on both main and ribbing beds. A video blog of all these tests can be found on my youtube channel.

To ensure that all needles knitted properly, I ran two tests on the full bed. First, I selected every other needle after the first needle and then, during the second test, after the second needle. In this case, I used all needles (except the very first one).

The knitted fabric was converted to a hat: I simply sewed along the long edge and tightened the ends. Easy, fast, and reliable!!! No measurements are needed – just knit away on a full bed.

I am planning on knitting a matching scarf while testing other ribbers. It was a lot of fun! I hope it wll be fun for you, Vivian, too !

Brother KH830, August 2023, for Vivian

Here is Brother KH830 knitting machine prepared for Vivian in August 2023. Read specifics about this model in my freshly published Knitting Machine encyclopedia. 🙂

This particular machine was cleaned and thoroughly tested on a full bed to ensure all needles worked adequately and that the carriage patterns correctly over the whole bed. The video of these tests is available here.

The sponge in the retaining bar was replaced. All needles were cleaned and inspected. One faulty needle was identified during the full bed knitting. It was replaced.

The lace carriage was not tested in knitting but all levers move as they are supposed to.

Carriage is very easy to move. The handle on the carriage folds for easy storage inside the case when not in use.

 

The machine comes with all major assesories including extension rails, lace carriage, two (one small and one large) cast-on combs, and all stitch manipulation tools.

Most of the small tools fit into a built-in stoage box.

Minor assesories not included with the setup are:

  • Wax and its storage container
  • Cast-on thread (any smooth and silky thread/yarn will work)
  • Tapestry needle (any sewing needle with a large eye)
  • Oil (I recommend getting a Gun Oil from Amazon)

Below are pictures of the fabric I knitted while testing the machine:

  • “Wrong” side of the fair-isle

  • “Right” side of the fair isle

  • “slip” stitch-knitted panel (using card #8)

  • Tuck-stitch-knitted panel (also using card #8)

    Below is the cowl/neck warmers made from these fabrics:

    Reversible hood/neck warmer made from fair-isle-knitted panel:

The “other”side:

The only imperfection of this machine (with the exception of the minor bents on the case and its lid) is the slight discoloration of the plastic on the carriage due to some UV damage (the plastic on the lace carriage is a bit lighter and has some UV-burn stains). It is typical for these old machines because back in the day UV-damage blockers were not added to the plastics.

Also, a hard copy of the manual is not included but can be found here.

Overall this machine was very easy to use and I did not experience any major issues with it. Hope you will enjoy it too!

Brother (Genie) KH710 for Larissa

This would be my 10th push-button machine cleaned, serviced and tested for customers. I love push button machines for their reliability, resiliency, simplicity and hard work.

Brother KH710 (aka Genie) is a metal-flat bed knitting machine with 200 needles, 4.5 mm apart from each other. This distance (4.5 mm) makes this machine a standard gauge.

Brother (Genie) KH 710 is an 8-push button machine with a full pattern center that makes needle selection much easier and more automatic. The pattern center consists of the slide display, 8 push buttons to select the needles, one push button to deselect all selected needles, A-B lever to select the needles according to either pushed (position A) or unpushed (position B) buttons and a L/R sliding knobs which enables knitters to slide the needle selection by the corresponding number of positions. I know it might now make any sense now but refer to the manual – it explains everything very well.

The machine is in excellent shape including needles and there are absolutely no signs of rust. I still cleaned and inspected the needles. Additionally, all the needles were tested on a full bed to make sure all latches function properly. (In my video, you will see that one needle started mispatterning, which I identified by the tucked stitches first but then by its bent latch. This needle was replaced and the swatch- and the full-bed-tests were performed again to make sure all needles function properly).

A completely new sponge was attached. I reused the retaining bar. Because the sponge is still very puffy, it is somewhat resistant to go into the retaining bar channel. The ends of the retaining bar need to be pushed down when inserting it to make sure the tape does not come off.

The machine comes with all major accessories.

The minor ones not included are:

  • Cast-on thread: any smooth strong yarn will do (not too thick though)
  • Wax – the one that came with the machine was too old and just crumbled
  • Oil – the one that came with the machine was too old and yellow so I discarded it. A good oil for knitting machines is gun oil available on Amazon.
  • A toolbox and a toolbox lid will not be included. They did not come with the machine. The toolbox is to store the tools right on top of the bed when the machine is put away. The way the toolbox sits on the main bed and clings to it is convenient for storage. However, I find that I do not use the tool box when the machine is out because it is hard to easily get the tools out of it. All the tools will be packed carefully for transport.
  • A hard copy of the manual will not be provided but an electronic copy can be found here.

The machine was tested on a full bed and everything works great. I knitted hold-stitch pattern (butterfly pattern), tuck-stitch pattern and stockinet. The lace carriage was not tested but all the buttons move freely. It is not a complex carriage and it is very unlikely it will not work. The fabric I knitted during these tests was converted to these two cowls/neck warmers:

A general recommendation: tuck-stitch requires somewhat higher tension than stockinet on the same machine with the same yarn. However, for slightly thicker yarns (even sport weight) it might be a problem because on higher tensions the machine might choke up). This is why I tested the tuck-stitch with 1×1 needle selection using two different yarns: a thicker one (green) and a thinner one (power pink color). I was able to knit a nicer tuck-stitch using the thinner yarn.

However, with the cast-on on every other needle (also shown in my video), even yarns slightly thicker than sport weight can be used.

A couple minor flaws and hiccups that came up during tests are:

  • The wrench tool has a cracked plastic handle. I could still use it without problems.

  • When using a pattern that requires switching between A and B positions, I strongly recommend putting the L/R indicator onto the 2 or above position (but not at 8). When L/R indicator was on one, the switching needle position when A/B knob was used sometimes did not work as expected. I suspect that the gear is not engaging properly at the very starting position but it engages very well when the L/R is on two. I opened up the machine and checked and there are no visual wear/tear signs on the plastic gear. When I used the settings I just described to knit tuck-stitch (where every other needle was brought to C position and those needles were alternating on every row), I absolutely did not have any problems. My video confirms that.

  • I discovered that the ratchet tool (the wrench) needs to be used with confidence and medium-strength force, especially when a significant amount of needles needs to be moved to C positions (like, in my video, where I had to move 100 needles to C position). Force lighter than medium might result in not all needles being moved forward. Just be on the lookout for that while adjusting to this machine and to which force to use to move the needles forward.

Despite these two potential hiccups, which just need a bit of adjustment and a bit more paying attention, everything else was great on this machine. I hope you will enjoy using it.

Brother KH836 tested in July 2023

Brother KH836 knitting machine is one of the many models of knitting machines with punch-card capabilities manufactured by Brother. The machine is standard gauge (which means the distance between the needles is 4.5 mm). There are 200 needles. It accepts punch cards with 24-holes (which makes it capable of knitting patterns with 24-stitch repetitions).

Unlike its younger counterparts (Like Brother KH892 and KH894), it does not have built-in intarsia. But KH836 works with KA8210 intarsia carriage.

After working on both punch-card Singer/Studio Brother machines, I can see clear differences and personal pros and cons. But both machines are still great and offer a variety of possibilities. The thing I like about Brother punch card machines compared to Singer/Studio ones is that the lace carriage comes as a standard accessory. I like that rails are included as well to put the second or lace carriage to the side while using the main carriage on a full bed. I very much like the presence of the cast-on combs since using them is my favorite (and quickest in my opinion) method to start knitting.

However, unlike Brother lace carriages, Singer/Studio lace carriage (even though it is sold separately and is quite pricey) needs only one pass when knitting lace since it transfers the stitches and knits them at the same time. To me, Singer/Studio’s patterning with drums seems a bit more straightforward and easy to follow, unlike a needle selection mechanism on Brother hidden inside the bed. But again, those are minor differences. I also don’t understand why a rod is needed on Brother to hold the punch card together: it always disappears/loses itself and honestly, I always forget to insert it and the machine knits ok with it anyways. There might be other differences but these are the ones that seem the most substantial to me. Yet, they still do not affect the usage of those machines at all and both companies made very solid hard working machines.

Now about this particular knitting machine, Brother KH836, that I serviced in July 2023.

It comes with all major and almost all minor assesories.

All accessories can be stored in a convenient built-in compartment.

The minor assesories missing are:

  • Cast-on thread: any smooth strong yarn will do (not too thick though)
  • Wax – the one that came with the machine was too old and just crumbled
  • Oil – the one that came with the machine was too old and yellow so I discarded it. A good oil for knitting machines is gun oil available on Amazon.
  • A hard copy of the manual will not be provided but an electronic copy can be found here.

The absence of these assesories absolutely does not affect the functioning and use of the machine.

The work done on this machine:

  • Inspected and cleaned all needles;
  • Cleaned the main bed and under the lid;
  • Serviced the patterning mechanism;
  • Replaced sponge in the retaining bar
  • Serviced carriage – oiled and got all buttons unstuck

The machine was tested on a full bed (to make sure all needles and needle latches are in excellent shape) using stockinet, tuck-, -sli- and fair isle stitch-patterning. All looked perfect. See the cowls/hoods below I made from the fabric knitted during tests.

The beige/greenish yarn was somewhat borderline thick for this machine to knit on all needles (not every-other needle). The slip- and tuck-stitch patterning were still perfect on a full bed (see my video of all tests). So, the fair isle with beige/green yarns was giving me some minor mispatterning. When I switch to thinner yarn (brown/camel natural colors), I did not have any troubles with fair isle.

Case is in pretty decent shape with only some minor dents and scratches. Overall the machine is in great shape and no visible rust on the main bed.

I cleaned the lace carriage and checked all the knobs and levers but I did not test any lace-patterned knitting.

This machine and other Brother punch-card machines are easy to maintain. Spare needles are still available for purchase new and on a used market. Sponge-bar needs to be replaced 1-2 times a year depending on usage. With regular cleaning (suck out by vacuum all lint and dust from the machine) and oiling will prolong the life span of this machine to almost forever. This machine is perfect for people who want to knit something quickly with predetermined patterns, who like creating their own patterns by punching holes in the cards and for those who are looking a bit more functionality than simple manual machines. There is a myriad of additional assesories available for Brother machines, which makes this machine a very desirable tool for volume knitters and for those who just like to experiment and create garments for family and friends. Now about imperfections. Some minor rust on the carriage – it is typical whiteish rust. A potential problem might be additional static, which can be handled with wax. I did not experience any static with this carriage/machine and did not need to wax my yarn (I used acrylic yarn). These rust spots are actually very minor (compared to some carriages I’ve seen and those still worked). So, besides mentioned above, I do not anticipate any problems and I did not experience any during my tests.

Hope these imperfections will not stop you from adopting this hard-working machine capable of creating a lot of beautiful garments and things.

Second brother Profile KH500

 

Brother Profile KH500 Knitting machine is a lightweight machine with manual-only needle manipulation capability. It looks very similar to 4-push button machine, like Profile KH 551. But since it has a more advanced row counter, I assumed that it was manufactured after it – maybe in the very early 1970-ies. A could not find any specific information anywhere on the web or in printed brochures. Other indications that this machine was a later but simplified version of push-button machines is KH500 still has slots for the extension rail (but does not come with the lace carriage) and slots to attach a ribber. The original cardboard box still shows the older version of the row counter….

The standard setup comes with cast-on combs but without a case lid and without a lace carriage. To the best of my knowledge, this model does not have a compatible ribber but, based on my experience with similar machines and compatible ribbers, ribber KR551 and KR560-580 might be compatible with this machine.

The absence of the lid and needle selection mechanism makes this machine very light-weight, which is excellent for people with smaller complexion or with weaker upper bodies. It also makes this machine easy to transport. I kind of even like that this machine does not have a lid – it often takes a while to close the lid (after all major parts are tucked inside it), especially, if case or a lid were bent during the long life of this machine.

Despite only manual needle manipulation capabilities, this machine can still produce patterns: you just need to push needles to the desired positions by hand. With the several needle pushers with various gauges, it is easy – just need to keep track of which needles to select next! Some might say that it is a limitation, but some will argue that needle manipulation by hand is more satisfying and is closer to hand-knitting…

About this specific machine:

I inserted a brand-new retaining bar and sponge (not remade, but purchased from a supplier). I cleaned and inspected all needles: one by one. Cleaned under the main bed. I did not see any rusty on the machine or on the carriage. Overall the machine is in great shape and works great! A video of it being fully tested is here. In that video, I showed a couple of examples of how to create patterns on this machine (by manually selecting needles) and also stockinet on a full bed. The fabric knitted on a full bed was then converted to a bag/pouch to hold a pickleball paddle. My friend needed a new pouch with pockets and I needed to test a machine and practice how to create pockets!!! My favorite thing – combining education with producing something useful and something that makes people happy!!

The machine came with minimum assesories so I had to put together a set. To you, this machine will come with all major assesories with a couple of exceptions. So, this leads us to discuss minor flaws of the machine and the whole setup.

The minor assesories not included are:

  • Cast on thread: any thin, strong thread/yarn will work instead
  • Oil bottle – none came with the machine. A good oil for knitting machines is gun oil available on Amazon for purchase.
  • The toolbox and its lid are not included.
  • The carriage lock was missing but I fastened the carriage with a 3D-printed carriage lock.
  • Paraffin will not come with this machine.

The left-hand side screw on the carriage that holds the knob to hold the sinker plate was bent really badly so I replaced it with a different, shorter, one. It is a bit wobbly while ONLY the clamp screw/knob is on top but is secure and not wobbly when is tightened on the carriage with the sinker plate attached. See a video – it shows what I mean.

The left-hand side claim on the tension mast is a bit cracked. To fold the tension mast and the yarn tension wires, loosen a screw (by just a notch) and fold it. When unfolding, secure the position by tightening the screw on the left-hand side end cap.

The fasting plate on one of the clamps comes off. In the past, I attempted to fix such a loose plate and honestly, it destroyed completely the thread making the whole clamp unusable. So, since these clamps just needed a bit of an adjustment (holding the plate while screwing the clamps to the table), I decided not to try to tighten or glue them to the threaded rod. These clamps are hard to find these days and since it worked with some adjustments, I decided not to mess with it.

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I hope you will find these minor flaws not being flaws but just small things that add character to this machine. I believe that this machine in the hands of a designer or a hand-knitter trying to accelerate their masterwork or to knit more even pieces will create wonderful knitted gifts and garments!

Brother Profile KH500

Brother Profile KH500 knitting machine is a simple metal flat-bed machine without any automatic needle selection capabilities.

I cannot find information in which year this machine was introduced to the market. It looks very similar to earlier 4-push button machines but the row-counter is a bit more modern than the more vintage row counter which typically comes with the KH551 knitting machines I refurbished. So, it might be earlier 1970-ies when this machine was manufactured (but before the punch-card machines were introduced to the market). Other indicators that this machine was introduced to the market after the standard push button machines is that 1) the toolbox has a ratchet tool place (the ratchet tool is used in push button machines), and 2) there are slots for the extension rails (present in 8-push button machines equipped with a lace carriage). I suspect that it was a lightweight alternative to the push-button machines.

Like most standard knitting machines (with the gauge, or distance between needles, of 4.5 mm), it has 200 needles. With manual needle selection, this machine can knit sli-, tuck- and fair-isle type patterns. In my video, I showed some of these patterns on couple of swatches. After the corresponding needles are selected, pushing the buttons on the carriage (two left ones for tuck and two right ones for slip) allows knitting with texture/pattern.

This machine is simple but offers tremendous potential for those who want to continue to feel the satisfaction of knitting manually. This machine is excellent for those transitioning from hand-knitting to machine knitting, for those who are not quite ready to give up control over stitch manipulations to the machine, for those who like simple knits but can’t quite get the stitches even, and for fiber artists.

The standard setup comes with cast-on combs, a tool box to store all minor assesories, a tension mast, a row counter, a carriage, and a sinker plate.

The main bed has slots for the extension rails but the rails are not included with the standard setup. Lace carriage is NOT included.

The machine is lightweight, potentially because the bed is narrower than later knitting machines and also because the KH500 setup does not include the lid. In a way, no lid is another advantage – those lids are sometimes so hard to close, especially if they are a bit bend (these machines are old and who knows what happened to them during all those years of storage and transport from place to place) or if the parts inside the lid (often it is recommended in later models with lids to fit the sinker plate, cast-on combs and tension mast inside the lid) are shifted or mounted incorrectly. The bottom line: I struggle so often with the lid closing in other machines that I was kind of relieved that this model does not have a lid.

About this particular machine:

A hard copy of the manual will not be provided. But an electronic copy can be accessed online for free.

The machine comes with all assesories. It will come with the original cardboard box (although it is somewhat beat up). The cast-on combs, brand-new looking from old stock, like never being used, will be included as well. The small claw weights are, for some reason, are not mentioned in the manual. They are pretty important – so I included them.

There are some minor rust spots on the sinker plate.

The name tag on the carriage fell off. (If I find it – I will ship it to whoever buys this machine. But I suspect the name tag was not included and simply got lost). The two left-hand side buttons are tuck, the middle button is reset/stockinet and the two right-hand side buttons are part/slip.

The yarn tension dial is a bit chipped off. The carriage worked well regardless. The chipped area does not have any cracks and the dial moves freely.

The two round pillars to screw the handle onto the carriage are a bit discolored. I decided not to polish it not to remove even more of a protective coating. The handle still crews on without problems.

All these flaws are very minor and did not affect the working of the machine. I hope you will consider purchasing it and if not, I hope you enjoyed reading this article about this wonderful machine.