How to Select the Right Knitting Machine

By Angelika, machine knitter since 1984 and knitting machine dealer since 1987

If you're trying to decide which knitting machine to buy, start with the yarn.

That may sound backwards, but knitting machines come in different gauges just as knitting needles and crochet hooks come in different sizes. The gauge of the machine determines the range of yarns it can comfortably knit and, ultimately, the type of fabric you can produce.

One of the most common things I hear is:

“I want a knitting machine so I can make hats.”

That doesn't tell me which machine you need. A hat can be made from fine fingering-weight yarn, DK, worsted, or a much heavier yarn. Each produces a completely different hat and may require a different gauge knitting machine.

A better question is:

What yarns do you want to use, and what do you want your finished knitting to look and feel like?

Once you know that, choosing a knitting machine becomes much easier.

Before You Buy Your First Knitting Machine

If you're a beginner looking for your first knitting machine, I strongly recommend doing some research before buying.

There are three things I particularly encourage new machine knitters to consider.

Be cautious about buying a used machine as your first machine

There are many excellent used knitting machines, but they can be difficult for a beginner to evaluate.

If the machine isn't knitting correctly, you won't necessarily know whether the problem is your technique or the machine itself. Once you have some machine-knitting experience, evaluating a used machine becomes much easier.

Consider whether the machine is still being manufactured

Older knitting machines can be wonderful machines, but parts and accessories become increasingly difficult to find after production ends.

If this is going to be your primary machine, parts availability and future support are worth considering.

Buy from a knowledgeable dealer when possible

A good knitting-machine dealer provides much more than the machine itself.

Lessons and knowledgeable support can save an enormous amount of frustration when you're learning. Dealers and machine-knitting clubs can also introduce you to techniques and possibilities you might never discover on your own.

How Does a Knitting Machine Work?

A knitting machine is essentially a bed of latch-hook needles. Depending upon the machine, there may be approximately 150 to 220 needles across the bed.

You move the carriage from one side of the needle bed to the other. As the carriage passes across the needles, it moves them forward, places the yarn into the hooks, and pulls the needles back through the existing stitches.

The old stitches knit off and a new row is formed.

Because all of the needles face the same direction, the basic fabric produced by a knitting machine is stockinette stitch.

This is one of the first differences hand knitters notice. In hand knitting, working every row as a knit stitch creates garter stitch. On a knitting machine, the standard fabric is stockinette.

Which Gauge Knitting Machine Should You Buy?

Silver Reed currently offers knitting machines in three primary gauges:

Standard Gauge – 4.5mm

Best for fine yarns and lightweight knitted fabrics.

Mid-Gauge – 6.5mm

Best for many of the sport, DK, and worsted-weight yarns familiar to hand knitters.

Bulky Gauge – 9mm

Best for heavier yarns and thicker knitted fabrics.

Instead of beginning with a list of features, look at the clothing and knitting you already like.

Do you gravitate toward fine-gauge sweaters and lightweight cardigans?

Do you prefer classic hand-knitted-looking sweaters made from DK or worsted yarn?

Or are you attracted to substantial sweaters, heavier yarns, and bold cables?

Your answer will point you toward the appropriate machine gauge.

Standard Gauge Knitting Machines – 4.5mm

Standard-gauge machines have needles spaced 4.5mm apart and are designed primarily for finer yarns.

This is the gauge to consider if you like fine sweaters, lightweight garments, lace, detailed colorwork, knitted suits, baby garments, or fine-gauge fabrics.

Fingering-weight yarn is one of the most commonly used yarn sizes on a standard-gauge machine. Some sport-weight yarns can also be used, depending upon the yarn.

Silver Reed currently offers two standard-gauge knitting machines: the SK280 and SK840.

Silver Reed SK280

The Silver Reed SK280 is a mechanical punch-card knitting machine with 220 needles.

It uses 24-stitch punch cards for automatic patterning and can produce techniques including Fair Isle, tuck, slip, thread lace, and weaving.

Blank punch cards can also be punched with your own designs.

Because the SK280 is completely mechanical, no computer or electricity is required for patterning.

An optional lace carriage and the SRP60N ribber can expand its capabilities even further.

The SK280 is an excellent choice for someone who wants the capabilities of a standard-gauge metal-bed machine but prefers a mechanical punch-card system.

Silver Reed SK840

The Silver Reed SK840 is also a 220-needle standard-gauge machine, but instead of punch cards, it is designed to work with DesignaKnit software and the appropriate electronic cable for patterning.

That opens up considerably more freedom for designing stitch patterns because you aren't limited to a 24-stitch punch-card repeat.

The SK840 can produce Fair Isle, tuck, slip, thread lace, weaving, and many other techniques. With the optional lace carriage, lace patterns can also be worked automatically.

You can use the SK840 without DesignaKnit for basic knitting and hand-manipulated techniques, but its real strength is its computer-controlled design capability.

For someone interested in creating large motifs, custom stitch patterns, or doing extensive original design work, the SK840 deserves serious consideration.

Mid-Gauge Knitting Machine – 6.5mm

For many hand knitters, the mid-gauge knitting machine feels the most familiar.

The 6.5mm needle spacing accommodates many of the yarns commonly found in a hand-knitting yarn shop and produces fabric with more of the look and feel people associate with traditional hand knitting.

Silver Reed's mid-gauge machine is the LK150.

Silver Reed LK150

The Silver Reed LK150 has 150 needles and is a lightweight plastic-bed knitting machine designed primarily for sport, DK, and worsted-weight yarns.

It does not have automatic patterning. Instead, stitches are manipulated manually to create techniques such as cables, lace, tuck, slip, and colorwork.

That simplicity is part of the LK150's appeal.

It is easy to set up, easy to understand, portable, and an excellent beginner knitting machine. At the same time, experienced knitters can produce remarkably sophisticated garments on it.

If you're a hand knitter with a stash full of DK and worsted-weight yarns, the LK150 is often the most natural place to begin.

I particularly like this gauge for cardigans, sweaters, long vests, children's clothing, and home décor.

Bulky Knitting Machine – 9mm

Bulky-gauge knitting machines have needles spaced 9mm apart with larger hooks capable of handling heavier yarns.

If the sweaters that attract you are substantial, heavily textured, or made from thicker yarns, a bulky machine may be the better choice.

Silver Reed's current bulky-gauge model is the SK155.

Silver Reed SK155

The Silver Reed SK155 is a sturdy mechanical knitting machine with 110 needles and a 12-stitch punch-card patterning system.

It does not require electricity.

The punch-card system can be used for automatic patterning, and blank cards can be punched to create your own designs.

The SK155 is particularly useful for heavier yarns and for knitters who prefer thicker sweaters and fabrics.

There is no currently manufactured ribber for the SK155, so ribbing can be hand manipulated, hand knitted and transferred to the machine, or added after the garment is completed.

It is a simple, durable machine with considerable creative potential.

SK280 vs. SK840 vs. LK150 vs. SK155

Here's the simplest way I can summarize the four Silver Reed machines:

Choose the LK150 if:

You primarily want to knit sport, DK, and worsted-weight yarns and want a straightforward, affordable machine that's easy to learn.

Choose the SK280 if:

You want to work primarily with finer yarns and want automatic patterning without needing a computer.

Choose the SK840 if:

You want a standard-gauge machine and are particularly interested in computer-controlled patterning, original stitch design, and DesignaKnit.

Choose the SK155 if:

You prefer heavier yarns, thicker fabrics, substantial sweaters, and a mechanical bulky-gauge machine.

A Final Word About Choosing a Knitting Machine

I've been machine knitting since 1984 and became a knitting-machine dealer in 1987. Over those years, I've watched many people begin with the question:

“What's the best knitting machine?”

There really isn't one best machine.

There is a best knitting machine for the yarns you enjoy, the fabric you want to make, and the kind of knitting you want to do.

Start there.

Learn the differences between the gauges. Look at the yarn already sitting in your stash. Look at the sweaters you reach for in your closet or admire in stores.

Then choose the machine that produces that kind of knitting.

That's a much better way to find a knitting machine you'll still enjoy using years from now.

Written by Angelika Burles. Copyright Knitcraft Inc. All rights reserved. This chart and guide may be printed for personal use. Please do not reproduce it on another website or in commercial or noncommercial printed materials without permission.