Understanding Knitting Machine Gauges

Why does a DK yarn knit easily on the Silver Reed LK150 but feel crowded on a standard-gauge SK280? Pull a needle forward on each machine and look at two things: how far apart the needles are and how much room there is inside each hook. Both affect which yarns the machine can knit comfortably. Using the wrong size yarn can damage a machine, or at the very least give you a knitted piece that could stand up on its own.  Ask how I know! But that was in 1984, and I did learn pretty quickly!

What does machine gauge (4.5mm, 6.5mm, or 9mm) mean?

Machine gauge is the distance from the center of one needle to the center of the next. On the Silver Reed SK280 and SK840, that distance is 4.5 mm. On the LK150, it’s 6.5 mm, and on the bulky SK155, it’s 9 mm. Wider spacing gives thicker stitches more room to be knit as the carriage moves across the needle bed. Thicker yarns need more space between needles, verses, the thinner yarns. While thinner yarns can be knit on a wider bed, it may not be the fabric you hoped for. But carriages may jam and could damage your bed if you attempt to knit a thicker yarn on a smaller gauge machine. Read on!

The gauge you measure on a swatch is different. That’s the number of stitches and rows per inch in the finished fabric. The machine’s needle spacing stays fixed while your swatch gauge changes with the yarn, the stitch pattern, and the carriage’s stitch dial.

Why the needle size hook matters

Watch one needle as you move the carriage slowly across the bed. The hook catches the new yarn. As the needle pulls back, the old stitch closes the little hinged latch over the hook, then slips over the closed latch. That leaves a new stitch on the needle.

The yarn has to fit inside the hook with enough room for the latch to close. A strand can look thin enough laid across the needle bed and still crowd the hook. The larger hooks on the LK150 and SK155 give thicker yarns more room during that part of the stitch.  If the yarn is too big for the hook, the hook will slice through the yarn, thus splitting it. The carriage will jam, and dings in the bed can and will occur. Never force a yarn that is too large through your machine.

What if I use every other needle?

Using every other needle on a 4.5 mm machine gives you 9 mm between the needles in use. That extra space can help with some yarns, but each hook is still the same size. If the yarn crowds the hook or the hook splits the yarn, the latch can’t close cleanly or the carriage jams. Skipping needles won’t fix it. The size of the hook is what it is.  Turning up the stitch dial makes a longer stitch but leaves the hook size the same. And no, larger needles are not available to insert into the machine. Each machine and its carriage is carefully engineered to accommodate a specific range of yarns.

Try a few rows before you commit

If you’re unsure about a yarn, start with a small stockinette swatch. Watch for clean stitches and feel how easily the carriage moves. Do not slam the carriage across the bed. If the carriage starts to bind, stop and check that the yarn is feeding freely. If it still feels crowded at a suitable stitch setting, try a finer yarn or a machine with larger hooks.

Once the yarn knits comfortably, swatch in the stitch pattern you plan to use and wash the swatch as you would the finished piece. A yarn can knit smoothly and still give you a fabric that’s stiffer or more open than you want for that project. In other words, you may be able to get a standard gauge machine to knit worsted weight yarn, but will the resulting fabric be as soft as you had hoped.  Attempting worsted weight yarn on a standard gauge is something nearly everyone experiences. This author is no exception. Only a few weeks with my new standard gauge machine (1984) I was attempting to knit a baby jacket with worsted weight.  My poor machine groaned under the weight and it was a hard push.  The resulting fabric was so hard I could use it for a cardboard box.

What is in your closet? If you’re wondering which yarns in your stash will work on which machine, see the Knitting Machine Yarn Guide.