Silver Reed SK280 Knitting Machine Guide
The Silver Reed SK280 is a 4.5mm standard-gauge knitting machine with a 200-needle metal bed, designed primarily for lace and fingering weight yarns. It is an excellent choice for creating the finer, lighter-weight fabrics that are difficult and time-consuming to produce by hand, including projects made with many fine hand-knitting yarns.
I love the SK280 for the design possibilities its optional accessories give me. Add a ribber or lace carriage, and my list of ideas just gets longer! Back in the 1980s, the stunning, sophisticated suits from St. John Knits had me imagining what I could create on my own knitting machine.
That excitement hasn't worn off. Today, the SK280 is used in fashion and textile design classrooms, and it is exciting to see a young generation learning what they can create with it.
Standard-gauge home knitting machines have been around since the 1950s, giving home knitters a practical way to produce the fine-gauge fabrics that previous generations often knitted painstakingly by hand. While some of our ancestors really did hand knit entire fine-gauge suits, most of us don't have that kind of time today!
If you have never machine knit before, there is a learning curve. The SK280's smaller needle hooks and close 4.5mm needle spacing can seem intimidating at first, especially compared with a mid-gauge or bulky machine. Persevere. Once you understand how the machine forms its stitches and how to properly prepare your yarn, the rewards are well worth the effort.
Buy from a dealer who will support you while you learn. Check the Silver Reed Dealers List for someone near you and ask about a demonstration. Your dealer should be your first call for help with the machine, yarn selection and accessories. Having that guidance can make a tremendous difference as you learn and begin bringing your own design ideas to life.
Unlike an electronic knitting machine such as the SK840, the SK280 uses a mechanical punchcard system for automatic patterning. It can knit stockinette as well as tuck, slip, Fair Isle and other patterned fabrics, depending on the yarn and setup. Add the optional Lace Carriage and you can also create true knitted lace.
What Is the Silver Reed SK280?
- 4.5mm needle spacing
- 200 needles
- Metal-bed knitting machine
- Standard gauge
- Mechanical punch card patterning
What Yarn Can You Use on an SK280?
The 4.5mm spacing allows the SK280 to handle very fine lace weight and fingering weight yarns. The resulting fabric is light weight and classically dressy.
→ See our complete Yarn Guide for the Silver Reed SK280 (coming soon)
What Can You Knit on an SK280?
Oh wow! It might be easier to say what you can't knit on it.
The SK280 is incredibly versatile when you stay within the yarn weights it was designed to handle. You can make sweaters, cardigans and jackets, vests, skirts, pants and even dresses. Accessories include hats, scarves, wraps, cowls and mittens. For the home, think pillow covers, throws, lacy (or not!) curtains and even tablecloths.
Add the ribber and even more stitch possibilities open up. Add the lace carriage and you can create beautiful, willowy lace garments. I especially love the effect of a lace-weight yarn with a soft halo, such as a mohair/silk blend.
What Can't You Knit on an SK280?
The SK280 is not designed for sport, DK, worsted or bulky weight yarns.
This isn't simply a matter of adjusting the tension. The needle hooks are too small for heavier yarns and can split them, while the 4.5mm needle spacing is too close for the larger stitches to form properly. The carriage can become difficult to move or jam completely.
Don't try to force a heavier yarn through a standard-gauge machine. You risk damaging the needles, carriage or other parts of the machine, and repairs can be expensive.
If you really want to knit those heavier yarns, it might be smarter to purchase a larger-gauge knitting machine. And yes, machine passionate machine knitters own more than just one machine.
SK280 Punchcard Patterning
Punchcard machines are mechanical. The machines read the pattern on the card and the carriage manipulates the needles for automatic patterning. It is simple and easy to follow in the manual. Start with the supplied punchcards and work through the manual one step at a time. This machine can do fairisle, tuck (and multicolor tuck), slip (and multicolor slip), punch lace (sometimes called thread lace) and weaving. I am particularly fond of the tuck lace pattern. It has both tucking texture and lace.
You can create your own designs as well using the special blank cards and card punch. It is a delightful challenge to create your own, unique, one-of-a-kind design.
Don't feel you need the electronic SK840 to create knockout designs. Your yarn, fit and finishing have far more to do with a successful sweater. Choose good-quality yarn, take careful measurements, knit and measure your gauge swatch, and be neat and fastidious with your finishing. Give those details the attention they deserve, and the SK280 can produce something you'll be proud to wear.
SK280 Accessories
→ SK280 Ribber & Accessories (coming soon)
SK280 vs. Other Silver Reed Knitting Machines
| Machine | Gauge | Needle spacing | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|---|
| LK150 | Mid-gauge | 6.5mm | Sport through lighter worsted |
| SK280 | Standard | 4.5mm | Fine yarns, fingering, lace |
| SK840 | Standard | 4.5mm | Fine yarns + electronic patterning |
| SK155 | Bulky | 9mm | Worsted and heavier yarns |
Not sure which machine is right for you? → How to Choose a Knitting Machine
Who Is the SK280 Best For?
The SK280 is a good choice if you want a metal-bed machine and enjoy working with finer yarns. Hand knitters who already have a stash of lace and fingering weight yarns may find the SK280 especially useful because of the tremendous amount of time it can save over hand knitting.
This machine is also incredibly attractive to people who want to design and wear or sell their own garments. For them, the knitting machine becomes a tool for turning an idea into an actual finished garment. That's one reason standard-gauge machines are popular with fashion and textile design students.
Are you a closet designer? The SK280 may be right up your alley.
If you prefer thicker yarns, however, the SK280 may not produce the fabric or hand you're looking for. Because of its smaller needle hooks and close needle spacing, it is not designed for sport, DK, worsted or bulky yarns. For those yarn weights, consider the LK150 mid-gauge or SK155 bulky knitting machine.
Silver Reed SK280 Resources
→ Yarn for the SK280 (coming soon)
→ SK280 Tension & Gauge (coming soon)
→ SK280 Needles & Parts (coming soon)
→ SK280 Ribber & Accessories (coming soon)
→ SK280 Troubleshooting (coming soon)