Knitting machines come from many manufacturers with different patterning capabilities. Some knitting machines are still being manufactured. The used market of vintage knitting machines (manufactured in the 1920s-1990s) is still booming. Check out my store for some of them.
To learn more about various knitting machines, browse the lists below or check our latest posts.
Most of the articles in my Encyclopedia are based on my personal experience with specific models of knitting machines and attachments. It would be great if you are familiar with a model not listed or not yet described here and would like to contribute.
And don’t forget to check my video channel, where I demo many of these machines.
Knitting Machines By Manufacturer:
German company Addi makes sturdy circular plastic knitting machines.
Bond manufactured mostly plastic-bed mid-gauge knitting machines that are very popular among hobbyists and beginner machine knitters.
Japanese company Brother manufactured up to the 1990s flatbed (including foldable) metal and plastic knitting machines and accessories.
Creative
Creative is a Chinese manufacturer of clones of machines manufactured by Silver Reed and Brother. Since it is easy to search for this manufacturer on the Internet and because its machines are clones, I will not post a separate page on the machines manufactured by Creative.
Under this name, Brother sold its knitting machines in Italy.
Elena is another brand name of Toyota knitting machines
“Elna” is also another brand name for the knitting machines manufactured by Toyota.
Some machines under the Empisal brand are of Brother’s brand and some of Silver Reed’s.
“Jones” is yet another brand name for knitting machines manufactured by Brother.
“KnitKing” was another brand name for Brother knitting machines targeted for the North American markets.
Some machines in this category are branded as “Empisal Knitmaster” and some as simply “Knitmaster”.
Same machines as Silver Reed’s.
Budget-friendly plastic circular Sentro knitting machines are popular among hobbyists and crafters for small projects.
Same as Silver Reed’s machines (Just an old brand name).
A true competitor to Brother, Silver Reed released a huge number of machines that are still circulating on the used market. However, new machines are still sold under the Silver Reed brand name.
“Singer” is a brand name of a couple of European models of knitting machines as well as those released by Silver Reed for various markets.
Most “Studio” machines are rebranded Japanese Silver Reed’s knitting machines sold in Canada.
Taitexma
This Chinese manufacturer still produces machines similar to the vintage Brother and Silver Reed ones. This Encyclopedia will not feature these machines as their info can be found on the corresponding website.
This Japanese manufacturer expanded its geniality into the knitting machines as well.
There are several super-vintage (1960s and earlier) and international models that did not receive much traction in the knitting machine world, and only a scarce number of these machines are available. These machines are ARS, ARS Amoretto, Artisan, ArtKnitter, Best, BUSCH, CLAD, Coronado, Custom, Dimac, Dopleta, Dubied, Damila, Friend, Foster, Fuji, Girotex, Gracia, Inaisa, Janome, Jiftie, Hamanaka, Hazu, Hinodemode, Koyo, Kriskrafter, Leclerc, Maruyama, Moda, Neva, Pilot, Pine, Prarisa, Princess, Prior, Purl, Sakura, Severianka, Simac, Simet, Sona, Star Piano, Super Speed, Veritas, Yamaguchi, etc. Come back to this page as I discover additional models in this rare category.
Knitting Machines By Patterning Mechanism:
The ability of a knitting machine to pattern is one of the main parameters differentiating a knitting machine. My store offers machines with different patterning capabilities.
Machines without any (semi)automatic needle selection can only form patterns if a knitter manually selects the needles and moves them to specific positions.
By pushing buttons and rotating a corresponding lever, needles will be automatically brought forward for further patterning. The needles need to be selected/deselected for each row of patterning.
Needles are selected by turning knobs on the pattern center. The knobs have various positions. Combinations of these positions on different knobs allow for various needle selection patterns. Some machines have these turn knobs on the needlebed, and some on the carriages.
The needles are selected according to the holes in the punchcard inserted into other punchcard reading mechanisms. The needles are selected automatically for each row. There are machines capable of reading 30- (mostly fine-gauge machines), 24- and 12-hole (certain bulky models only) punchcards.
The needle selection is performed electronically according to the predetermined pattern (built-in or custom). The needles are selected automatically for each row. The pattern size can be up to the full bed (100-200 needles).
Knitting Machines By Gauge:
“Gauge” is the distance between the needles on the knitting machine bed. It is also a reflection of the needle size itself. Since the machines were first manufactured in Japan and Europe, the gauge is measured in metric units – millimeters.
The very first machines were of “standard gauge”. The “fine”-, “mid”- and “bulky”-gauge machines came later. This is why they are harder to find.
Some standard, mid-gauge, and bulky machines are still being produced by Silver Reed and Taitexma companies. Fine gauge knitting machines can only be purchased on the used market. But after some TLC, those vintage machines will still serve you long years. Check out my store for some of them.
- Fine-gauge (3.5-3.6 mm)
- Standard gauge (4.5-5.5 mm)
- Mid-gauge (6.0-8 mm)
- Bulky (8-11 mm)
Knitting Machines By Bed Type:
Knitting Machine Attachments And Accessories:
Add-on carriages perform a variety of functions, like, knitting lace, transfer stitches, link panels, or even knitting on their own (garter carriage from Brother).
Charting Devices and Knit Leaders
Charting devices and knit leaders help to create shaped panels (for sweaters and other garments) by reminding the knitter where to decrease/increase stitches.
Color changes assist in a more automatic switching between colors. Hobbyist knitting machines can be equipped with color changes capable of handling up to 6 colors.
Linkers (circular and straight) swell as linking carriages allow one to sew or bind two fabrics together. Linking carriages work on the knitting machine beds. Stand-alone linkers can be manual or electric.
Motors attach to the main carriage and move it without the assistance of a human machine-knitter.
These controllers allow to store and transfer of patterns from external sources to the knitting machines.
Ribbing attachments, or ribbers, convert a metal flat bed knitting machine to a double bed and allow to knit purl stitches or to extend stockinet knitting capabilities to another set of needles (by knitting in a circle or U shape). More advanced ribbers also enable knitting machines to knit double jacquard as well as other patterning.
Design-A-Knit (DAK)
Creative
All Yarns Are Beautiful (AYAB)
Other/Miscellaneous Accessories
In this page you will find reviews and photos of garter bars, various punchers, punchcard sets, and other non-essential yet still useful tools.
Disclosure: The information presented in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia is based on my personal experience/knowledge unless otherwise noted. Some pictures were taken from the web with the permission of the original posters.