Silver SK322 is a standard-gauge knitting machine with 200 needles, 4.5 mm apart. It appeared on the markets in 1973. This machine is the first one manufactured by the Silver/Silver Reed company with the built-in knit leader. Similar vintage knit leaders were also built into the Silver SK325, Silver SK326, and Silver SK327 models. Later models (starting with Silver SK328) have a more modern knit-leader design, where the knit leader sheets are fed through a slit, not on a roll.
Silver SK322 was released for the Japanese markets only, judging by the Japanese writing on the carriage. Similar machines but for the North American markets are Studio mod. 322 and Singer MemoMatic 322. The only difference between these different models is the color scheme. Yet, all seem to have a pleasant pastel color combination.
Silver SK322 (similar to slightly later models, Silver SK325 and Silver 326) is also the first model to feature a built-in tool tray. Later models have the same trays. So does Silver SK327, but the train has two sections. Later models (starting with Silver SK328), have built-in toolboxes with attached lids.
Silver SK322 has a punchcard reader to pattern and select needles automatically. It accepts punchcards for 24-stitch patterns.
Note that this model still has only one lever on the pattern panel: only to release the punchcard so it advances when the machine knits patterns and is passed back and forth. Later models have two levers: one for card release and one to expand the pattern vertically by a factor of two.
The sinker plate of Silver SK322 is capable of accommodating two different threads for 2-color knitting. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first machine capable of doing that. Below are the pictures taken from the corresponding manual.
However, sinker plates of this model are interchangeable with the earlier ones to make earlier machines take two threads at a time versus attaching them to the sides of the sinker plates (like in weaving).
The toolbox for Silver SK322 is stand-alone with a slide. When not in use, it sits on the main bed. This is one of the first models to have single motif cams in its standard set of accessories.
