Last Updated on July 11, 2026 by KM-nerd

Brother KH587 knitting machine is an 8-push button knitting machine with a pattern control center. It is a metal flat-bed knitting machine with 200 needles positioned 4.5 mm apart, which makes this knitting machine standard.

I did not have a chance yet to see this machine in real life and/or work on it. Below are pictures generously provided by a generous eBay seller, who is also a knitting machine enthusiast.

Judging by the experience with other pushbutton machines, here are couple of hints to avoid mistakes with the set-lever and pushbuttons:

• adjusting the tension (increase it slowly – decrease the number) as transitioning from stockinet to tuck/slip.
• general rule of thumb: tuck requires higher tension (smaller number on the tension dial) than stockinet. So does slip/part.
• Make sure the ratchet tool goes ALL THE WAY to the left when activating the needle selection and all the way to the right (to OFF position) otherwise, incorrect (or incomplete) selection might happen.

Brother KH587 is almost identical (with the exception of color) to Brother KH588. Details of fair-isle knitting for this machine, especially how to insert the second yarn into the side yar guide, are very similar to the KH800 knitting machine, which is described well in my video and blog.

Table clamps are S-shaped, unlike later Brother knitting machine models. The head of the “S” is smaller than for similar ribber clamps. The table clamps are similar to those from other pushbutton machines: S-shaped. I recently tested the Brother Profile 551 using table clamps from the Brother KR810, KR830, and/or KR850 ribbers. They worked fine. So, if your KH587 is missing the original table clamps, try those. Sometimes machine table brackets are used with a matching ribber setup. Check the manual of the matching (with KH587 machine) ribbers to make sure.

Other 8-push button knitting machines manufactured by Brother are KH552, KH560, KH561, KH581, Profile 583, Profile 585, KH588, and Genie KH710. If you like this type of patterning mechanics but would like versatility, check out the Brother KH800 knitting machine: it has the same ratchet-based needle selection mechanism but it is actually punch-card based (thus, more unique needle combinations with 12-stitch repeat).