Last Updated on July 13, 2026 by KM-nerd
Brother KH801 is a knitting machine very similar (if not identical with the exception of all writing being in Japanese) to the Brother KH800 available in the US used and vintage markets.
All Japanese writing on the carriage, box, and case of Brother KH801 makes me think that it was released to only Japanese markets.
This knitting machine has patterning capabilities and automatic needle selection based on the 12-stitch lay-flat punchcard and a ratchet tool, activating the needle pushing to the patterning position. Read more about this mechanism in my article dedicated to the Brother KH800 knitting machine or watch a video.
The table clamps are still of the vintage S-shaped design. The head of the “S” is smaller than for similar ribber clamps. A side note: 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 KH801 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 KH801 machine) ribbers to make sure.
By the way, it is super easy to make your own punchcards for this machine out of regular printing paper. See my video and read a separate blog article on how to do it.
I did not have a chance to knit on this machine. While I am looking for this model to get my hands on it, you can enjoy the pictures below.
Check out my other articles on this model:
- how to make punchcards for Brother KH800/801: blog and video
- patterning mechanism: blog and video
- how to knit fair isle: blog and video
