PollyDoodle

Brother KH836 Carriage jamming

I got my Brother KH 836 machine out to knit up some left over wool to make myself a jumper. After lots of attempts with the ribber (the rib carriage kept coming unhitched!) I made the back and was nearly at the front neck shaping when the carriage jammed. It would knit right to left okay, but moving left to right it jammed in the middle every time. After a lot of shoving and a LOT more swearing, I got it moving again to finish the row, but after about ten more rows of this I gave it up as a bad job. It moves freely in each direction without the sinker plate, but not with it on. I’ve prodded, poked, sworn a lot more, thought I’d sorted it, but after about 15 rows it happened again. Can anyone give me a clue as to what might be the problem? I feel like taking the whole lot to the tip!

Bring your needles out and with no yarn and sinker plate attached go slowly across the needles and when it starts to jam check whether the needles are going over the sinker plate or just touching it. Often the sinker plate becomes slightly bent out of shape and may need realigning and bent back into shape.

Re your ribber – sounds like the height may need adjusting if you have it in the highest position and the connecting pin is still slipping out.

jaysdowell
2013-08-09 15:14:16
Hi PollyDoodle

Sorry to hear of your problem. There are several things it might be an idea to check.

As the carriage moves freely without the sinker plate attached it suggests the problem is with the sinker plate. Is it seated properly on the carriage? Make sure the alignment holes in the sinker plate fit over the little lugs on the carriage before you tighten the thumb screws. Have the metal plates at the front gone out of alignment? When you attach it to the carriage check that these plates are parallel to the gate pegs and re-adjust if necessary by loosening the three screws underneath.

Does your sponge bar need replacing? If it’s worn it will cause all sorts of problems.

Regarding your problem with the ribber carriage did you have the ribber pushed up to its highest position and was the carriage seated properly on the needle bed? Once the ribber carriage has clipped into the connecting arm it should not move forward or unhitch itself!

I hope this helps you sort the problem.

Regards
Sue.

Sue P
2013-06-12 21:53:47
Bring your needles out and with no yarn and sinker plate attached go slowly across the needles and when it starts to jam check whether the needles are going over the sinker plate or just touching it. Often the sinker plate becomes slightly bent out of shape and may need realigning and bent back into shape.

Re your ribber – sounds like the height may need adjusting if you have it in the highest position and the connecting pin is still slipping out.

jaysdowell
2013-08-09 15:14:16
Hi PollyDoodle

Sorry to hear of your problem. There are several things it might be an idea to check.

As the carriage moves freely without the sinker plate attached it suggests the problem is with the sinker plate. Is it seated properly on the carriage? Make sure the alignment holes in the sinker plate fit over the little lugs on the carriage before you tighten the thumb screws. Have the metal plates at the front gone out of alignment? When you attach it to the carriage check that these plates are parallel to the gate pegs and re-adjust if necessary by loosening the three screws underneath.

Does your sponge bar need replacing? If it’s worn it will cause all sorts of problems.

Regarding your problem with the ribber carriage did you have the ribber pushed up to its highest position and was the carriage seated properly on the needle bed? Once the ribber carriage has clipped into the connecting arm it should not move forward or unhitch itself!

I hope this helps you sort the problem.

Regards
Sue.

Sue P
2013-06-12 21:53:47

Acrylic Yarn

I have returned to machine knitting after a break and knitted two jumpers with acrylic 4-ply yarn at tension 6 or 7 I think. After only one wearing, both jumpers badly bobbled and consequently I won’t wear them again as they look so awful. I know acrylics do this to a greater or lesser extent, but it seems such a waste of time and effort only for the finished product to end up in the bin. As acrylic yarn seem to be the mainstay of knitting, do others have this problem or is it just me – and can it be overcome?
Thanks, Polly Doodle

Hello Polly Doodle

Sorry to hear your jumpers were not a success. If the the yarn you used was a fairly loose twist perhaps a slightly lower tension would give a fabric which is less likely to pill. Also always turn garments inside out before washing on a cool short wash (my machine has an half hour cycle which is ideal for knits).

There are many yarns to choose from for machine knitting and several companies advertise in MKM. Why not try a yarn which is pure wool or an acrylic/wool mix or one with a slightly higher twist? Yeoman Panama is a blend of cotton and acrylic which produces a lovely fabric. Three strands of 2/30s industrial acrylic produces a good 4-ply equivalent and it washes and wears very well. I hope this has given you a few pointers and I hope you get more success next time.

Kind regards Sue.

Sue P
2010-10-28 12:11:27