I have recently taken my Brother standard gauge machine and ribber out of mothballs and need some help to get started again. Is there asnyone in or near to Droitwich, Worcester who could help?
Helpline
Brother motor drive KE100 not working – help please
Hi
I hope someone can point me in the right direction of what to do or try. I haven’t used my knitting machine (Brother 950i) and motor drive (KE100) for ages so I am very rusty. Thankfully the machines aren’t! and before using the 950i I cleaned, oiled and changed the sponge bar. I was trying a sample yesterday when the carriage jammed and the motor drive safety mechanism kicked in by releasing the carriage from the motor shuttle, as it should. I cleared the problem and tried to reset the motor but it will not move the shuttle. In days gone by when this happened I did not have a problem resetting the shuttle and restarting the motor. The power light is on but nothing happens when I press the foot pedal. I’ve taken the pedal apart and checked visually for loose or burnt out wires and that’s OK. I don’t know if it is the motor sensor, yarn sensor or something else. Can anyone help please?
Jacky
Hi
I badly need a new lamp to illuminate my knitting, particularly in the winter months. The lights I have seen are expensive so want to get the right light. Please can anyone advise?
Many thanks.
Garter Carriage adaptor not working
Hi
I have two Brother garter carriages (a KG95 and a KG93) and the power adaptor/sensor has stopped working on both of them following yarn tangles. The sensors cut in on both of them to stop the G-Carriage (as it should) but neither will start. I am now looking to buy one or two replacements. Do you know where I might be able to buy one?
Many thanks, Elizabeth
Carriage catching
Hi
I’m having an issue with my carriage catching needles in one direction. The carriage operates normally from right to left. However from left to right is seems that as the needles are pushed forward and pass over the plate they ‘bump’ inside the carriage. They then want to ‘snag’ and bend slightly until they suddenly let go when the tension is suddenly released. I can’t see where there’s anything protruding to hang them up. Any ideas with this? By the way, the machine is very new.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Hi
Try taking the sinker plate off the carriage check that both sides match and that both sides are evenly attached; there are three little screws either side which hold the metal plates in place. These metal plates should be parallel to the gate pegs.
When you fit the sinker plate back on to the carriage make sure it is seated properly and is flat against the carriage before you tighten the thumb screws.
If these simple measures do not rectify the problem as your machine is new I suggest contacting the suppliers.
Kind regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-24 14:43:10
Hi
Try taking the sinker plate off the carriage check that both sides match and that both sides are evenly attached; there are three little screws either side which hold the metal plates in place. These metal plates should be parallel to the gate pegs.
When you fit the sinker plate back on to the carriage make sure it is seated properly and is flat against the carriage before you tighten the thumb screws.
If these simple measures do not rectify the problem as your machine is new I suggest contacting the suppliers.
Kind regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-24 14:43:10
Punchcard
Any ideas where I can get these please?
Horseshoe pattern from Rogues Gallery Book 3 by Bramwell:
oooooo
oooooooo
oooooooooo
oooo oooo
ooo ooo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
ooo ooo
oo oo
ooo ooo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
This is 12 stitch x 18 rows basically a ‘U’ with a bit of modification.
Hope it is what you are looking for.
Sue
Sue P
2012-11-05 14:07:48
Hi
Sorry about the above post – I’ll try again!
—-oooooo—-
—oooooooo—
–oooooooooo–
-oooo—-oooo-
-ooo——ooo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-ooo——ooo-
–oo——oo–
–ooo—-ooo–
—oo—-oo—
—oo—-oo—
—oo—-oo—
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-05 14:18:13
Horseshoe pattern from Rogues Gallery Book 3 by Bramwell:
oooooo
oooooooo
oooooooooo
oooo oooo
ooo ooo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
ooo ooo
oo oo
ooo ooo
oo oo
oo oo
oo oo
This is 12 stitch x 18 rows basically a ‘U’ with a bit of modification.
Hope it is what you are looking for.
Sue
Sue P
2012-11-05 14:07:48
Hi
Sorry about the above post – I’ll try again!
—-oooooo—-
—oooooooo—
–oooooooooo–
-oooo—-oooo-
-ooo——ooo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-oo——–oo-
-ooo——ooo-
–oo——oo–
–ooo—-ooo–
—oo—-oo—
—oo—-oo—
—oo—-oo—
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-05 14:18:13
Double bed tuck stitch
My problem is that I can’t get the patterning to work. The pattern note in the book says:-MB carriage set to tuck in both directions. RB carriage set to slip from left to right and knit from right to left. I understand how to set the knit carriage to tuck in both directions but don’t understand the settings for the ribber carriage. I have tried many combinations with the buttons on the ribber carriage, but am now running out of wool and patience! Please can anyone help me?
Hi
The easiest way to explain the ribber setting is to set it as you would for the selvedge rows when casting on. Check in your ribber manual if you are not sure.
You need to set the right side of the ribber carriage so that it will slip when you move the carriages from the left side of the knitting to the right side.
Regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-05 13:51:34
Thank you so much Sue – I shall be trying this as soon as I have done all my chores. Lyn.
sillytoes
2012-11-22 15:34:53
Hi
The easiest way to explain the ribber setting is to set it as you would for the selvedge rows when casting on. Check in your ribber manual if you are not sure.
You need to set the right side of the ribber carriage so that it will slip when you move the carriages from the left side of the knitting to the right side.
Regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-05 13:51:34
Thank you so much Sue – I shall be trying this as soon as I have done all my chores. Lyn.
sillytoes
2012-11-22 15:34:53
Help with brother kr850 ribber
Need help to be able to continue with ribber to complete the collar of my jumper. No known repairer for my ribber.
Hi Pat
Sorry to hear you are having problems.
As you can knit the first few rows all right I would not think there is anything wrong with your ribber.
Is your sponge bar in the main bed OK? It’s worth checking as if it’s worn it can cause problems when you use the ribber.
You do not say which yarn you are using or what type of rib you are trying to knit. However hang the ribber comb after the first zig-zag row and when you put the weights on hang them evenly – one at each end of the knitting and one in the middle if it is wide.
If you are using every needle on each bed (full needle rib) make sure your stitch size is not too tight – somewhere near that needed for stocking stitch and that you have the ribber set to H so that the needles do not crash into each other.
For 1×1 rib you will need the stitch size quite a bit lower and the ribber set to P.
Your ribber manual will explain about other rib set-ups.
Sometimes it helps to ‘knit’ without any yarn in the carriage so you can see what is happening.
Hope you are able to sort out the problem.
Regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-05 13:38:39
Hi Pat
Sorry to hear you are having problems.
As you can knit the first few rows all right I would not think there is anything wrong with your ribber.
Is your sponge bar in the main bed OK? It’s worth checking as if it’s worn it can cause problems when you use the ribber.
You do not say which yarn you are using or what type of rib you are trying to knit. However hang the ribber comb after the first zig-zag row and when you put the weights on hang them evenly – one at each end of the knitting and one in the middle if it is wide.
If you are using every needle on each bed (full needle rib) make sure your stitch size is not too tight – somewhere near that needed for stocking stitch and that you have the ribber set to H so that the needles do not crash into each other.
For 1×1 rib you will need the stitch size quite a bit lower and the ribber set to P.
Your ribber manual will explain about other rib set-ups.
Sometimes it helps to ‘knit’ without any yarn in the carriage so you can see what is happening.
Hope you are able to sort out the problem.
Regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-05 13:38:39
SK155
Hi
Just got an SK155 and can’t find anything relating to the (R) on the tension dial. I’m probably missing something obvious. Also does anyone have any tips for a good tension for handknitting double knitting wool. How low can I go on the dial and is 0 no tension the lowest you can go? Glad I found this site as there’s not a lot for machine knitters out there now.
Hi Jax
I did a search on google for sk155 user manual and found a manual to download.
The R is for when the ribber is attached if you have one. The 0 is the tightest tension unless you can move the dial a couple of clicks beyond it.
As this is a chunky machine try tension 3 or 4 for DK yarn. Remove your sample from the machine and tug it lengthways to close the stitches. If you think it is too loose tighten the tension a little (lower number on dial). If you experiment with tensions you will find out what is suitable. When the tension is too tight there will probably be missed stitches and the knitting will be very stiff.
All machines vary slightly from one another so it is best if you keep a personal record of yarns and suitable tensions. You will soon get to know what tension to try for a particular yarn and make slight adjustments as necessary.
I hope this helps to answer your query.
Regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-10-20 18:00:21
Thank you Sue for your help. Apparently you can no longer get a ribber for the SK155 but I don’t mind I will quite enjoy knitting the ribs by hand.
Slow process getting comfortable with my new machine not helped by lack of patterns out there. I would love to do more baby things with double knitting so will keep experimenting and keep a log as suggested.
Slow process getting comfortable with my new machine not helped by lack of patterns out there. I would love to do more baby things with double knitting so will keep experimenting and keep a log as suggested.
jax
2012-11-05 10:03:04
Hi again
Do you buy Machine Knitting Monthly?
Every month Anne publishes baby patterns using DK or Chunky yarn – I’m sure you would find them useful. Don’t worry if the pattern does not specifically mention your machine; if it’s for DK you can use the tension which suits your machine and use the measurements from your tension swatch to work out how many stitches and rows you need for the size you want to knit as given on the pattern diagrams. If your figures come out close to one of the sets of instructions in the pattern you can follow these to knit the garment.
Enjoy your knitting.
Regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-05 13:10:37
Hi Jax
I did a search on google for sk155 user manual and found a manual to download.
The R is for when the ribber is attached if you have one. The 0 is the tightest tension unless you can move the dial a couple of clicks beyond it.
As this is a chunky machine try tension 3 or 4 for DK yarn. Remove your sample from the machine and tug it lengthways to close the stitches. If you think it is too loose tighten the tension a little (lower number on dial). If you experiment with tensions you will find out what is suitable. When the tension is too tight there will probably be missed stitches and the knitting will be very stiff.
All machines vary slightly from one another so it is best if you keep a personal record of yarns and suitable tensions. You will soon get to know what tension to try for a particular yarn and make slight adjustments as necessary.
I hope this helps to answer your query.
Regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-10-20 18:00:21
Thank you Sue for your help. Apparently you can no longer get a ribber for the SK155 but I don’t mind I will quite enjoy knitting the ribs by hand.
Slow process getting comfortable with my new machine not helped by lack of patterns out there. I would love to do more baby things with double knitting so will keep experimenting and keep a log as suggested.
Slow process getting comfortable with my new machine not helped by lack of patterns out there. I would love to do more baby things with double knitting so will keep experimenting and keep a log as suggested.
jax
2012-11-05 10:03:04
Hi again
Do you buy Machine Knitting Monthly?
Every month Anne publishes baby patterns using DK or Chunky yarn – I’m sure you would find them useful. Don’t worry if the pattern does not specifically mention your machine; if it’s for DK you can use the tension which suits your machine and use the measurements from your tension swatch to work out how many stitches and rows you need for the size you want to knit as given on the pattern diagrams. If your figures come out close to one of the sets of instructions in the pattern you can follow these to knit the garment.
Enjoy your knitting.
Regards
Sue.
Sue P
2012-11-05 13:10:37
Carriage on main bed hard to push
I’ve just got my machine out of the loft after 20 years. I’ve replaced the sponge bar but I’m having problems with one of the wheels. The main carriage is very stiff to push and the wheel is not spinning as well as the other. I’ve oiled it but it’s still hard to push along the needlebed. Can you help? Many thanks, Lynda
Hi Lynda
Welcome back to machine knitting.
There may be some fibres caught under the wheel. Try removing it and clearing away any fluff oil it lightly and replace it.
Make sure you seat the carriage correctly on the needle bed and that the fabric presser is positioned properly on the carriage.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Sue
Sue P
2012-10-09 19:11:51
Hi Lynda
Welcome back to machine knitting.
There may be some fibres caught under the wheel. Try removing it and clearing away any fluff oil it lightly and replace it.
Make sure you seat the carriage correctly on the needle bed and that the fabric presser is positioned properly on the carriage.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Sue
Sue P
2012-10-09 19:11:51
I have had a light for many years which I got form the Daylight Bulb Company and you can find them on the internet. The one I use has magnifying glass with it and is very useful for fine work or tranferring stitches etc. Hope this is of some help to you.
Joy