Standard Gauge

Hello Annie

The following is a neckband I have used many times. It gives a neat appearance and is fairly easy.

Instead of casting off stitches at the back and front neck and at the top of the sleeves on a raglan garment take these pieces off the machine by knitting several rows of waste yarn.

Join your garment pieces together leaving one shoulder seam open.

Hold the neckline up to the machine to ascertain how many needles you need for the neckband. The number of needles will be the number of stitches held on waste yarn plus extra for the sides of the front neck.

Bring forward the appropriate number of needles and arrange them according to the rib you wish to knit.

Cast on with a slightly looser stitch size than you would normally use hang your comb and weights.

Knit double the number of rows you require for the depth of the neckband. You can gradually decrease the stitch size for half the rows the gradually increase it again for the second half.

Transfer all the ribber bed needles to the main bed and knit one row at main tension the stitch size you used for the garment pieces.

Drop the ribber and hook up the stitches held on waste yarn and pick up the whole stitches (not just the edge loop) evenly down the front of the neck shaping.

Knit one row at main tension then one row at tension 10.
Cast off by latching through the loops either while the knitting is still on the needles or knit several rows of waste yarn at main tension and remove from the machine then latch through the loops of the last row of main yarn.

Sew up the remaining shoulder seam fold the neckband in half to the inside and catch the cast on row to the loops of the cast off row with fairly loose stitches so that there is some ‘give’.

This gives a double thickness neckband the row knitted across all stitches before attaching the garment gives a neat finish.

I suggest you try this out on your tension swatch before trying it on your garment just to see how it works.

Kind regards
Sue.

Hello Annie

The following is a neckband I have used many times. It gives a neat appearance and is fairly easy.

Instead of casting off stitches at the back and front neck and at the top of the sleeves on a raglan garment take these pieces off the machine by knitting several rows of waste yarn.

Join your garment pieces together leaving one shoulder seam open.

Hold the neckline up to the machine to ascertain how many needles you need for the neckband. The number of needles will be the number of stitches held on waste yarn plus extra for the sides of the front neck.

Bring forward the appropriate number of needles and arrange them according to the rib you wish to knit.

Cast on with a slightly looser stitch size than you would normally use hang your comb and weights.

Knit double the number of rows you require for the depth of the neckband. You can gradually decrease the stitch size for half the rows the gradually increase it again for the second half.

Transfer all the ribber bed needles to the main bed and knit one row at main tension the stitch size you used for the garment pieces.

Drop the ribber and hook up the stitches held on waste yarn and pick up the whole stitches (not just the edge loop) evenly down the front of the neck shaping.

Knit one row at main tension then one row at tension 10.
Cast off by latching through the loops either while the knitting is still on the needles or knit several rows of waste yarn at main tension and remove from the machine then latch through the loops of the last row of main yarn.

Sew up the remaining shoulder seam fold the neckband in half to the inside and catch the cast on row to the loops of the cast off row with fairly loose stitches so that there is some ‘give’.

This gives a double thickness neckband the row knitted across all stitches before attaching the garment gives a neat finish.

I suggest you try this out on your tension swatch before trying it on your garment just to see how it works.

Kind regards
Sue.

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.

Thank you so much Sue – I shall be trying this as soon as I have done all my chores. Lyn.

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.

Thank you so much Sue – I shall be trying this as soon as I have done all my chores. Lyn.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Hi Pam

Sorry to hear you are having problems. The state of the sponge bar does affect the machine’s ability to knit properly.

The foam probably needs replacing. Brother sponge bars seem to be difficult to source but try Trading Post on the web page or look on ebay. There is a company making replacement foam strips for various sponge bars. They make foam to the same specifications as the original.

If the yarn continues to get caught on the gate pegs try tightening the tension slightly on the upper tension unit and don’t take the carriage too far past the knitting – just far enough to hear a click.

Hope this helps and you are soon knitting again.

Regards
Sue.

Hi Pam

Sorry to hear you are having problems. The state of the sponge bar does affect the machine’s ability to knit properly.

The foam probably needs replacing. Brother sponge bars seem to be difficult to source but try Trading Post on the web page or look on ebay. There is a company making replacement foam strips for various sponge bars. They make foam to the same specifications as the original.

If the yarn continues to get caught on the gate pegs try tightening the tension slightly on the upper tension unit and don’t take the carriage too far past the knitting – just far enough to hear a click.

Hope this helps and you are soon knitting again.

Regards
Sue.

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

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

Hi Sandra
I’ve just checked on www.metropolitanmachineknitting.co.uk and from the information given the YC5 is for double bed only whereas the YC6 is for either single or double bed. Metropolitan are advertising a secondhand YC5 for £10. Hope this helps
Regards Sue.

Hi Sandra
I have the same model machine and ribber as you and I have a YC6 colour changer as it gives me the option to use the colour changer for Fair Isle or double Jacqard. Hope this is of some help to you.
Best wishes Joy.

Hi Sandra
I have had the YC6 for years which I use with the Knitmaster 360. It’s very versatile because you can use it for double bed Jacquard work and for single bed Fair Isle. Hope this is a help to you.
Joy

Hi Sandra
I’ve just checked on www.metropolitanmachineknitting.co.uk and from the information given the YC5 is for double bed only whereas the YC6 is for either single or double bed. Metropolitan are advertising a secondhand YC5 for £10. Hope this helps
Regards Sue.

Hi Sandra
I have the same model machine and ribber as you and I have a YC6 colour changer as it gives me the option to use the colour changer for Fair Isle or double Jacqard. Hope this is of some help to you.
Best wishes Joy.

Hi Sandra
I have had the YC6 for years which I use with the Knitmaster 360. It’s very versatile because you can use it for double bed Jacquard work and for single bed Fair Isle. Hope this is a help to you.
Joy

Hi Justin

If you go to www.scanthecat.com you will find all sorts of information about Brother machines. According to this website your Brother KH840 cannot be used with a Garter Carriage.

Regards
Sue.

Hello Sue
Thank you for coming back to me I really do appreciate it. I have had a look at this site and a couple of others and I have come to the conclusion that I will wait until I’m more experienced and then possibly look into purchasing a second hand Brother KH950i which I know will definitely take the garter carriage and will be able to produce more complicated patterning.
Kind regards Justin

Hi Justin

If you go to www.scanthecat.com you will find all sorts of information about Brother machines. According to this website your Brother KH840 cannot be used with a Garter Carriage.

Regards
Sue.

Hello Sue
Thank you for coming back to me I really do appreciate it. I have had a look at this site and a couple of others and I have come to the conclusion that I will wait until I’m more experienced and then possibly look into purchasing a second hand Brother KH950i which I know will definitely take the garter carriage and will be able to produce more complicated patterning.
Kind regards Justin

Hi Glenys

Your machine sounds like mine was when I received it. Giving it a really good clean will stand you in good stead for the future.

If you go to http://www.tphuktrading.com/toyota-knitting-machine-e-manuals-20-c.asp you will be able to buy the manuals for these machines. They are £3.50 each and are sent out by email.

To make a start on cleaning the machine you will need a bottle of Surgical Spirit (not Methylated Spirit) and some sewing/knitting machine oil. Add about a teaspoon of oil to the Surgical Spirit. You will also need a couple of jam jars and some cotton cloth – old t-shirt fabric is good – a 1/2″ paint brush cotton buds and plenty of newspaper!.

First brush all the fluff out from under the carriage then using the paint brush dipped in some of the Surgical Spirit give it a really good clean to remove every last trace of old oil. Wipe dry and apply a thin coating of oil with a cotton bud along all the channels. You can use the Surgical Spirit on the plastic too.

Working on one bed at a time: remove the sponge bar (inside the front of the needle bed) close all the latches on the needles and take out all of the needles by pushing forward lifting the butt and sliding backwards. Closing the latches makes sure you don’t damage the needles. Once they are removed you can take off the numbered strip and wipe it clean.

As you remove them put the needles into a jam jar. Pour in some of the Surgical Spirit and leave to soak whilst you clean the machine. Vacuum out as much fluff as you can. A long stem cleaning brush is very useful for removing gunk from inside the needle bed. You might need to use a needle to hook out any stubborn bits. Then wipe over with some of the Surgical Spirit to remove all the old oil.

You will need to clean the rolling mechanism at the back of the needle bed – I expect it will be very stiff – and oil the ends of each section.

Once the main body of the machine is clean you can return to the needles. Give the jar a good shake to loosen the dirt and take the needles out one at a time. Wipe dry then wipe with a lightly oiled cloth. Open the latch and replace into the needle bed: through the front slot drop into place and slide back.

Check each needle as you go and discard any that are bent and have stiff latches.

Before you replace the sponge bar check the foam on it. I expect it will be very flat if so it will need replacing. Some people recommend replacing the bar with a Silver Reed one as Toyota’s are no longer available but you can replace the foam with draught excluder. You will need the brown foam draught excluder as the white one is too dense. If you decide to replace the foam this way make sure you tape round the ends well so it doesn’t come off.

I hope this does not sound too daunting. If you take it one step at a time you should be O.K. Let me know if you need anything clarified.

Regards
Sue.

Hi Glenys

Your machine sounds like mine was when I received it. Giving it a really good clean will stand you in good stead for the future.

If you go to http://www.tphuktrading.com/toyota-knitting-machine-e-manuals-20-c.asp you will be able to buy the manuals for these machines. They are £3.50 each and are sent out by email.

To make a start on cleaning the machine you will need a bottle of Surgical Spirit (not Methylated Spirit) and some sewing/knitting machine oil. Add about a teaspoon of oil to the Surgical Spirit. You will also need a couple of jam jars and some cotton cloth – old t-shirt fabric is good – a 1/2″ paint brush cotton buds and plenty of newspaper!.

First brush all the fluff out from under the carriage then using the paint brush dipped in some of the Surgical Spirit give it a really good clean to remove every last trace of old oil. Wipe dry and apply a thin coating of oil with a cotton bud along all the channels. You can use the Surgical Spirit on the plastic too.

Working on one bed at a time: remove the sponge bar (inside the front of the needle bed) close all the latches on the needles and take out all of the needles by pushing forward lifting the butt and sliding backwards. Closing the latches makes sure you don’t damage the needles. Once they are removed you can take off the numbered strip and wipe it clean.

As you remove them put the needles into a jam jar. Pour in some of the Surgical Spirit and leave to soak whilst you clean the machine. Vacuum out as much fluff as you can. A long stem cleaning brush is very useful for removing gunk from inside the needle bed. You might need to use a needle to hook out any stubborn bits. Then wipe over with some of the Surgical Spirit to remove all the old oil.

You will need to clean the rolling mechanism at the back of the needle bed – I expect it will be very stiff – and oil the ends of each section.

Once the main body of the machine is clean you can return to the needles. Give the jar a good shake to loosen the dirt and take the needles out one at a time. Wipe dry then wipe with a lightly oiled cloth. Open the latch and replace into the needle bed: through the front slot drop into place and slide back.

Check each needle as you go and discard any that are bent and have stiff latches.

Before you replace the sponge bar check the foam on it. I expect it will be very flat if so it will need replacing. Some people recommend replacing the bar with a Silver Reed one as Toyota’s are no longer available but you can replace the foam with draught excluder. You will need the brown foam draught excluder as the white one is too dense. If you decide to replace the foam this way make sure you tape round the ends well so it doesn’t come off.

I hope this does not sound too daunting. If you take it one step at a time you should be O.K. Let me know if you need anything clarified.

Regards
Sue.