Using the Silver Reed SK840 Knitting Machine
Overview
The Silver Reed SK840 knitting machine is a 4.5mm standard-gague knitting machine that is intended for use with 3- and 4-ply yarns. The Silver Reed manual is available online here, and we have a paper copy in the workshop (as the online copy is poorly digitised, we will also make a better copy soon). You must be trained by a member of staff before using the machine -- this guide is here for reference and troubleshooting.
The SK840 may be computer-controlled using the DesignaKnit software and SilverLink module, that connects to the knitting carriage. A key to the core machine parts is pictured below:
Knitted fabric is created by manually sliding the carriage back and forth over the needle bed, which loops a single strand of yarn a row at a time.
Learning Machine Knitting
Machine knitting is detailed and complex, but there are many good tutorials online. While there are details particular to the Silver Reed, a lot of technique can also be learned from general 'knitting machine' tutorials as the core operation of the needles and carriage is very similar.