Purlbed

Knitting machine type

Single bed, electronic

Works like a punch-card machine, but solenoids select the needles from memory, a mylar sheet or a computer, so a repeat can be as wide as the bed (about 200 stitches on KH-930 and later; early models such as the KH-910 are narrower). It adds single motifs, elongation, mirroring and, with a plating feeder, plating. It is still one bed: no ribs, no double jersey, and no more than two colours per row.

Can do: hold (short rows), tuck, slip, two colours in a row, lace carriage
Cannot do: rib and double jersey, transfers between beds

  • Needles chosen electronically, wide repeats
  • Pattern repeat up to 200 stitches
  • One bed, so pitch does not apply
  • Needle spacing: 3.6 / 4.5 / 6.5 / 9 mm
  • Default 200 needles (up to 250)

Examples: Brother KH-930, KH-940, KH-950i, KH-965i, KH-970; Silver Reed SK-840 (with EC1/PC10 or PC software); Silver Reed SK-830 (fine), SK-860 (mid), SK-890 (bulky); Brother KH-270 (bulky)

How to draw for it

  • Draw only on the main bed.
  • Any repeat width up to the needle count is fine; export the selection rows as a bitmap instead of a punch card.
  • Placed single motifs are allowed; note the start needle (for example L20) in the steps.
  • Treat purl cells as garter-carriage rows, not as a second bed.
  • Keep the usual limits: floats of about 5 stitches at most and no more than 4 stacked tucks.
Draw a bed chart for it

52 techniques you can knit on it

Jacquard (Fair Isle)

Tuck and slip

Intarsia

Plating

Cables and lace

Short rows (partial knitting)

Lifted stitches

Ottoman ridges

Stripes and woven-in yarn

Other machine types

Researched from machine manuals, dealer spec sheets and knitting references; a few details are still unconfirmed.