Purlbed

Knitting machine type

Single bed, punch card

A single needle bed with a 24-stitch punch card that pre-selects needles for Fair Isle, tuck, slip and weaving; most standard-gauge models also come with a lace carriage. Hold works for short rows. There is no second bed, so ribs, double jersey and bed-to-bed transfers are impossible, and at most two colours can knit in one row. The Silver Reed SK-155 bulky uses a 12-stitch card instead of 24.

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 by a 24-stitch punch card
  • Pattern repeat up to 24 stitches
  • One bed, so pitch does not apply
  • Needle spacing: 3.6 / 4.5 / 6 / 9 mm
  • Default 200 needles (up to 250)

Examples: Brother KH-820/821, KH-836, KH-860, KH-881, KH-891; Silver Reed / Studio / Singer SK-280, SK-3xx; Toyota 858 / 901; Bulky: Brother KH-260, Silver Reed SK-155 (12-stitch card)

How to draw for it

  • Draw only on the main bed; any cell that needs a second bed is not possible on this type.
  • Keep selection patterns inside a 24-needle repeat (motif widths 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 or 24).
  • Tuck and slip cells are the unpunched needles; knit cells in the same row are the holes.
  • Hold cells are fine for short rows; switch the carriage to hold for those rows.
  • Use same-bed transfer marks for lace and cables; avoid two adjacent transfers in one row.
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.