DBJ with bird's-eye backing

Machine types that can knit it

• Single bed (punch card) + ribber
• Single bed (electronic) + ribber
• Double bed with pushers (Passap type)

Steps

1. Set up the ribber; H pitch; full-needle-rib cast-on in the background colour, plus 1–2 rows of FNR.
2. Carriages left; insert the separated card/pattern; preselect as the method requires (Brother KRC: the first selection row goes left→right).
3. Main carriage: both PART buttons, card reading. Ribber: lili both sides.
4. Knit right, knit back into the changer, change colour; repeat.
5. After a few cm, check the motif on the far face with a mirror.
6. To end: knit 1–2 passes more without selection, then return to FNR.

The full card

What it looks like

Face (far side on the main bed): the motif in clean colour areas, slightly flattened stitches, and a little backing colour may peep through. Back: a fine speckled/checkerboard tweed 芝麻点 of all the colours. In a photo, the "pepper" back is diagnostic.

How it behaves

Double layer, firm, little stretch. The most balanced 2-colour DBJ (minimal elongation).

How it works

The main bed slips both ways and reads the card or selection. Selected needles knit the current colour. The ribber, using the lili buttons 1×1 选针钮, knits every other needle on one pass and the alternate needles on the return pass. Each colour therefore lays one backing row per pair of passes, spread 1×1.

Machines

KR-850 ribber (lili buttons) needed for automatic bird's-eye. The KR-830 has no lili buttons, so bird's-eye there needs hand selection. A double-bed colour changer (KRC-830/840/900/1000E, depending on machine) is strongly recommended. KH-821: needs a pre-separated DBJ card (each colour on its own card row). Electronic 9xx: the KRC button separates 2-colour rows automatically. Optional fine-knit bar; the latch plate on the connecting arm is optional.

Parameters

ribber at half pitch (H), full-needle rib set-up, even number of ribber needles in work (lili requirement); ribber tension 1–2 numbers tighter than the main bed (e.g. MB 4 / RB 4 as a start in 3-ply, adjust); main bed both PART buttons (slip both ways); ribber cam levers N, lili both sides, slide lever to the lili/centre; colour change every 2 passes at the changer.

Steps

1) Set up the ribber; H pitch; full-needle-rib cast-on in the background colour, plus 1–2 rows of FNR. 2) Carriages left; insert the separated card/pattern; preselect as the method requires (Brother KRC: the first selection row goes left→right). 3) Main carriage: both PART buttons, card reading. Ribber: lili both sides. 4) Knit right, knit back into the changer, change colour; repeat. 5) After a few cm, check the motif on the far face with a mirror. 6) To end: knit 1–2 passes more without selection, then return to FNR.

Charting

Design chart = colour grid with design rows. Production chart = separated card: 2 card rows per design row (method B, each colour once) or 4 (each colour twice). Add a "pass / colour" column (e.g. →A ←A →B ←B). Backing chart: a separate 2-row strip showing the ribber 1×1 alternation (● on odd needles in pass 1, on even needles in pass 2).

Limits and common problems

Odd ribber needle count breaks the lili alternation. Colour changer grabbing two yarns or none. Stripes appear if preselection starts from the wrong side. Dropped stitches if the bed gap is mis-set.

Combines with

stripes in the background colour; partial bands of DBJ inside a plain body (the transition needs FNR rows).

Related techniques

• Double-bed jacquard (needs ribber)
• DBJ with striped backing (full and half)
• DBJ with plain (solid) backing
• Ladder backing / Fair Isle tamed by the ribber
• Tubular and reversible double jacquard
• 3–4 colours per row in DBJ