# Patterns on vellum for Radar?



## Jenya (Dec 26, 2011)

I bought a box of assorted used patterns on EBay. When I received it, I found that the patterns are 1/2 size and many are on vellum-like paper. Some have the word "Radar" on them. There is also a package of blank vellum sheets (8 1/4 in. X 12 1/2 in.). I only have Brother machines with the built-in knitleader, and I can use these patterns to trace onto the graph sheet that came with my machine, but I wonder if anyone could tell me what machine these patterns are actually made for. Are the blank sheets something that could be easily sold on EBay?

Thank you for any advice or help you could give.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

These were made for and are used in the Knit Radar attachment that goes with the Knitmaster/Silver Reed/Studio/Singer machines.


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## Jenya (Dec 26, 2011)

Thank you for that info, Susie. I definitely got a bargain. There is a stack of patterns for all types of garments for babies, children, women, and men, and even some sock patterns.

Do you know what a fair price for the blank vellum sheets might be if I sell them? I don't know of any reason that I would ever need them myself.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

I am a little confused, the machines that I have mentioned use a Knit Radar which takes paper preprinted half size patterns. With you mentioning the word Radar and half size I presumed they were these. Now I have notice that you have said they are vellum, isn't vellum a clear tracing type paper.
If it is I have never seen these ones before. Can you put a pic on of them?


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## Jenya (Dec 26, 2011)

The printed patterns are on a durable type paper, but there are some home-made patterns that are on the vellum type paper. There are a lot of blank vellum type sheets that have never been used. I am attaching a picture of some of the patterns and a sheet of the vellum.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

I was right, these are for the Knitmaster Radar. I have never seen blank sheets before, I should imagine that these would fetch quite a nice price. Can you use the printed ones to copy onto a brother Mylar sheet? These patterns are drawn half size in width and length, not the finished garment size. I know that with the Brother built in knitleader you only draw half a back/front/sleeve but you do draw it the finished size. If the front needs to be 20" and you are drawing half the front it has to measure 10" with these I think that it will only measure 5". Measure the patterns and you will see what I mean.


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## Jenya (Dec 26, 2011)

I have only had a knitting machine a few months, so I haven't used the knitleader yet. My KM is a Brother KH-891. I had read somewhere that it used half-size patterns and assumed that it meant reduced by 50%. I see what you are saying, and you are right, I will not be able to use these patterns. I guess that means I will be putting the patterns up for sale, too.

The blank sheets are actually heavier than vellum, but they are different from the Mylar sheet that I have.

Thank you so much for your help.


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## sweetpeamo (May 11, 2012)

Do you have the details of the person you bought them from and if so could you not get in touch with them and ask what machine they were for?


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

They are definitely for the machines that I have stated. Over here they were marketed under the name Knitmaster, in the States Singer or Studio. In recent years they have become Silver Reed, which is the new name for Singer. I had a knitmaster electronic machine with a built in radar [their name for what Brother calls Knitleader] I have a radar attachment to fit onto my Knitmaster and my Silver Reed punchcard machines.The 3rd pic from the left are the patterns that come with the machine or attachment. The others you had to buy as extras and I have seen the 1st and 2nd ones but never the blank. I have a friend that has a Knitmaster punch card with a built in radar and suggested to her that we make some blank sheets out of wall paper.I'm pretty sure that these are not available new anymore because they have the electronic method for sale. Because they work totally different to a Brothers Knitleader they are only useful to those with the machines mentioned, but there will be loads of people that would love to get their hands on them.


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## euvid (Apr 2, 2011)

I think Newtons sells blank sheets.


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## 30Knitter (Apr 9, 2012)

You can use these patterns on the Knit Leader if you want. All it takes is the 1/2 scale set of rulers. That is the best of both worlds. You can use the 1/2 scale patterns on the full scale and also use full scale. To use the 1/2 scale patterns as I said you will need a set of 1/2 scale stitch rulers. All you have to do is move the pin to go in the hole on the right. Now it only trips every two rows. I have the instructions on how to do this if you PM me I can email it.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

30Knitter said:


> You can use these patterns on the Knit Leader if you want. All it takes is the 1/2 scale set of rulers. That is the best of both worlds. You can use the 1/2 scale patterns on the full scale and also use full scale. To use the 1/2 scale patterns as I said you will need a set of 1/2 scale stitch rulers. All you have to do is move the pin to go in the hole on the right. Now it only trips every two rows. I have the instructions on how to do this if you PM me I can email it.


I have never thought of this. Where can you get the half scale rulers from? Did brother make them?


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

The half size N position rulers are the ones that came with the models with the built in KLs...


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

KateWood said:


> The half size N position rulers are the ones that came with the models with the built in KLs...


The Brother built in Knitleader has garment drawings that are full size, although only half a front/back/sleeve is drawn. These patterns are drawn half garment size, if the back is 20" and only half the back is drawn it measures 5". Therefore the original Brother rulers cant be used and the ones to a Knit Radar wouldn't fit.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

30Knitter said:


> You can use these patterns on the Knit Leader if you want. All it takes is the 1/2 scale set of rulers. That is the best of both worlds. You can use the 1/2 scale patterns on the full scale and also use full scale. To use the 1/2 scale patterns as I said you will need a set of 1/2 scale stitch rulers. All you have to do is move the pin to go in the hole on the right. Now it only trips every two rows. I have the instructions on how to do this if you PM me I can email it.


Could you put the instructions on here. I would love to see how to do this and it could be of interest to others that have both types of machine/charting devices. Do the Knitmaster Radar rulers fit the Brother Knitleader without a problem?


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## sweetpeamo (May 11, 2012)

Yes please I would love to see how to do this as well.


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## 30Knitter (Apr 9, 2012)

You will have to tape the knitradar rulers to the scale bed and use the single pin hole. The best book I know of to do this technique is "The Happy Medium - primer two" by Mary Louise Norman. I think she can do a better job of explaining than I can. I don't know if you can find it on the internet, Newton's has a few copies. I do know that the author is deceased. I have several of her books, and so far I have found the information invaluable.


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## Jenya (Dec 26, 2011)

The book is available on EBay for a Buy It Now price of $19.99. She has more than 10 copies. Item number: 400066735567


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

30Knitter said:


> You will have to tape the knitradar rulers to the scale bed and use the single pin hole. The best book I know of to do this technique is "The Happy Medium - primer two" by Mary Louise Norman. I think she can do a better job of explaining than I can. I don't know if you can find it on the internet, Newton's has a few copies. I do know that the author is deceased. I have several of her books, and so far I have found the information invaluable.


I have the Brother KH970 and use the garment design program. However, I also have Knitmaster/Silver Reed machines and a knit radar attachment, and a Brother260 chunky/bulky. On the latter I use the Knitleader and although I'm lucky enough to have quite a few Mylar sheets I was thinking that I would be able to use the half size patterns and free up some space on them. Using half size patterns on a chunky machine, instead of it going down twice on every row, (as is normally the case) I would have to make it go down just the once by not activating the Knitleader tripper. But then there is a difference in the standard bed rulers and the chunky so that I will have to work out. Perhaps it is better that I carry on as normal, but thanks for the info it will be useful to those at my knitting club.


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## 30Knitter (Apr 9, 2012)

I have also used my knitleader to draw pattern from hand written patterns. It's like playing connect the dots. I'm getting frustrated with a written pattern, so I'm going to "knit" it back to my knitleader.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

30Knitter said:


> I have also used my knitleader to draw pattern from hand written patterns. It's like playing connect the dots. I'm getting frustrated with a written pattern, so I'm going to "knit" it back to my knitleader.


I haven't used a written pattern for years. Using a charting device allows you to use any yarn/stitch pattern of your choice with no problems trying to match a swatch. Caron connections (on the net) have a lot of hand knit patterns that have the diagrams of the garments below the pattern instruction. Have a look, they are free patterns so there is no problem using them.


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## 30Knitter (Apr 9, 2012)

I don't normally use hand written patterns but in this case it's a very cute pattern. It's also written for a machine, the only problem was that the schematics are very poor, some of the measurements were missing.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

30Knitter said:


> I don't normally use hand written patterns but in this case it's a very cute pattern. It's also written for a machine, the only problem was that the schematics are very poor, some of the measurements were missing.


It doesn't matter if the pattern is for hand knitting, you are only using the schematics to get the style and size. Providing the swatch is measured correctly you will get that style and size. You do have to do some maths to work out the measurements that they never seemingly give. For the armhole decreasing take the top measurements (neck and shoulders) from the starting measurement and that will give you the amount that you need to decrease by. To slope the shoulders I usually use 1/2" (1cm) and to do the neck I stand in front of a mirror and measure from the top of my shoulder down to where I want the neck to be. You could work the neck depth out by measuring another garment, or by calculating the rows from the written pattern. Hope that this helps.


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## 30Knitter (Apr 9, 2012)

Sorry, based on the style too many of the measurements are missing. And since I don't have an infant to play with, generic measurements wouldn't help. I'll get a better pattern back-tracking. Thanks, anyway.


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## Tangleweasel (Oct 28, 2012)

<<There is also a package of blank vellum sheets (8 1/4 in. X 12 1/2 in.).>>

If these have little holes all down the sides, they are Knitcontour sheets, I think. I have lost mine and cannot find anywhere that sells them. I would certainly be very keen to buy them, or some of them, from you. It would be a waste to use them for the Knitradar which doesn't need the guideholes. You could charge a very good price as I can't find them anywhere to buy at the moment.


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## 30Knitter (Apr 9, 2012)

Tangleweasel said:


> <<There is also a package of blank vellum sheets (8 1/4 in. X 12 1/2 in.).>>
> 
> If these have little holes all down the sides, they are Knitcontour sheets, I think. I have lost mine and cannot find anywhere that sells them. I would certainly be very keen to buy them, or some of them, from you. It would be a waste to use them for the Knitradar which doesn't need the guideholes. You could charge a very good price as I can't find them anywhere to buy at the moment.


There are several charting devices that use mylar sheets. Do you know which charter you are using? I have even modified a mylar sheet for use with a Studio 700.


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## Tangleweasel (Oct 28, 2012)

Hi, I've got the KR-11 Knit Contour. I'm pretty sure the sheets are the same as for the KR-10 and they may well be the same as the latest version which I think is KR-21. The machine came with two sets of sheets, a smaller one for 1/4 scale patterns and a longer one for 1/2 scale.


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## 30Knitter (Apr 9, 2012)

Tangleweasel said:


> Hi, I've got the KR-11 Knit Contour. I'm pretty sure the sheets are the same as for the KR-10 and they may well be the same as the latest version which I think is KR-21. The machine came with two sets of sheets, a smaller one for 1/4 scale patterns and a longer one for 1/2 scale.


Have you gone to Clearwater knits and checked out their Contour lessons? It's pretty good. I have a KR-10, I mostly use the 1/2 scale. Did you get the basic set of patterns that came with the machine? I use washable Vis-A-Vis transparancy pens on my mylar sheets. I also have extra sheets. I don't like to use pencil unless I have my plastic eraser available. It doesn't leave any residue on my mylar, nor does it erase the lines. It's easy to convert from full scale to 1/2 scale. There is a ruler that is scaled to 1/2 scale. Use it the same as if you were using a full scale ruler. So much easier.


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