# Pros and Con of LK150



## aflynch57

Hello, 
I recently sold my Passap machine (a great machine, but huge learning curve and no time). I now feel that I would like to buy another smaller machine. 
I would use it mainly for blankets, sweaters, and mainly enjoyment - as opposed to starting a cottage industry (at least for now).

What do you like about the LK150 if you have one...is it a good machine for an experienced hand knitter? What are its downfalls? Is there a ribber attachment or can you simulate a stitch that looks like a rib for say the bottom of a sweater.. 

Any help would be appreciated. 
Thanks, 
annie


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## RuthFromOhio

I don't have one, but have used one that a friend has. It knits a wide range of hand knitting yarns, and has 150 needles, which is a distinct advantage.

Trish Schaefer, a former knitting designer in NYC and instructor at a university, says that it is her favorite machine.

If I were just starting out, I would buy this machine. There is no ribber for it, but I hate ribbers anyway, and can handknit ribbing as you can.


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## hobbyknitter

Out of the plastic bed machines, the LK150 is my favorite. As Ruth said, it will work most yarns that you can use on the upper end of the standard gauge machine as well as the lower end of the bulky gauge machine. But you may find some yarns are way to thin or thick. I can use the new slippery yarn like Lion Brand Pound of Yarn at TD3 to 6 with a nice stitch size.
The downfall is pretty much all plastic machines do not have a ribber.
But you can either do a mock rib, folded hem or folded picot hem that also looks nice, and the last would be to reform some stitches to have the full rib as you are talking of.
The other good thing of the 150 is it is still being made today, so parts for it are easier to find where the brother kx350 stopped production years ago and I found that getting spare needles for that machine is nearly impossible. But both mid gauge machines are nice to work on.


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## GrammaAnn

I love my LK150, but it does not do patterning - it all has to be hand manipulated. So if you want to grow with your machine, I would advice a metal bed with patterning and the ability to add a ribber. There are lots out there not quite as complicated as the Passap. Ann


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## Maryknits513

aflynch57 said:


> Hello,
> I recently sold my Passap machine (a great machine, but huge learning curve and no time). I now feel that I would like to buy another smaller machine.
> I would use it mainly for blankets, sweaters, and mainly enjoyment - as opposed to starting a cottage industry (at least for now).
> 
> What do you like about the LK150 if you have one...is it a good machine for an experienced hand knitter? What are its downfalls? Is there a ribber attachment or can you simulate a stitch that looks like a rib for say the bottom of a sweater..
> 
> Any help would be appreciated.
> Thanks,
> annie


The Passap makes the best blankets! I can knit a blanket large enough to fit the top of a double (sleeping) bed in about 3 hours - without a motor.

A lot of the knitters in the Hillside, IL LK-150 club will hand knit the ribbing then transfer the stitches to the LK-150 to finish the garment. As I said in a reply to another KPer about ribbers, there are a lot of alternative to starting garments with ribbing, especially hung hems and crochet trims.

The LK-150 was designed to use HK yarns, especially yarns that knit on needle sizes 3 to 8. Manual patterning makes the knitting seem more hands on, especially if a knitter is used to automatic patterning on a punch card or electronic machine. It is still MUCH faster than knitting by hand, especially for me! :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## msaltmyer

I have an SK840 (standard), KH260 (bulky) and an LK150. I use my LK150 a lot because it is very light to use and to move around (I keep my machines after each use). There are patterns that I would like to knit which are too thick for a standard machine, and needles are not enough for a bulky machine. That is when I could do it on my LK150. The downside is already mentioned above, no ribber. I don't like how my "reforming stitches" look too.


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## pjtowne

I have a LK150 and love it, great machine to use as a beginner. My only complaint is that I have a broken lock lever and having a time getting it repaired. Needletek is where I have been directed and after several emails I still have no information. But the plus side is that Silver Reed is still in production so new parts are available.


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## carbar

We are snowbirds, living in Florida 6 months. I do not bring my Brother machines down here, but I miss my KM's! Would an LK150 be a good alternative? Easy to pack up and re-assemble? I would have to use it on the dining room table since we don't have a room I can dedicate to my machines like I do up north. Thanks for the advice.


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## pjtowne

The LK150 would be perfect for this. It is light weight, easy to put together and requires very little space to use. I have used all weights of yarn from crochet cotton to bulky without any issue. It really is a great machine.


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## charmknits

I love my LK150! I started with an LK140 (10 fewer needles) about 20+ years ago. Used to take it with me in the camper too. I found such a great deal on an LK150 I bought it and sold my LK140. I also have 6 other machines, from fine gauge to bulky. The LK150 may be my favorite machine!


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## euvid

You have to call Jerry at Needle Tek. WHile they have a site, they don't respond to emails only phone calls. He is in his mid 80"s so you have to forgive him. He is the best person in the U.S. for repairs.



pjtowne said:


> I have a LK150 and love it, great machine to use as a beginner. My only complaint is that I have a broken lock lever and having a time getting it repaired. Needletek is where I have been directed and after several emails I still have no information. But the plus side is that Silver Reed is still in production so new parts are available.


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## euvid

I think of it as an extra machine, not my main one as it does not use puchcards and I love punchcards. It is also plastic, and again , no ribber. For less money than you would pay for a new 150, you could get a wonderful metal bed for around $250. 
GO to Daiseyknits.com and customknitsmfg.net and you will see an assortment of used, cared for, guaranteed metal bed machines.


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## Redhead1951

euvid said:


> I think of it as an extra machine, not my main one as it does not use puchcards and I love punchcards. It is also plastic, and again , no ribber. For less money than you would pay for a new 150, you could get a wonderful metal bed for around $250.
> GO to Daiseyknits.com and customknitsmfg.net and you will see an assortment of used, cared for, guaranteed metal bed machines.


Daisyknits.com (no "e")


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## msaltmyer

euvid said:


> You have to call Jerry at Needle Tek. WHile they have a site, they don't respond to emails only phone calls. He is in his mid 80"s so you have to forgive him. He is the best person in the U.S. for repairs.


I agree. He did very good on my KH260. I hope God willl keep him around a little more to help a lot of us machine knitters.


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## moritta

GrammaAnn said:


> I love my LK150, but it does not do patterning - it all has to be hand manipulated. So if you want to grow with your machine, I would advice a metal bed with patterning and the ability to add a ribber. There are lots out there not quite as complicated as the Passap. Ann


I agree with GrammaAnn. I didn't know anything about knitting so I followed someone's advice and got an LK150. Then, based on Diane a Sullivan's YouTube lessons, discovered I needed more, i.e. a ribber. I gave the 150 to my daughter to learn knitting and got a Compuknit III (same as KH930) which is a standard gauge. What a difference! BUT, then I started yearning for a mid gauge and the 150, but couldn't take it away from the daughter. That was about 2-3 years ago. So I saved and saved and saved and got an SK860, which is midgauge.... I'm a happy woman. Could have saved quite some dollars if I knew how much a midgauge stretches in terms of the many more types of yarn it can knit as opposed to a Bulky and Standard machines.

If I could do it all over again, I would get a metal midgauge machine.


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## aflynch57

So is the SK860 a metal midgauge??


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## Azzara

Yes

SK-860 Electronic Knitting Machine 6.5mm

http://www.knittingmachines.ca/Knit%20Machines/SK-860.htm


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## pjtowne

I found the part for my LK150 carriage at the website posted by Azzara in the last message. I actually called the 800 number and ordered by phone-they will ship today, cost under $30.00 with a new sponge bar and some needles. So I should be back in knit mode by next week!!! Have a baby gift to make and am not familiar enough with the KH850 that I am trying out before I buy, to knit anything but practice swatches yet.


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## moritta

You can see in this website a list of many knitting machines with info whether metal or plastic and their gauges.

http://www.yarn-store.com/knitting-machine-chart.html

There are many detailed videos on YouTube explaining how to operate a knitting machine. Some of the very good ones are from Diana Sullivan, Purla Goose, The Answer Lady, and many others.

Also check these out for more info:
http://www.aboutknittingmachines.com/StudioModelNumber.php

http://www.knittingmachinemuseum.com


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## aflynch57

Thank You all for your replies. It gives me alot the think about. I am leaning towards the metal mid gauge machine.

Thanks, 
Annie


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## MissMagnolia

I own a LK 150. I bought it a long time a go. I only used it to make hats and scarfs. I didn't know the things you make on it till this year. I got a faster internet and found You Tube. My knitting world has open up so big now. I'm going to ask god for an extension on my life so I can knit longer. I have made up some patterns on my LK 150. Like socks and hats. I'm working on lovers mittens now. I also have another knitting machine in the attic. It has all the bells and whistles. But just to much to learn before making any thing. I'm a here and now kind a of person and don't want to read 500 hundred page novel before I'm going to knit something. I see most of your question have been answered. So I won't give you more answers. A metal bed maybe nice, but if your a person like me and don't want to read the 500 hundred page novel before you start knitting. you should get a smaller machine. I like the LK 150 because it is threaded from the top. I have a few cats that think that yarn is for playing with. So I can keep a watch on it better.


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## pjtowne

I also have a 4.5mm machine that I'm trying out before I buy and there is a bit of an adjustment. I will never give up the simplicity of the LK150 and have done many items on it. I have a link that converts regular patterns to machine patterns that I will send you. It is on my home computer in PDF format but I will get it to you asap-has helped me a lot.


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## msaltmyer

pjtowne said:


> I also have a 4.5mm machine that I'm trying out before I buy and there is a bit of an adjustment. I will never give up the simplicity of the LK150 and have done many items on it. I have a link that converts regular patterns to machine patterns that I will send you. It is on my home computer in PDF format but I will get it to you asap-has helped me a lot.


Hi. Could you send me a copy of it too, please! Thank you.


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## pjtowne

I sure will!


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## Azzara

Could you send me a copy of it too please?
Thank you


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## pjtowne

Certainly, I will post the site on this forum so everyone can use it.


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## pjtowne

Hi everyone, I have the website for the conversion program. You can find it by doing a google search for knitcomp
or here is the complete address. It is very helpful and I have used it many times.
http.//www.cara4webshopping.com/knitcompanion.html


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## Azzara

working link

http://www.cara4webshopping.com/knitcompanion.html

Looks like a great little program.


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## charmknits

Program does not work on my Win7. I suppose - try compatibility mode?


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## msaltmyer

Tried all settings on compatibility mode but all didn't work :?:


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## beaz

euvid said:


> You have to call Jerry at Needle Tek. WHile they have a site, they don't respond to emails only phone calls. He is in his mid 80"s so you have to forgive him. He is the best person in the U.S. for repairs.


Here is the dealer for Silver Reed in St. Charles, IL:
The Fine Line Creative Arts Center
630-584-9443
37W570 Bolcum Rd.
St. Charles, IL 60175


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## pjtowne

I will check with my IT person at work tomorrow to see if there is anything that I can do to help. If not perhaps I could print it and send that way?


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## MissMagnolia

The program don't work on Win8 ether.


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## Maryknits513

beaz said:


> Here is the dealer for Silver Reed in St. Charles, IL:
> The Fine Line Creative Arts Center
> 630-584-9443
> 37W570 Bolcum Rd.
> St. Charles, IL 60175


There is another dealer, Carol Scott in Glen Ellyn, Il. Carol taught fashion design and machine knitting at the College of DuPage for 20 + years before retiring. Carol is on the Interknit MK board (I am also a board member). She will be teaching at The KnitKnack Shop's Spring Fling next month.

Her email is [email protected] 
phone number 630.469.0699


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