# anyone got a silver reed Knitting machine



## Irish maggie (May 11, 2011)

I dont know if i should get a brother or what do you think of Silver reed ?/ :roll:


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## Cptldy (Feb 20, 2012)

I love my silver reed. But I hear thar brothers are good machines as well


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## tpmcgoo2 (Mar 7, 2011)

you might check out this site and see if it helps
http://www.aboutknittingmachines.com/aboutknittingmachines.php


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

Does anyone have the SK860, or other mid gauge auto patterning KM that has available accessories for ribbing and color changers?


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## Janeybabes (Dec 27, 2011)

Brother all the way for me.. but thats just because it is what I am used to.


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## Cptldy (Feb 20, 2012)

If it wasn't for my recent obsession with a passap, the brother was the machine I was going to by to replace my bare bones sk8. 

My machine is beautiful in its simplicity, and it is teaching me how to treat a machine to get it to function properly. But I am starting to chaff at its limitations. 

However I am currently working on a simple triangle shawl with diamond tuck stitch, and it is simple as well, and I am adoring how beautiful it is as well. 

If I ever decide to get rid of my sk8, that shawl will be a reminder as to the genius of engineering those vintage simple machines are.

If you can afford it, don't dabble with a bare bones, get one with room for lots of bells and whistles.


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## SueE knits (Aug 10, 2011)

Yes, I do have the 860 mid guage...why do you ask? Have used only a couple of times since I purchased .


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## Irish maggie (May 11, 2011)

sue.ereio said:


> Yes, I do have the 860 mid guage...why do you ask? Have used only a couple of times since I purchased .


i was thinking of getting one


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## Irish maggie (May 11, 2011)

Cptldy said:


> If it wasn't for my recent obsession with a passap, the brother was the machine I was going to by to replace my bare bones sk8.
> 
> My machine is beautiful in its simplicity, and it is teaching me how to treat a machine to get it to function properly. But I am starting to chaff at its limitations.
> 
> ...


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## Cptldy (Feb 20, 2012)

my sk8 is a 1959 silver reed single bed bare bones manual machine.

I really need to take pictures to show it off. 

I was thinking of getting a brother with ribber and extensions, there was one for a decent deal. But I am happy with my current machine, and have time to save up and find something that would suite me.

But in the end it is all about personal choice.

Get something that makes you happy, If it sings to you and you obsess over it, then get it and have fun.

After all that is what playing with fiber is for right, to have fun and relax at the same time.

In fact it looks better to put a completed object then it is to pet the yarn in the raw form  at least to non fiber folk anyways.



(sorry for off humor, I am running on lack of sleep and I get a tad punchy.


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## Irish maggie (May 11, 2011)

Cptldy said:


> my sk8 is a 1959 silver reed single bed bare bones manual machine.
> 
> I really need to take pictures to show it off.
> 
> ...


  the irish have a good sense of humour!


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## Cptldy (Feb 20, 2012)

Irish maggie said:


> the irish have a good sense of humour!


ROFL

how did you know, I am 1/4 on my fathers side.


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## euvid (Apr 2, 2011)

I think if I knew now when I first bought my machines I would have bought my 860 SIlver Reed mid gauge, 260 Brother,
but not sure about the standard. Maybe a SIlver Reed. I don't like the extensions and moving rail on the 260, but like the Tuck feature of having the end needles come out to D. It is a toss up. THe SIlver RFeeds are really nice but you have to make sure with the newer ones that it was made in Japan not CHina.


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## Zach (Feb 25, 2012)

Irish maggie said:


> I dont know if i should get a brother or what do you think of Silver reed ?/ :roll:


I have sk280 punch card sk840 electronic and sk160 manual machine and sk860 electronic midgauge 
use and like all of them


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## jprowse (Dec 8, 2011)

I have the SK280 with a ribber and a LK150 and love them both. I bought Silver Reed because it was the only brand with a dealer in Nevada, and I wanted to buy from an individual. She gave me lessons, support and encouragement! My teacher has Silver Reed, Brother, and Toyota but uses her Silver Reed the most.

Good luck with whatever you get.


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## chickkie (Oct 26, 2011)

Silver Reed/Knitmaster/Singer are basically all the same machine, and Brother is different. I don't think there is much difference between the machines, just some of the techniques are done differently.


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## evelyns (Dec 20, 2011)

Is the Silver Reed knitting machine a Singer knitting machine

I have an electronic singer knitting machine like new. it makes patterns, round table clothes, intarsia and many more. I paid a lot of money for it and would consider selling it , plus another machine for heavier type wool (never used). if you are interested i live in the montreal area and could send more info if required.
$1500.00 for both machines plus attachment and it does beautiful work.Evelyn 
[email protected]


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## chickkie (Oct 26, 2011)

Singer/studio/silver reed are all the same machine I think.

Any knitting machine can make round table cloths if they have the ability to put needles in hold.


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## Diane 42 (Jul 10, 2011)

Excellent machine. I have both silver reed and brother. I like both but prefer the silver. But it depends on what you want to knit on the machine as each has special features. Lace pile knitting are two things that silver do really well.


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## Doreen Walker (Mar 6, 2012)

Hello there,
I have a silver reed ,they do some very nice work,but I also have two Passap ,one is duo matic 80,
The other is a E6000 with a few extras that i bought and seldom used.I started knitting by hand at age five on two nails and a ball of string.Made dish cloths with the string back then ,and I don<t know if machines were in use then.
Back to machines of the ones I have used there is no comparison to the passap.You can do most any thing with them. It takes some experience with them but so do all the other machines.
good luck to you all it will be good experience for you .


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## no1paperlady (Oct 7, 2012)

Hi I just got this machine at a garage sale and am not sure what model it is and found some pics of a SK8 and wonder if it may be that, it is close to the SK 101, but not complete match. I do not know if I will keep it or sell it, as I have a White 1602 it is a double bed machine. Thanks
Deanna


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## Angela c (Dec 12, 2013)

Janeybabes said:


> Brother all the way for me.. but thats just because it is what I am used to.


Me too :thumbup:


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## nonak (Sep 18, 2013)

KateWood said:


> Does anyone have the SK860, or other mid gauge auto patterning KM that has available accessories for ribbing and color changers?


I do have an SK 860 - along with a ribber and the PE-1 for patterning. It just came back from an overhaul and in great shape. I'm considering selling it tho -- I would like to get a bulky instead.

I also have a singer 700 which I love and just inherited a brother 930 which is in dire need of cleaning


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## nonak (Sep 18, 2013)

KateWood said:


> Does anyone have the SK860, or other mid gauge auto patterning KM that has available accessories for ribbing and color changers?


I do have an SK 860 - along with a ribber and the PE-1 for patterning. It just came back from an overhaul and in great shape. I'm considering selling it tho -- I would like to get a bulky instead.

I also have a singer 700 which I love and just inherited a brother 930 which is in dire need of cleaning


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## Peanut Tinker (Oct 10, 2012)

Irish maggie said:


> I dont know if i should get a brother or what do you think of Silver reed ?/ :roll:


I have had the Silver reeds for years, and they are just fine and work well, and are strongly made. However, just recently I added a Brother machine. It is a 940 electronic and although they don't make the brother machines anymore, if i had to start again I would buy the Brother machines. It just seems to be an easier way to do lace, the needles are pushed out where you can see which needles are being worked for fairisle or whatever stitch you are using. I think the only issue with brother is that it may be difficult to find parts, and if the one with electronics have problems, then it might not be fixable. P.s. It took me a few years on eBay to eventually get all my machines and their parts.


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## aussieHC (Oct 21, 2013)

I have a Silver Reed SK840 and an SK860. I also have a Brother 940 and 950i and a Passap E6000. My Brother machines sit idle unless I want to do some lace work (other than single transfer lace) - I prefer the action of the Brother for lace. My Silver Reed machines both use DesignaKnit8 and they are my workhorses for all sorts of stitches whether single or double bed. I haven't used my Passap for years so it probably needs a good service to get it in reasonable working order - last time I tried to use it the carriage was so heavy going even after oiling that I had to stand up to push it.


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