LK 150 Hobby Knitter

This unofficial Tutorial was written by Irene Woods, not Studio by White. If you have any questions or comments, please respond directly to Irene Woods by email, at irenew@clearwater.net.

This is Studio’s entry level midgauge machine. It has a plastic bed, and plastic rollers on the needles. However, don’t be misled by the term, "plastic". This is a very durable, versatile machine. There are 150 needles, spaced 6.5 mm apart. A 50-needle extension kit is also available separately. Unlike some other hobby knitters, the LK 150 basic machine comes with all of the tools necessary for easy use. This includes three transfer tools, a latch hook (tappet), cast on combs, needle pushers, clamps, weights, Auto Tension yarn feeder system (antennas), and a row counter. Even ravel cord and a tapestry needle are standard equipment. Studio also includes a very good video and manual. Together they make an excellent teaching system. Just clamp the machine to a table, pop the video in your VCR, and get ready to knit.

LK 150 Illustration The LK 150 is designed for sportweight and knitting worsted yarns, those ranging from approximately 6 sts through 4 sts per inch. Heavier yarns may be knitted on every other needle, and finer yarns may be knitted doubled or tripled. This makes it possible to use nearly all hand knitting yarns, as well as coned yarns sold especially for machine knitting.

All pattern stitches are selected manually, using either your fingers or comb-shaped needle selectors, which are included with the basic machine. Stockinette, tuck, slip, Fairisle, garter and moss stitches, lace, rib patterns, cables, and cords are all possible, although some of them require a bit of hand manipulation. An intarsia carriage is available separately, allowing floatless color work; and if you do lots of Fairisle, you might like to purchase the Fairisle carriage. Even though it is still necessary to select the pattern needles by hand, the carriage carries two yarns at a time in separate feeders, allowing both colors to knit in a single pass. In addition, many people knit parts of their garments on this machine, then work the interesting or complicated stitches on knitting needles. This truly allows freedom of expression, and is much, much faster than doing it all by hand.

Studio has also fitted the row counter with a special port which allows the KR-11 Knit Countour charting attachment to be connected to the LK 150. This is the same charting unit which fits all of Studio’s metal bed models. Using this attachment, it is possible to draw a garment outline on mylar sheets, in either half or quarter scale. This is not as hard as it sounds, since schematics are now included in nearly all knitting patterns, both hand and machine. Once a favorite pattern is drawn, it is possible to knit it countless times using different yarns, at any gauge, with no recharting. Simply watch the outline while knitting; every pass of the carriage advances the pattern one row. Increase or decrease as indicated by the outline as it moves past the stitch scale.

If you are looking for an entry level machine, or one that will easily use hand knitting yarns, please consider the LK 150. It produces a truly hand knit look, with the speed of 150 needles.

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Irene Woods
P.O. Box 637
Wickenburg, AZ 85358
(928) 684-2969

Email: irenewoods@clearwater.net