Knitting machine manufacturers

Knitting Machine Brands
Brand names may differ in your country. See the AKA list if you are lost!

Creative / Artisan
The Creation Group Corp is a Chinese company which manufactures Brother and Singer clone machines marketed under the 'Creative' brand, as well as its own unique machines which are marketed in the US under the Artisan Knitting Machines brand. This is one of the few companies still manufacturing domestic knitting machines.

A list of Creative / Artisan machines can be found here.

Brother
The Brother brand started in Japan as the Nippon Sewing Machine Manufacturing Co, which manufactured and exported sewing machines from Japan soon after WWII. The company diversified into home electronics and knitting machines in the early 1950s. In 1962 the company was renamed to Brother Industries, Ltd. Brother continued to manufacture and export knitting machines until the late 1990s. Brother no longer manufactures knitting machines. However there are some chinese companies which produce Brother 'clone' machines.

The Brother machines were also sold under the brand names Jones or Brother in the UK, KnitKing or Brother in North America and Empisal or Brother in Australia. To avoid confusion between the various brands the machines will be referred to in this Wiki by their model number, which remains consistent between the various Brother brands.

A list of Brother machines can be found here.

Juki
Juki was a Japanese brand of knitting machines available in the 1960s. They were at one time marketed in the UK under the 'Singer' badge, but in the US under the 'Juko' badge. They are no longer in production and becoming increasing scarce.

A list of Juki machines can be found here.

Silver Reed
The Silver Reed knitting machines were first produced by the Marukoshi Knitting Machines Ltd. in Tokyo in 1952. The company changed its name to Silver Knitting Machine Manufacturing, Ltd in 1955 and then Silver Seiko Ltd in 1967. The company has sold its knitting machines under numerous brand names in various countries: KnitMaster/Empisal in the UK, KnitMaster/Singer in Australia, Studio/Singer in Canada, and Singer in the United States. Silver Reed continues to manufacture and export its knitting machines.

To avoid confusion between the various brands the machines will be referred to in this Wiki by their model number, which remains consistent between the various Silver Reed brands.

A list of Silver Reed machines and accessories can be found here.

Passap
The Passap (PAtent Schnell Strick Aparat) knitting machine company was first founded in 1939 as the Luchsinger trading company in Dietikon, Switzerland. The first knitting machine was made of wood and had hooked pins and mostly produced garter stitch. 1953 saw the introduction of latch needles in a full metal bed (M201, same as the Vario). The Duomatic (Pinky) was introduced in 1960 and is the first double-bed Passap machine. In 1965 the company became Maschinen & Apparatebau Dietikon AG (Madag). The Duomatic 80 (green) was introduced in 1977, the E6000 in 1988, and the semi-industrial E8000 in 1997. Production of knitting machines ended in 1999 - the company now specialise in hot stamping print machinery.


 * E6000
 * Duomatic 80
 * Duomatic (Pinky)
 * F-200
 * Accessories

Industrial knitting machines

 * Dubied Hand Flat

Toyota
Aisin Seiki Co Ltd, founded in 1949 as a manufacturer of automotive parts and sewing machines, has since grown into a principal international supplier of components for engines, driving systems, suspension, brakes, clutches and bodies, as well as home appliances and industrial machinery. For home use, Aisin manufactures knitting and sewing machines, electric appliances, and beds: for industrial use, it makes precision metal molds, large transfer machines, and sewing machines. Knitting machine production started in 1954 with the model NT10.

More detailed information here

Linkers

 * Hague
 * Singer DL1000