Archive of Thread: Garter Bar for the LK150 Back

1 year ago

I am wondering about a garter set for the LK150 mid-gauge machine. I have 2 sets of garter bars for a standard size knitting machine, but they cannot be used with the mid-gauge. I can, however use them with my bulky. 

I seem to recall, and I could be wrong, that the LK150 is not exactly the same pitch(?) as other mid-gauge machines, so I am not sure I can just order a set of mid-gauge garter bars. I have been looking all around, and can't find where I saw this. Or is it the Brother plastic bed mid-gauge that is different, 7.0mm instead of the normal 6.5mm mid-gauge?

Can anyone confirm, absolutely, that I can just buy a set of garter bars made for any mid-gauge knitting machine and they will work with my LK150 knitting machine?

I watched the videos on using a garter bar on this site, and I really think I would like to use these. I did what these do by knitting scrap, removing the stitches from the needles, turning them around and rehanging the good stitches. The bar will be much better.

I will continue to look for information in the meantime. If I can't find a reasonably priced set, I will just scrap off and rehang, if typical mid-gauge garter bar sets will fit the LK150.

Thanks.

Edited to say that maybe it is the Brother Plastic bed mid-gauge with a slightly different pitch than other mid-gauge machines.

1 year ago
Mid-gauge garter bars - my soap box
But first, Kris Krafters has an online website with 6.5 mm garter bar sets, which I think fits the LK150.  To check, get a ruler with cm on it and measure the space between 11 needles.  Put the zero on the ruler on the first needle and you should get 6.5 cm on the 11th needle.

Soap Box  
I don't understand why mid-gauge machines are all different.  I have mid-gauge Brother KX-350 with 7.0 mm and I can't find a garter bar set for this.  So I thought the Taitexma TH160 would solve this, but it is 6.0 mm gauge.  Since its a new machine, maybe a garter bar will be available for it soon.

1 year ago
I agree with Hope.  Wouldn't it be nice if we had a manufacturer that was willing to make some of these needed items?
At this point the market is just too small.

We are lucky to have Kris Krafter designing and making items

https://www.kriskrafter.com/

1 year ago
Cynthia, as Hope mentioned, the mid-gauge machines are all different pitches (the distance between the needles)

1 year ago
Kriskrafter has them for $112. LK has their own garter bars.

1 year ago
Thanks, everyone. I did find a set of mid-gauge garter bars with a bunch of items I was given. I found two sets of garter bars. One was a set of Suzuki, red box, for a standard gauge - which also works with the bulky. I did have a set of these exact garter bars, but will keep one set with the bulky. There was a standard machine and a bulky machine with the items, no mid-gauge machine. I figured the set that was not in the red box would be a bulky set. I took them out of the box, never used, and they are for a mid-gauge machine. I lucked out.

I was very surprised. They fit right in my LK150.