Brother

Brand History & Overview

Brother is a major Japanese brand of domestic and semi-industrial knitting machines. Manufactured by the Brother Industries company in Japan, Brother machines are highly popular globally and are celebrated for their ease of use, robust steel beds, and advanced patterning options.

Brother introduced home knitting machines to the post-war Japanese market in the 1950s and began exporting worldwide in the 1960s. In North America, Brother machines were also marketed under the Knitking brand name. Brother ceased production of knitting machines in the early 2000s, but their models remain widely supported by a vibrant secondary market, spare parts suppliers, and community networks.

Fine Gauge (3.6mm)

• Brother KH-120 (8-button pushbutton, 260 needles)

Standard Gauge (4.5mm)

Non-Patterning / Manual

• Brother KH-300
• Brother KH-310
• Brother KH-311
• Brother KH-500

Push-Button Models (8-Stitch)

• Brother KH 552

• Brother KH-558

• Brother KH-581

• Brother KH-588

• Brother KH-710

12-Stitch Punchcard Models

• Brother KH 800

24-Stitch Punchcard Models

• Brother KH 801

• Brother KH 810

• Brother KH-811

• Brother KH-820

• Brother KH-821

• Brother KH-830

• Brother KH-836

• Brother KH-840

• Brother KH-860

• Brother KH-864

• Brother KH-868

• Brother KH-871

• Brother KH-881

• Brother KH-890

• Brother KH-891

• Brother KH-892

• Brother KH-893

• Brother KH-894

Electronic Machines

• Brother KH-900

• Brother KH-910

• Brother KH-920

• Brother KH-930

• Brother KH-940

• Brother KH-950

• Brother KH-950i

• Brother KH-965

• Brother KH-965i

• Brother KH-970

Mid-Gauge (7.0mm)

• Brother KH-160

• Brother KX 350 (Plastic bed)

• Brother KX-355

• Brother KX-390

• Brother KX-395

Bulky Gauge (9.0mm)

Non-Patterning / Manual

• Brother KH 210
• Brother KH-230

Punchcard Machines (24-Stitch)

• Brother KH-260

Electronic Machines

• Brother KH-270

Lightweight & Home Models

• Brother KH 341 (Foldaway)

• Brother KH-360

• Brother KH-390

• Brother KH 400 (Dual Gauge)

Accessories

Major Bed Attachments

• Brother KR 830 (Standard gauge ribber)

• Brother KR-850 (Standard gauge ribber with plating capacity)

• Brother KR 230 (Bulky gauge manual ribber)
• Brother KR 120 (Fine gauge ribber for KH-120)

• Brother KR 260 (Bulky gauge ribber for KH 260/270)

Specialized Carriages

• Brother Garter Carriage (Models KG 88, KG 89, KG 93, KG 95 - for automatic knit/purl)

• Brother Intarsia Carriage (Models KA 8210 for standard, KA 2600 for bulky)

• Brother Lace Carriage (Standard accessory for most KH models)

• Brother Transfer Carriage (KA 8300 for transferring stitches from ribber to main bed)

• Brother Fine Bar (Used for knitting very fine yarns on standard gauge)

Patterning & Design Tools

• Brother Knit Leader (Models KL 116, KL 117 - for garment shaping)

• Brother PPD 100 (Pattern Programming Device for electronic machines)

• Brother PPD 110

• Brother PPD 120

• Brother FB 100 (Floppy disk drive for pattern storage)

Color Changers

• Brother KHC-820A (also known as KHC 820 or KHC 830) (Single bed color changer for 800-series and up)

• Brother KRC-830 (Double bed color changer)

• Brother KRC-840 (Double bed color changer)

• Brother KRC-900 (Double bed color changer)

• Brother KRC-1000E (Electronic 6-color double bed color changer with automatic 2-color changing mechanism)

• Brother KRC-1100M (Manual 6-color double bed color changer with automatic 2-color changing mechanism)

Maintenance & Small Tools

• Brother Linker (KA 451 - for seaming on the machine)

• Brother Casting On Comb

• Brother Plating Yarn Feeder

• Brother Needle Pusher (1x1, 2x1, etc.)

• Brother Sponge Bar (Needle retaining bar)

Machine Accessory Compatibility Matrix

The following is a dynamically generated list of Brother accessories and their compatible knitting machines, populated directly from the wiki's database:

Accessory	Type	Compatible Machines	Release Year
Brother FB 100	Floppy Disk Drive	Brother KH-930 • KH-940 • KH-950i • KH-965i • KH-970 • PPD series	1980s
Brother Fine Bar	Knitting Aid	All standard-gauge (4.5mm) metal bed machines
Brother KHC 820	Single-Bed Color Changer	Older 800-series models (KH-800 • KH-810)	1970s
Brother Knit Leader	Garment Shaping Device	Most Brother standard and bulky metal-bed machines
Brother KR 230	Ribbing Bed (Bulky Manual)	Brother KH-230	1980s
Brother KR 260	Ribbing Bed (Bulky Gauge)	Brother KH-260 • KH-270	1980s
Brother KR 830	Ribbing Bed (Standard Gauge)	Brother KH-820 to KH-894 • KH-910 to KH-970	1980s
Brother Needle Pusher	Manual Selection Tool	Standard • Bulky • and Mid-gauge beds
Brother PPD 100	Pattern Programming Device	Brother electronic models	1980s
Brother PPD 110	Pattern Programming Device	Brother electronic models
Brother PPD 120	Pattern Programming Device	Brother electronic models (specifically KH-965i • KH-970)
KR-850	Ribbing Attachment	Standard gauge (4.5mm) Brother main beds (KH-820 up to KH-970) with connection brackets	1980s
KRC-1000E	Double Bed Color Changer	Standard gauge (4.5mm) and Bulky gauge (9mm) Brother knitting machines (e.g. • KH-830 through KH-970 • KH-260 • KH-270) with a compatible ribber (e.g. • KR-830 • KR-850 • KR-260)	1995
KRC-1100M	Double Bed Color Changer	Standard gauge (4.5mm) and Bulky gauge (9mm) Brother knitting machines (e.g. • KH-830 through KH-970 • KH-260 • KH-270) with a compatible ribber (e.g. • KR-830 • KR-850 • KR-260)	1995
KRC-830	Double Bed Color Changer	Standard gauge (4.5mm) Brother knitting machines (e.g. • KH-830 through KH-970) with a compatible ribber (e.g. • KR-830 • KR-850)	1985
KRC-840	Double Bed Color Changer	Standard gauge (4.5mm) Brother knitting machines (e.g. • KH-830 • KH-840 • KH-860 • KH-868 • KH-881 • KH-890) with a compatible ribber (e.g. • KR-830 • KR-850)	1988
KRC-900	Double Bed Color Changer	Standard gauge (4.5mm) and Bulky gauge (9.0mm) Brother knitting machines (e.g. • KH-830 through KH-970 • KH-260 • KH-270) with a compatible ribber (e.g. • KR-830 • KR-850 • KR-260)	1990

After market modifications

• All Yarns Are Beautiful [1]