Toyota
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= Toyota Machine Index =[1]
Brand History & Overview
Toyota knitting machines were manufactured in Japan by Aisin Seiki, a member of the Toyota Group, from the 1960s until production ended in the 1990s. Renowned for their high build quality and user-friendly features, Toyota machines are widely popular in the vintage machine knitting community.[2]
Aisin Seiki produced home knitting machines under the Toyota brand name (often prefixed with KS for Knit Studio). These machines were designed to compete directly with Brother and Silver Reed. They were widely exported to Europe and North America. After Toyota exited the market in the 1990s, spare parts and manuals became archived, and are now maintained by community networks.
Standard Gauge (4.5mm)
Early Manual & Push-Button
- Toyota K106 / Toyota K108: Early manual machines with basic needle selection built into the carriage.
- Toyota K505 / Toyota K506: Vintage push-button/lever models.
- Toyota 500: A simple, sturdy metal-bed manual machine.
12-Stitch Punchcard Models
- Toyota KS-777 (12-stitch punchcard)
- Toyota KS-727: A durable 12-stitch punchcard machine; shares some DNA with early Brother 12-stitch models.
- Toyota KS-747: (Also known as the Elena Auto 7). A very popular 12-stitch model known for being an excellent entry-point into punchcard knitting.
- Toyota KS-858: Features a built-in knit-tracer and 12-stitch patterning.
24-Stitch Punchcard Models
- Toyota KS-895 (24-stitch punchcard)
- Toyota KS-787: The first 24-stitch model in the lineup; introduced the "Motif Magic" feature.
- Toyota KS-901: A "workhorse" 24-stitch machine. It requires a separate lace carriage for transferring stitches.
- Toyota KS-950: The final standard gauge model produced. It features a unique carriage that can perform lace and knit in the same pass (similar to Silver Reed's system), eliminating the need for a separate lace carriage.
Bulky & Specialty Gauges
- Toyota KS-610: A manual bulky machine (9.0mm).
- Toyota KS-650: A 12-stitch punchcard bulky machine (9.0mm).
- Toyota 210: A rare fine-gauge machine (3.6mm).
Accessories & Ribbers
- Toyota KR 501: The standard ribber compatible with the KS 901 and 950. It features the Simulknit setting for "clean" double-bed jacquard.
- Toyota KR 460: Ribber often paired with the KS 787.
- Toyota K20: A stand-alone "Knit Tracer" (contour slider) that can be attached to various models for garment shaping.
- Toyota Lace Carriage: Required for lace work on the KS 901 (The KS 950 has this logic built into the main carriage).
Machine Accessory Compatibility Matrix
The following is a dynamically generated list of Toyota accessories and their compatible knitting machines, populated directly from the wiki's database:
| Accessory | Type | Compatible Machines | Release Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| K20 | Knit Tracer | Toyota KS-510 • KS-747 • and standard-gauge Toyota models | 1980s |
| KR 501 | Ribbing Attachment | Toyota KS-901 • KS-950 • and standard-gauge Toyota models | 1980s |
| Lace Carriage | Lace Carriage | Toyota KS-901 standard-gauge knitting machine | 1980s |
| Toyota KR 460 | Ribbing Bed | Toyota standard-gauge machines |