Welcome to my series on the Principal Parts for the Superba Double Bed Knitting Machine. This post focuses on Latch Hook Needles and Needle Positions.
S.I.T./Groupe Superba of Mulhouse, France produced and marketed knitting machines world-wide under various brand names so the information I am providing in this post applies to owners of home knitting machines with the following brand names and/or logos printed on their Double Bed model knitting machines:



(** In North and South America, the Singer Company distributed home knitting machines produced by the Silver Reed Company of Japan - a completely different style of home knitting machine and operating system. The information here is for Singer machines made in France.)


To keep things simple I prefer to use the name Superba.

Why I Knit On A Superba.
I received my first Superba Knitting Machine four years ago and I find myself using this brand to the exclusion of all others. I hand knit as well as machine knit and a great advantage of the Superba is it's ability to knit such a wide range of yarn weights using every needle. This allows me to match my personal hand knitting tension using my favourite 4Ply, Double Knitting (DK) and even some Worsted Weight hand knitting yarns. Coupled with the ability to create fine gauge lace and beautiful Jacquard fabrics and Weave thick, textured yarns makes the Superba Double Bed model simply the best knitting machine I have ever used.
This is my friend Linda modeling this cute little "Shrug" I knit on my Superba Double Bed using Fleece Artist Kid Silk 2 Ply; a gorgeous hand dyed Kid Mohair/Silk blend that is a Double Knitting Weight. This yarn is exquisite and creates the nicest fabric with great drape and has wonderful stitch memory considering the high silk content. The equivalent hand knitting needle size is a 4mm for most of the hand knitters who have made this item. This shrug was knit using the Pushing Down Wheels in 2x2 rib and it was a joy to knit.

Obviously the Superba Double Bed model you have has it's own special appeal or maybe you were gifted with one and are curious as to what the machine's potential is. I can assure you - plenty!

As with any other skill, machine knitting has a learning curve all it's own. It has a language it shares with hand knitting but how this is expressed differs greatly. Machine knitting uses it's own abbreviations, technical terms and then there is the machine itself. To achieve positive results, one must learn the names of all the machine parts and be able to identify and use them in a coordinated fashion.
In joining various knitting lists on the internet I started receiving emails from people desperate for information on how to operate their Superba's. That led me to creating this blog and sharing information with other owners of French Double Bed Machines.

I am well aware that the Basic Instruction Book for these machines can be frustrating to read and use. Details of key components or the explanation of techniques are poorly written - or not explained at all! So I thought I would present the basic information in a way that relates to how you are going to knit and what you need to understand before you begin.

REQUIRED READING
For new Superba, Singer, White and Phildar owners or knitters who are setting up their machine again after many years in storage, I ask that you read the following four posts to prepare a surface to set up your machine on and additional set-up information before beginning to knit. In order you should read:
The next step is to see how to attach your knitting machine to a table:

Once you have the machine set up, you MUST give it a good cleaning using this information:

Finally, inspect and replace any bent or broken Needles on the machine bed. How To Replace A Needle Tutorial
BASIC INSTRUCTION BOOK/MANUAL

Note: This post deals only with the "Principal" parts of your machine as outlined in the Instruction Book and does not include information regarding Electronic Stitch Programmers.

Let's get started...
How A Superba Knitting Machine Forms Stitches
The most significant Principal Parts of our Superba Knitting Machines are the Needles and the Carriages. The two work in complete unison. The Needles require the Carriages to move them into various positions and to deliver the yarn when forming new stitches... let's see how this is performed using the most basic machine knitting stitch: Stocking Stitch...**Please Note**: on a Superba the Front Bed is always raised when knitting on the Back bed...these photos were taken with the Front Bed lowered to show stitch formation.
1. The Back Carriage is ready to knit a row from right to left and the selected needles are resting in Working Position No. 1...
Note: It is the Carriage on a home knitting machine that passes over the selected needles and manipulates the needles to form stitches. It is also the Carriage that carries and delivers the yarn to the waiting needles.

5. I have highlighted the Needle Working Positions. We observe the carriage moving the first needles on the left from Position no.1 (green) forward to Position no.2 (pink). This is where the previous stitch on the needle slides behind the latch hook...the carriage then continues to raise the needles to Position no. 3 (blue) - forcing them through the brushes to ensure the latches open to receive yarn...
6. The Carriage then lowers the needles back to Working Position No. 2 so that the yarn guide can lay the yarn across the open latches...
7. The Needle Cams at the opposite end of the Carriage then force the needles back down along their channels, pulling yarn from the carriage to a specified length ***this is controlled by the Stitch Size Dial on the Carriage *** and this where your Superba forms the length of new stitches while knitting.
7a. At the same time the stitches from the previous row slip over the closed latch hook and off the needle...

8. The carriage knits the last stitch and having returned all needles to Position no. 1, it is ready to knit the next row...
(If you have never seen a knitting machine operate, the steps I just outline take the machine 2 seconds to complete!)
Observing how our machines form the most basic of stitches should give you insight into the considerations one must make when learning to knit on a Superba.
The Key To Successful Machine Knitting
There are six aspects to Machine Knitting always working in tandem that you must learn and consider when beginning to knit. These create successful knitting results:
Your Choice of Yarn Fibre and Yarn Thickness...
Choice of Stitch Technique...
Needle Arrangement...
Stitch Size Setting...
The Amount of Tension on the Yarn...
and Weight Distribution. 
Before any of these factors can be considered and executed, you need to know the Principal Parts and understand the function of your Superba Double Bed Knitting Machine ...
Superba Double Bed Knitting Machine Principal Parts:
Latch Hook Needles and Needle Positions
Latch Hook Needles and Needle Positions

The next major part to your machine are the Needles themselves.
Your Superba knitting machine creates stitches using Latch Hook Needles. These needles are made from hardened steel and are quite durable.
CAUTION: Be mindful of the sharp hooks on the ends of the needles. They can cause serious harm and a knitting machine should not be left uncovered around small children.


The Superba Knitting Machine has 180 latch hook needles embedded in each aluminum frame known as a Needle Bed.
Along the length of each needle bed, the needles are spaced 5mm apart and housed in individual Needle Channels.
At the edge of each Needle Bed are rows of metal teeth called Flow Combs. When our needles are in working position the Flow Combs act as a dividing line between each needle or stitch.

Furthermore, they are crucial to the formation of stitches as your machine uses the Flow Combs as a leverage in forming stitches ...


This spacing of the needles defines the overall "gauge" of your machine - 5mm gauge - which is an indicator of the weights of yarns it may knit with and the range of fabric it can produce.
The needles on your machine travel at very high speeds and to help minimize friction while moving back and forth in their channels they are held in place by two discreet parts: the Retaining Wire and the Retaining Spring.
Which leads us to our next topic:

On our needle beds there are four (4) specific needle positions we are concerned with as shown in the schematic from page 11 of the instruction book .


Along the side of the Front Bed there is a Needle Position Guide for easy reference when selecting a needle position.

Over time you will recognize these needle positions at a glance and you will learn which position to move the needles to when doing a specific technique like a Closed Edge Cast On or Short Row Shaping for shoulders and necklines.
The four main needle positions as viewed on the Back Bed (BB)...
Along the side of the Front Bed there is a Needle Position Guide for easy reference when selecting a needle position.
Over time you will recognize these needle positions at a glance and you will learn which position to move the needles to when doing a specific technique like a Closed Edge Cast On or Short Row Shaping for shoulders and necklines.
In order, the four Needle Positions are...
NON-WORKING POSITION No.0
This is the lowest position for your needles on the needle bed. The needles in this position are considered inactive or non-working. When the carriage is passed across the needle bed, the needles will be bypassed and not knit.


Front Bed view.
WORKING POSITION No.1
When you begin to knit, you will select a certain number of the 180 needles resting in non-working position to knit with. Position No. 1 is where you move the needles to when setting up for different stitch techniques.

Non-working needles in Position No.0 are bypassed by the carriage. You can see an example of this in the photo below showing a 2x2 Rib needle arrangement with a view of the Front Bed.
Also this arrangement below which is set up for working with the Garter Lace Transfer Carriage. This is how our knitting machines create simple stitch techniques using these two needle positions.

When in Position no. 1 the tips of the needles or the "Hooks" are aligned with the edges of the Flow Combs.

WORKING POSITION No. 2
This position is used mainly by the carriages for creating stitches as the yarn is laid in the needle hooks by the carriages when knitting rows. Stitch techniques such as single bed Fair Isle or double bed Jacquard are created using this needle position as the main colour is knit from needles pushed to postion No. 2.

If the stitch is behind the latch, that means it is in danger of slipping off the needle, especially if you move the needle slightly. This can result in a dropped stitch as shown below. Beware!

HOLDING POSITION No.3
This is the highest needle position for the needles on your needle bed.

This is described as a "holding" position because it is used primarily with an advanced garment shaping technique called "Short Row" shaping or "Partial Knitting". This technique is used when knitting the heels on socks, inserting gores on skirts and primarily for shaping necklines and shoulders on sweaters.
You may be used to shaping garments by decreasing stitches and casting them off as you knit. The result of these traditional methods is that you get "steps" along the shoulder and neckline. Not very attractive and does not make for a clean, polished look to your finishing.
Short Row Shaping technique allows you to knit selected needles in Position No. 1 while holding or not knitting needles in Position No.3. The stitches you no longer want to knit remain on the needles in Position No.3 while you continue to knit those in Position No.1.
Position No. 3 for use with Two Colour
Fair Isle or Jacquard Stitch Techniques
Fair Isle or Jacquard Stitch Techniques
Note: Be advised that this needle position cannot be used for garment shaping when knitting the stitch techniques Single Bed Fair Isle or Double Bed Jacquard as the needles we push to this upper position will be automatically knit back to Position No.1 by the carriage when using these stitch settings.

The other primary use of Holding Position no.3 on a Superba is to knit the contrast or second colour when we work Fair Isle or Double Bed Jacquard stitch techniques.

Using the needles in this manner makes it possible for your Superba to knit two colours at the same time in one row, creating colourful knit fabrics.


This is how these great knitting machines produce reversible and double sided Jacquard fabrics as shown in the photos above and below.


Position No. 3 For Use When Casting On or Casting Off Stitches
You will also use Working Position No.3 on your Superba knitting machine frequently for different Cast On and Cast Off methods including the e-Wrap and the Long Tail Cast On aka Double e-Wrap methods.
Here I have my selected Front Bed Needles in Position No. 3, ready to begin an "E-Wrap" Closed Cast On technique.
In the photo below I am am doing the same Cast On but this time you can see my needles in Position No.3 arranged on both beds for a 2x2 rib.
Please keep in mind that both the front bed and back bed carriages have buttons on them to control all three active needle positions and when the needles are knit. These are the Needle Return Buttons or NRB's. We will review these further on.
COMBINED NEEDLE POSITIONS
I wish to take a moment and show you some photos of combined needle positions that you will encounter as you begin to knit on a Superba.
I use both Position no.2 and no.3 when I want to ensure that stitches on my needles will knit. Examples of when this has to be done are when I have just transferred a group of stitches from one needle bed to the other using the Garter Lace Carriage or by hand. You will discover that some yarns require very little weight to knit with but when you have doubled the number of stitches on a needle, there may not be enough weight on the stitches for the next row to form correctly. When possible, pushing your needles to Position No. 2 or No.3 will ensure they knit through. This is because you have moved the two stitches on the needle behind the latch, and the Carriage will be able to slide the needle easily, pulling the new yarn through both loops.
I use both Position no.2 and no.3 when I want to ensure that stitches on my needles will knit. Examples of when this has to be done are when I have just transferred a group of stitches from one needle bed to the other using the Garter Lace Carriage or by hand. You will discover that some yarns require very little weight to knit with but when you have doubled the number of stitches on a needle, there may not be enough weight on the stitches for the next row to form correctly. When possible, pushing your needles to Position No. 2 or No.3 will ensure they knit through. This is because you have moved the two stitches on the needle behind the latch, and the Carriage will be able to slide the needle easily, pulling the new yarn through both loops.
This next photo shows how you will encounter needles in Positions 2 and 3 while shaping a neckline using the Short Row shaping method. In machine knitting lingo this is also referred to as "Partial Knitting". It is where you will work one side of the neckline, then come back to the beginning of the neck and repeat the neck shaping on the opposite side. This is how you get a hole in the centre to slip your head through.
In these photos, I have just completed knitting the left half of the neckline and shoulder. Previously to this, all the stitches on the right were in Holding Position No.3. I am about to begin shaping the right half, and so I move the needles I wish to knit with from Holding Position No. 3 to Working Position No. 2. When I knit a row with the carriage, only those stitches in Position No.2 will be selected to knit by the carriage.
In these photos, I have just completed knitting the left half of the neckline and shoulder. Previously to this, all the stitches on the right were in Holding Position No.3. I am about to begin shaping the right half, and so I move the needles I wish to knit with from Holding Position No. 3 to Working Position No. 2. When I knit a row with the carriage, only those stitches in Position No.2 will be selected to knit by the carriage.
In machine knitting when we want to remove our work from the machine and close off all the stitches permanently, we perform the technique called "Casting Off". There are many ways to perform this.
When I do a Latched Cast Off technique to remove my knitting from the machine, I will push my selected needles to Position No. 3 then back to Position No.2. This sets the stitches behind the latches on the needles...



That about covers the topic of Latch Hook Needles and the needle positions on a Superba Double Bed Knitting Machine. As you gain confidence in working at your Superba Knitting Machine all of this information regarding needle positions will become second nature.
This series on Principle Parts continues as I review:
Lot's to share and learn.
I hope you found this information helpful and Happy Knitting!
Patrick Madden.
Toronto, Ontario CANADA
©2004-2010