Knit Contour Tutorial Index

Note: This tutorial was written in 1988. Silver Seiko, the parent company for the Studio, Singer and Knitmaster Knit Contours, went out of business in the early 2000s, and there were no more electronic models (the KR10 and KR11) manufactured. The only ones available now are pre-owned, and are frequently missing the row counter with a port that allows connecting to the knitting machine, and/or the cable that connects them. They also often do not have the mylar pattern sheets. These are getting quite hard to find, and the unit is very hard to use without them. Unless you are sure all the parts are included, it is probably best not to purchase the KR10 or KR11, since you may just be getting a very expensive paperweight.

Update April, 2022. It is now also getting hard to find KR7 stand-alone models, and the pre-owned ones often are sold without either the paper patterns or stitch scales. Missing patterns are not a terrible problem, since you can create your own using schematics that are usually included in modern hand knitting patterns. I have therefore scanned and uploaded all of my stitch scales. You can download them from the link above.

This tutorial will help you learn how to use the KR 6, KR 7 and KR 10/11 Knit Contour models. It is written specifically for Studio and Singer machines, but Brother/Knitking and Toyota owners may find some of the suggestions helpful.

In 1988 I wrote a book for Studio’s charting device, Making Friends With the Knit Contour. At that time there was nothing available specifically for the Knit Contour. Alles Hutchinson had written a book earlier, which touched briefly on every charting device then on the market, but it did not include the newer Studio models. It also left out the in-depth instructions many new knitters need. As a Studio dealer I taught classes on all of the manual and electronic Studio ones, including classes at seminars, and this book was meant to be the back-up for those lessons. I received permission from Studio, when they were still headquartered in Seattle, to use the illustrations from their manuals, so am including them on this site also.

I have tried to make these instructions as clear as possible, but, if you need help please let me know. I also ask you to please not copy this tutorial for sale or profit. Many, many hours of work have gone into first writing the material, and then posting on this site. You may link to it from your own website, print it out for your own use, or even share with others. All I ask is that you do not claim this as your work; please include my copyright notice and name as the author.

I hope you find the information helpful.
Irene Woods

This tutorial is from the book, Making Friends With the Knit Contour by Irene Woods, published in 1988, and uploaded to the original Clearwater Knits Website in 1998.