NEEDLE PART NAMES

(substitutes for "thingamajig")

It is no wonder that we may have difficulty discussing something so simple as a knitting machine needle--especially if we are looking at different instruction books. These definitions of needle parts were published from 1906 to 1922 and there was little agreement on what was the shank, the heel,and the butt. Needle images are scanned directly from instruction and text books.

I have the names of needle parts used in current needle production and will post that later.

Home Profit Hosiery Co.	Auto Knitter Hosiery Co.	Gearhart Knitting Machine Co.

Leighton	Stafford and Holt	Lamb Knitting Machine Co.

NOTE about size: These needles are not to scale. If you see drawings or scans of actual needles or other knitter parts on a website-- do not expect the actual size to be accurate if you measure the image on your screen or on a print out. Don't expect the size of the the image on your monitor to appear the same size on someone else's computer monitor. They can be, but they most likely will not be the same.

The size of the object on a monitor and printout are dependant on the settings (dots per inch, scale, etc.) of the scanner, distance from a camera, the settings and physical characteristics of the output device (monitor or printer), as well as the settings and adjustments (scale, image size change, etc.) made by numerous applications that processed them between the object and the computer monitor. It is best to add written dimensions in actual inches or millimeters to be sure the sender and receiver go to the same lengths when discussing an item. :-)

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Sock knitter needle information on this page is informational, only.

Gearhart 18 Gauge Cylinder Needles Overall length: 2.392 in. (60.77 mm). 18 gauge. Thickness (Pressing): 0.040 in (1.02 mm). Needles fit Gearhart 88 & 100 slot cylinders (only). NOTE: Thicker needles are required for 54 to 80 slot cylinders. Use of 18 gauge needles in 54 to 80 slot cylinders may result in damage to your machine.

Gearhart 24 Gauge Ribber Needles Overall length: 1.474 in (37.46 mm) 24 gauge. Thickness (Pressing): 0.033 in (0.84 mm). Needles fit Gearhart 60 and 70 slot dials,used with 120 and 140 slot cylinders. (Thicker needles are required for 27 to 44 slot dials; no, we do not have the larger size dial needles.) These needles are not recommended for the 50 slot dial which requires 18 gauge dial needles. However, some owners are using this size on the 50 slot dial, because 18 gauge dial needles are difficult to get. I have used these in my 50 slot dial, and they work, but require careful adjustments to the ribber.

Auto Knitter needles AutoKnitter 12 Gauge Cylinder Needles The needle shown to the right fits on the Auto Knitter, Harmony, Home Profit Master Machine, and Legare.