Need Help?Archive of Thread: Do you use a Passap? Back
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Sue Jalowiec
4 years ago
Comments please ....
Fellow knitter, Robin asked :
I was just thinking about the various brands of knitting machines that have been made over the years and the one brand that I don't know much (if anything) about is the passap. Do you know what the differences are between the brother machines and the passap?
Here's my answer (can you tell I've never touched a Passap?)
Here's my answer (can you tell I've never touched a Passap?)
The Passap machines are a completely different breed. They are "true" double bed machines, meaning they are designed to use as a double bed ... the ribber is not an optional attachment.
Many knitters LOVE their Passap machines because of the beautiful ribbed fabrics they create. Also, knitting Double bed Jacquard is soooo much easier (so I'm told).
I've also been told that moving to a Passap from the Japanese machines can be a challenge. Although they are both knitting machines and form stitches the same way, the logic and terminology is quite different.
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Tina Watson
4 years ago
I use Passap (and Japanese) machines. I have a manual Passap Pinkie Duo and the computerized E6000. Yes, double bed work is easier with the Passap. The color changer for Passap is far superior than the Japanese color changers which makes double bed work enjoyable. Most of the time you do not use any weights on the Passap. There are "strippers" which fit in the carriage/lock that push the fabric down as you knit across. The Passap can tuck more stitches in a row than the Japanese machines. I knitted on Japanese machines for 15 years before getting my first Passap a few years ago. I am self taught and didn't find the Passap too complicated (though I love challenges). The Passap E6000 has endless opportunities for different techniques, or so it seems! It is an amazing machine especially paired with Designaknit. I can go on and on about how I love my Passap but the truth is, other than more consecutive tucking and some ribber technique/backings, you can knit a lot of the same things on the Japanese machines. You just need to explore more advanced ribber techniques. (A good book is, "The Machine Knitter's Guide to Making Fabric" by Lewis.) I use my Passaps for double bed work, but still have my Japanese machines for single bed work. You can knit single bed on the Passap, but it is easier to see what you are doing on the Japanese. I am sure others will chime in with some more info for you!
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Carol Rogers
4 years ago
I use both Brother and Passap machines. The Passap machine is double bed, you cannot take the ribber off. On the E-6000 the patterning is done on the front bed which takes some time to get used too. It does make beautiful double jacquard and it is easier to do than on the Brother. If I am going to work s ingle bed I almost always stay with Brother, for double bed I go with Passap. The learning curve is huge. On Brother you can tuck going one way, the other or both, on Passap there are a lot more options for how you do tuck. Also in tuck, because of the slant of the beds, you can tuck more rows before it starts popping off the needles. Just a whole lot more settings to use, and the settings are separate for each bed. Its strong point is the double jacquard. You can shape on it but it is challenging so most decide to do cut and sew. Hope that gives you a bit of the information your looking for.
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Laurel Murphy
4 years ago
My standard gauge machine is a Passap Duo 80. It cannot be beat for double bed work: that is what allows for the creation of "purl" stitches on the back bed that wind up next to cables formed on the front bed, as well as patterning on both beds at the same time. I think the trick with single bed on the Passap is that it does in fact need weight for most yarns. I always use cast-on combs and a modified double bed cast on, adding weight/strippers as needed. The other great thing about the Passap is the transfer locks available (U100 etc), which make transfer lace and other complicated patterns easy. As Carol said, the learning curve on the Passap is quite steep, mostly because there are so many more settings on the locks (carriages in Japanese terms).
I can't really comment on the sophisticated standard gauge Japanese machines because I've never used one, I only use mid- & chunky-gauge flat bed machines.
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Edith Lobdell
4 years ago
Think my Pascal Vario has to be the most basic machine they made. It has no bells and whistles. I have a tension dial and a switch that can banking or cast on. I a! Learning to use it but mostly for basic sweaters for my grand and great grandchildren. Hoping that Knit it Now is going to open new projects on it as I or we figure them out.
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Jenny M Benson
4 years ago
I have never used any Passap myself, but from what I have seen on the internet, the Vario is very much the same as the LK-150. As long as you can follow your manual to learn the specifics of any knobs and levers on your machine, I am sure you will find anything on KIN which is aimed at LK-150 users will be helpful to you. In fact, so much of machine knitting is universal, just varying in what you press on your particular machine model to accomplish it. I KNOW you will find lots on KIN to encourage and inspire you!
Jenny
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Richard Brown
4 years ago
My first machine was a Passap E6000 and I paid rather a lot of money for it. It was a very steep learning curve but the fabrics that I could produce on it were amazing. I sold it, reluctantly I must say, to buy a flat bed Japanese machine as I found shaping on the Passap near impossible, especially with my huge hands! If I had the money to buy one again and the space to keep it set up and in use (they are huge machines compared to the Japanese flat beds!) I’d love to have one again.
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