Brother KX350 Replacing the Sponge Strip (yes, turn it over and there IS a sponge strip in there!) by: Natalie Langkilde

(all rights reserved, please ask before copy or distribution to others except personal use) e-mail nammyl@charter.net http://www.nataliesknitting.com

Many people have the Brother KX350 hobby machine. Did you know it has a sponge bar? I didn't! Once I found out, I realized how wiggly the needles were. The needles could be lifted off the bed and moved around. Of course, it needed a new sponge!! Actually it is just a strip in this machine, not glued to a bar… It's not so obvious with this machine when it is bad, because it isn't one that has advanced stitch capabilities that might mess up when the sponge is flat. It can be knitting way past the point where the sponge strip is keeping the needles in place!

The strips are still readily available from machine parts dealers, so there is no need to try and make yourself one out of insulation stripping. Turn your machine upside down and you can see the needles, and the sponge strip between the plastic. Here's an easy way to change that strip:

There should be some of the old sponge strip sticking out so you can get a hold of it. If you can't, then take off the metal plate on the end. With regular sewing thread and your new strip, sew the end of the new strip directly to the old strip with half a dozen simple whip stitches. Secure the end of the thread. Keep the new strip facing in the same direction as the old strip. Now pull the other end of the old strip. Pull this free end out of the machine slowly and deliberately. This is going to pull your new sponge strip in, and under all the needles. When your old strip is completely out, and some of the new strip advanced at least an inch past the last needle, cut the old strip off.