Sentro 32-Needle Knitting Machine User Manual: Setup, Tube and Panel Knitting, and PDF Download

Lost your manual for the Sentro 32-needle mushroom machine, or bought one second-hand? This guide walks through the original 2-page instruction sheet in plain order: how to set it up, how to knit a tube, how to knit a flat panel, how to change yarn, and how to recover a dropped stitch. The original PDF is linked at the top and bottom of this article.

Download the original Sentro 32-needle user manual (PDF)

At a glance: the 32-needle machine

Do not copy the switch direction from another model. The 40-needle sheet reports a different direction in its step text, so each model’s direction must be checked on its own sheet.

How to tell this is your machine

Look for the pink mushroom-shaped top cover with holes and a top knob, a cream cylindrical body, and 32 pink hooks around the top. The crank is on the right. If your machine has a counter box on the front left, it is not this 32-needle version as sold in the store listing.

Setup

1. Fit the suction cups into the slots in the machine pillars.
2. Fit the four base mats to the bottom of the machine.
3. Put the machine on a flat, stable table. It will not work well if it rocks or slides while you crank.
4. Hold the top steady with one hand and crank with the other. Turn the tension guide toward yourself so you can watch the tension as you knit.

Choosing yarn and tension

The manual sheet does not give a yarn weight number, so use its qualitative rules first and test a swatch before starting a project:

1. Most ordinary yarns can be used, including the yarn supplied in the box, but do not use bulky yarn.
2. Start with a medium (worsted) yarn in two tension slots; try all three slots for finer yarn.
3. If the tension is too tight, release the yarn from the tension slots one at a time until it runs smoothly.
4. Wind yarn into a ball so it unwinds freely. If you work straight from a hank, pull out 2–3 metres of slack at a time and keep the yarn loose as it feeds in.
5. While knitting, keep a loose pile of yarn feeding in, gently pull the finished fabric down from below from time to time, and untwist it as it grows so it does not bunch up and skip stitches.

For a fuller yarn guide, including fibres that tend to jam, see Best Yarn for a Sentro Knitting Machine.

Threading and the first rows

The written cast-on in the 32-needle sheet is brief: it points to a start video through a QR code in the sheet, rather than giving a hook-by-hook written cast-on. This article therefore does not invent a detailed cast-on that is not in the sheet. Use the steps below as the sheet’s written sequence, and use the beginner guide for a fuller general walkthrough.

1. Select your yarn and thread it through the yarn guide opening, pulling it down into the groove at the bottom. Do not let it ride on the surface.
2. Lift the tension lever and thread the yarn through until it comes out at the bottom.
3. Pass the yarn under the white hooks, cranking slowly and without skipping any hook. The first 3–4 rows are the foundation rows: go especially slowly and do not skip a hook.
4. Keep the yarn loose as you crank. Speed and force are the fastest way to damage the machine and drop stitches.

For a step-by-step beginner walkthrough in general terms, see Learn to Use Your SENTRO Knitting Machine: A Beginner’s Guide. That guide is based on the larger 48-needle machine, so follow its method, not its needle count, when you apply it to the 32.

Tube knitting

1. Slide the switch down for tube knitting.
2. Knit in one direction, turning the crank clockwise at a steady, slow pace for the first rows.
3. A tube closed at one end makes hats, bags and similar items; an open tube makes scarves, leg warmers and similar items.
4. To finish a tube, stop when it reaches the length you want, with a white hook beside the yarn guide, and follow the sheet’s removal steps in the next section.

Panel (flat) knitting

1. Slide the switch up for panel knitting.
2. Turn the crank in one direction until it reaches its limit, then reverse direction and crank back. Alternate directions at each end.
3. At each turn, crank fully to the stop until the machine comes to a complete halt. Short turns at the ends are a common cause of dropped stitches at the edges.
4. When the panel is finished, follow the same removal and finishing steps as for a tube.

Changing yarn and removing your work

1. To change colour or join a new ball, knot the new yarn to the old yarn with a square knot that will not slip, trim close to the knot, and take the yarn off the tension lever so the knot can pass through. Pull the yarn through the tensioner until the knot is past, re-thread it, and start cranking slowly again.
2. To remove a tube, stop at the length you want and cut a tail of about 45 cm. Take that tail out of the tensioner and yarn guide, thread it onto a plastic sewing needle, and, with no yarn feeding in, work it through the stitches one by one, alternating front and back, until every stitch has yarn through it. Then crank clockwise so all stitches come off the hooks.
3. For an open tube, such as a scarf, backstitch the last few stitches with the sewing needle, knot and trim. For a closed tube, such as a hat, pull the loose end tight to gather the opening, knot and sew it closed. Picking up the last row with a circular needle gives a neater, more elastic edge if you prefer that finish.

If a stitch drops

The sheet has no troubleshooting table, so the points below are its scattered tips, collected here in one place. For a fuller guide, see Why Is My Sentro Dropping Stitches?.

• Test a swatch first to find the best tension for your yarn, rather than guessing on a full project.
• If the tension is too tight, release the yarn from the tension slots one at a time.
• If yarn catches on a hook, push the caught stitch from the bottom of the hook toward the back of the needle.
• If stitches keep skipping, check that the yarn is loose, pull the fabric down gently from below, and untwist it as it grows.
• To pick up a dropped stitch, crank to the last stitch before the drop, with that hook raised beside the yarn guide, find the dropped loop and the ladder bars above it, and use a crochet hook to work the loop up bar by bar from front to back until it is back on the machine hook.

Care and storage

Keep the machine clean and dry, and do not force the crank if it stiffens. For cleaning and lubrication in detail, see How to Clean and Lubricate Your Sentro Knitting Machine.

More manuals and related guides

• SENTRO Knitting Machine User Manual — all models
• Sentro 32-Needle Knitting Machine (product page)
• Best Yarn for a Sentro Knitting Machine
• Why Is My Sentro Dropping Stitches?
• How to Clean and Lubricate Your Sentro Knitting Machine

Other model manuals: 40-needle manual, 22-needle manual, 48-needle Blue manual, and 48-needle Upgraded manual.

Download the original Sentro 32-needle user manual (PDF)

FAQ

Where can I download the Sentro 32-needle manual?

Use the download button above, which links to the PDF already in the site media library, or go to the User Manual hub page and choose the 32-needle (846) card.

Does the 32-needle machine have a row counter?

The store listing does not list a built-in counter for this model, and the product images show no counter box. Count rows by hand or with a separate counter if you need an exact count.

What yarn works on the 32-needle machine?

The manual sheet gives no numeric yarn weight. In practice, use a medium yarn first, test a swatch, avoid bulky yarn, and use two tension slots for worsted yarn or all three for finer yarn, as described above. The product archive range is 1.5–3 mm.

Why does my panel drop stitches at the ends?

On panel knitting, crank fully to the stop at each turn until the machine halts completely. Short, incomplete turns at the ends are the sheet’s own explanation for edge drops.

Is the 32-needle manual the same as the 40-needle manual?

No. The 32-needle sheet is a separate 2-page sheet for 32 hooks, with its own switch direction and its own accessory installation steps. Do not use the 40-needle sheet’s switch direction for this machine.