The key features of the Aries 6 knitting machine are that it is a multi-compact flat design with enhanced reliability, better productivity and easier operation. A double compact variant of the machine is illustrated. Each carrier on the machine is driven by its own motor under software control with operating conditions optimised automatically. The high productivity, ability to produce many patterns, especially Intarsia patterns, has ensured the success of this Aries 6 machine, but in order to accommodate also the lower production needs of some companies, a variant called the Aries 3 offers a single knitting head only but with a 130cm needle bed. The latter half of this article deals with knitting machine software and especially that developed by the company to run under Windows. This software system is known as “Model” and uses symbols to represent either a simple stitch or a very complex series constituting a process. Screen shots of the software produced patterns and size specifications are shown.