Abstract: In a flat knitting machine, the segments (10.1,11.1), of any desired width, which make up the needle beds (10, 11), are designed to be used with needles of different gauges, i.e. are formed with a different needle separation, so that needles of different gauges are used in adjacent needle bed segments (10.1, 11.1). On a flat knitting machine comprising a carriage (14/15) which can be traversed across the needle beds (10, 11) and has several cam systems (14.1-14.4; 15.1-15.4), the individual cam systems can be allocated to needles of different gauges, while at least one of the several cam systems may differ from the others by a different form of loop-transfer control curve.