[karchy]

hi all i need a little advice

i have the chance to buy a knitting machine that's hardly been used, has all the manuals and bits and pieces and a lace carriage. it's a brother KH-710

i know nothing about km's but i have been wanting to get one for ages, and she's asking a really low price for it (£25)

first off, is that a good price?
secondly is it an easy machine to use?

thanks for any advice

 

[Luckyprincessuk]

£25 is cheap but bare in mind it is an older machine and has limited patterning as it has no punchcard and there are few accessories for it.
If you do buy even though the machine it has been little used it will still need a new sponge bar, deep clean and oiling before use ;-)

 

[Tallie9]

Before I buy any machine.....I look for a free manual online...and read through it thoroughly.....To familiarize myself with the parts list.....To make sure I know what should be there....or...what is missing.......I read through so I get an idea of what the machine is capable of....Here's the site where you can download the 710 manual... http://machineknittingetc.com/brother-kh710-user-guide-guide.html
As far as being a good price.......Machines are selling for much higher prices here in the states.....so I think it's the equivolent of free .....For this you'll need feedback from UK machine knitters as to whether this is a good deal or not....
I myself have a 588....which has minute differences to the 710...In fact I have a 710 ribber on it.....It is a standard gauge machine(4.5mm) ....It is more manual than a punch card machine......You have to pull on a 'set-lever' on every row(which brings out the needles for patterning) ...It is fairly easy to learn by following the manual.....Does excellent lace ....I still use mine..and have for years.......Very reliable machine......
There is a must have stitch pattern book for 8 push button machines that you can still find called 'Brother Knitting Pattern' put out by Brother.....Has 300+ pages of stitch patterns and some clothing patterns....
A machine that has not been used for a long time will need to be cleaned and oiled.....You will probably need to buy a new sponge bar(holds the needles in place)....Again you'll need a response from UK knitters as to where to buy one there....
Hope this helps.....

 

[Moira Palmer]

£25 is cheap for a second-hand knitting machine.
Buy it - it will give you a chance to find out if you like machine knitting - if you don't you haven't spent a fortune finding out!
It will need some TLC before it is ready to use but don't be put off by that - there are plenty of people on this forum who will help. Moira

 

[ValT]

Yes, it is a good price.
There is a always a learning curve when starting machine knitting, but there is a lot of good information on the web.

All knitting machines have a sponge bar/needle retaining bar and invariably these need to be replaced after a while. You can do this yourself.

I seem to remember there is a man in Edinburgh (David Drummond) who services machines.

Machine knitting is a great hobby. There maybe a machine knitting club nearby that you can join. On the Guild of Machine Knitters website, you will be able to see if there's a club nearby.

Val

 

[Linuxgirl]

Get it. For that price you can't go wrong.
I have the even older predecessor KH588. These are very basic machines, but they usually are the sturdiest of the sturdy and you can do still a lot with them.
Besides the learning curve is not as steep as with the newer ones.
I for one like my oldie very much. And there are some great books from Susan Guagliumi about hand manipulated stitches, which are perfect for these machines.

 

[Rene22]

Buy it ,Try it and then as someone said you have not paid out too much. You may find you are hooked . It is A challenge and we ALL like A challenge

 

[karchy]

Well i went to collect it this afternoon and i am very impressed. It's been used ONCE!! The lady explained that she bought it new and didn't like it so closed it all up and put it in her loft and forgot she had it, her husband bought her a fancier one which she got on much better with lol. She was in the loft looking for something and spotted it so decided to just sell it.

I have the machine, all the bits and pieces that go with it, a lace carriage that has never been used and the instruction book which i am reading through before trying to set it all up.
wish me luck hehe
thanks for all the advice, it's very much appreciated and like a lot of you have said, even if i don't like it, i haven't spent out on a brand new machine.

 

[KateWood]

Good for you, I'm sure you'll get Hooked

 

[MarciasKnitting]

Everyone here is really nice and will help you out with advise and resources.. Post your efforts. love to see your 1st project ! Enjoy

 

[30Knitter]

That is a good price for a old machine. It works the same as a Model 588 Brother machine and uses the same parts. So, if you can't find a book for the 710 look for 588. They work the same.

 

[49120]

I had a 710 and loved it. I learnt to use it from the book and then evening class. It will do all the basics and the skills you learn are atill needed when using the newer machines! (Casting on and off, shaping , increase, decrease, bands and button holes, changing colour. tension etc etc.
So pleased you got a bargain!