Thursday, November 4, 2010

HELP!

Amazing development - while I am hurrying around this evening, getting ready to go teach a machine knitting seminar near Dallas-Ft. Worth airport (lucky me!), I have to take a few minutes to report that I just received a wonderful large assortment of knitting gear from a nice local lady who wants the items sold and proceeds given to charity.

Okay:  there's a Knitmaster here.  I don't know what model - looks like a nice 24-stitch punchcard machine.  Kewl.  This will require more investigation.

There's a Brother 230 here with ribber!  Wow, who doesn't love the 230?  It was a manual bulky but built like a champ.

Big, fascinating mystery item, at least for me:  a rare model, the Singer System 9000 electronic double-bed knitter.  Please folks, I don't know a whole lot about this Superba-type machine.  It appears to have a TV-like monitor, a separate electronic controller unit, a 4-color changer, and to be a true double-bed. I know it was sold only briefly.  Can you write and give advice?  Is this one I should buy for myself?  Too rare to be of any help to my viewers/customers/students?  Difficult to learn?  How can I learn more about it?  Should I join the Yahoo group?  It's obviously a VERY unusual machine.  After seminar, I'll shoot some photos to post. Y'all will be oohing and aahing at this fascinating machine.

Are you looking for a nice used machine?  I plan to set these babies up, clean and investigate before I sell them, but please contact me if you are interested at diana_knits "at" yahoo "dot" com.

Well  no time to set anything up and learn more about these.  More soon!  Can't wait to see your comments and advice. 

5 comments:

  1. there is a Superba yahoo group and Ravelry group, that is a very cool rare machine!

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  2. I'm interested in what you found out about these machines, in particular the Brother 230. I've never tried machine knitting, but when I do it will be with a chunky 9mm machine. Would the Brother 230 be good for me or the 260 or 270? How much would it cost? Shipping to Utah?

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  3. Cindy, please email me at diana_knits "at" sbcglobal "dot" net, and I'll get you pricing and shipping information.

    These machines are all 8 mm and are related. The 260 has a punch card and the 270 has electronics. I have owned both the 260 and the 270. This whole family of machines is well-built and very popular. The 260 and 270 are more expensive and fancier, of course, than the 230.

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  4. Singer 9000 is also called Superba/White/Phildar. Truly amazing double beds and very easy to use. The system allows you to pick a pattern, garment design and size.After adding your tension details guides you through the knitting from beginning to end. You can design your own designs and patterns. See the site http://www.superbaknitting.com/ for information on these machines. They sometimes appear on ebay and are quickly bid on. regards Anne

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  5. Hi Anne,

    I understand very, very few Singer 9000s were sold in the U.S. The lady who gave it to me to sell purchased it in England.

    I am fascinated, of course, having read a little about it now, and especially with your remarks about "easy to use." It's always nice when you have a lot of machines and you switch around to have it be straightforward. May have to buy it for myself...will keep y'all posted. If I do, then I have to get rid of one of my E6000s so I'll have a place to put it! We're tripping over it now.

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