Well, I reckon if ya’ve been around the knitting world for long, ya might’ve heard of these Brother knitting machines. Now, they ain’t makin’ them anymore, no sir. Back in the day, Brother was a big name, all the way up until the late ’90s. But I tell ya, they don’t make them no more. They started out in 1962 as Brother Industries, and folks loved ‘em for their quality and durability. But now, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any new ones, and the ones from back then, well, they’re just collectables mostly.
Now, folks often think that just ‘cause an old knitting machine is sitting around in their attic, it must be worth a fortune. But let me tell ya, that ain’t always the case. See, the thing is, a lot of these old machines are missing some key parts, like accessories and instruction books. If you ain’t a collector, it ain’t likely to fetch much of a price. You might still find some folks out there sellin’ ’em, but don’t expect to get rich off it. Not without them extra bits and pieces that make it run properly.
Take the Brother KR830 and KR850, for instance. They’re almost identical, but the carriages are a little different. Now, don’t get confused, ‘cause them carriages can actually be swapped between the two machines. The main thing ya gotta fiddle with on them machines is the adjustments. They got three—height, alignment, and on the KR830, ya got a bit of extra distance to play with. But really, once ya figure it out, it ain’t so hard to work with.
Now, if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ that’s still bein’ made today, well, I got good news for ya. There’s only one company still makin’ them machines fresh off the line, and that’s Silver Reed. They’ve been around for a long time, and they’re still doin’ it right, even though Brother and other big names like Toyota and Singer ain’t makin’ ‘em no more. Back in the good ol’ days, you had a whole bunch of brands to choose from: Passap, Studio, Knitmaster, Knitking, and more. But now, it’s a different story, and Silver Reed’s the only one left makin’ them good ol’ domestic knitting machines.
For those of ya who don’t know, Brother machines were pretty famous for bein’ easy to use and reliable. But like I said, that’s all a thing of the past now. If you find one second-hand, make sure you check if all the pieces are there, especially them little tools and instruction books. ‘Cause without them, you might be wastin’ your money, unless you’re just buyin’ it to put on a shelf somewhere.
Folks who like to knit these days might find themselves wanderin’ over to Etsy, where there’s a lot of small business owners makin’ all sorts of fancy gadgets for knitting machines. You can find all kinds of gauges and plugs, made just for your style. And the best part? You can read up on what other folks are sayin’ about ’em and get free delivery if you’re lucky! So, if ya ever need a part or two to get your old Brother machine back in action, you might just find what you’re lookin’ for over there.
Now, I reckon some of ya might still be wonderin’ about the Brother KH940 or the Knitking IV. Them are early electronic machines, real high-tech for their time. They got a bit more memory than the regular Brother models, which made ‘em stand out back in the day. If you’re the kind of person who loves all them gadgets and extra features, you might find one of them machines interestin’. But again, make sure ya got all the bits you need to make it work proper, ‘cause without them, it’s just a big ol’ hunk of metal sittin’ in the corner.
To sum it up, Brother knitting machines were a big deal once, and they still hold a special place in the hearts of many folks. But if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ brand new to get your knitting done, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Silver Reed is your best bet these days. Just make sure when you buy a second-hand Brother, check if everything’s there. ‘Cause without them key parts, it might not be worth the trouble. And don’t forget, if you need parts or accessories, Etsy’s a good place to find ‘em!
Tags：[Brother knitting machines, Brother KR830, Brother KR850, Silver Reed, knitting machines, electronic knitting machines, KH940, Knitking IV, second-hand knitting machines, Etsy knitting accessories, knitting tools]
