craftgrrl | Few Questions

Hello everybody.

I'm a knitter/crafter but I wanted to get a small sewing machine to help with seams and buttons as well as maybe making a table cloth here and a dog outfit there but I have NO clue where to start even looking for a "beginner" but doesn't really need anything more in the future, sewing machine. I don't want something huge, my mom's is impossible but I don't want a toy either. Any suggestions?

Also I'm looking for funky/neat/odd knitting needles but can't figure out where to go to buy/internet buy them. Any help?

Thanks ladies.