[Nfb-krafters-korner] Please

Tue Aug 3 10:45:41 UTC 2010

Actually, I think this was the article that brought me in; I recognize some of the text from reading it.  I didn't see it in the Ziegler itself though; I think it was a reprint somewhere.

Terrence

Twitter: www.twitter.com/terrencevane
Kingdoms Live Code: bgc5a6

On Aug 2, 2010, at 3:48 AM, Blindhands at aol.com wrote:

> Our friend Susan has been writing for the Matilda Ziegler Magazine and I  
> wanted to share with you an article she recently wrote.  It appeared in the  
> magazine just a couple of weeks ago.  Thank you Susan.
> 
> 
> Hands On Living: Blind Crafting for Everyone  
> By Susan Roe  
> I have been an avid crafter both before and after I lost my sight over  
> thirty-two years ago.  There is  nothing I love more than working on a project 
> and actually seeing it through to  completion.  Whether I sell an item,  
> give it to someone or donate it to a charity, I always have the satisfaction  
> knowing that there will be someone somewhere who will appreciate owning what 
> I  do best. 
> There have been quite a few people who have either encouraged my crafting  
> or have taught me different skills.  My mother, Katherine, first taught me 
> to crochet when I was eight years  old.  She showed me how to crochet  granny 
> squares in matching or contrasting colors.  We would then sew them together 
> to make  warm afghans for our beds.  She  didn’t stop with crocheting and 
> soon taught my sister and I to quilt by hand, as  well as how to use a sewing 
> machine.  When we were small children, she made handmade Hobby Holly dolls 
> and sold  them to make extra money for our Christmas.  Later on, she tried 
> her hand at the  cutest little clothes for Cabbage Patch dolls and they were 
> even more  popular. 
> Not too long before I lost my sight, I had just discovered a talent for  
> drawing.  My sister Pattie  encouraged me to start taking art classes in 
> school like she did.  She was a wonderful artist herself,  starting with drawing 
> and painting.  When Pattie began having vision problems of her own, she 
> switched to  woodcarving.  No surprise to us, she  excelled in that craft as 
> well.  Pattie had just started showing me some basics of oil painting when I  
> lost my sight at age fifteen. 
> I have never allowed my blindness to be a hindrance in my day to day  
> living and that included my current crafts and learning new ones along the  way.  
> Pauline, a family friend, took  the time to teach me how to knit and it has 
> been my favorite ever since.  She also introduced my family to liquid  
> embroidery, making Christmas ornaments with beads and sequins and latch hooking  
> rugs.  From school I learned to work  with clay, coil and reed basket 
> weaving and tapestry weaving using colored  burlap.  I even managed to take a  
> class on using the potter’s wheel while attending my local community  college. 
> Luckily, I stopped myself  from adding a potter’s wheel to my small one 
> bedroom apartment before I started  rearranging the furniture. 
> Believe it or not, my crafting curiosity still was not satisfied.  Pattie 
> and I took ceramic classes,  enjoyed working with beads, making hats and 
> scarves on circular and rectangular  lap looms, and successfully figured out how 
> to crohook.  When I attended our local Rehabilitation  Center for the Blind 
> one summer, they showed me how to set up my sewing machine  to make it 
> easier to use.  I have  heard that curiosity killed the cat, however, it only 
> expanded my thirst for  crafting to collecting the tools of the trade along 
> with many books and  magazines covering even more crafts.  I could definitely 
> open my own crafting store. 
> My mother-in-law, Anna Roe, was someone else who loved crafting.  She loved 
> knitting, crocheting and  plastic canvas work.  To her credit,  she also 
> passed on crafting to her children as well.  Matt likes to draw and paint, 
> wood  working and Native American leather working.  I suppose Anna also passed 
> on to Matt  some of her patience, because he does tolerate my boxes of yarn 
> and shelves of  crafting books.  In fact, he doesn’t  even get ancy while we 
> are in a craft store.  Matt is really good at ferreting out all  kinds of 
> hidden crafting treasures. 
> On a sad note, when Anna passed away, Matt and his family asked if there  
> was anything of her’s that I would like to have in remembrance.  I didn’t 
> hesitate and asked for anything  dealing with her knitting and crocheting.  
> Well, my ever-growing craft stuff was increased by four large  boxes. 
> With all of my accumulated crafting energy and supplies, I needed an  
> outlet for my items because I just couldn’t keep it all.  I sell a few items here 
> and there as  well as making items for friends and family.  My biggest joy 
> is knitting and  crocheting for the Webb of Hope, a charity group that is 
> run through the Red  Cross.  A local group of women get  together here at 
> Black Creek Baptist Church and meet once a week.  They share patterns, discuss 
> items being  made and who the organization will be sending them to, both in 
> the United States  and several countries over seas.  The women also provide 
> lessons for those who want to learn and  participate with them as well as 
> providing yarn so it doesn’t have to cost you  anything. 
> Over the years, I have done searches on the Internet and have found  
> several on-line crafting groups, and several of them have been for blind  
> crafters.  I had to narrow my  participation down to only one blind crafting group 
> or I would never tare myself  away from the computer.  This group  works 
> together from the Krafters Korner.  The group is filled with some of the most 
> talented crafters I have ever  known.  Everyone is either blind,  low-vision, 
> or works with the blind.  The Krafters Korner also provides lessons to its 
> members via conference  calls and everyone works at the project together.  
> All classes are recorded for the  students that attend each class and are 
> provided as downloadable MP3 files for  easy reference at a later date.  Some of 
> the classes have been beginning and advanced knitting, beginning  and 
> advanced bead working, soap making, origami, plastic canvas work, small loom  
> weaving and even tips for finding the best tool for the job, to only name a  
> few.  They are even working on  knitted and crocheted helmet liners for our 
> soldiers over seas as a community  charity project. 
> I have even taught two classes myself, coil basket weaving and paper  
> basket weaving which seemed to be a success with those who attended.  I have only 
> taken one class, which was a  beading class for making your own Rosary.  
> The teacher even gave a brief history on the different styles of Rosaries  
> through the years.  All classes are  open to members once you have paid your 
> $10.00 membership dues.  Krafters Korner also has a weekly Monday  Night Chat 
> which runs from 8:00 Eastern Time to about 9:30 via the conference  line.  
> This gives everyone an  opportunity to talk to someone about their crafts and 
> exchange information as  well.  Members also have the  opportunity to get 
> help with problems they may be experiencing with a project in  order to work 
> through it instead of getting frustrated enough to set it aside,  never to 
> be picked up again. 
> I have found that many members take their projects quite seriously and  
> even attend numerous crafting shows as venders or sell their wares at Farmers  
> Markets.  There are those who have  been blind and crafting for several 
> years, or they find themselves wanting to  learn to craft.  Also, there are  
> those who have been sighted crafters for years and recently lost their sight 
> and  now want to find ways to continue crafting.  It is really nice when a 
> member seeks  encouragement with continuing a craft after losing their sight 
> and seeing the  eager responses from other members sharing and explaining how 
> they have managed  to continue that very craft.  All of  this and more can 
> be found at the Krafters Korner.  They have even had guest speakers on  blind 
> wood working so they can explain how they manage their wood working craft  
> with no sight. 
> Joyce Kane is the group moderator and President of the National  Federation 
> of 
> the Blind Krafters Division.  She has been an avid blind crafter for many 
> years and is always available  to assist members as well as eager to learn 
> new crafts and techniques from  others in the group.  You can call  Joyce for 
> more information at (203) 378-8928 or via e-mail at _Blindhands at AOL.com_ 
> (mailto:Blindhands at AOL.com) .  Please feel free to visit Krafters  Korner at 
> www.KraftersKorner.org.  Krafters Korner has also recently gone International, 
> bringing blind  students from around the globe into their classrooms with 
> the use of SKYPE.  Come and join us and see what you can  learn!
> 
> Joyce  Kane
> www.KraftersKorner.org  (http://www.krafterskorner.org/)
> Blindhands at AOL.com 
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