[Nfb-krafters-korner] any bulky machine knitters?

[Jewell Boll]

Hi Becky,

Thanks for responding to my inquiry.  I have been looking for someone to 
help me with my machine for a very long time. Then I heard of this blind 
craft list from the Wisconsin Office of the blind. What a stroke of luck.

I will tell you a little about myself.  I have Ushers syndrome which is a 
progressive vision and hearing impairment.  I have light perception and wear 
two hearing aids. I do pretty well hearing one on one, but find it more 
difficult in social settings, thus I am becoming more homebound.

I live in Sheboygan, which is located midway between Milwaukee and Green bay 
on the western shores of Lake Michigan. I love to spin my own yarn and have 
woven two rugs on a 4 shaft loom in a simple twill pattern.  I hand knit and 
have a bulky machine with ribber.  I am not sure if it is a singer or a 
Studio.  I bought it in the late 1980s when I could no longer sew, which was 
my passion at that time.  I never really made anything on it, because I was 
not able to get any proper training on it.  I tried to teach myself by 
reading the manual, but it was difficult.  I main problem is getting a piece 
started without it falling off the needles. I also didn't know of a source 
to get patterns. I hope you will be willing to guide me so I can master this 
craft.

When I was in my forties, I knew that I would eventually be blind.  My 
greater fear was not the blindness, but being idle.  I need to be busy.  I 
am also hoping to find someone who weaves, because I am not challenged by 
doing simple rugs on the loom.  I would like to do more creative and 
challenges projects, but the problem is that weaving patterns are in graph 
form and my screen reader will not read this format.

Please tell me a little about yourself and where you live.

Jewell