[Nfb-krafters-korner] Want To Know Wednesday 10/25/17

Wed Nov 1 20:28:19 UTC 2017

Amy,
I love hearing about your journey to and through crafting.  It just makes me
feel good to take a ball of yarn and magically transform it into something
usable.  Smile!
Thanks for sharing!

-----Original Message-----
From: Nfb-krafters-korner [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Amy Herstein via Nfb-krafters-korner
Sent: Wednesday, November 1, 2017 3:09 PM
To: List for blind crafters and artists <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Amy Herstein <maria830 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Want To Know Wednesday 10/25/17

Hi, folks.

I've been blind since birth, with the exception of minimal light perception.

You know, the ironic thing is I had little or no interest in crafting.
Well, perhaps, that's not entirely accurate. As a girl, I loved watching Mom
work on her sewing machine, and I liked to help her at times. She made some
of my Halloween costumes and then a 50's-themed outfit when I had a 50's
revival concert in chorus as a middle-schooler. Again, I got her help making
an outfit I later wore to my local Renaissance Festival.

All that time, I can say with honesty that I enjoyed crafting. I loved the
process of creating an object by hand. That said, I was too busy being a
spoiled, middle-school-aged brat to put much of my time or consideration
into actually getting a craft under my belt. In other words, I loved it
while it was going on, loved helping my mother and learning from her, but I
made little to no effort to initiate crafting instruction. I had no interest
in knitting, thought crocheting looked too hard, and assumed I couldn't do
any craft well. I also didn't bother making the time.

Then, I don't know what happened, but let's fast-forward to when I was
fifteen and a high-school sophomore. Over the PA system one morning, they
announced that our school was getting ready to start a club for knitters and
crocheters. While I'd admired knitted articles and crocheted items my
grandmother and great-grandmother had made, my interest was only a passing
one. Then, when they made this morning announcement, I still don't
understand why, but I said I wanted to sign up. My mother lent me a pair of
her largest needles and a skein of chunky yarn to bring with me. I arranged
rides home, and I never looked back.

My interest seems spontaneous to me now, but as I said, I did not ever look
back. I watched a few of the other girls working advanced stitches and
knitting sweaters, cabled scarves, and pairs of mittens, and I wanted to
make them all; I was like a kid in a candy shop but without the credit card
(in other words, the skills) to make anything.
I struggled to learn the knit stitch without dropping half my stitches off
those huge needles, purled the wrong way until our very patient teacher
sorted out my floppy, uneven stitchwork, and settled on a basketweave scarf
as my first-ever true project. I'd seen our teacher making it for herself
during our club meetings, asked her if I might try it, and made it in a
soft, heather-toned yarn I got for Christmas that year. (I have since lost
that scarf, but I still use her pattern to make others.)

>From there, I guess you can say my interest in crafting skyrocketed.
The following year, I joined 4H while purchasing goods from a bake sale with
Mom, and I signed up for the crafting projects, having no space for animal
husbandry nor as keen an interest in gardening as I now do. On a trip to New
York with my club, I met a sweet-natured, artistic, talented lady with a lot
of personality and the willingness to teach me how to sew. I worked with her
for three wonderful years and, with her help, made several outfits,
including a formal-wear blouse and full skirt made of a golden brocade.
Then, I got too old for the club and had to leave.

Since then, I've dropped in and out of a college knitting club, my presence
contingent mostly on the type of members that were in at the time, found a
wonderful yarn shop and its staff, and developed the desire to learn to make
lace, spin, crochet, and produce my own jewelry. Not that I'm a whiz at any
of them, but I want to be. After my unorthodox start in the crafting world,
I don't ever see myself abandoning it; it has brought me a lot of joy, a
sense of accomplishment, and some much-needed confidence as I sought out
teachers and networked with friends, blind and sighted alike.

So there's my very unconventional story. For what it's worth, I hope it
might inspire others to craft and not to necessarily let spontaneous
interests fall by the wayside.

Amy

On 11/1/17, Becky Frankeberger via Nfb-krafters-korner
<nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I have had low vision all my life. I was in a wheelchair from breaking 
> my leg. My mom was learning how to knit. I was board out of my mind being
ten.
> I begged her then her teacher to show me how to knit. Finally she 
> relented and I made a lap throw I used for many years. Two years later 
> I fell again and learned to crochet. I got much more satisfaction from 
> Crochet, so pretty much stuck to learning and creating with 
> crochet.During that time I learned to loom a little as well.
>
> Becky
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nfb-krafters-korner 
> [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On
> Behalf Of Nella Foster via Nfb-krafters-korner
> Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2017 4:46 AM
> To: nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Nella Foster <jellybeanfarm at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Want To Know Wednesday 10/25/17
>
> Once again happy Wednesday to everyone at Krafters Korner.
>
>
>
> We are very lucky this week and have a bonus question.
>
>
>
> This question is from Jessica Dail.  Unfortunately I don't know much 
> about Jessica, except she comes up with good questions.
>
>
>
> Here is what she asked.
>
>
>
> My question for "want to know Wednesday" is How long have you been blind?"
>
>
>
> Since going blind, what was the first thing you learned to do or make?
>
> I know we are going to have some good discussions with these thoughts.
>
>
>
> We are still collecting questions and you can earn 25 contest points 
> if your question is chosen.  So far every question that has been 
> submitted has been used.  If you want to submit a question send it to 
> jellybeanfarm at gmail.comm and please put want to know Wednesday in the 
> subject line.  I've been getting a number of questions, so may not be 
> able to post yours for a few weeks.  I'm trying to post them in the 
> order that they are received.
>
>
>
> Thanks to all of you who have submitted questions so far.
>
>
>
> Nella
>
>
>
>
>
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