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

Wed Nov 1 21:02:41 UTC 2017

This is such a great question! I love reading all your answers. Many bring tears to my eyes!

JODY

thunderwalker321 at gmail.com 

"What's within you is stronger than what's in your way."  NO BARRIERS  Erik Weihenmayer

> On Nov 1, 2017, at 4:09 PM, Amy Herstein via Nfb-krafters-korner <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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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>> 
> 
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