[NFB-Krafters-Korner] Introduction

Sat Jul 10 14:42:53 UTC 2021

Welcome Debra and Ray;

On the first and the fifteenth of the month, members are allowed to post
messages about items and craft supplies, they have for sale.  These 2 days
are our for sale days.  All transactions are between the buyer and the
seller!
I love items made of wood!

Terry Powers
Board member, from MD
I do plastic canvas, knitting and loom knitting and a bit more!

-----Original Message-----
From: NFB-Krafters-Korner <nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf
Of Deborah Kendrick via NFB-Krafters-Korner
Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2021 7:32 AM
To: 'List for blind crafters and artists' <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Cc: kendrick.deborah at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [NFB-Krafters-Korner] Introduction

Hello Ray and all,
I joined the day of the Krafters meeting at convention, so am another new
kid on the block, so to speak.  
Reading your message is so exciting.  I love wood products, although I've
never worked in wood myself. I was married to someone for 20 years whose
avocation was carpentry, and we had a house full o f cabinets and
bookshelves and toy boxes he made, often following my verbal specifications.
I never worked with wood myself, though, thinking at the time that all those
huge tools were too intimidating to approach without sight. Since then, I've
known a few amazing woodworking artists who are blind, a group to which you,
too, obviously belong.  
When I was ten, my best friend's mom taught both of us to knit. It was a
summer moment, something we did for a few days and abandoned, never
finishing a project. I picked it up again in college, one Christmas when I
had zero money, and made scarves for everyone I knew!
Later, I would get serious about knitting and crocheting, teaching myself
all the stitches out of braille books borrowed from the library. 
I did a lot of macrame years ago, too, and was commissioned by a couple of
affluent folks to design wall hangings -- macrame, wood beads, etc, etc. 
I have three kids, all grown now, and when they were really young, I was
into making toys and clothes and curtains and all kinds of things from yarn
and fabric and such, but priorities change and I wound up spending time on
just two things: kids and career.  
That's not to say that I left creativity behind. While I wasn't making
tangible creations for a number of years, my career is centered on making
things with words -- poems and essays and articles and books; but I hope to
get back to some of the tangible sort now as well. 
In the last few years, with my kids now having babies, I've come back to
that urge to make pretty things with my hands. I've made baby sweaters and
blankets, and a few toys.  My career means my hands are tied up most of the
time on a computer keyboard, but I'm hoping that being in this group will
give me fresh ideas and inspire me to carve out more time for new creations.

Can't wait to hear more about your works -- which sound absolutely lovely!
I love holding small wood objects in my hands. I don't know if the group has
a venue for members to sell their creations, but if so, I suspect you will
have a lot of customers.
Hope you don't mind that I replied to your introduction with one of my own.

I'm looking forward to knowing and learning with everyone here.
Peace,
Deborah

-----Original Message-----
From: NFB-Krafters-Korner <nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf
Of Ray Wright via NFB-Krafters-Korner
Sent: Friday, July 9, 2021 11:39 PM
To: NFB-Krafters-Korner at nfbnet.org
Cc: Ray Wright <metaltipman at gmail.com>
Subject: [NFB-Krafters-Korner] Introduction

Hello Fellow Crafters,
 Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ray Wright and I am new to this
list. I have no light perception and am  totally blind. I became blind 20
years ago from Retinitis Pigmentosa after 17 years of deteriorating vision.
I am originally from Southern California and currently live in Sandy, UTah,
just south of Salt Lake City.

My hobby/craft is woodworking. It is also my profession. I am the Woodshop
Instructor at the Utah Division of Services for the Blind and visually
Impaired. Except for taking woodshop in Junior  High School, I never had
done any woodworking since then until I went totally blind.  When I went
blind I attended a training center in Northern California to learn my
blindness skills . At that time I was reintroduced to woodworking. I fell in
love with it.  I enjoy the
artistic process  of creating something from   a board or two. When I
was sighted, my hobby/profession was photography.   I find that making
something tactilly with my hands fills that void I felt when I lost my sight
and now I can create an image of a different kind.  I also love teaching
woodworking to students who have lost their sight. It's a great way for me
to pay it forward and instill in my students that just because you can't
see, doesn't mean you can't use your vision to make beautiful keepsakes.

I have 2 favorite tools in my shop. The first one is the click-rule.
It is a specialized measuring tool for the blind. Basically, its a tactile
ruler. My other favorite tool is my lathe. I love to do woodturning and make
writing pens, bowls, vases, candlesticks, backscratchers , tops,  ice cream
scoops, bottle stoppers, pizza cutters, seam rippers, crochet hooks, and
whatever else I can think of.

Anyway, that's my basic story. I look forward to being on this list and
expanding my crafting horizons. Thanks for being so welcoming during the
convention.

All my best,

Ray

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Krafters-Korner Blog http://krafterskorner.org/ "Follow NFB Krafters Korner
on Twitter: Our Handle is @craftingblind Don't have a Twitter account? You
can still follow Krafters Korner on Twitter. Go to:
Twitter.com/craftingblind To unsubscribe, change your list options or get
your account info for NFB-Krafters-Korner:
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