[NFB-Krafters-Korner] Introduction

Sat Jul 10 14:49:35 UTC 2021

Deborah, I have known you for years at a distance. I have admired your writing. Glad to have you among us! 

RamonaOn Jul 10, 2021 5:32 AM, Deborah Kendrick via NFB-Krafters-Korner <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> 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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