I like making things: This is how it has to be.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

This is how it has to be.

I have just read a post on Suzy's blog. A great and detailed post about her Bond machine. She is a very talented lady who owns several knitting machines and uses them all. She has made many garments and other things on her machines. I envy her. I don't have the time I would like to spend with my machines.

I think about knitting all the time, I research a lot and read blogs etc about knitting. That is easy for me to do, my computer is in my kitchen in a custom made computer hutch. I can take five minutes here and there to do that and if I have to stop it's no big deal. I blog too because I can do that in bits and pieces.

My knitting room is upstairs and I have two machines set up in the spare bedroom. When I am up there I am in a world of my own, oblivious to anything else. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of the time to spend in there.

My husband is sick. He has a chronic auto immune disease which is very debilitating. He is currently having chemo treatment in a bid to slow it down. This takes up a lot of our time going back and forth to the hospital 150 miles away. Then on days he feels a bit better we try and catch up with the many jobs around the place that need doing.

My knitting is on a back burner. I do what I can when I can. I just have time to try things right now but not complete anything.

This is how it has to be. I am not going to grieve any more over not being able to machine knit as much as I'd like. Might have to go back to the knitting needles lol.

A life without machine knitting is much better than the alternative.

2 comments:

SusanFebruary 15, 2014 at 2:25 PM
I'm so sorry to hear this, Maureen. I hope things improve enough for you to get back to your machine eventually but of course there are more important things for you to think about right now. I realise how lucky I am.
Take care.
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maureenlthompsonFebruary 15, 2014 at 4:45 PM
Thanks Suzy.
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As in the words of Thumper: If you can't say 'nuffin nice don't say 'nuffin at all.

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Glad you stopped by

I started this blog in 2011: Ever since my Mum taught me to knit at the age of about six or seven I have made things. Back then it was doll clothes. I was also inspired by Mrs Levitt an elderly lady who had a sewing room in a conservatory type room on the back of her house. I would sit and watch her in awe as she sewed.

When I was a child living in England the school system was such that you started at 5 years, did two years in Infant School, then four years in Primary School then five to seven years in Secondary School, depending on whether you chose to stay on after fifth form to get qualifications to go to University. I can't remember much of the Infant school other than making the standard square doily thingy from fabric that had holes in it so you could embroider patterns into it. A bit like the modern day cross stitch fabric but with bigger holes and spaces to make it easy for small hands to use. I also remember with great joy getting a toy sewing machine one Christmas which sewed only chain stitch but I did make doll clothes on it and that was before I started Primary school. I do have very vivid recollections of Primary school and having sewing and knitting lessons. In Primary school I knitted gloves and made a dress from scratch hand sewing it all.

Secondary school continued on with sewing by which time I had progressed to using full sized sewing machines and was making more intricate skirts and dresses. My parents bought me a proper sewing machine when I was thirteen. I used that same machine right up until I emigrated to Canada at age forty six years.

I have always had a fascination for sewing machines and knitting machines. I bought my first knitting machine at around age twenty one from an ad in a newspaper for twelve pounds. I had absolutely no idea what one was just that I wanted one. I trundled on the bus to the address in the advert and handed over my twelve pounds having absolutely no idea what I had really bought. Fortunately it came with a manual. It was an aged Knitmaster, very basic and I loved it. I wore it out. Next was a Brother push button one which I didn't keep because it was at a time in my life when things were difficult. Later on in my life, around forty, when things were better I bought a brand new Brother punchard machine with a ribber attachment. I loved it and made many things. Life took a different turn, I moved countries twice and along the way, regrettably I sold it.

Now, through the universe's blessing I now have another machine. It is a vintage one because they stopped making them early 90's but works perfectly and I love it. So I decided to make this blog to document my knitting progress and include sewing projects.

In 2013: we embarked on a new hobby, leather-work. My husband got started with it and it drew me in. It is something we can do together. We have a workshop so have plenty of room to work. We added another workbench for me to work on in 2013. We already had one but we were tripping over each other both trying to work at it. We only make things we want to make. It is strictly a hobby. We made some things for our good neighbours who help us out a lot. I am also working on Christmas presents. So this blog now incorporates the leather-work. Knitting and sewing will always be my first love though.

Fast forward to 2023 and now age almost 75 years. I have seven sewing machines, four knitting machines, several ribber attachments and a garter carriage for one of the machines. I am blessed beyond words, but I know that I have more than enough machines to keep me going in my lifetime so I don’t think I will be adding to my collection any time soon……….unless a nice embroidery machine manifests itself very cheaply.

I am a Brit living in the USA, sometimes I spell like a Brit and sometimes like an American. Sometimes I use slang and even make grammatical errors. I blog for the pleasure of it and to record my endeavours in the event that my memory fades, as I am sure it will with more age. I will be able to look back and remind myself of the things I have made along the way. So please forgive my mistakes when reading about my life making things here in the hinterlands and I hope you get as much enjoyment from my blog as I do from reading the blogs I follow.

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Saturday, February 15, 2014

This is how it has to be.

2 comments: