[Nfb-krafters-korner] Friday's questions

[Blindhands at aol.com]

Do you take classes?  
I have taken some classes and I will comment on 2 of them.  I took a  felting 
class at my local yarn shop.  I preferred having it on an evening  during the 
week and it was scheduled on a Saturday afternoon.  So they told  me if I 
could get 2 other people to sign up for the class they would run a  condensed 
version in the evening.  It was condensed because the other class  was 2 sessions 
and they were willing to do only one session in the  evening.     I got my 2 
sighted friends to sign up for the  class.  These are my friends that I 
usually knit with.  It was a bit  awkward in the beginning of the class because the 
teacher was trying to figure  out how to teach someone that could not see.  We 
were knitting with  circular needles in the round and that is something I 
have done many times  before.  Since the teacher was spending a lot of time 
looking over my  shoulder, she missed that my friend had twisted the stitches when 
she joined it  into a circle.  We finished our bags and took them home to 
felt.  The  class was $40 and the yarns and needles were $120.  It was an 
expensive  night out!
 
The other class I would like to tell you about was that I searched all over  
as I had hopes to get a knittting machine.  I found a teacher and a driver  
that was willing to drive me  the 45 minute ride away and I ventured out to  
learn how.  I had also agreed to purchase a knitting machine from her,  too.  I 
spent around 3 hours in her studio and sat back and listened to her  
information on knitting machines.  She had previously told me she knew a  lady that had 
a blind daughter that the mother taught her how to use the  knitting machine 
and set her up in business making things on the machine.   She told me she was 
in contact with the lady to get advise how to teach a blind  person.  Out of 
that 3 hours I maybe had my hands on the machine 15  minutes.  So after 2 hours 
and 45 minutes she finally showed me how to  thread the machine.  
 
I had made plans on returning the ffollowing week and pick up the machine I  
was purchasing and sit in for other lesson.  She had explained  to me  that 
the training on the machine would include the use of the ribbers and  machine 
and the use of the punchcards.  since we only got the machine  threaded I was 
hoping the following lesson would cover a lot more.
 
My emails to her for making arrangements for the next lesson was no  replies. 
 I called her up in the following weekend and she asked me what I  thought 
was included in the lessons.  I repeated what she had told  me.  She told me 
that it would take a lot longer then 2 classes for me to  learn and if I wanted 
to continue I would have to pay her.  She also told  me she thought it would 
run $1000 just for the lessons and the knitting machine  with the stand was 
costing me $1400.  She would not schedule another lesson  and told me to think 
about it.  I had wanted to take another class from her  on making a sweater.  Her 
charge for that was $150 which included the  yarn.  I believe if she was more 
aggressive in teaching and allowed me to  hands on the machine I would have 
that machine home and me making some wonderful  things on it.  I have not 
totally given up and I hope to find another  teacher willing to teach a blind 
person.  Actually I am meeting up with a  knitting machine teacher next Wednesday.  
I will let you all know how I  make out.
 
 
 
 
I find out a lot with my researching on the computer.  I have joined  lists 
and have learned a lot from other folks on the lists.  They take the  time to 
answer your questions and you can usually find a friend that is willing  to 
take the extra time to explain off list.
 
With all this information available online sometime you just can't find  good 
verbal directions.  I have been in search for how to spin with a  Navaho 
spindle and they just don't put enough words there for me to have a good  enough 
mind's eye view.
 
Joyce



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