Sunday, June 17, 2012

You Can't Take it With You...

I live in Las Vegas, NV, USA where it's HOT, very hot from May through September.  Each day our normal high temperature is well over 100 degrees F, yes, its a dry heat but, still HOT!  This morning before the sun started to heat things up I sat on my patio grafting toes on some socks.  I find the outside lighting the best.   Sitting next to my pond listening to the water trickle out of the stream while koi eat breakfast is very relaxing.  As I was grafting, my mind started to wander...

Over the years I have met some very wonderful machine knitters. They have shared things with me and me with them.  Not too long ago a very nice woman from California saw I was listed as a "Knitting Buddy" in the UK publication "Machine Knitting Monthly."  She had some questions about her Brother electronic and sent me an email as she was having carriage and programming issues.  We emailed back and forth & I ended up sending her a carriage, yarn masts, and extension rails.  She offered to pay me but I refused.  Then she offered to pay me for the shipping, again, I refused.

Very recently, I read on another machine knitting blog a woman had just purchased a 4-color yarn changer.  She had some issues with the seller and did not have the punch cards.  I contacted her then emailed the scans of the punch cards she was looking for.  She was so tickled I did that (so was I).

Then I started to think a bit more, isn't that the same thing teachers do?  They share their "knowledge" with others?  I am no teacher, but I do share what I know and have learned.  In addition I send people what they need if I can.  Why?  Guess part of me thinks it's fun to make people happy, the other part of me wants our craft to continue on and flourish.  Trust me, I am not thinking "It will come back to me 10 fold."

Example:  A friend of mine who I am sure you know, Diana Sullivan, teaches machine knitting and all the knitting machine techniques that she can.  As you know there are plenty of her videos free of charge on YouTube or you can purchase the DVD and books from her blog/website.  Do you really think she "makes" money doing this?  Think of her valuable time (she has a rewarding full time job), the equipment she needed to purchase to make the videos, the supplies (DVD's to burn, books to make, mailing envelopes, postage and etc.).  She does this for the love of the craft and to help people; not the money.

So, what's in it for me?  Not a thing other than making people smile.  Recently and unexpectedly, I received well over 50lbs of coned yarn from another machine knitter (who also sells supplies for our craft).  She, when I asked why she was sending me the yarn simply stated, "I know you will make nice things and give them to charity!"  She did not ask me to pay for anything...WOW!

Please share your knowledge, your techniques, send some one something they are looking for.  You can email patterns, punch card designs, manuals (PDF's) and etc.  Promise you will make friends along the way and it feels so darn good too!

As the title says, "You Can't Take it With You!"


7 comments:

  1. Condivido tutto Tom anch'Io cerco di insegnare il più possibile perchè non portiamo niente con Noi almeno qualcunaltro hà imparato

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  2. Vanda, is Italian, she has said: Tom, I agree with everything and she tries to teach all she can as when she's gone it will carry on.

    That is my loose translation from the Italian I understand.

    Thanks Vanda!

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  3. Tom, you're so right! Life is about much more than making money! Sharing, kindness and empathy, will always be more fulfilling!!! :-)

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  4. I've just got a machine (Brother KH836 & assorted paraphanalia)as i've been handknitting for years, but fancied having a go on a machine for a change (!) I am blown away by the information available, and have found Diana's videos really useful. I'm in the UK and although we do have guilds and groups there are none very near me, the internet has been the most wonderful resource, and I hope that it means machine knitting will be around for a long time in the future. It's a good companion to hand knitting. This weekend I made socks!!!! - I'm very chuffed with myself, and I did it all with help on various blogs and internet sources. So for one I'd like to say thank you to everyone who shares information, help, tips and tricks and a little bit of machine knitting love

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  5. Auntie,
    That's exactly what I am hoping. If we all share to help other and our craft will get stronger and live on. If I can ever help you let me know. And don't you think socks done up on the machine are the best!?!?

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    1. Thank you. I love handknitting socks, but to be able to run a pair off so quickly was fab. Only trouble I'm having at the moment is my eyesight!! - Picking up a dropped stitch in dark blue sock yarn was apparently never going to happen! LOL.

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    2. EEK! That just happened to me. Using a dark blue self striping yarn I was knitting circular after short rowing the heel, the yarn wound itself into a knot. So, I was ripping back when the edge stitch dropped. I was so slick reforming the stitch and rehanging; happily I continued to knit the foot and toe.

      Well, when I released the sock from the machine I noticed I had missed one of the ladders. I was in no mood to rip it out, rewind and redo, after all they were just for me.

      Socks are made very quickly on the standard machine with ribber, you can whip out a pair in about 45 minutes without rushing.

      During the week I will make socks then on my weekend I sit down early in the morning, graft the toe and sew the side seam as I sip my coffee.

      I too like hand knitted socks but, I love machine knitted ones!

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