Having fallen in love with Tasmania on a short visit in 2001 we decided that this is where we’d like to spend our retirement and in 2003 took the giant step and moved over here. (We’re very fortunate as our son and daughter with their respective partners and children have joined us here.) I’ve been an avid machine knitter since the 80s and had accumulated a large number of magazines and yarn. I had to decide what to bring and what to leave so I selected only about six magazines and the best of the yarn (which was four very large cartons). The rest I’m afraid found its way to the local charity shop. Since coming out here we’ve made some amazing life changes and have been incredibly busy but my machines have always been there and I’ve knitted the occasional sweater.
At first we had a property with about 15 acres of pasture so with the help of a friend we purchased half a dozen cows and bred calves. I’d never have believed that one day I’d be guiding a large black bull down into a paddock with the help of just a stick! My husband unfortunately has had some health problems so in 2007 we downsized to a more manageable property so once again I found myself sitting at my knitting machines.
Then I hit a problem and didn’t know where to turn but a search on the net soon found the Hobart Machine Knitters group which I was very pleased to join. We meet once a month and exchange ideas, tips and patterns. I had a Brother 950i and a Pfaff E6000 but I decided to sell my E6000 as it seemed very heavy to use and my back didn’t like it. I found a buyer through the group but of course lived to regret selling it.
One of the other members had been lucky enough to find several machines at the recycling shops and offered me an old Pink Passap. This has turned out to be the best thing that could have happened as, although it is old and the beds are discoloured, it still knits like a dream. I must admit though, that I miss being able to program a pattern into the computer and just get on with it. I have to sit down with paper, pencil and calculator and write a pattern now. Thank goodness for the magic formulae. Unfortunately we can’t buy machine knitting yarn here in Tasmania. I’ve managed to purchase some 2/30s from mainland Australia but all the lovely yarns you have there are just not available locally. I’ve been on UK websites and drooled over all those lovely yarns, but the cost of shipping it out here makes it too expensive. In the meantime I’m working my way through my four cartons, much of which is industrial, with some Hobby and Silky plus small amounts of allsorts.
I’ve just knitted a version of the Design Line knitted blouse by Rita Rubery in the December 1994 issue! I’m really looking forward to receiving MKM soon and even if I can’t get the right yarn hopefully I’ll be inspired to make my own version of your patterns. I hope I haven’t bored you to death with the above but thought you might like to know why someone was obviously reading very old magazines. Kind regards from Anne Hull in Tasmania.
