Member Biography: Carol F. Mason Metzger

When did you first start knitting/why?

I was nine, and I cannot remember why, except that I fell in love with the rainbow variegated acrylic yarn at the local Woolworth’s and needed to use it.

Who taught you to knit?

Grade school classmate Stanton Kramer’s mother. Later, Judith Cody (then secretary of the lace guild) re-taught me and helped me get it right. Many books.

Do you knit English/American style, German/Continental style, backwards? Left-handed? Eastern cross method? Peruvian-style? please describe.

Usually German/Continental, with the occasional use of English/American; both for fairisle.

Do you have a knitting philosophy, and what is it. What helped you form your philosophy?

Follow your bliss. Process means more to me than product, but I only use the rules to get me where I’m going, not the other way ‘round. Early on, I was moved by “the Triple Goddess of Knitting”: Zimmermann, Walker, Righetti. Later enjoyed Creative Machine Knitting by Linda Mendelson and Mark Dittrick and The Prolific Knitting Machine by Catherine Cartwright-Jones.

Have you ever taught someone to knit?

Yes

What is your very favorite knitting book and why?

Got to be Knitting Without Tears. It “screwed my courage to the sticking place.” Made me feel that there was nothing I could not or should not do.

Do you knit for a living/have your own business? Tell us about it. Yes.

My first try at knitting for a living was in the ’80s. I was a member of Artisans 21 for a few months and sold a few pieces of wearable art. I started CFM Designs in the ’90s. There were fits and starts. Since November 2005, I’ve taught knitting and done sample knitting for My Sister’s Knits in Beverly. One piece sold at DEPART –ment in December. I opened an Etsy store (http://cfmdesigns.etsy.com) in February 2006 (no sales to date). Two of my patterns, the Aran Tam and the Gold Lamé Beaded Bag, have been accepted for publication in a book due out this fall: One-Skein Wonders (Paperback) by Judith Durant, Storey Publishing, LLC (October 30, 2006), ISBN: 1580176453

What projects are you working on now?

Pi shawl begun in the mid-’80s. Expect to finish by July. This year. Lace sampler scarf for a class in September. Fuzzy acrylic bathrobe for Steve (DH). Mittens for me. Cable intarsia sweater for Cody the very large golden retriever. Original shaped bag for felting. “Sushi Wallet” for store sample. Assorted other UFOs.

What is your very favorite yarn?

Jaggerspun Maine Line 2/8 wool.

What is the best thing you ever knit?

It’s a tie between the pseudo-Bohus wool vest and the knitweave intarsia kimono vest. Oh and let’s not forget the möbius stripper costume.

What is the worst thing you ever knit?

Probably the summer car trip tank top in yellow bulky textured synthetic with an intarsia shape in magenta synthetic smack in the middle of the front. Fast to knit, impossible to wear. Too hot for summer, too skimpy for winter, too loud for polite company. Ugh! That was the year I worked at Michaels and had easy access to the closeout bins <g>.

Why do you like to knit?

It’s a lot less messy than oil paint.

When do you knit?

When there are no distractions. Often from about midnight until 6 a.m.

What is your favorite part of the knitting process?

Conceptualization and swatching new ideas.

How long have you been knitting?

Over 40 years.

What do you like about our guild?

It is a very strong gathering of talent and organization. If you are familiar with The Artist’s Way, coming to a meeting is like going to the well.

Do you engage in other Fiber Arts?

Yes. Over the years I have tried to make art out of cloth, thread, needlepoint, beads; lots of stuff in addition to yarn.
 

 

Page updated: 03/14/2007