Margret knits, every day, with real passion. Even though she can barely see anymore, years of handwork guide her fingers over the stitches as if on their own. She knits with cotton-and-wadding yarn on large circular needles, and calls it herself "addictive". A second passion from Margret's life: for 14 years, she and her husband hand-sewed teddy bears together, which were sold at the Christmas market for a good cause.
Used programs:
After spending a lot of time with Margret and getting to know her better through participant observation and talks, it turned out that the project was to be related to her greatest passion: knitting, which is also one of her most important resources. At the same time, I wanted Margret to be able to relive the positive experience she'd had selling soft toys.
In a joint workshop, using a tutorial we found online, we discovered a principle: a stuffed animal can be knitted from simple rectangles. Margret got straight to work: real cuddly toys now emerge from her rectangles. The division of labor came about naturally: one person casts on the stitches, the other sews the pieces together at the end and adds eyes and a small scarf.
The system has proven itself in everyday use: production is running smoothly. We're currently looking for someone who'd enjoy this simple but, as Margret would put it, "addictive" knitting work in good company.
One key challenge: how does Margret, without being able to see, keep track of which piece she's currently knitting? The answer: a bag system where she can feel whether it's the head or the body inside the bag. This way, Margret always knows right away what she's working on. A nice side effect: this step can now also be taken over by someone outside the project.
Maybe the first little animals will already show up at this year's Handorf Christmas market. At the same time, we're considering expanding the range with small variations on the ears to create additional animal types.
