In 1986 my husband was transferred to California for a one-year's stay while working for Grumman Aerospace. We settled in Brea, during which time we had five noisy dachshunds with us. Our home was on what they called a "patio-size" plot - maybe an eight acre? I had to stay home a lot to keep them quiet, so I decided to learn how to machine knit. Interest in the craft dwindled as cheap sweater imports took over and the machine manufacturers stopped producing the machines.

The craft became a passion and when we returned to New York I decided to teach it. Here I was demonstrating at an outdoor craft show, trying to drum up attendance for a continuing education class I was teaching. The lady at the machine became a student and friend and we eventually followed her to North Carolina after my husband retired.