‘The Tool Does Not Create, The Artist Does’

Author, designer, knitter, teacher Regine Faust, ‘met’ in an old bookshop amid heaps of pattern books and leaflets. Her voice still speaks.

A spiral-bound book that features a black-and-white photo, a course about machine knitting chock full of helpful tips and charts suitable for handknitting. Also, this praise from Singer Company of Canada Ltd., “Singer takes great pride in its eight-year association with Regine Faust, one of the foremost pioneers in the field of knitting machines in both Canada and the United States. Throughout this period, she has played an important role in the company’s outstanding expansion in this market area.”

Franklin Mill Store, $66.50 is handwritten on the top printed label affixed to the book. There is another bright yellow -orange clearance sticker below, but only a remnant that remains of the markdown. That is not the price paid, of course.

“How old is this skill? Pieces of knit have been found in old Egyptian tombs. Sailors and shepherds around the world have used the technique long before it became a household craft,” Faust writes. Having not ever used a machine to knit, and not likely to any time soon, her words are valued for the love of craft that is contained within the pages.