Hey Maker!

I am so excited to introduce this week's guest! Carson Demers is a Physical Therapist, life long knitter, and Author of the book Knitting Comfortably: The Ergonomics of Handknitting. 

Want to learn more?  In this conversation, Carson shares how he's worked tirelessly to study the efficiency of knitters and their working environments. 

Carson comes from a long line of craftsmen and has been around knitters for as long as he can remember. He is now a physical therapist who gets to share and teach his knowledge of the body with his fellow knitters.

Carson got involved with ergonomics through an unfortunate injury and he jokes that since the injury catalyzed this love for ergonomics, he “hasn’t come up for air since”! He shares with us how we can all be more efficient in our craft but more specifically he hones in on how to knit safely, wisely, and productively. Luckily, Carson’s injury laid the foundation for the work he does...

Hey Maker! 

Let’s get real. As artists we can tend to let our love for creating take over and thus results in our bodies being neglected. Typically, we think about this neglect in terms of our bodies anatomical structure: aches, pains and strains. But, have you ever considered neurological and nervous system affects? 

Abby Mechanic thankfully reached out about collaborating with Wellness for Makers in order to share her personal story. We met over smoothies to talk about how wood making has shaped her life. She began wood-making as a freshman in High School and went on to receive her BFA from the Maine College of Art with a concentration in Woodworking and Furniture Design. She now acts as the Manager of the Making Center at Parsons School of Design. In this role, she works closely with leadership to implement administrative support to align the Making Center objectives across all shops, labs and facilities. Outside of Parsons, Abby currently leads spoon carving...