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Pioneering Women
As part of our history, we honour and thank the women (and men) who have pioneered the way before us.
Read, listen and watch some of the women who helped shaped Macknit and machine knitting in NSW.
Jean Ford
Jean Ford represented Singer as one of the 3 Co-ordinators and tutors at the inaugrual NSW Machine Knitting Seminar in August 1982. Jean was a founding member of NSW Machine Knitters for many years. She became a pioneer in bringing machine knitting into the Australian home with a 10 part mini series "Knitting Pretty with Jean Ford" aired on television.
Jean Egan
Jean Egan was a machine knitter and designer in Sydney NSW. She ran her own business designing couture for women, importing yarns, and supplying exclusively through a few select stores in NSW. Annually Jean would hold her Spring Fashion Parade to showcase her upcoming winter range, designed to stay fashionable for a few seasons. Watch her guest appearance on tv including a mini fashion parade of her lovely knits.
Fay Butcher
Fay Butcher was a founding members and the first President of the newly formed NSW Machine Knitters Association in 1985.
Fay was employed as a Passap representative.
More to come
Eleanor Goldfinch
Eleanor Goldfinch represented Passap, as one of the original 3 co-ordinators and tutors at the inaugrual NSW Machine Knitting Seminar in August 1982. She went on to be one of the founding members of Macknit.
Over the years Eleanor has been an active member on the Macknit committee holding various roles including President ? June 1995?, Secretary, Treasurer.
Althea Lutz
Althea said her main passion was machine knitting and she became a regional delegate for the old phone code area "068" Central West, and Dubbo/Peak Hill macknit members in the late 1980s.
Algthea produced fine merino wool on her Minore farm "St Andrews" which she used in her garments. She was a teacher at Western Sydney Adult Education Centre for spinning and dyeing, as well as knitwear design and contruction for the Fibre Craft Co-operative of NSW.
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Althea wanted to be able to take the skills being taught at the Sydney Machine Knitting Seminars, and pass them onto rural members/knitters, who were unable to attend. After receiving unanimous support from the seminar "Delegates" who owned the work, in 1989, with a dotmatrix printer, typewriter, pen and photocopier, she published the Delegates Magazine (later Downunder Machine Knitting) to do just that. She continued to publish 18 editions up until 2000.
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Click here to read the first edition.
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Bev Hales
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Bev was the face behind Maggie Macknit, a segment in the Macknit quarterly Knitters Knotes newsletter. Giving advice, answering questions and passing on hints and tips from Macknit members.
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Click here to read the first Maggie Macknit article.
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Joyce Marshall
Joyce was the driving force behind the first machine knitting seminars in Sydney. She was a key original member in the Seminar Committee and one of the delegates presenting.
Prior to Macknit, Joyce was running her own Machine Knitting club from her home teaching many women, and across the different brands of knitting machines.
The article shows Jean's club hosting Etsuko Yiko, a Singer Representative all the way from Japan.
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