At the end of my La Salonniere interview with Brenda Ponnay, I mentioned her dad, Tom McConnaughy. Tom is a trucker with a fun hobby...he knits! He specializes in slippers and has an Etsy shop. When I talked about Tom in that interview, I mentioned that he was knitting me a pair of slippers in World Champion San Francisco Giants colors, orange and black. The slippers arrived last week and I love them! Now I'm all set for Opening Day on March 31. And guess what, Tom is a Dodgers fan. California baseball fans will take you that the Giants and Dodgers are arch-rivals. Just goes to show you what a great guy Tom is. ;)
Tom's knitting was featured in a Wall Street Journal story on truckers who've taken up stitching. You can read the article here. But I have a scoop that the Wall Street Journal doesn't have: Tom's story about how he came to be a knitter. Here it is, in his own words:
My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was about seven years old. Once you learn something you don't forget it.
I guess about six or seven years ago Brenda decided she was going to learn to knit so she could make a handbag. She bought a kit from the craft store and brought it out to our home on a weekend. I said to her, "Get me some knitting needles and I think I can show you how to knit." We have a picture of Brenda and I sitting side by side. I have this half-finished yellow blanket that my wife found in her fabric closet on my lap. I said to my wife, "I'll take this yellow blanket with me on the truck. One of these days when I don't have anything to do I'll finish this off and the grandkids can have it for a dolly blanket." I found that after a long day on the road there was no better therapy than to just sit in my seat and let my mind relax while I knitted awhile. I soon started knitting scarves for anybody who wanted them. I made them for my students' wives.
One day my wife Sue said her feet were always cold in the evenings and could I make her a pair of wool slippers. So I started looking at slipper patterns and made a whole bunch of really goofy looking somethings. It took me awhile to get it right, but I finally produced a couple of slippers Sue would accept. Now several years later she still wears them to bed, kicks them off during the night and we have to go looking for them the next day. I look for lumps in the covers and sure enough I might find two pairs under there!
Thanksgiving two years ago we were at Bethany Actually's house in San Diego and I was experimenting with this Fun Fur, trying to make some slippers for Bug and Annalie. Brenda said, "Dad, you have to get that in brown and make bear paws!" So I started making them. Again, many pairs before they even resembled anything close to a bear paw. Sue suggested making claws on them, so I took some white yarn and now all the bear paws and grey wolf slippers have claws. My student suggested double thick soles.
Brenda and CC set up my Etsy shop and last Christmas I sold over $150 worth of slippers of all kinds, including to a lady from Mississippi who wanted a gold and black pair. Apparently she or her significant other are fans of the University of Southern Mississippi Eagles football team. So the orange and black aren't the first fan slippers! I sold a pair of bear paws to a lady that works at our Werner terminal in Denver. When she got home her husband took them away from her so I had to make another pair.
While my students are driving, I have to log a bunch of hours observing them. I tell them, "If I'm over there knitting, you know you're doing just fine!"
If you'd like your own pair of slippers from Tom the Trucker, head on over to Etsy.
Thanks again, Tom. I'm looking forward to rocking my orange and black slippers through another successful Giants season!
P.S. And guess who the Giants play on Opening Day? Yep, the Dodgers. ;)
LOVE those slippers. That a Dodgers fan made those for you is a real window in his soul. You're a lucky gal, Marilyn!
Posted by: mari | March 22, 2011 at 03:58 PM
Who would've thought, a trucker who enjoys knitting?! That is amazing & so darn inspiring! Awesome slippers. They'll keep you cozy when you watch your game. xo
Posted by: bella | March 22, 2011 at 04:01 PM
I love those slippers too....I've made many pairs like that as gifts for my kids....they are so nice and warm. A knitting trucker...cool.
Posted by: Joy | March 22, 2011 at 08:14 PM
What a fun interview! I love that he tells his students if he's over there knitting, they're doing just fine. :-)
Posted by: bethany actually | March 22, 2011 at 08:57 PM
i'm beginning to think everyone but me knows how to knit!!! loving your slippers. any chance you wanna share? we woke to umpteen inches of snow this morning!
xo
Posted by: lindsey | March 23, 2011 at 08:52 AM
Great slippers! And he sounds like a great guy too - love that line towards the end, "If I'm over there knitting, you know you're doing just fine!"
I love that more and more guys are taking up knitting and crocheting again (I don't remember now where I read it, but I remember reading something about crocheting at least - but I think knitting and macrame maybe, as well - being originally more of a 'male hobby' - something invented by sailors at sea with lots of rope and time on their hands). Funny how people can get so hooked on gender id, only to have it flip-flop around (thinking of how cooking/baking - used to be male-dominated, only to turn into 'women's work' and now is finally going mainstream too). Sorry if I seem to either be silent here or else running on and on. That seems to be my two modes, lately. I guess this is one of those 'on and on days.' ;)
Posted by: tinker | May 04, 2011 at 10:23 PM
My grandma taught me how to knit but all I ever did was scarves. I would like a pair of slippers! I love PJ days too!
Posted by: Sara Gregory | October 15, 2011 at 11:12 AM