Hi! I'm Kat, 36 years old and just starting to learn.

Playing the violin has been something I wanted for years, but between one thing and another, it didn't work out.

Well, recently my husband saw a used violin in a junk shop. It turned out it really was junk, he took me over to look at it, and it wasn't good. However, that encounter renewed my interest. I started looking up info on how to tell if a violin is in need of repair, and telltale signs it's probably not quality.

I found one on craigslist that was interesting. The seller said it was a "Knitting" violin, which made me laugh as knitting is another of my hobbies! I figured he must have misread the "Knilling" label, and asked to meet up to see the violin.

It is a Knilling violin, Bucharest model made in Romania. These typically sell (new) for about five times as much as I would be able to afford. There are a few cosmetic scratches, but overall, it's a real pretty little thing. I tried out playing a few notes, sure it was a bit scratchy due to, ahem, user error. But when I got a good note out, it was clear as anything.

When I told my husband what this violin sells for brand new, he figured it was a decent investment. If I don't keep playing (fat chance, I've wanted this for far too long) we can sell it for at least as much as we paid for it.