It's a Stitch Up

I wanted the photography for my first paid-for pattern to be special, so I enlisted the help of a couple of talented friends; model and actor Kathryn and photographer and studio lighting enthusiast Joseph Hughes. We headed for Hampstead Heath, which had been transformed by a blanket of powder into the most incredible winter-wonderland I’d ever seen. This was my first shoot with studio lighting, I was amazed at the difference it made. Although this is an advanced technique it was much easier than I’d thought and I wanted to share the basic principles. Read full post…

I’ve always been put off dyeing yarn because my experience of dyeing fabric is that it’s either expensive (with machine dyes) or messy (with vat dyes). However, the temptation to dye my new silk tops for spinning was just too great: enter the Kool Aid. Read full post…

I love fine gauge yarns, but it’s always nice to see the instant results that you get knitting super-chunky yarn on big needles. Chunky yarn gives you the freedom to experiment, knowing that you can re-knit in no time if it doesn’t work out.

There are some lovely patterns around for Rowan Big Wool, but it’s not the cheapest, or softest, or most hard-wearing yarn in the world, so I decided to check out the alternatives. Read full post…

In part 1 I discussed some camera basics and tips for setting up your shoot. In this post I’ll look at how to address some common problems using camera settings and low-cost equipment. Read full post…

We knitters like to photograph our creations for lots of reasons; to share on blogs, to keep a record and of course to self-publish patterns. Photographing garments is tricky as the techniques involved fall somewhere between fashion, product and portrait photography. These are studio-based disciplines, and not suited to the point-and-shoot ethos. Read full post…

I have often looked longingly at pictures of neatly wound yarn on Ravelry after spending hours standing over an upturned table, fending off two cats while hand-winding metre after metre. The thought of hand-winding 900 m of Colinette Jitterbug was actually deterring me from using it, so it was time to invest in a ball winder. Read full post…