The potential of yarn

Does the potential of yarn make it difficult for you to give it away? It does for me.
Is it easier to knit and give away the finished item? It is for me. Although finishing knitting projects take time sometimes weeks to months or years.
So in an effort to reduce the time it takes to finish a yarn project, I began dabbling in weaving using a large size pot holder type loom I put together.
Add a rigid heddle loom and it opens up a whole new way to realize the potential of yarn! Watch this space for more weaving projects.


May 2019 hat for the #WNHyearofhatsKAL2019

Knitted with Premier Chamonix® Yarn


~coffeeteaknits.com

Photography, a non knitting skill that is helpful to knitters

February Hat for the #WNHyearofhatsKAL2019
The pattern used was Fruju Hat by Deb Cunningham
Yarn: a merino bamboo fingering weight yarn by Taylored Fibers I bought few years back.

As a hobby knitter it takes me days and sometimes months to complete my  knitting projects and yet I spend very little time when it comes to taking good photographs of the knitted items. I think it’s important to spend the time to learn how to take good photographs of the knitted items to showcase them on blog sites, Ravelry or any other social media. Nowadays smartphones with good camera resolution can be used to improve photography skills. There are many resources and tips* available online on how to improve picture taking skills with a smartphone.

Here’s a general summary of some of the tips mentioned:

  • Clean the camera lens before taking any picture with a lens wipe or a microfiber cloth
  • Find a good location around the house, outside etc.
  • Lighting – as much as possible use indirect natural lighting
  • Focus camera on the item to be photographed
  • Take as many pictures to get the one that is good for posting
  • Be ready to spend quite a bit of time to get that one good photo.
  • Take time to edit photos using the photo editing tool on the phone

With lighting, location and other tips in mind I took several more pictures of the hat I knit this month for the hat knit – along. Here are the original and edited pictures of the ones I thought were the better ones.

Original Edited

I’ve learnt a few things about taking good picture taking but need to learn more including how to use the picture editing tools. The only downside to taking pictures with a smartphone is that you need to spend a bit more time removing all the pictures that didn’t turn out well!

How do you take photos of your knitted items?


* “Take better smartphone photos with these simple tips and tricks
* “How to Take Amazing Product Photos With a Smartphone


~coffeeteaknits.com

2019 and knitting hats

  • This year will be a year of knitting a hat (or two) a month,

I knit the Antler hat by Tin Can knits and added a pom pom. More details can be found on my Ravelry project page.

Hat made with two strands of sock yarn held together. More details can be found on my Ravelry project page.

  • a year to explore and learn more challenging stitch patterns,
  • and a year to continue knitting sweaters and blankets with the yarn I already have

Finished Sweaters:

Finally after two years this lingering Top down striped tunic is complete. It turned out to be different than what I had initially planned to knit. While I was not quite successful in helical striping (see more details on my Ravelry project page), I did learn how to crochet and sew the duplicate stitch. 

In the Top down moss stitch pullover, I knit a double brim collar after picking up the provisionally cast on stitches.


~coffeeteaknits.com

2018 and the year-long knit-along

My blanket for the #21 Square of the Month KAL Afghan by Hannah Wallace

Knit-along Blanket

The yarn: Lion Brand® Vanna’s Choice.*

My knit-along experience:
I enjoyed exploring many new knit stitch patterns this year. The knitted squares were joined using the flat single crochet method (a tutorial by ChemKnits). Since I made the blanket twice as big as the knit-along pattern, the blanket fits a queen size bed lengthwise but could be a little wider for a better side drape. I may add additional squares to increase the width or add more rounds to the single crochet edging.

The things I would do differently was to make sure I had all the yarn I needed before modifying the knit-along pattern and joining the knitted squares earlier rather than waiting for all of them to be completed. Knitting a square or two a month with yarn I already have is doable and great for exploring and learning many knit stitch patterns. At the end of the year there’s a completed blanket. This year was a year I learnt new stitch patterns, learnt a new joining method, tried different knitting and crocheting techniques, and took part in a year-long knit-along.

Thanks to all knitters and non knitters who read this blog.


*Click here to read about how this yarn supports the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital


~coffeeteaknits.com