When Life and Knitting Combine

I've never been an early riser; by nature, I'm a night owl. At my worst, during my first pregnancy, I was routinely sleeping from about 5 or 6 in the morning to mid- or late-afternoon. Lately, though, we've been sleeping with the curtains partly open and the sun has helped me to regulate my schedule to something a little more normal. Sleeping past nine, for me, is sleeping in.

This morning I awoke around my usual time, with my husband and younger son still asleep in the bed beside me (babe steadfastly refuses to sleep anywhere he can't immediately touch another human being). The quiet morning, with the soft light seeping in through the window, was a rare moment of serenity. I had a knitting project on my bedside table for a change; normally I keep them downstairs, but I'd put myself in timeout yesterday and the knitting hadn't made it to where it belonged. I did some reading, first, and said a few prayers, and then I picked up my knitting and simply enjoyed myself. I was knitting without coffee, mind you, so it remains to be seen whether I'll have to rip back, but it was one of those rare moments when knitting and life came together perfectly. I had an excuse to stay and be still--I had to act as a buffer so the baby wouldn't fall out of bed, after all--and I was grateful to embrace it.

There are advantages to being the first riser (even if it means enjoying a whole lot of coffee when you're blogging a few hours later).

In other news, I have a new camera, so bear with me while I learn where all the buttons are. Pictures may be a bit slower to show up, and a bit uglier as I get to know the ins and outs of my new friend.

At least I finally got that lens flare I was trying for, albeit through the less-than-stellar optics of our back door.

What I've Been Reading Lately: December 2017

I love reading. And I love seeing what other people have been reading. So I thought it might be fun to mention some of the books I've been loving on lately (mostly about photography, actually).

Note: I have linked to the books on Amazon.ca for convenience only. These are not affiliate links; I do not make any money from them. I recommend checking around for the best prices, or, even better, supporting your local bookstore or library. The links are just to make it easy to give them a look!

Why are there random pictures throughout this post that seemingly do not relate to anything? Because they're the (sometimes failed) result of some assignments from book number 5 on my list. This one shows you why I would really benefit from a graduated neutral density filter if I want to do landscape photography, or even photography where the scenery features prominently. It was taken at about 3:30pm but to expose for the sky--incorrectly, I may add; check out how dark the blue is--the rest of the image ended up in silhouette, making for a kind of confusing mix of light and dark. I was attempting, as another assignment suggested, to capture some lens flare, but I failed miserably at that Also, why it didn't occur to me to lower my ISO (and drop my shutter speed a bit, or better yet to open up my aperture and increase my chance of getting the flare I was seeking) remains a mystery.

 
1. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

I'm going to be honest: I thought I understood exposure before I read this book. After all, it's just about your f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO, right? Well, yes. And no. I perhaps should have considered that a book considering only those things would be a very short book indeed. I honestly don't remember much of what I learned from this book because so much of it is a concept book--it's about understanding, not memorising, and once you understand, it feels like you've known it forever. Nonetheless, I anticipate revisiting this book regularly. I highly recommend this book if you want or need to take better photographs.

Playing with some meandering lines in this one, and I do like the vaguely enchanted forest look. I don't think I got the exposure right in this one, either--further proof that I need to revisit Understanding Exposure!

2. It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War by Linsey Addario

 A fascinating account of the life of a photojournalist. That's about all I can say about it. An enjoyable, and at times difficult, book to read.

3. Bryan Peterson's Understanding Composition Field Guide: How to See and Photograph Images with Impact by Bryan Peterson

 I mean, it teaches you what the title promises. Whether any given person can or will put the knowledge to use is a different question. Unfortunately, Bryan Peterson can't make me into a good photographer. What he can do is provide me with some knowledge that will help me to better myself, if I'm willing to put in the time.

I loved the lines here, too, but I don't think I quite got the shot.

4. Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible: 260 Exquisite Patterns by Hitomi Shida

This book has received a lot of attention, and for good reason. The stitches are as beautiful as they are intimidating. Many (but not all) have a very different flavour than those you will find in your standard North American stitch dictionary.

I really need to swatch some of these, because I don't like being intimidated by knitting, and the best way to overcome that intimidation is to tackle it head on.

5. The Visual Toolbox: 60 Lessons for Stronger Photographs by David duChemin

This one is a bit more expensive (I borrowed it from my local library) but it's worth a read. The nicest thing about this book is that the lessons come with assignments--clearly-explained ways of applying concept to reality. This is a book about composition, certainly, but it also helps the reader to think about thinking--about what's going on in your head when you're taking that picture. What do you want to say with the picture? How do you want to say it? What don't you want to say?

This is pretty enough, I guess. It follows the rule of thirds. The tree line is reasonably sharp. The horizon is straight. It's asymmetrical. But it lacks any real subject or other such point of interest. And so it remains a pretty picture.

That's what I've been reading. What have you had on the go?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! May your stash be abundant and your knitted gifts finished in time!

Peace and blessings to all, today and every day!

One Skein Photo Challenge: Coming in 2018

Just a heads up--I'll be undertaking a self-devised photo challenge in 2018. The "rules" are simple:

1. Select one skein or ball of yarn
2. Photograph that skein or ball of yarn every week of 2018
3. The yarn must be the star of the photo, but there can be supporting characters
4. The yarn ball may be transformed into other things, such as a hank or a swatch

I will attempt to post my best photo here every week (is that a promise or a warning?).

If you'd like to play along, please do! You don't have to pick a ball of yarn; any single object is fine. Feel free to drop a comment down below stating your intentions, and link to your blog, of course!

Three Ways to Improve Your Knitting--by Knitting

Last time I gave you three ways to improve your knitting without actually knitting, so it only seemed fitting to follow up with three ways to improve your knitting by knitting.

1. Swatch.

Yes, I know, we all hate to swatch. But we also need to get over it. Swatching is a great way to improve your knitting, and it doesn't have to be painful. Try a new stitch pattern, or a new technique. Try out that fancy lace pattern that's in your next cardigan, so when you inevitably mess it up, you're not messing up your entire garment. Swatching is for far more than just determining your gauge (although you should use it for that, too!). It's a low-commitment way to learn a lot. You can try out different needles to see which size produces a fabric you like. You can (and should) wash and block your swatch to see how your eventual project will turn out. You can learn about the yarn--is it bouncy? does it pill if you even look at it? does it have good stitch definition?--and determine its suitability for what you want to knit. I promise, swatching is your friend.

2. Mess up, and fix it.

The day I became a truly confident and adventurous knitter was the day another knitter gently pointed out to me that I had miscrossed a cable many rows down my project. I could have left it, but I knew it would always bother me. But I definitely did not want to rip out hours of work. So I learned, out of necessity, how to unravel and re-knit cables. And I couldn't even do it with a stiff drink in my hand, because I was pregnant! Long story short, I succeeded, and I realised that I didn't need to be afraid of my knitting. I was in charge of it, and it wasn't actually rocket science after all.

So here's another use for swatching: knit something, and make a mistake on purpose (can you spot the intentionally miscrossed cable above?). Then fix that mistake without ripping out the entire thing. Maybe you want to practice dropping all your stitches from your needles, frogging a few rows, and recovering the live stitches. It's always helpful to be able to grab a dropped stitch and carry it back up again, or to change knits to purls and vice versa. If you love lace, you should definitely learn to recognise and fix a missed yarn-over on the next row. And yes, if you love cables, it is invaluable to be able to unravel and re-knit a miscrossed cable. Feeling truly adventurous? Knit a lace pattern, rip out a few rows, and see if you can get your work back on the needles without the help of a lifeline. The more confident you are in your ability to fix errors, the more confident you will be at knitting in general.

3. Change a pattern, or design your own.

The other thing that turned me into a confident knitter was designing my first pattern (see above!). It all came down to math, I realised (okay, math and some basic knitting techniques). I'd always thought that knitting designers were magical, mythical creatures--until I needed a pattern that didn't exist. When you design your own pattern, or modify one that already exists, you begin to truly understand how elements work together (or don't), how to make an item fit just the way you want it to, and how to generally be in charge of your own knitting project. You can knit exactly what you want, and there is great power in that.

What have you done to improve your knitting?

Three Ways to Improve Your Knitting--Without Knitting

Today I'd like to discuss three ways to improve your knitting when you can't actually knit. Obviously there's no substitute for working with yarn and needles, but nonetheless, it is possible to improve your knitting even if you can't work on a project at any given moment. Without further ado...

1. Take up another yarn craft.

Knitters are, I've noticed, notoriously non-monogamous when it comes yarn crafts. Many knitters also at least dabble in crochet, spinning, weaving, dyeing and/or other creative fibre arts. This is a great way to improve your knitting without even realising it. Take spinning, for example: when you spin your own yarn, you learn a lot about twist, staple length, plies, and how these affect both the nature of the yarn and the nature of your finished item. A better understanding of yarn characteristics will help with yarn substitution, fitting yarn to pattern, the best blocking and finishing techniques, and a myriad of other not-so-minor details. The yarn you use matters.

Or consider crochet. When I began to dabble in crochet, I was fascinated by how much more adept you must be at reading your crochet to successfully complete a project than you must be at knitting, and it inspired me to take an even closer look at the construction of my knitwear. In addition, crochet and knitting are often paired together in a single project, increasing the variety of patterns you can complete if you're competent at both arts.

Anytime you're working with yarn, even if you're not knitting, you can be learning something.

2. Read.

Read everything about knitting that you can get your hands on. Read about the basic formation of a knit stitch (seriously, if you understand the path each stitch takes, your knitting--and your confidence in fixing a mistake--will improve dramatically pretty much right away). Read about different types of yarn and their effects on your project. Read about different types of sheep and their effects on your yarn. Read about the construction of lace. Read about the history of knitting. Read forums and websites if you're bored online. Just read, and your knitting will thank you for it.

3. Reverse engineer, then check your work.

Like my other two tips, this is a great way to shift from simply knitting towards understanding your knitting. Pick a project for a pattern you have access to--either one you've already bought, or one that's available for free--and try to figure our how the designer made it. Perhaps you want to deconstruct the shaping in an interesting sweater. Or maybe you've found a stitch pattern that looks really cool. Examine the photos (or, if you have the sample available to you in person, so much the better), and jot down everything you notice. Once you think you have it figured out, check the pattern and compare it to your notes. Even better, if you do later have the opportunity to knit, do some swatching and see how successful you were, and what you might be able to tweak to come closer to the original.

If you have a super dedicated local knitting group, or some knit-minded friends, this could also become a geeky fun activity--have everyone make a swatch or two and bring them in to swap, and have each person try to figure out how the other swatches were made. At the end, reveal! See if you can stump each other! Give away prizes! Winner gets a free trip to Rhinebeck! Okay, maybe not, but you get the idea.

The point is, there are many creative ways to improve your knitting, even when you can't knit--so what are you waiting for?

Classic Knitting Songs: All About That Lace

Meghan Trainor might be All About That Bass, but here at k2tog, I'm...

All About That Lace

Because you know I'm all about that lace,
'Bout that lace, no cables
I'm all 'bout that lace, 'bout that lace, no cables
I'm all 'bout that lace, 'bout that lace, no cables
I'm all 'bout that lace, 'bout that lace

Yeah it's pretty clear, I ain't Steph Pearl-McPhee
But I can knit it, knit it like a true wannabe
'Cause I got that yarn yarn that all the crafters chase
All the right stash in all the right places
I see the magazines showing those patterns off
We know that sample's pinned
Come on now, make it stop
If you got handknits handknits just raise 'em up
'Cause every inch of them is perfect
From the bottom to the top

Yeah, my momma she told me don't worry about your gauge
She says, just use the needle size written on your pattern page
Now my sweater looks like it will fit on my old Barbie doll,
So, stop pointing and laughing
Just go ahead and move along

Because you know I'm all about that lace,
'Bout that lace, no cables
I'm all 'bout that lace, 'bout that lace, no cables
I'm all 'bout that lace, 'bout that lace, no cables
I'm all 'bout that lace, 'bout that lace

I'm bringing swatching back
Go ahead and tell them lazy knitters Hey
No, I'm just playing
I know it's a giant hat,
But I'm here to tell you that,
Every inch of it is perfect from the bottom to the top

Yeah, my momma she told me don't worry about your gauge
She says, just use the needle size written on your pattern page
Now my sweater looks like it will fit on my old Barbie doll,
So, stop pointing and laughing
Just go ahead and move along

Because you know I'm all about that lace,
'Bout that lace, no cables
I'm all 'bout that lace, 'bout that lace, no cables
I'm all 'bout that lace, 'bout that lace, no cables
I'm all 'bout that lace, 'bout that lace

Welcome!

Welcome to k2tog, a blog about knitting together life and yarn craft. My name is Shannon and I'm a wife, mother, knitter, amateur photographer, and knitting designer. I also dabble in spinning and crochet.

I've been knitting for as long as I can remember, although I've taken some lengthy breaks in there. I've been attempting to design knitwear for about a year and a half, and although I only have one pattern published right now, I have several coming down the pipeline.

You can also find me on Ravelry as ShannonDonald and on Instagram as @shannondonaldknits. I look forward to getting to know you!