Knitography
In writing my own blog and in reading other blogs about knitting and crafting I always appreciate a really good picture of a project. I like to know exactly what it will look like up close, far away, on a person, on a hanger, the list is endless. I want to be able to see as much as I can before I committ to making something. Showing off your work, however is only one aspect of photographing your projects.
I also like to photograph my projects in order to keep organized and to make the gift giving process more complete. I think that if you are going to put so much effort into anything you knit you should always try to make it easier for you to repeat your success. I can’t remember the last time I knit something and I didn’t have some sort of alteration or helpful hint that I wish I’d had before I started. I like to leave myself little notes like: ‘perhaps this would be better knit in the round’, ’use longer double points, not the little short sock ones’, or ‘add 4 extra stitches’. This way, if I repeat the pattern or lend it to a friend they or I can benefit from my experience. This is where the photograph comes in: always take a picture of the finished product to keep with your pattern. This will help you remember how the project turned out and how you will alter it next time, especially if the finished product has been given away. It’s a great way to keep everything straight and organized.
Another great use for knitography is taking pictures of your own creations. If you are making your own patterns or greatly altering the ones you have you may want to type them out and keep a picture with them. This way you won’t forget your alterations or the pattern you have created.
Yet another great use of a knit-pic is to be used as a tag. This will also work for your quilts or other crafty gifts although you might want to use a smaller picture since you won’t need to attach any yarn or buttons. You can attach your 4×6 pic to a piece of cardstock that is 4.5×6.5 and on the back you can print the care instructions, materials (is it wool, cotton, alpaca, etc). This is also a good place to attach your little extra yarn (for possible *gasp* repairs) or buttons.
This way the recipient of the gift knows exactly how to care for the gift and which garment the instructions are for. It’s a really nice finishing touch if I do say so myself!
Keeping my projects and extra yarn straight
I always find it tough to know what to do with that little bit of yarn left over from a project. I can’t throw it away, there might be a problem with the project that may need some yarn to fix it. It’s tough to remember after a while which yarn is left over from which project. It’s just plain tough to keep it all straight! So, the other day I decided to do something about it.
Step one: keeping excess yarn straight. I used a craft punch and made a bunch of tags. I then wrote the type of yarn and the project on the tag and wrapped the yarn around it. This way, if any of my knitted items get a snag or *gasp* worse, I have the right yarn and I know where it goes.
Step 2: Keeping a swatch of all my yarns. Although I, like many, am a little cheap I still think a swatch is important. I make a little stockinette stitch swatch and attach a tag with the specs of the yarn. The fiber type (cotton, wool, etc.), the needle size used for the swatch, the stitch gauge, brand and color name. It helps me to do a couple of things: keep track of what needle size I used on the last project and to remind me of what the fabric feels like when I go to choose my yarn for the next one.Best of luck keeping organized!
Craftacular Organization: The Knitting Edition
So it’s time to get my knitting paraphernalia organized! I need to find places for all of my yarn, needles, buttons, and other accessories that look neat and tidy. This new and improved knitting corner needs to be functional and pretty since it is going in my living/dining room. I began this knitting organization last year but I feel that it has begun to unravel. It’s time to spruce up the old and bring in the new. All of my knitting stuff (books included) need to fit into one bookcase so here goes nothing.
One of my favorite new ways to organize my straight needles is in a vase. When I got married this past summer my center pieces were these funky vases with lots of eclectic flower arrangements. I like the look of the needles in the vases so I don’t mind them on the window sill in the living room. Circular needles present more of a problem as they are less pleasing to the eye. So, I decided to hide them in a basket. Seems kinda disorganized but really, it’s not like they get knotted or anything.
Since I have decided to organized my knitting stuff in a bookshelf, the books pretty much take care of themselves. The yarn, however, takes up a lot of space and I am also slightly concerned about moths (I’ve never seen one in my house, or any evidence of them but I’ve read a couple of articles and now I’m totally paranoid). I decided to put my yarn in some jars that seal to keep all the yarn for a specific project together or to group the same type of yarn together. This way the yarn doesn’t become too unwieldy or knotted together (provided you are careful when you put them in the jar unknotted).
I put all of my buttons in a smaller jar to keep with the sort of jar theme. My friend Robin and I are a sucker for a cool button. We love to check out our local button store, Button Button in Vancouver, on an increasingly regular basis (can you believe there is a store just for buttons?!). But I digress. For stitch counters, stitch markers, measuring tape, cable needles, needle gauge and other little odds and ends that are frequently required I put them in a cute little makeup bag since they need to be taken off the shelf so often.
My last touches were to put some colorful yarn in a vintage cake stand and a mug. The cake stand keeps the yarn out of harms way and also makes a nice quick and colorful center piece, should I need one at the last minute. I like the look of the chunky yarn in a little mug, it’s different and kinda cool. I can’t explain, I just like it the way it combines my love of yarn and coffee somehow!Now that my yarn is all good to go, it’s time to tackle my fabric!
