3 Things about Knit for Food Knit-athon

 

1) It's soon!   Saturday  FEBRUARY 12 2022 , organized by designer Laura Nelkin who has tons of info if you click on that logo above or here

 Knit for Food Knit-a-thon is a 12 hour knitting marathon on February 12th, 2022 to raise funds and awareness for food insecurity. The money we raise will be equally divided between Feeding America, World Central Kitchen, No Kid Hungry, and Meals on Wheels.

 Last year, when Laura tried this for the first time, the Knit-a-thon raised more than a quarter million dollars. How amazing is that? 

Baby Fern Lake in Berroco Remix

2) It's virtual yet communal. You join other knitters (or makers, you're not boxed in) for a 12 hour 10am-10pm creative marathon  while zooming with all sorts of entertainments/blab/presentations going on .   I mean, you can do this by yourself without being online at all, or join with friends, or you can pop in for part of the time...last year I was a presenter and had a blast.  You can participate by forming a team to fundraise or join an existing team ....check out the fundraising link for details. 

Fern Lake Blanket in Berroco Lanas

3) This calls for just the right project, does it not? Yup, you get a bonus cast-on rationalization. Here's my main suggestion for Knit-athon-ing :  Baby Fern Lake,  top picture above, it is a free pattern from that link.  I am cranking mine in Berroco Remix because I really like this yarn, it's machine wash /dry and I love the colors and its tweedy rustic-y look.  There's a fourth color too,  not shown- it's a sweet light pink. New girl arriving in March :-)

This project is ideal for screen watching or sitting around yapping or zoom knitting--a slip stitch pattern, 4 row repeat and flies by in that satisfying way as the colors switch  without having to think too hard or get too sloggy with it.

If a baby blanket isn't your jam right now, there's the original grownup version, Fern Lake Blanket,. TBH I fell in love with it when I photographed it like this for the pattern a while ago, it's waffle-y in the soft wool yarn. Can't go wrong with this one.

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Don't forget the 1st Saturday in February is Ice Cream for Breakfast Day! Grab your pint and spoon.  I'd hoped to have a big open house for the occasion this week however still plenty of covid around so....next year!

Brite Stripes Scarf Kit= happy knitting

 

 I may have made my favorite scarf photo ever! This was the last frame shot from the photo shoot for The Yarnery,  Brite Stripes Kit, in October.   The scarf feels so exuberant  that I wanted to see if we could catch that vibe.

The kits released yesterday .  I am thrilled ot share these, shot on a handball court in Brooklyn. I kind of love the location as a street studio setting. And I lovvvvve these models, Martine McKinney and Ariana McLean.  

 

The yarn is pretty fabulous as well--it's knit in solid colors of Snefnug and a skein of self striping Lang Cloud yarn.  It's bulky gauge knitting  although very light and airy. I am crazy about the Snefnug because the colors, I mean take a look. And also that name, it sounds like a funny sneeze. It means snowflake in Danish.

 This is a candidate for another Treat Yo'self project--and I say that as someone who feels the urge to knit a long scarf pretty much NEVER.  It would fly.

3 things on My So-Called-Mind

The surreal beauty down the street this month  boggles my mind. How is nature drumming up crazy storms with brilliant light and rainbows at the same time as the misery of a pandemic deadly virus ?

Thing # 1 my so called mind itself:  I don't know about you but this whole quarantine situation has me so scattered, I can't get to everything I intend to in a given  day  hour  minute .... I’m halfway through one effort and COMPLETELY lose focus before I finish it. I was going to give you some examples but....can’t remember which I was thinking of....
 Let's talk knitting.

 Thing 2  After 6 weeks of weird comfort in bobbles and mohair, I'm ready to return to my true love, garment knitting.  First up will be Lavallette by Mary Lou Egan.

She's so friggin' clever, that Mary Lou. This looks like lace on top but it's that 80's throwback, condo knitting.  I'm going to make mine in a yarn  that's a Mary Lou fave, Holstgarn Coast. It's 50/50 wool cotton, very economical and  so many colors. 

I chose Fig, thinking I was stepping away from my usual palette. Then it arrived and I took a look at my sweatered arm, shown above, in Malabrigo Rios Pearl Ten-- and at the Fig right out of the envelope from The Yarnery. Ha! Not so different! Tomorrow I swatch it, my reward for making it till May.

Thing 3) Using a new app My lovely client Berroco asked me to do a guest blog of photo tips for shooting your knits on an Iphone/Smartphone. I am always seeking distractions from my distraction! It was a great chance to play with the Jumprope app, so I made this little piece.

It's  5 minutes long. I learned a lot making it. Let’s just say it took a lot of takes to come up with passable narration. I am a long way from comfortable in front of the camera. The sequencing and editing is fun. It may not be the last instructional I make this year. Let me know what you think of the paper cup trick!

* if that's hard to watch small, you can click on a little icon in it that looks like a window as it plays and it'll open larger in another window---or you can go see it on IGTV, linked from my instagram account*

3 recos for March projects

So here we are in March. It's s really not spring...but we're really tired of winter. And winter clothes, and winter projects and winter-looking gray trees.  Not to mention the news and  public health challenges. So what's a knitter gonna do? Put down that project that's become a slog and live a little. Cast on.  What to knit, you ask? I've got three good ideas for what we want--no NEED- in our March knits!  (all photos by me, in case you wonder)

 1) We want a fabulous new sweater. A March sweater project has to be quick, for the satisfaction of wearing it this season. And it must be stylish yet comfy like fabulous pajamas, because after months of wearing sturdy pullovers, we need some swish.   I nominate Keeler, made in this Ultra Chunky Wool.   

I have wanted to knit one since we did this photo shoot last fall.
The pocket and deep split curved hem remind me of a dearly departed vintage handknit of my great grandmother's, that I wore through college and into my 20's, till it was in tatters. I've dreamed of replacing it and have never seen a simlar pattern, This one comes close.

2)We want something lightweight-chic  to wrap around our neck now AND to wear over our shoulders with a sundress in May.    So  Hazelbrook in Quinoa does the trick. (sidenote: aaagh! look at the color options from that yarn link--it's a mostly cotton thick and thin pebbly yarn that's worsted weight) 

I knit a Clapotis in a linen-y blend a mere 15 years ago (really?), and it has gotten more outings in more seasons than almost anything else I've knit. Hazelbrook could  to do the same. Plus--that stitch?! So pretty.

3)We want new hats, fast hats!   Because it'll cheer us up right away. I wouldn't  necessarily go for the grey yarn shown but that chunky yarn and style are straight from the Let's Make the Best of March playbook  Added  bonus, it's a free pattern from Berroco newlsetter.   It's Yawl, in Catena, which is bulky and soft and luxurious feeling but most importantly, the bulky . 
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 NOTE:  These are all Berroco yarn patterns, and it just happens two are deisgned by Amy Christoffers. I am a huge fan of her style. I photograph these knits months ahead of release, and often fall for some of the 80 or so patterns that flash before my eyes as we move rom one yarn line to another, and various locations, over 4-5 days.  It's fun to see them release and fall in love with them again.

This is secretly a Three on Thursday post (I know, day late) and you can find more of them linked to Carole's post every week as in that link. Also  Beverly Army Williams and Cal Patch are in on this too. Drop over and give them a gander!

3 things about needing color!

I don't know about you but even with the frigheningly mild winter we've been having here on the Connecticut shoreline, I am craving color and light.  Three thoughts on this.

1) Images that looked too bright and colorful last summer look fabulous this week! I was pulling some images for a presentation and revisited this Nash Island sheep.  This image that I'd rejected as not quite right when I shot it suddenly is my new favorite sheep photo (for the moment.). 

 2) Colorful projects are irresistible.  On a whim I knit a hat to include in a gift box for some tiny cousins. I fell in love with this Urth yarn when I popped into Knit New Haven. I wanted something bright and cheery and soft and self striping.With no color decisions needed.

Except as I started knitting,  it was screaming Christmas Elf to me. It's just a little hat and all the stripes were shades of red/green. So I ended up cutting out a large chunk of the yarn until the colors shifted to something that said Cheerful Kid in Spring.  This yarn is pretty fabulous, btw-- and the company plants a tree for every skein sold, which you gotta love.

This is the colorway of the yarn thought I thought I bought, as sort of modeled in the shop sample by my favorite stripe-enabler 8 year old. I may have grabbed the wrong colorway.  Or the hand dyeing went greener in my skein. It's all good!

And there is more than enough yarn for a definitely-not-christmas hat for Zoe . The pattern is On the C Train, it's one-one rib.  As a thrower it's usually an annoying  stitch for me to sustain. I've been knitting two handed on those coins all winter and realized I could whip through the ribbed hat if I held the yarn in my left hand and knit it combination style.  So it's been a fun little distraction and I'm on the combination ribbing team from here on in. 

 If the one-one ribbing looks good to you too here's another one , the Basic Chic Ribbed Beanie which I would have knit, had I recalled that I'd bought the pattern and had it waiting for me in my Library!  Advantage it's already graded for different size heads, while the pattern I knit had to be sized down. Not brain surgery but...sometimes it's nice to know someone else did the figuring for you, y'know?

 3) A fabulous shawl to work in whatever colors bring you some late winter joy is Marblehead.  I shot this for Berroco in the fall and fell for it. At the time I was thinking muted greys  -- it's a great design to play with color and still have something light and flowy thanks to the stitch. The yarn is UltraWool Fine , which is really lovely yarn  and will not break the bank. Now of course I want it in color, color, color.

Closer look at the stitch and our model's smile. Do you like seeing this model? She's Betsy,  a real person, who works as a yarn rep, a flight attendant....and coaches a cross-country track team. And sh'es a grandma!   I adored working with her. If you like seeing women with silver hair and some laugh lines modeling,  drop an email to Berroco and let them know you approve of seeing models such as Betsy. It surprised me to learn that  yarn companies and magazines and book publishers often hear blazingly nasty and mean comments about models , but rarely receive positive feedback. And, they take it to heart! 
Ok, done with my PSA.

What kind of color are you looking at this week ? And what form is it taking?

3 things I've found this week

1) More wristrulers.  I've been the wristruler's biggest fan since spying one a few years ago. I may also be the wristruler's biggest loser (heh). They disappear! I go through periods when things, not just bracelets, vanish at an alarming rate. It's usually a sign I'm on overload. Or the planets are askew. But then I go through periods when lost items start reappearing in unexpected places. I accept this as the ebb and flow of my life (and belongings).*

I thought I was down to just one simple brown one. Then, last weekend at Vogue Knitting Live**, I was thrilled to see a denim blue wristruler, handstained by Catherine Clark for her Brooklyn General Store. It looks indigo and improved my wrist jewelry game by 100%.

On Monday while prepping for a photo shoot that required going through a lot of equipment storage bags, my orange wrist ruler reappeared! I was sure this souvenir from Portland OR was gone for good.  The photo above is  from when I bought it at  Twisted ,where I found the full monty of wristrulers on display. Metallics too-just not in this shot. 

2.  The  yarn I'd been seeking  to go with the variegated Once Upon a Corgi ***skein you see uptop.  I had a single yarn goal VKL: find a handdyed, semi solid coordinating skein . The stunning blue is Neighborhood Fiber Company . Magaly of Heart and Spirit in Atlanta was at the booth and led me to the right choice. If she's your LYS in Georgia you are one lucky peach. I plan to make a fun cowl  that has both bobbles in solid and garter stitch fuzzy variegated yarn, something different to amuse me this winter.

3. My feminist outrage . Ok, it was never lost but I rarely need to express it on a job these days. Tuesday, setting up for a corporate photoshoot, my crew and I needed to move a large airplane propeller mounted on wheels.****  I had free rein to set up the space. I also carry excellent business insurance should a mishap occur.  Let's also go with the premise that  I am competent as a location photographer and wouldn't choose to move something that I thought we couldn't handle. 
We realized we needed just one extra set of hands to steer it.  We being myself and my two assistants. They are both strong younger women.  Carla is a former Army sargent who has done things much tougher than rolling a propeller on wheels across a flat cement floor.  We summoned the man in charge of the building, who looked at us and said "well I need help to roll this."  
I replied " Yup! There  are three of us here, let's go". 
He looked back at us and said--"no, I won't move this with you, go get a couple of guys "

WHAT?
 The three of us stared at him in silence for a beat or two. Both assistants needed to take in what they were hearing. I heard it loud and clear. There's absolutely NO WAY I was going to interrupt the film crew dudes setting up in another space to ask for unnecessary help -- and there was also no way I was going to shrug and walk away.  I very very badly wanted to simper " Oh my! Are our vaginas getting in the way of rolling this???" .
 But this is an important gig to me-- I kept my mouth shut. 

Behind the scenes photoshoot  view (not with propeller)-photo by Carla McElroy

I left and explained the problem to the man representing the department I was working for.  He was with the all male film crew.  THEY WERE AS APPALLED AS I WAS!   My client joined us and we ladies all moved the propeller. And cracked jokes on it all day. That is a sea change from when I started working as a photographer so...all good. Allies!
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* I still use and recommend  knot tying to find a lost item (tie a knot in something you are wearing, is how I was taught)  and I borrow St Anthony from my friends' faith when needed.

** VKL was packed!  Thrilled to report the knitters economy seem to be holding strong. Real wool and farm sourced yarns showed up big--and while lots of gorgeous hand dying was there, in all hues, I saw less super contrasty magenta and citron with black speckles than in the past couple of years. The sweater I saw in droves was Felix, followed by Love Note and then Ranunculus. 

***Once Upon a Corgi is my LHD (local hand dyer) and a lovely person. Check her out if you haven't come across her yarn at a show or shop.

****This wasn't a handknit or yarn photo shoot. You may have already guessed that ;-).

3 things for a new year

1) Blogging, I've missed you!  Start as you mean to go on, etc!   This is a favorite image from last year, from a Berroco yarn photoshoot for Providence yarn, a tweedy soft wool/alpaca/silk  I really loved shooting. We did all the photographs in Providence, RI at an old manufacturing building that's now Hope Artiste Village-- which is a nice touch, right?  

2) I still shoot sheep shots. Any chance I can! These ladies, above, are some of the wild island sheep I return to every year, on Nash Island Maine, to help my friend Jani Estell of Starcroft Yarn with her roundup and shearing. I play a very small role in the annual event, but it holds a large space in my heart.  

Parade on Nash Island.  It's a little misleading-- you only see this kind of scene at roundup for a split second as they are finally brought in by our human chain around the island, and walk briskly into the corral -- usually this tiny island appears to have no sheep at all - they are shy and good at hiding in the hillocks. The only other time is right at dawn, if you are lucky enough to make camp for the night.

I photographed many sheep and goats and farmers and shepherds in 2019, working with the Hudson Valley Textile Project in New York state. I'm looking forward to more adventures with them, and in anything I can do to support  the fibershed movement. This sweet beastie lives on the very wonderful Wing and a Prayer Farm.

3) More open-mindedness. To experiences, ideas and ...anything..even if I think I've already made an informed decision on whatever it is. More on this topic another time. Happy 2020!

3 things about Mucklmarl yarn

3 Things on Thursday gives me a manageable way to jump back here with yarn that is on my mind. Mucklmarl from Starcroft Fiber Mill in Maine
#1 the yarn is spun only from sheep that live on islands off the coast of Maine

 In June I was Downeast helping with the annual island sheep roundup with my friend Jani Estell and her Nash Island sheep. Their fleeces are what she uses for  beautiful fiber and yarn at her mill.

 Along with Nash Island, which is her all-white largest flock (100+), she keeps a mixed colored smaller flock even further from shore,  on tiny Flat Island.  I usually travel up for the larger shearing but this year I was lucky enough to make the Flat Island outing  on a wild and woolly early June day.

 You can see ,from this view of the crew setting up the temporary corral, that there were what Mainers call "seas". Which means, wind and plenty of waves and whitecaps. It was an exciting ride out to the island.

Part of the flock decided to go for a swim to avoid roundup (!), which was also exciting-- and frustrating. They had to be left unsheared till they dried off.  More than half of the population made it into the fencing.

 Looking down on the skirting table. That's normally my station but I was shirking my duties at that moment. Flat Island has a rocky outcropping, so I could get these views looking down on the action. This made me ridiculously happy.

 

Beverly Army Williams skirting in great style. Look at that  gorgeous fleece. Also at her Elizabeth Shannon apron she made from an Ellen Mason pattern.

#2 the yarn is marled,  plied with one strand of colored sheep and one natural white

 Jani  released a new yarn called Mucklmarl that's spun from the fleeces of these colored Flat Island sheep plied with her white Nash Island. It is bouncy and soft but also woolly and just exactly what I want a sweater of! I came home with an SQ (sweater quantity) and am  spending waaaaay too much time considering my options of what to cast on.  

 Sarah Hunt, aka Fibertrek, and the leader of the Wool Scout retreat along with Jani, knit a Dreyma pullover  in the lighter shade of Mucklmarl with a solid for the colorwork. Love this!

Right??!!!

Our little secret. heh. 

#3 sometimes it's hard to decide what to knit when you have an SQ of yarn that is special to you I want to knit a pullover, something slouchy to wear every day. Top contenders at the moment are The Weekender,  LouLou , Circe or maybe Such a Winters Day...  but I am open to pullover suggestions! What have you seen?

Mucklmarl is worsted weight with a little bit of halo so it could be knit on a 7-9 needle. If you want some, it's a limited release, sold  by ClementineMaine online or if you happen to be in Rockland Maine, stop in.

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whew, it feels good to be back! what are your knitting plans for the cooler weather ahead?

join me at TNNA for PhotoShoot workshop

I am teaching at TNNA in June 13-15  in Cleveland: 

from Berroco Medina pattern booklet -- see the BTS photo from this shot further down

Two excellent social media photo and writing workshops along with Beverly Army Williams, and solo, Photo Shoot A-Z: Planning, Producing & Picture Making. *

I put my PhotoShoot workshop together because the comment I hear most often from first time clients goes something like this: “whew! I had no idea what went into a photo shoot! Thanks for holding my hand through it”.  

The truth is, that day you hold a camera is just a tiny part of a photo shoot. The preparation, the planning, the thinking through the elements- that’s what makes a successful and productive photo shoot. 

It’s partially stepping back to see the big picture of what else beside your product needs to be considered- theme, setting, styling, wardrobe, light sources, effective colors, people? Who is arranging those things? What kind of help is needed? And it’s partially knowing the language —what kinds of files do I need? How do photographers charge if I decide to hire one? What do I ask for?  How long is expected  to get the final images and how many do I get? What are rights? Who chooses the model? EEEeeeek!! How do I even find a model who represents my vision for my business?. 

Here's a BTS view from the shot at top. shooting at noon on a sunny beach day in late September on Cape Cod

And, more such thoughts. It was fun for me to break down what I do and make a flow chart. (I am very proud of my flow chart). It’s designed to lead students choice by choice from their very first thought of needing a photo shoot, through to planning it, including choosing whether to do it themselves or seek the skill of a photographer for the project. 

 This class is not necessarily for someone who wants to work as  photographer (though it certainly could be helpful ). It is for anyone who needs to create powerful images of their product, shop or business, to enhance their marketing. Because as we all know, that old saw-  A picture is worth a thousand words—is truer more than ever on social media and online marketing. 

I love this image-- its the Awestruck Shawl from Appletree Knits --in her gorgeous yarn

This is all about you learning to be the confident leader/creator of the photography for your business, no matter who is holding the camera. The class will be small enough to customize information for those who attend.  We will have time for Q&A at the end, so we can take it in any direction.

*

Classes Beverly Army Williams and Gale Zucker** are teaching:

• Leveling Up Your Business on Social Media | Wednesday, June 13 | 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
• Photo Shoot A-Z: Planning, Producing and Picture Making | Thursday, June 14 | 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
• 10 Photo and Hashtag Tricks to Build Community | Friday, June 15 | 7:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

* If you can't attend, we are happy to teach elsewhere, and to tailor the content to your business--just send a message. We love doing in-service and in-house workshops! 

**PhotoShoot class is Gale alone, the other two classes are co-taught.

Will I see you there? Let me know!

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