I have a really special place in my heart for projects made with yarn from the SpaceCadet’s Mini-Skein Club. I think it’s because every single month, I develop ten new colourways — some soft and sublime, some screaming and wild — and, after the planning and test runs and dyeing are done, I find myself just itching to see how those gorgeous colours will look in your projects. The dyeing is just the first chapter and it’s almost like I really want to see how the story finishes, y’know?
And as my assistant Jade and I go through patterns on Ravelry to add to our Mini-Skein Ideas Pinterest board, the colours from each bundle are popping into head. Ooh, this one would be perfect for this month’s Gradient skeins! And Jade is replying with, But wait, wouldn’t the Multicolour skeins look amazing in this pattern?
So this month, when I asked Jade to pick her two favourite patterns for October’s Mini-Skeins to share with you guys, she jumped at the chance. This month’s Minis are gorgeous — wonderful sea-colours in the Ombre&Gradient mix, and amazing pops of colour in the Multicolour Mix. Here’s what Jade chose for both of them…
As soon as I saw this month’s Gradient Mini-Skein colours, I knew they’d be perfect for this pattern – the blue-gray-greens just scream ‘sea monster’! Pair 1 mini-skein bundle (or 2 bundles for the large) and a contrast color to make your very own Sea Dragon. The sea-greens and blues of the Gradient minis would pop against a bright green like Fizz or a glint of gold like Honey, and the pattern would work equally well with bright multis and Dark Skies.
If you’re looking for a bigger project, this fingering weight pullover by Isabell Kraemer is a great way to use 2 bundles of Mini Skeins and 2-3 skeins of a contrasting color. It would look stunning with two gradients that flow into each other for the stripes… or for something really exciting, try an ombre effect with the main color as well – maybe choose Dark Skies, Drizzle, and Sliver against some bright minis like the deep purple Gobsmack Ombre from a few months ago or the stunning Autumn Leaves Gradient we dyed in September.
20% off the Sea Dragon Shawl!
And guess what? To make these picks even more exciting, Ambah is offering you 20% off the Sea Dragon Shawl until November 9th! Download your copy of the pattern from Ravelry and use the code spacecadet to get your discount!
SoCal, Come to the SpaceCadet’s Trunk Show!
I am so crazy-excited to being doing a SpaceCadet Trunk Show on the YarnOver Truck during the month of November! We’ve chosen four yarns — Celeste, Oriana, Maia, and Thebe — that are perfect for SoCal knitting and crocheting, and dyed them in amazing colours. There are wild brights, sublime semi-solids, warm southwestern spice colours and… a special collection of amazingly gorgeous one-of-a-kind colourways that you may never see again!
In my previous post, I shared some great ideas for improving your project portraits by choosing backgrounds that really make your finished object shine. If you haven’t read it, click here — it’s amazing what a difference the right background can make!
But you want to take some detail shots too right? Because sometimes the things that make our project just amazing are in the details — the intricate stitchwork, the seam that you sewed so beautifully, the subtle stitch-by-stitch colour changes in the yarn. For those shots, you need to get your camera in close to your project and, to really show the details off to their best, the background you choose will make a huge difference.
We started the portrait-photo post with a pet peeve of mine (Don’t Stand in Front of that Bush!) and we’re starting this one with a pet peeve too — one I see all over Ravelry and that always gives me the sads…
Don’t Shoot on that Blocking Mat!
I know your project looks amazing when you finally get it blocked out and all the stitchwork opens up. I know you’re excited (and you should be!) and you just want to grab your camera and take photos now. Or maybe you don’t want to actually model it yourself (and that’s ok) but, please, put your camera down. To me, taking pictures on a blocking mat is a little like getting all dressed up for a family photo — you in your best outfit, your hair fabulous, you’re looking amazing — and then… wearing your house-slippers in the photo.
It’s the same with a blocking mat — that dull surface and the hundreds of pins are a total mood-killer for your photos. And the thing is, your stitchwork is going to look just as gorgeous once it’s dried and off the mat — even more gorgeous in fact, because you can lift it up and let the stitches really shine in the light and the breeze. So go ahead and love your project while it’s blocking, but wait to take the photos until you unpin it and set its beauty free!
Choose a Simple Background
Just as we discussed with project portraits, your eye gets confused about where to look when the background is cluttered or complicated — whereas a simple background will make your project really pop.
And here’s some great news: the simplest background is super easy and super cheap! So yesterday, I grabbed a bundle of the SpaceCadet’s September Mini-Skeins and, literally 30 seconds, I had a “studio” set up and snapped these images.
Don’t they look great? Clean, crisp, and professional. Want to see what the “studio” looked like? Ok, here ya go!…
It’s a piece of 75¢ posterboard propped up against a wall outside. That’s it! The sun provides amazing light, the posterboard keeps the picture clean and uncluttered, and by propping it up (instead of laying it flat), it creates a never-ending backdrop. Can you believe you can get such beautiful photos with something so simple and cheap? Try it — you’ll be amazed at the results!
And remember, this set-up is for your detail shots, so you’re not trying to fit your entire project spread out on the posterboard — it probably won’t be big enough for that. But if you use it when focus in on your lace edging, the collar, your beautiful seams, your stitches will pop and your project will look amazing!
Now, to take it up a level, let the smaller space encourage you to get creative with the way you display your work. Try folding your sweater up neatly as if it were on a shelf and take some snaps like that. Or instead of laying a scarf out flat, go for an accordion-fold to emphasise the colour progression. There are so many possibilities!
Try a Different Colour to Make Your Project Pop
Neutral is nice but sometimes white doesn’t do your project full justice. Just like we saw that darker backgrounds can work wonders for your project portraits, sometimes a background of a contrasting colour can make your project really pop. Working in a light coloured yarn? Try posterboard in black or gray so the stitches stand out. Warm colours jump off of purple or olive green. Cool colours can look amazing against dark spice shades. The best way to find out? Experiment! Grab your project and hold it against different colours to see what works. And be bold — the best combinations can be quite surprising!
Here I grabbed those same gradient Mini-Skeins and set them against a gray background. Do you see how much the colours of the bottom row jump out of the gray rather than the white? It’s an optical illusion — the colours are the same — but the contrast makes all the difference.
And do you want to see what this background actually was? I didn’t have any gray posterboard to hand, so I just popped them onto an old storage tub that was sitting in the grass! Sure, you can see a few scuff marks and imperfections, but the finished image looks really good, don’t you think?
Try a Little Texture — But Just a Little
Texture is another great option for enhancing detail shots, but it’s a wee bit tricky. Remember that a busy background confuses the eye and can detract focus from your project, so choose carefully. The best textures are subtle — not too detailed and fairly mono-chromatic.
For this image, I just crumpled up a piece of tissue paper and then spread it out on top of my white posterboard. The overall effect is still very neutral, but the tissue gives a little bit of subtle texture that adds interest without taking away from the main object.
Carefully Combine Colour And Texture
A carefully chosen combination of texture and colour together can create a wonderful effect too. Nature can provide these in abundance but, again, the emphasis is on carefully chosen. A project plonked down in some grass or stretched across a bush* will be competing for your eye’s attention with a hundred individual blades of grass or tiny leaves, and the effect will mostly be disappointing.
*Augh! That bush again!
Instead, go for a background where the texture is simple and the colour is complimentary to the project. Here, I set the Multicolour Mini-Skein bundle (top) on a large, flat rock in my garden, and I just love how it brings out the sublime ocean colours of the blue skeins — and yet makes the pink skein sing out loud. Then I set the Gradient Mini-Skein bundle (bottom) against the wood of my back porch. It’s true the texture in the grain is more pronounced, but it’s dark enough that it doesn’t overwhelm the yarn and the golds look just amazing against it, don’t you think?
Get Creative!
Ok, so now you have some great tricks up your sleeve, it’s time to get a little creative. The next time you’re on Ravelry, look past the projects and notice the backgrounds. Which ones work and which ones don’t? When you see a project picture that really jumps right out at you, take a moment to note the setting (I’m going to bet it’s not a blocking mat!). Is it plain? A little textured? An unusual colour?
And start looking at your surroundings and seeing new possibilities. Would your weathered wooden cutting board look good as a backdrop? How about the floor tiles in the hallway? Dianne always photographs her SpaceCadet stash against the pattern of her SpaceCadet project bag — and it looks both awesome and amazingly on-theme! And Jade made the super-funky choice of photographing her project on a tyre. I love that kind of creative thinking!
And just to get your creative juices flowing, let’s try this: Come on over to the SpaceCadet group and share your favourite close-up project photograph (click here). It can be one that you took awhile ago or a new one inspired by these tips.
Share with us why you like the background, or what you would do to change it. And then… tell me your best guess at what the background is for the photograph below. And I’ll give the first person to guess correctly free shipping on their next SpaceCadet order. Sound good? So get snapping — I can’t wait to see your photos!
In my job, I take a lot of photos — a lot — and I have to tell you that when I first started dyeing, I didn’t realise how critical photography would be. But in an internet-based business where you can’t reach into the computer to smoosh each skein in your own hands or see the samples in person, it’s the photography that has to fill in the gap.
And the good news is that I’ve found I really enjoy taking photos! While I would never call myself a photographer, I’ve certainly learned a lot in the last few years that helps me to make a pattern sample or skein look its very best. Sometimes the most simple changes can take a photo from “nice enough” to really spectacular. And since I know we all take photos of our finished objects — maybe not for a website or an ad as I do, but certainly for our project pages on Ravelry — I thought I’d share some what I’ve learned in a series of posts over the next few weeks. Are you ready for better photos of your beautiful finished projects? Photos that really capture all the work and creativity you put into them? Great — here we go!
The Importance of the Background in Project Portrait Photos
When you’ve been working for weeks — maybe months — on a gorgeous new sweater or shawl or some other garment, the best way to show it off is to wear it. Whether you think through your photoshoot carefully ahead of time or just grab some snaps on your cellphone at knit night, there’s a simple thing you can do to really improve the final result: get the background right.
Don’t Stand in Front of that Bush!
Now, I have to tell you that I have a BIG pet peeve here: I hate the standing-in-front-of-a-bush photo. Everybody does it, whether it’s for finished object photos or family photos or whatever, and I know it seems like a good idea at the time but, everytime I see it, my toes curl. Bushes are perfectly nice, but they rarely make good photography backgrounds because they are just too busy. And the busier or more patterned the background, the harder it is for your eye to know where to look. All those hundreds of little leaves? They’re completing for your viewer’s attention. And very often the result of a standing-in-front-of-a-bush photoshoot is that your beautiful project kind of just blends into the background.
Here, look at the examples above. These are a few photos that my assistant Jade and I took today — nothing fancy, just grabbed the camera and snapped a few shots in the fading evening light, just the way you might at knit night. In the photo on top, I had her stand right in front of a bush so the leaves are in focus. See how the shawl really kind of disappears? In the middle image, I changed things so the bush was more out of focus, and the impact is obvious. And in the last shot, I really de-focused the bush — now your eyes are not distracted by those leaves at all, and all you see is smiling face and that gorgeous shawl (the Sick Day Shawl by Kate Atherley, which I knit in SpaceCadet Ceres yarn).
Big difference, isn’t it? Ok, so there’s step number 1: don’t stand in front of that bush!
Step Away from the Background
Even if you don’t choose a bush as your background (go you!), unless you’re standing in front of a professional photography backdrop, there may still to be small details that will draw your viewer’s eye away from your finished object. Notches in wood, nicks in plaster, or the pattern of a brick wall all compete for attention. Fortunately, there’s an incredibly simple solution: step away from the background. By stepping forward a few paces and setting your camera for a more shallow depth of field, you will blur that background a bit — and that is enough to draw the attention back to your intended subject.
Look at these photos below. In the one on top, the brick wall is a much simpler background than that bush she was in front of before, but it still really competes for your eye’s attention. In the image in the middle, I had Jade step forward about 5 paces, without changing anything else — see how she stands out more? And in the last image, I lowered the f-stop to blur the background more. Scroll up and compare it to the top image… wow, that’s quite a difference! Now she (and her lovely shawl) stand out a lot more, and your eye can easily tell what it’s supposed to be looking at.
What is depth of field? It’s simply how deep an area of the image the camera is going keep in focus. The shallower the depth of field, the more the background will be blurred (and maybe the foreground too). How you achieve this depends on your camera. You’ll get the best results with a SLR, which allows you lower the f-stop to get a more blurred background — set it to aperture mode and play around a bit. With a point-and-shoot, you can get good results by setting your camera to portrait mode — look for the symbol of a head/face on your camera’s settings. And if you’re shooting with a smartphone, make sure the person taking the picture touches the screen to tell it the focus is on you (or your project) rather than the background. The combination of stepping away from the the background along with these quick setting changes will go a long way to making your project photos really pop.
Whenever Possible, Go for a Plain Background
The need for all of the adjustments I’ve mentioned above can be lessened if you go for a plain background. The simpler it is, the less your eye will wander from the object you want to focus on — your gorgeous project. Here Jade is sitting in front of a very simple background — it’s not perfectly plain white, but there is nothing to distract you from the stunning shawl she’s wearing (it’s Eyeblink by Heidi Alander, which Jade knit in SpaceCadet Maia yarn)
Try a Dark Background
Most of the backgrounds people choose are either busy or light (or both). Busy is a problem, light is not, but sometimes a dark background can do really wonderful things for your project. Setting your project against a dark colour creates an amazing sense of intimacy that draws you right into the photo. So even though it might not be the first option you gravitate towards, don’t be afraid to try a darker background. Have a look at the way these projects pop…
The first picture is Melissa Jean’s Dublin Tee in SpaceCadet Lyra yarn, and the photo was taken in full sun but against a black barn door — really beautiful. The second is Lindsey Stephens’s Drift Ice Shawl in SpaceCadet Oriana yarn, shot against a dark olive wall in the SpaceCadet studio. And the last image is the Quaker Yarn Stretcher by Susan Ashcroft, knit in SpaceCadet Ester yarn and photographed in… are you ready?… in my complete disaster of a garage! Jade was squeezed between old cans of paint and a broken television — but the light was just right and the background was so beautifully dark that the image becomes all about the gorgeous colour in the shawl.
So, you see? The simplest steps can make a huge impact on how your project stands out in your photos. Are you inspired to try some yourself? Grab your camera and do it! Then please, post your photos on Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #BetterProjectPhotos so I can find them. Or click here to share them on Ravelry. I can’t wait to see them!
This post is the first in a series on better project photography. Want to make sure you don’t miss any? Click here and get on the SpaceCadet mailing list!
You remember how, last week, I talked about the kindness of knitters and crocheters? I told you about Mel’s request for handmade washcloths for Haiti and about how one member of our SpaceCadet community was so generous as to buy a Mauna Kea kit for us to give away? I found both of those things so incredibly inspiring — simple reminders that we have the power to use the smallest kindnesses to lift us out of our day-t0-day existence.
But if last week was inspirational, this week was just plain fun! I loved the response you guys gave to the washcloth appeal — sharing patterns, encouraging one another, and at least one person was so inspired she immediately knocked out a slew of washclothes (ten of them!).
And as for the Mauna Kea giveaway… you guys went NUTS! We had a ton of entries, and reading through your comments on what you like about the pattern was not only incredibly fun but actually really helpful and informative for both Mel and for me. Thank you all for participating!
Now I know you’re dying to find out who is getting the kit so, without further ado, let’s announce the Mauna Kea giveaway winner! It’s…
Luv2CUSmile
And her (or his) comment was,
“Love the story and that there are some people in our community who are just giving because they can and have a heart to do so.
Thx for the chance to you and to your anonymous donor.
This sweater is lovely with the defined sides following the torso shape. Love this and the blues it is shown in. Can wear with jeans, slacks or a skirt!”
I couldn’t agree more! And it’s a sentiment that was echoed again and again in the comments, so I think I speak for everyone when I say how grateful we are for the generosity of our wonderful anonymous sponsor. Really, just such a cool thing to do!
Luv2CUSmile, please send an email with your name and postal address to info(at)spacecadetcreations(dot)com, and we’ll get you on the dyeing list for your Mauna Kea kit!
Facebook Update
I just have to share this with you guys. You remember when I showed you this?
This is the power of likes and comments on Facebook posts. You can read the full story here, but the long and short is that when you don’t regularly like/comment/share someone’s Facebook posts, Facebook starts showing you their posts less (and less and less…). And when you do like/comment/share their posts, Facebook puts their posts more regularly into your timeline — and starts showing their posts to lots of other people too.
And here’s the proof… After that I wrote that blog post, tons of you started clicking like/comment/share a lot more often, and just look at what that did!
Isn’t that awesome?!? So you guys get to see more SpaceCadet updates in your timeline and, in turn, Facebook then shares SpaceCadet with lots of other people too. Everyone wins!
And that “share” button? That’s where the real power is. Check this one out — lots of “likes”, lots of comments, but it’s the sharing that made the different here:
But then…
But then… if the Knitty blog happens to pick up your post and happens to share it with all of their readers on their Facebook page, THIS happens…
And then your website immediately crashes! Which is, y’know, kind of awesome too.
But listen, isn’t it amazing how powerful those likes/comments/shares actually are? And there’s news this week that Facebook has tweaked its algorithm yet again, so that it pays even more close attention to which posts you interact with, to determine what to show you in your newsfeed… and what to leave out.
So if there are companies (or even friends) that seem to have fallen off your Facebook radar, make sure you take a moment to click something on every post they put out. It means you’ll see more news from the folks you love to hear about …and they’ll suddenly be just as blown away as I’ve been!
A couple of weeks ago, we sent out the final parcel of the last Yarn Alliance subscription period, and I was so excited about this colourway that I just have to share it with you!!! The inspiration struck me like lightening, and I knew not only the colours to dye, but also the perfect yarn to put them on.
(Spoiler Alert! If you are a Yarn Alliance member* and you haven’t yet received your parcel, look away now if you don’t want to ruin the surprise! In fact, here’s a neutral image to act as a buffer…)
Ok, you still with me? Great! Let me introduce you to…
Storm Clouds, the Yarn Alliance Colourway for Sept 2014
There may be no relief so welcome as that of a thunderstorm that rolls in, fresh and forceful, to push away the heavy heat of summer and replace it with that delightfully cool that always carries the delicious smell of wet earth. Inspired by turbulent summer weather, Storm Clouds captures the majesty of the storm as the clouds move in fast, tumbling over one another – gray and blue and tinged with purple — and the light behind making them almost glow.
But how to capture that amazing glow? I realised it would come from the yarn itself – from Maia, the SpaceCadet’s new 80% bamboo, 20% superwash merino yarn — and from the way the light seems to almost float around and through that glorious sheen.
Do you love it as much as I do? I was over the moon with the result — exactly what I’d hoped for. Now I just have to see if I can snag a skein for myself before all the extra skeins are sold out! Mmmmm… what to make? What to make?
The Yarn Alliance closes TONIGHT
We’ve got a few spaces left in the SpaceCadet’s InterStellar Yarn Alliance, but the subscription period closes tonight at midnight PST. We have a ton of fun in this club so if you’ve been thinking about joining but haven’t reserved your spot yet, click here and grab it quick!
And don’t forget the Mauna Kea Giveaway!
Thanks to the incredible generosity of a member of the SpaceCadet community (who purchased a Mauna Kea kit specifically for us to give away!), you’ve got an awesome chance to win your spot in the Mauna Kea Knit-Together.
And then once you’ve done that, won’t you please pay it forward by sharing this giveaway on social media? When one of our community has been this incredibly generous, I think the best way we can show gratitude and share the love is to spread that generosity as far and wide as possible. Don’t you agree?
For Facebook: Woot! The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click for your chance to win: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny #MaunaKeaGiveaway
For Ravelry: The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click here to enter: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny
*This can be confusing, I know, so just to clarify: this yarn shown here was the last yarn for existing members of the Yarn Alliance, before the current subscription period opened on Sept 9. If you have just joined (between Sept 9-22), your first parcel will be in November — and while it won’t be this colourway, I promise, it’ll be seriously awesome too!
It is a fairly commonly held belief that knitters and crocheters are just really “nice” people. But I have to admit that, when I hear that, I sometimes find myself cringing a bit. It seems too simplistic, too stereotyped. I mean, it’s also a commonly held belief that we’re all little old grannies who knit or crochet because we’ve got nothing better to do — and we all know that’s not true! So when I hear about this fabled “niceness” of knitters and crocheters, it often feels just as cliched.
But while I hate the stereotype, I do have faith in the people. The truth is that knitters and crocheters are simply people, with good days and bad, good points and bad — no different to any other people. The stereotype is built on silly assumptions, but the truth comes from what they do. When knitters and crocheters are nice, by gum, they really are nice. So nice that I find myself taken aback…
“A Medical Team dedicated to helping local community centers in Haiti will be leaving my hometown in a few weeks. They sent out a request for washcloths: “You can grab an old towel and cut it in to small squares for washcloths” it was said. My heart hurt at this request. My community of knitting friends and I can make a washcloth, a clean, fresh washcloth and share something much, much better…”
Each person who comes into the clinic in Haiti can receive a hygiene package, containing soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a washcloth. Basic hygiene is so important in areas that are recovering from major disasters, but can we take an opportunity to make this something more than simply basic?
“…I am not saying an old towel ripped up wouldn’t serve a purpose. What I am saying is: I do not want an old towel to take an opportunity away from me to do something kind!… So please consider the simple washcloth. A square. Knit it in garter with two strands of sturdy cotton held together and you can have it done over a cup of coffee…”
And here is where my faith comes into play. I know that Mel’s viewers and followers will come through. I know they will respond from the heart, grab their needles and whip out simple washcloths to send to people who are in need not only of hygiene kits, but perhaps of that personal touch as well. Want to be a part of it? Click here for all the details.
A Mauna Kea Giveaway!
And here is something that I didn’t expect but that has only served to increase my faith in our community. Just before the Mauna Kea kits closed earlier this week, an order came in with a note that read, “I just can’t resist [this], but this kit is not for me. I’d like to sponsor an anonymous giveaway.”
You could have knocked me over with a feather.
How amazing is that?!? One of your fellow fiber-lovers has been so generous as to buy a Mauna Kea kit simply to give away just so someone else can enjoy the fun on making it! Here it is, proof positive that when knitters and crocheters are nice, they are really really nice.
So, if you missed out on a Mauna Kea kit, here is your chance to join in on the fun! You’ll get five skeins of SpaceCadet yarn in the Dark Skies ombre colourway, the Mauna Kea pattern, and membership in the Mauna Kea Knit-Together, with access to an exclusive site with great community support, tutorials, and on-site helps. How awesome is that?!?
And then, please take the opportunity to pay it forward by sharing this giveaway with your knitting friends on Twitter, Facebook, and Ravelry. I’m not getting anything out of it, the kit sales are already closed — but when one of our community has been this incredibly generous, I think the best way we can show gratitude and share the love is to spread that generosity as far and wide as possible. Don’t you agree?
For Facebook: Woot! The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click for your chance to win: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny #MaunaKeaGiveaway
For Ravelry: The SpaceCadet is giving away a Mauna Kea kit! Click here to enter: http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny
Yarn Alliance Closes on Monday
Don’t forget, the Yarn Alliance closes to subscriptions this Monday, Sept 22. If you haven’t got your spot, grab it now!
There’s always small print — official rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to entrants worldwide, age 5 or older. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Sweepstakes ends 11:59 p.m. EST on September 25, 2014. Official entry is made by commenting on the SpaceCadet blog post titled “Giveaway: the Generosity of Knitters & Crocheters” . Alternative entry method: send a postcard by September 25 2014, containing full name, address, and email address, with the words “Mauna Kea Giveaway”, to: SpaceCadet, PO Box 113312, Pittsburgh PA 15241. Limit one entry per person. One prize, consisting of one (1) Mauna Kea kit in Dark Skies, valued at $135. Total prize value: $135. Winner will be selected by random drawing. Prize cannot be redeemed for cash. Prize cannot be substituted. Employees and family of employees of SpaceCadet Inc are ineligible. A list of winners will be available on the SpaceCadet blog on or after September 26, 2014. Sponsored by SpaceCadet Inc, PO Box 113312, Pittsburgh PA 15241. For full official rules, go to http://wp.me/p1TnPQ-1Ny
