Context

I had an experience in a college course my second year that proved to me that context is everything. In the Intellectual History of the Western World, I had to learn and understand the basics of trig and calculus and their impacts. This for someone who missed algebra and barely got through geometry in high school. But because the topics were taught in the context of history, I was able to grasp and apply the concepts we were required to learn.

Knitting has moved my math calculation skills by light years. Knitting is all about math. When creating fabric, one is constantly measuring, multiply stitch and row gauge to determine size or where you are in a pattern. Then there's the counting. And the percentages. I was so proud a couple of weeks ago when I bought a skein of yarn at 40% off to arrive at the register and have the price of the purchase be the same as the calculation I had done in my head.

Now I am the world's worst photographer. Before I bought the digital camera, my photos constantly had fingers in them. Somehow the digital camera cured that. A couple of weeks ago, I was having a problem with a dark shadow in one corner of my photographs. Turns out I was using the flash.

Whilst searching this week for some issue I wanted to resolve on the socks, I ran across a page of photography tips for knitters. With time this weekend, I returned to the page and read. Suddenly those little settings and functions indicated by symbols on the back of the camera made sense. The things that I'd been trying to achieve--like clearly showing stitch definition--I now know how to do. I truly feel empowered. I've decided to get a light tent to shoot my knitting. I considered following the instructions to construct one and decided to purchase commercially because the commercial ones come with a carrying case making storage easier.

This is my Tucson Sock. A good yarn for practicing photo techniques because of the variegated colours. The ribbing is a k3p1 ribbing that retains the stretch of ribbing but looks more like stockingnette stitch when the sock is flat.

Sock One at the point where I changed from 3mm needles to 2.5mm needles.


Sock Two knit on 2.5mm needles except for the toe where I used 4.5mm to try out the new cast on technique.

The piece underneath is a lap quilted square I made from left over dress fabric.