28 October 2017

It's knitting time

Smokies Misty Sunrise, Autumn, photo by Tim Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
I love our itinerant lifestyle – always on the move, never staying still for long. Recently our travels took us through the mountains of North Carolina, a place that is very dear to our hearts. It was the first state we lived in when we moved to the USA and it still feels like home in many ways.
Blue Ridge, photo by Tim Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
One thing that still strikes us afresh each time we visit though is the quality of the light. The air seems clearer here, the skies more blue, the colours more intense.
Blue Ridge Parkway, photo by Tim Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
So it was that one early morning saw me sitting on a sun-warmed rock by the side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. My husband Tim was at the far-side of the area taking photos of the distant hazy views. Three birds were calling to each other, first one in the tree near me then two replies from further away.
Misty pine Clingmans Dome, photo by Tim Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Everywhere was still and calm. A thin column of steam rose from the valley floor into the air and the mists moved lazily in the dips and hollows between the lower hills. A slightly chilly breeze reminded me that we were at 5000' and I wrapped my scarf a little tighter around my neck to keep warm.

The wind was not uncomfortably cold but it did serve as a timely reminder that autumn is upon us and the snow will not be far behind. You could feel it in the air that morning as clearly as if another few pages of the calendar had just turned over all at once.
Morning Mist, Autumn, Blue Ridge Parkway, photo by Tim Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
I looked down at my knitting, which had been sitting idly in my hands while I gazed at the scene and started the next row with a renewed sense of purpose.

It's knitting time...

Happy Autumn knitting!

Moira
Reversible Knitting Stitches by Moira Ravenscroft & Anna Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Last Blogpost: Learning about Vector Diagrams​
Next Up: Travels & Special Birthdays

​​​Our book: Reversible Knitting Stitches
My Website: www.wyndlestrawdesigns.com

Many thanks to Tim for his wonderful photos. If you would like to see more of his work, these please visit his Flickr site.
Keywords: Travel Notes,
autumn, knitting, autumn knitting, North Carolina, NC, USA, Blue Ridge Pathway,

10 October 2017

Learning about Vector Diagrams

Reversible Knitting Stitches by Moira Ravenscroft & Anna Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Some 40 years ago, I was undertaking some research for the EEC and my job was to analyse apple, pear, peach and apricot yields and assess the optimal age of an orchard. It does look a slightly strange task when you see it written down but there was a good reason for it. Many orchards in Europe at that time were old and fairly non-productive. The EEC wanted to assess what the optimal age was for an orchard so they could encourage farmers to have a cycle of replenishment for their trees.

The answer was about 10-20 years, whereas many orchards were much older than that. Beyond that range, the productivity fell and the proportion of effort required to maintain the trees increased, both in terms of labour costs and chemical input. So this was a way not only to improve productivity, but also benefit the environment.
Fortran cards, photo in blogpost by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
The reason for mentioning this now, is that to go from the boxes of hand-written notes to an answer, meant transferring all the data onto punchcards, carrying them in a stack across to the computer building (yes, building….) and then waiting until the next morning to see if my program had worked.

It was one of those skills I didn’t know I would need until it suddenly presented itself, but in the end it proved to be a fun project.
Vector Diagrams, photo by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
More recently, I discovered another skill that I needed. I wasn’t really happy with my early attempts at producing stitch diagrams on a computer. They looked great at a regular viewing size, but if you really zoomed in to see the details then they just started to look fuzzy, as you can see in the photo on the left, which is a standard "jpg" picture.

However, that was before I learned about “Vector Diagrams” and if you’ve never heard of them before, then don’t worry – I hadn’t either! However, once I tried the first stitch diagram out as a Vector Diagram then I could see how much better they were. Just look at the crisp diagram on the right!
Reversible Knitting Stitches by Moira Ravenscroft & Anna Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
So when we were drawing up the stitch charts for our new Reversible Knitting Stitches E-book, I wanted to use this method. And I am so pleased I did, as you can really zoom in to see the details. Even at quite a magnification, the charts stay beautifully crisp and clear.

Many thanks again for all the lovely comments on our book. We are so pleased everyone is enjoying the book so much and finding it useful for their own designing work.

Next time, I’m going to post some more of my husband Tim’s lovely photos. We’ve been driving through North Carolina and his photos are stunning. So please join me then.

Until then – Happy Reversible Knitting!

Moira
Reversible Knitting Stitches by Moira Ravenscroft & Anna Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Last Blogpost: Two new beanie hats
Next Up: It’s Knitting Time

​​​​Our book: Reversible Knitting Stitches
My Website: www.wyndlestrawdesigns.com

Top photo: This shows Anna's "Wavy Wash Cloths" which use a beautifully textured stitch from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. 
Keywords: Book/Reversible Knitting Stitches,
stitch charts, software, charting software, E-book, 

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