Putting the Sun in the Sky

Lindsay Lewchuk How-Tos, Solar Flare MKAL 1 Comment

SPOILER ALERT MKAL-ers!!

Solar Flare non Pi circular shawl mkal


If you don’t want to see the final design until you are ready, save this blog post for later. The first image is of the graphic you know and love, but other images will reveal the final design!

So if you are a:
A: non-MKAL-er
B: MKAL-er who is on Skein 6,
C: MKAL-er who is finished,
then continue reading

Putting the Sun in the Sky

From the conception of this design, I had a vision for how I wanted to photograph it. It was a wild idea & I was told on multiple occasions by many people that I was off my rocker. “It’s impossible.” “Don’t even try it. “It won’t work.” Or my personal favorite, “Just stretch it over a holla-hoop and let the ends hang over.” Yayda, yayda, yayda. Obviously they were forgetting one important aspect of my character – I admit it, I’m like a dog with a bone & won’t give up! Undeterred I started experimenting. It took MONTHS to figure out how to achieve my vision, but with the help and enduring support of my dad, we finally achieved my vision. So without further adieu, enjoy the pictorial history:

What we need is a frame

Dad and nonagon
Yep, that’s a Nonagon! Dad wanted to do a trial run with wood scraps first.
blocking Solar Flare
Uhm, I think that’s gonna be a bit small, dad.
dad and the nonagon
Now that’s more like it – a nearly 6 foot high nonagon!
close up dad and nonagon
I was so proud of him & his rough carpentry skills!
But the way I stretched out the shawl – shish, what was I thinking?
close up in frame
Now do you see my oversight?
close up tensioned out
2.5 weeks later, all fixed!

Now to put the frame in the sky

sun in the sky attempt 1
Mom and dad standing on chairs with me squatting below trying to get the sun in the sky. A little to the right, please.
sun in sky attempt 2
Too far to the right. A little to the left, please.
sun in sky attemp 3.
Perfect! Don’t move an inch. Except… once this puppy hit Photoshop & the “extras” (mom, dad, trees, etc) were erased, I realized the angle of the shawl to the camera to the sky was off & it made it look very bloated in the center.
sun in sky attempt 6
In order to fix the angle, we determined a more vertical hold was needed. But since mom and dad are several inches different in height, dad elected to hold it over his head.
sun in sky attempt 7
A little higher there dad, we’re running into tree again!
sun in sky attempt 8
Hmm, maybe we’re going about this the wrong way? Let’s try standing it on the ground and tilting it.
Solar Flar shadow
Nothing doing. But silver lining – I did get one of my favorite pictures ever! Solar Flare Shadow 🙂 I love how it shows the lace detail on the ground. Thanks for holding it mom!

You know I love our bucolic locale, but what we need is fewer trees!

Solar Flare on the mini
Time for Solar Flare in the frame to go for a ride on the mini! Note to self: next time I ask dad, “do I need to wash the mini first?” & he says, “no the frame will rest on the rails,” the frame doesn’t rest on the rails. C’est la vie, a little dirt didn’t hurt (thank goodness).
At the pond
To the neighbourhood pond we went. Dad stood inside the mini, then out through the sunroof & held the frame above his head! Uhm, just a bit higher, please. The original idea was for me to hold, but with the wind and the instability of the frame it was more than I could manage. My dad is the BEST! Oh, btw, just call me Tom, ya know, Tom Sawyer.
015zEureka
Eureka!

After a spin through Photoshop

Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skeins 1 & 2 preview
Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skeins 1 & 2 preview
Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skein 3 preview
Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skein 3 preview
Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skein 4 preview
Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skein 4 preview
Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skein 5 preview
Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skein 5 preview
Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skein 6 preview
Solar Flare Circular Shawl MKAL release Skein 6 preview

et Voila!

Solar Flare in the Sky!
Solar Flare in the Sky!

Solar Flare Circular Shawl Note: non-MKAL version of the pattern will be released across sites at the end of the MKAL (approximately May 1st 2015).

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