plunging at home

Plunge Take Two

Lindsay Lewchuk Announcements, Hems and Ends, Pattern Related, Puddles Leave a Comment

The photographic “vision” for “Take the Plunge” came early in the design process… unusually early! I hadn’t even finished designing some of the items when I knew exactly how I wanted to shoot the book. As the months rolled on and the samples were knit, washed, blocked, and ready to shoot – COVID, a gas shortage, and health issues (for both camera mom and me) kept hitting the snooze on our plans. I debated strongly about “just getting it done” locally as my Aunt and Uncle live 8 hours away (round trip). But that idea God gave me just wouldn’t shake free.

upwork portfolio

Upwork

Lindsay Lewchuk Announcements, Puddles, Q&A 6 Comments

I reactivated my upwork.com account! Lindsay L.: Q: Wait, what Lindsay and how does this relate to Knit Eco Chic? A. I’m not quitting designing, just diversifying! I worked on Elance (Upwork’s predecessor) a few years back when I launched into the world of designing to fill in some gaps while building the business. Some recent setbacks are calling me back to the world of freelance. Q: Recent setbacks? A. -Thrilled over the vision of Habitat for Canaries beginning to start up, I put my house up for sale in Charlotte to kick start the funding campaign and the house was vandalized in November just at the start of the GAL. It’s been a stressful from afar situation (I live …

Bicerin family shot attempt 1

Cocoa, Coffee, and Outtakes

Lindsay Lewchuk Announcements, Pattern Related, Puddles, Recipes 6 Comments

What do you get when you mix organic cocoa, espresso coffee, sunrise, supportive parents, Puddles, and a new shawl design? A lot of hilarious photo shot outtakes! Enjoy this glimpse into my family life 🙂 Pour carefully, but wait, isn’t the shawl supposed to be visible? Despite the accomplishment at pouring on camera, I noticed later that the foam died before the first photo was taken; ergo, a quick indoor re-shoot of the drink/ shawl combo. Synchronized drinking… now this is an Olympic sport! Love the concept, but the execution needs work… the upper shawl is wrong side facing & both need a little tension help Puddles patiently waiting for his turn in front of the camera… with a stick, …

Waiting on the Weatherman, Mountain Top Secrets

Lindsay Lewchuk Announcements, Designers, Pattern Related Leave a Comment

Having shot Color Flow sweater twice before, I just wasn’t in love with the storyboard of the images. My photographer (aka dad) did a great job getting shots of the garment, but something was still missing… Flowing water! With a name like Color Flow, the image storyboard needed movement to match. It was the middle of fall and I could feel the first snow was about on us and then, to my pattern’s delight, a warm jet stream pushed the cold weather north and we got doused in day after day of rain. When it rains, waterfalls and rainbows appear in the most unlikely places! When the sun finally peaked through the clouds, it was time to do the final …

Magical Knitting in Photoshop

Lindsay Lewchuk Announcements, Designers, How-Tos 2 Comments

At then end of the 2 month post-flood apocalypse, I discovered I was even more behind schedule than I realized. I determined I MUST.KNIT.FASTER, but how does one actually accomplish this when stitching pace is set at snail slow? Through Photoshop, of course! The pattern was almost set for test knitting, but I needed an image to go with the pattern for testing. Since I was so close, but not there yet, I turned to Photoshop to “knit” the final sleeve. In just 2 hours I had a week’s worth of knitting done! Remeber, I did confess I knit at the pace of a snail. This is how I did it:Step 1 – I wrangled dad into take a picture …

Puddles Photography Tips for Knitwear Designers Photographing Products with Fur-babies

Lindsay Lewchuk Announcements, Designers, How-Tos 2 Comments

Aside: this blog is from Puddles POI 1. Schedule your shoot at the time of day your pet is most cuddly and obedient 2. A tired puppy is a photogenic puppy… or at the very least more likely to be obedient.My typical exercise routine is one 20 to 40 minute constitution each morning, in which I run several miles while my human saunters 1 mile, plus a game of fetch, tug, or chase in the early afternoon. In order for me to be tired, my human followed my typical walk and play schedule and added an extra run (well, at least I was running) and 3 play-times. Plus after the photo shoot, she rewarded me with a third walk (this …

Putting the Sun in the Sky

Lindsay Lewchuk How-Tos, Solar Flare MKAL 1 Comment

SPOILER ALERT MKAL-ers!! 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-erB: 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 …

Photoshop Removing Stray Hairs

Lindsay Lewchuk Designers, How-Tos Leave a Comment

For Valentine’s Day this year I decided to update “Tugging My Heart Strings” with the modeled photos from last summer.  After the photo shoot I did a quick glance through to make sure I got a “hero” and several close up shots, got busy with current projects, and put them in a drawer (okay a folder on my computer) until my calendar dinged, Update Tugging My Heart String photos. Working on the project this week my heart sank.  Could it be?  I called dad in to see if a man’s eye could see the issue.  “Looks like a great close up… too bad you have those hairs distracting you from seeing the knitting.”  ::head desk:: To Google I went looking …

Making Fall

Lindsay Lewchuk Designers, How-Tos Leave a Comment

Intersection Cowl, original designed over 2 years ago and photographed last fall for the right feel, is now ready for publishing. At long last, the planning is over and I can share the pattern with all of you, my fellow yarnies! Until… my heart dropped as I looked over the pictures for the pattern cover. In the final photo selection, I discovered the fall leaves appeared only in one background. Apparently last year when I reviewed the photos, I had a fall filter streaming through my window providing the impression of much more color than actually was. Since the time is right for knitters who’d want to knit this piece to wear during the autumn color and the leaves haven’t …

Sheer Illusion Tank Photography Tips

Lindsay Lewchuk Announcements, Designers, How-Tos Leave a Comment

How to Fix Blowout Spots on Knitwear in Photoshop After bribing my photographer (aka mom) with tapioca pudding & equal time teaching her how to use Adobe PDF, I secured not one, but two 6am wake ups in an effort to beat the sun for the Sheer Illusion tank photo shoots. However, the summer mountain weather was being particularly uncooperative. Even though some shots displayed the fog I stood in, the ambient light continued to cause blow out upon the ice blue tank… right where all my “curves” are, so most inappropriate spots! Knowing I had pushed my photographer’s back to back early rising limits, I was running out of options as the last day of July and my publication …