I’m ready for my close up

For several months now Tonia’s been nagging incessantly gently suggesting that we put together a little video about the process of recording and producing A Knitter’s Manifesto. I knew she was right. Truthfully, though, it’s a task that has not been high on my priority list. I have never felt comfortable in front of a camera. That’s why I sit behind a mic.

Finally, after months of cajoling, needling and jollying me along, Tonia went ahead and ordered a big ass Benbo tripod. The kind with a long arm to hold the camera directly over my shoulder, for a bird’s eye view of my lap, or a table top. It cost a small fortune. Not using it would be… regrettable. And you know how I feel about regret. It’s my least favorite emotion.

A few weeks ago I got with the program. We shifted furniture around to find the light, set up the Benbo, and I sat down to record a little tutorial on the making of our little Knitter’s Manifesto Sound Diary. The Sound Diary was created for the Artist’s Edition of the CD, and it lists all of the sounds collected for the Knitter’s Manifesto project, plus has space as well for you to list the sounds you hear when you knit. It was Tonia’s idea to put together a PDF of the Sound Diary, so that people who download the Digital Edition can read about what they’re listening to. (She’s a clever bunny, my Tonia.) Created from just two sheets of paper, the PDF download includes the Sound Diary template, plus instructions for scoring, cutting and folding. It wasn’t until I wrote the instructions for assembly, however, that I realized just how important Tonia’s video actually is. Learning to assemble your Sound Diary is way easier to watch than it is to have explained.

If you’d like to download the Sound Diary, you can do so here. Go on. You know you want one. They’re free.

Now that our video project is in the can, I am turning my attention to designing knitwear; charting the next pattern in Welsh for Rainbow (the first edition of which is out – check it here, and on Ravelry), and producing the next podcast. Off in the future, yes, there will be more videos. Tonia was right (don’t tell her I said that) and I think they’re a good thing too. I’m not feeling quite as camera shy as I once was and, of course, it would be a shame to waste that Benbo.

First, however, let there be knitting. With a spate of wet and blustery weather ahead this week it feels like autumn is on the way, and with it a return to proper knitting weather. I have a stack of costume dramas lined up, and a huge basket of projects to work on. I’m really looking forward to a couple of days on the sofa, just me, my fur babies, and my knitting.