Knitting in artificial light

I have to use my serious reader lamp all the time now, for any close work, especially for knitting. I have the old stable Alex, the one that had a little accessory on it, to hold pencils and the other side holds my row counter via a string

I needed to put it at roughly shoulder height, to my right and honestly it is perfect and has an infinitely adjustable long arm. I cannot even contemplate any dark knitting without this lamp

I have two neck lamps in a drawer and they are ok, could take them to eg craft group but not powerful enough for a lot of knitting at home. I need the serious reader lamp also if I am unpicking machine sewn stitches

chatterbox2

I recently bought a reading light from Amazon which you wear round your neck and can angle exactly where you want it.I knit and read in the evening and for around £10 it's one of the best things I ever bought.Well worth a try.

Someone on my Knit for Nowt knitting group recommended one of those to me, after I posted that I’d given the front half of my policeman hand puppet a white shirt, and had done the back in cream! Again, knitting in the evening I just hadn’t noticed…

Not that it mattered too much - what with his hi vis yellow ‘vest’ on top, we doubted that anyone was going to notice - or care…

Serious Lights are great! Very expensive but well worth it. I haven't read the whole thread so someone may have suggested them already. Order by post though I think some shops sell them too.

I was trying to crochet in black and a friend bought me a neck light (£10-15 on Amazon) It’s wonderful for crafting and, if I’m reading an actual book rather than a kindle, I hook it over the bedhead as a reading light.

Well done Madeleine, or rather your younger self.
I once made a black cardi in 4-ply, très chic, Marion Foale pattern. But a "friend" asked to borrow it and left it in a disco, never to be seen again.

Do you have light coloured needles? That makes a huge difference. I am knitting a pullover in a dark forest green, and thankful that I am on rounds of plain stockinette stitch. I wouldn't want to do any lacy pattern with it.

I recently bought a reading light from Amazon which you wear round your neck and can angle exactly where you want it.I knit and read in the evening and for around £10 it's one of the best things I ever bought.Well worth a try.

Daylight bulb. I use mine all the time.

I had to stop knitting black or any dark colour a few years ago, even in daylight, the stitches all merged together.

Lamp with daylight bulb, also try to avoid anything using black wool unless straight forward.

I have neck lights for my embroidery. They fit like a collar round the neck with an adjustable light each side. I think Robert Dyas sell them, also amazon.

Try a white background eg sheet of paper with bright light shining on your work. Haven't knitted or crocheted anything in black for a long time but did use the "reflection" technique.

I use daylight bulbs, painting studio. Works a treat.

Not any help to you but as a 13 year old I was desperate to have a black jumper, which my mother refused to buy me. More ways of skinning a cat! So allowed a couple of weeks to go by and then asked if I could knit myself a jumper and choose my pattern myself. My mother was quite pleased by this and I was duly dispatched to get wool pattern and needles. I arrived home with a pattern for the jumper and it was made on no 11 and 13 needles threeply and black wool!!
My mother was not best pleased but didnt go back on her word and as I was so desperate to have this black jumper, I did some knitting every day until it was made. Never chose 3 ply again or such small needles but enjoyed wearing the sweater for a very long time. My only suggestion is one thing that I did that helped a little. I got a old white pillowcase to put on my knee so that the black showed up in a better way, Have to say I have never made another one in black 3 ply for anything. Another suggestion is to make two different things at the same time , so you do some of your black cardigan in the daylight if possible and while you are not tired and then have a change to something in a lighter colour. Good luck

I am unable to crochet in black yarn or sew black fabric unless the natural daylight is very good. The bright cloudless, albeit frosty days, are brilliant at the moment. Overcast weather and I have to revert to another project

Get a neck light, you wear it round your neck and it has bright lights at each end, I managed to sew navy on navy the other day with no difficulty.

Neck lights or a head torch have helped me with crocheting dark colours. Both readily available on Amazon or eBay.

Could you knit first thing in the morning in natural light?

Oh, knit in natural daylight - although it's in short supply at this time of the year.

Has anyone used the iron on webbing for hemming trousers?
DH is the expert! He uses a damp cloth, it seems to be fairly successful although probably hemming by hand or machine is probably longer-lasting.

I knitted a navy blue hat for charity recently and decided to stick to lighter colours until the daylight improves.

Has anyone used the iron on webbing for hemming trousers?
I used this a few years ago with limited success and wondered if it has now improved.
Like other grans on this forum I struggle with black even in daylight.

Much sympathy from here - dark colours are really tricky in artificial light. Daylight bulbs help - I have an ancient angle poise which gives enough light for picking up the dropped stitches!

I make some small items with black sections - ‘professional’ hand puppets for a charity, inc. a policeman and a judge! always have to sit by a window in good daylight to sew them up or I just can’t see the stitches.

Some years ago I was knitting a long black cardigan, all done except the border all round the front. ‘pick up and knit’ umpteen stitches all around the front edge.

After trying for ages, I just couldn’t see the blasted stitches and I’m afraid to say the whole thing ended up in the bin! At least it was relatively cheap acrylic…
That was my worst ever UFO (Unfinished Object) and I haven’t had one since.

I have a daylight bulb I got from Hobbycraft in a standard lamp next to my seat so it shines down on my hands. Very bright.

Robert Dyas sold me an amazingly bright bulb to go in my ordinary standard lamp.