Sharing Knitting Techniques on YouTube

re: Sharing Knitting Techniques on YouTube

nmcafee — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:35:49 GMT

Someone PLEASE tell Denise Jackson her wonderfully explained video is completely out of focus. Maybe she dosen't know. Thank you.

re: Sharing Knitting Techniques on YouTube

texas44 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:05:47 GMT

I also cannot watch Eunny knit although she has much to offer. One of my complaints about other shows have the presenter using her own technique and not showing the beginner how to wrap yarn in hand. They need to start properly then adjust things more comfortably later.

Kathleen, I would love to see the list of videos you provide when teachng beginners. There are so many choices and I would like to see your choices. Everyone needs a review from time to time. I enjoy your blog and Knitting Daily mailings. Thanks so much for making knitting such an enjoyable craft. Linda

re: Sharing Knitting Techniques on YouTube

QuiltinLady21 — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:31:04 GMT

The most important piece of advice I could give aspiring videographers is to S-L-O-W D-O-W-N. Now is not the time to show off how quickly you can knit. People are watching your video because they want to learn how to do something and if you knit too quickly, they won't be able to follow you. If I can't see where your yarn is and what you're doing with it because you're moving too darn fast, you've lost me as a viewer. The best instructors use very SLOW and very exaggerated movements so that it's perfectly clear what is going on.

This is especially important if you hold your yarn in an unusual manner. Although many "serious" knitters may knit in the continental fashion, most new knitters -- i.e., your potential viewers -- have learned only the English/right hand method. You risk losing a large proportion of your viewers if you don't demonstrate your technique using that method. If your viewers can't figure out what you're doing with your yarn because they don't understand how Continental knitting works, you've lost them.

I can't watch any of Eunny Jang's videos for these very reasons: she knits much, much too fast for me to follow (and I'm a pretty experienced/fast knitter myself), and I can't figure out where the yarn is because of the odd way she holds it.

A few more hints: be sure that the yarn you use has a high contrast with the background (a white yarn on a black background, for example). Be sure to use yarn with a large enough gauge so that your stitches / actions are clear and distinct.

Lastly, new knitters will find it much easier to follow you if the camera faces your hands from the same angle that they will see their hands. Most techniques look very different from the front and back; be sure your viewers are seeing the same angles that they will see when they knit.

re: Sharing Knitting Techniques on YouTube

ZenzeleB — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:29:06 GMT

Excellent advice! Also, as someone who doesn't have access to teenagers, but is a highly-technically-savvy person, in her own right, I'm quite sure there are way more grown adults who can put a Youtube video together, than we give them credit for.