It has been said several times by both me and others, now is a great time to be knitting. There are so many wonderful wool, cotton, mohair and other types of yarns available. When I started knitting one generally had to purchase yarn at the local Five and Dime store where acrylic yarn was about all one could purchase. Free patterns are available with a few simple clicks as well as free help to answer almost any knitting question or solve any knitting problem one encounters. Back in the day to solve problems or answer questions one had to find someone skilled and talk to them in person. And this is specifically what leads me today to a discussion about the website verypink.com. (Here is a very short montage video to give you a sample of the videos).
If you want to see a video on how to do the Kitchener stitch or German short rows or Pinhole cast-on, one YouTube video you have more than likely watched for each is from VeryPink. The knitter/designer creating all these videos is Staci Perry. Her videos are so professionally done you will prefer to watch them over others that are done with a home video, often not well lit and without the project in-frame. I have bumped into VeryPink videos often enough it seemed well worth my time to check her out and her work on YouTube.
Fact #1
Staci Perry has been knitting for over 40 years. Designing for knitting has been something she picked up as she developed her YouTube instructional videos and is a much more recently learned skill. Her designs are created to showcase a certain stitch or technique.
Fact #2
Her YouTube channel began in 2009 and she has been putting out knitting videos weekly every since. She is a self-proclaimed early adopter of YouTube and YouTube was impressed enough with her work they made a promotional video featuring her. You can see it here.
Fact #3
Staci's favorite knitting stitch is stockinette. She says she loves the mindlessness of it. And if you watch her videos you will note she knits almost exclusively with worsted weight yarn.
Fact #4
This prolific knitter does not have a stash. (I know I was simply shocked too.) She purchases yarn with a specific project in mind and uses it right away or knits with promotional yarn sent to her in a project designed to use all the yarn available.
Fact #5
The videos were initially meant to supplement face-to-face knitting classes Staci taught at her LYS in Austin, Texas. She was amazed at the viewership they created once posted. The rest is history.
Fact #6
Her previous work experience has been in marketing. I believe this experience shows in the simple, clean backgrounds of her videos and the direct and clear way she teaches.
Fact #7
Staci says she tries to emulate Julia Child's teaching style in her videos.
"She (Child) let women who watched her feel that they would be heard, that they could do anything she could do, She wanted women to be proud of what they did. That was so important to her. That pride. She had found it. And she wanted others to find it, too." (Spritz in Dearie, 2012)
One gets that same sense of being able to knit like Staci from her videos as well as that pride in doing something properly.
Fact #8
As of June 30, 2016 VeryPink has started another feature, a podcast. Staci explains she started the podcast because sometimes more explanation needs to be given about a technique or stitch, more than would be appropriate in a video. Check out that first podcast here.
There is a ton of great information on her website. I easily spent several hours on it, but not without some reward. More about that next time.
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| Staci Perry in her Rodeo Drive poncho. Photo from VeryPink Ravelry site |
If you want to see a video on how to do the Kitchener stitch or German short rows or Pinhole cast-on, one YouTube video you have more than likely watched for each is from VeryPink. The knitter/designer creating all these videos is Staci Perry. Her videos are so professionally done you will prefer to watch them over others that are done with a home video, often not well lit and without the project in-frame. I have bumped into VeryPink videos often enough it seemed well worth my time to check her out and her work on YouTube.
Fact #1
Staci Perry has been knitting for over 40 years. Designing for knitting has been something she picked up as she developed her YouTube instructional videos and is a much more recently learned skill. Her designs are created to showcase a certain stitch or technique.
Fact #2
Her YouTube channel began in 2009 and she has been putting out knitting videos weekly every since. She is a self-proclaimed early adopter of YouTube and YouTube was impressed enough with her work they made a promotional video featuring her. You can see it here.
Fact #3
Staci's favorite knitting stitch is stockinette. She says she loves the mindlessness of it. And if you watch her videos you will note she knits almost exclusively with worsted weight yarn.
Fact #4
This prolific knitter does not have a stash. (I know I was simply shocked too.) She purchases yarn with a specific project in mind and uses it right away or knits with promotional yarn sent to her in a project designed to use all the yarn available.
Fact #5
The videos were initially meant to supplement face-to-face knitting classes Staci taught at her LYS in Austin, Texas. She was amazed at the viewership they created once posted. The rest is history.
Fact #6
Her previous work experience has been in marketing. I believe this experience shows in the simple, clean backgrounds of her videos and the direct and clear way she teaches.
Fact #7
Staci says she tries to emulate Julia Child's teaching style in her videos.
"She (Child) let women who watched her feel that they would be heard, that they could do anything she could do, She wanted women to be proud of what they did. That was so important to her. That pride. She had found it. And she wanted others to find it, too." (Spritz in Dearie, 2012)
One gets that same sense of being able to knit like Staci from her videos as well as that pride in doing something properly.
Fact #8
As of June 30, 2016 VeryPink has started another feature, a podcast. Staci explains she started the podcast because sometimes more explanation needs to be given about a technique or stitch, more than would be appropriate in a video. Check out that first podcast here.
There is a ton of great information on her website. I easily spent several hours on it, but not without some reward. More about that next time.
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