I have an envy problem.

I enjoy perusing the stashes of other Ravelers, but at the same time, it can cause the green-eyed monster to rear her ugly head.  Instead of just enjoying the beauty, I find myself saying, “Ooh…I want that…and that…and that!”

Oh–not the yarn (I mean, I want it, but that’s not a problem–that’s natural).  I want their pictures.

Some Ravelers have awesome pictures of their yarn:  super close ups that are perfectly in focus; perfect representations of actual color with no bleaching; cool backdrops that enhance the yarn’s appearance without distracting from it.  I want those yarn pictures.

When I first started taking pictures of my yarn, I simply laid them on my craft table and snapped a picture (with flash, of course).  Then I got a little better educated and started taking the shots outside.  Of course, the Texas sunlight sometimes hurts more than it helps, since it can be worse than a flash.  And I’ve learned that the stark white background I’ve been using may not be doing good things for the color representation of my yarn.  Yet even if my pictures are improved, they’re…well, they’re boring.  Unfortunately, my options around my house are limited.  Even the grass is too dried out to make a good backdrop…and putting my yarn on the ground in south Texas is like inviting the fire ants to an all-you-can-eat buffet of my hand.

Right now, though, we’re visiting my in-laws in Washington state.  They live in the northwestern part of the state, in a rural area where they’ve built their dream house.  They also designed their dream front yarn, complete with pond and a surrounding garden of native wildflowers. So Genuine’s latest post on yarn photography seemed serendipitous (as well as making me snicker a few times). So I decided to give some serious yarn p*rn a shot.

Fly Designs Peek a Boo Fly, superwash merino and bamboo, in Nasturtium

Fiesta La Boheme, with kid mohair, in Tequila Sunrise

Artyarns Kid Mohair, kid mohair and silk (I’m calling this Rosebush)

Hand Maiden Lady Godiva, silk and wool (calling this Rosebush too)

Hand Maiden Silken, 100% silk, in Seascape

ZwergerGarn Opal, with superwash wool, in Neon
(Jeffrey picked this out and requested I knit him something with it)

Cascade Yarns Nikki, 100% wool (I’m calling this Freshwater Pearls, in honor of the store I got it from, Cultured Pearls in Issaquah, WA)

Noro Taiyo, cotton/silk/wool/nylon (calling this Dark Garden)

Hand Maiden Sea Silk, silk and Seacell(c) (since this is a darker version of Seascape, I’m calling it Dark Sea)