the twisted yarn

Knitting, crochet, running, and silliness.

The Ivy-Covered Camera Knitted Camera Strap That Sneaked In Ahead Of The Post About Crocheted Christmas Decorations

by 56 Comments

I know, I know, I said the crochet paper chains were coming next, but this post sort of barged in front. How very rude! Apologies on its behalf – it was badly brought up and has no manners.

So, have a seat and tell me, are you ready for Christmas? You are? Ooh, you’re well ahead of me – I’m so disorganised. I’ve got a good present idea, though, that you could knit for the photographer in your life. Or maybe you’re keen on photography y’self, in which case you might be able to use one of these for your camera. Look! Pretty, no?

It's quite hard to take a photo of one's camera. What do you use to take it? Hmmm. I was almost reduced to drawing a quick sketch instead...
It’s quite hard to take a photo of one’s camera. What do you use to take it? Hmmm. I was almost reduced to drawing a quick sketch instead…

The thing is, the straps that come with digital SLR cameras these days are a bit uncomfortable, and they’re not exactly beautiful. Time to do summat about this, methinks. What I’ve designed is a stranded cover for the wide part of the strap. And having figured out the basics, I was staring out of the window, pencil in hand, wondering what sort of pattern should be on the strap, when my idle gaze fell on the blimmin’ ivy sprawling up our garden fence. Must do something about that wretched ivy, I thought. So I did. I put it on the camera strap. Ha! That’ll learn it – I bet it’s scared, now. And for the other side of the strap, I doodled a happy, abstract pattern. If you want to create your own design for this pattern, I’ve got some tips here. Being a stranded design, the resulting fabric feels quite thick, making for a nice comfortable strap.

photo 3

Would you like to make one? I’m happy to share the pattern, in exchange for a steaming mug of green tea, if you don’t mind popping the kettle on. Ooh, are those some biscuits? Don’t mind if I do….

First, some basics. The finished work in the photos measures 73×4.5cm, and should fit over the wide part of most standard straps (but the length can be adjusted for any model). It’s knitted in the round on double-pointed needles (DPNs).

Yarn: One ball of Rico Design Superba Poems, in ‘Tropic’. (Yarn ‘A’ in the pattern below.) One ball of Rico Design Bamboo Uni, in ‘Ecru’. (Yarn ‘B’.)

Needles: one set each of 3.0mm and 3.5mm DPNs.

Gauge: 30s, 42r to 10cm square in stockinette on 3mm needles. But really, I wouldn’t get too hung up on precise gauge for this project.

photo 2

Right, off we go!

Cast on 30s on 3mm needles in yarn A. Divide stitches between three DPNs as follows: 15s on first needle, 8s on second needle, and 7s on third needle. Join in round. Fetch tea, and some of your very very best biscuits. Settle y’self in your comfiest chair, and put your feet up on a footstool…. or the dog…. or one of your children. You’re going to be here for a wee while, my friend.

Round 1: *K1P1. Repeat from * until end of round.

Rounds 2-18: As row 1, to create a band of 1×1 rib.

image

Round 19: Drop yarn A. Introduce yarn B and knit all stitches around. As you remove each 3.0mm needle, replace it with a 3.5mm needle, until you are working exclusively with the larger size.

Round 20: Drop yarn B. Pick up yarn A, and knit all stitches.

Round 21 onwards: Begin working from the bottom right of the pattern chart (which I’ll come to in a minute…), using the coloured yarn A for the background, and cream yarn B for the leaves and pattern details (marked as ‘X’s on the chart). Work in the round from right to left on every row of the chart, with the 15 stitches on the first needle being used for the whole of the ivy design panel, and the abstract pattern on the reverse being split between the needle with 8 stitches and the needle with 7 stitches. OK? Yeah? When you get to the top of the pattern chart, pour yourself some more tea and start again from the bottom. Continue until you’ve worked the length of the wide part of the strap. In my case, I worked just over 1 ½ repeats of the chart, but your camera strap might be a different length from my Canon.

Next round: Drop yarn B. Work a round in knit stitch with yarn A.

Next round: Drop yarn A. Work a round in knit stitch with yarn B. As you remove each needle, replace it with one of the smaller 3.0mm needles until you are just working on the smaller needles.

Next 18 rounds: *K1P1. Repeat from * around to create the second cuff in 1×1 rib.

Cast off. Weave in ends. Have y’self another biscuit.

Wash and block. All manner of unevenness and dodgy stitches will magically sort themselves out.

photo 4

And you’re done! See, it wasn’t that hard. Anyway, you need the chart to actually knit this, don’t you? So here it is! Ivy Camera Strap Cover (You might need to right-click on it to get it to open or save.)

Now, are there any more of those biscuits?

cam1a

www.thetwistedyarn.com The Ivy Camera Strap

 

Comments

  2. You got me thinking, I would really like something to cover the part of my seat belt that pills and bobbles the front of my sweaters. This may be the answer. Thank you.

    Reply

  7. This is a genius idea, not only is my camera strap uncomfortable, I have never liked it. So in the new year, my knitting needles are coming out, think I shall be using a ‘pop’ of red for mine. Brilliant idea as always Twisted.. . Love it x

    Reply

      • I’m trying to get to grips with stranded/fair isle knitting so this is ideal for me to practice with! Just need to get this pesky christmas present business out the way first though… 🙂

        Reply

  14. I have liked this camera strap, since you first showed it – you are most clever! I’m a tad concerned about the amount of biscuits you are consuming though – we don’t want our Twisted so rotund she can no longer get her feet up off the floor onto the back of a kneeling toddler twinnage whilst knitting……

    Reply

  16. http://www.printfriendly.com/ You are welcome :). Er…I am SO in awe of this gorgeousness coupled with terrified at the thought of it. I have never, in my whole life, even contemplated attempting Fairisle. I am afraid from heem BIGTIME! As someone who hefts a camera around on bush jaunts in the vague hope of being able to steady her hands as she falls over logs and gets dragged around by overexcited dogs and has to steady herself from imminent doom with both hands as Earl tries to drag her over a cliff I needs me one of these babies BUT I am mortally afraid from heem 🙁

    Reply

    • Well SOME of what you’ve described sounds scary, but not the fairisle, honest. You could do it!

      And thank you for the link. What I need is a way to insert a pdf or summat into a blog post so that people can access it. This is probably ridiculously easy and I’m quite stupid.

      Reply

      • If you go to that site and download their pdf button it will appear at the bottom of your page and people can click that button if they want to print the page out as a pdf. I do it all the time but I downloaded the button to my tool bar and whenever I come across a post that I want to keep, I keep it. Easy peasy. If I can do it, anyone can :). I am halfway to daft and most of the way to twitching when it comes to computers.

        Reply

  17. This is so cool! Now I’m thinking guitar players could do this for their straps… I hope you are having a super holiday! The gals in my knit knite group LOVED making the knitted trees from a square and we also did a crochet version too!! Thanks for all the inspiration! Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  20. As for putting up a pdf on a wordpredss blog… I’m not sure. I get around it by offering the button from http://www.printfriendly.com/. It allows users to turn any webpage into a pdf which is handy for when I want to publish a pattern.

    HTH

    And thanks for giving me another project to add to my cue. Lol. As if I didn’t have enough!

    Reply

    • Oops, sorry I lengthened your queue. I know the feeling.

      Thanks for the link. But – and I know I’m being dim here – I’m still not sure where to put the original chart (it won’t really fit in a blog post) online. Am I making sense at all? I know I’m being exceptionally stoopid about this…

      Reply

      • ahh. I save my charts as image files and then treat them like all the other pics. But I can see that if a chart is complicated and/or big might not work.

        Upload a pdf to google docs? Then share the link to it?

        Reply

  21. That is a really nice design. I knit a strap cover for my camera too, as it was both uncomfortable and I really hated being branded by it. Mine is very functional, but not nearly so beautiful as yours. Maybe it’s time for a new one!

    Reply

    • Shall I write a tongue-in-cheek remark about how you love the scissors that I bought for a pittance from Amazon and ignore the piece of knitting that I spent many hours designing and knitting? 😉

      Reply

      • Shall I confess that it was my intent to tweak you by the aforementioned misplaced emphasis? But, honestly, I do like that scissors….

        Reply

  23. This is a great idea and a lovely design. I don’t have a big camera with a strap but I do have a guitar with a strap….hmmmmm – that could work!

    Reply

  24. That looks roughly one million times better than the standard camera strap! It’s also good to know I’m not the only one runs into difficulties when taking photos of their own camera (not that it happens that often, but it does happen). “You mean I have to take a photo with my phone??” Somehow, it seems rude to take a photo of a DSLR with anything but another DSLR. Ah well.

    I’m bookmarking this pattern for future use. You know, once I work through the never-ending list of projects I already have on the go… Thanks for creating the pattern and sharing it, too.

    Reply

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