Sometimes I get questions about reading and knitting at the same time. Here are a few tips on how to make that a little easier.
1. Pick the right knitting project. I typically only knit simple parts of projects when I’m reading because that’s all I can manage without having to check my knitting frequently. I mostly stick to unshaped stockinette or garter stitch, but working shaping is possible if you use markers. I haven’t figured out how to crochet without looking at my work a lot yet.
2. Look for large books to read. Text book sized books are the best because they lay flat and open without a lot of effort. If you’re not reading a comic book, large books also have the bonus of containing more text per page so you don’t have to pause to turn the page as often.
3. Use a weight if your book won’t stay open on your own. You can buy things to help hold your book open, but I find that a simple metal ruler does the trick. Plus, it makes it easy to check my gauge if I’m reading while I’m swatching!
4. Accept that you might do some damage to your book. You might break the spine trying to get your book to lay flat. That really bothers me, but it happens and it doesn’t make the book any less readable.
5. Read things digitally and don’t worry about the pages. You can set your computer to scroll gradually by clicking with the scroll button on your mouse. The scroll-y symbol will appear on your screen where you clicked and you can offset your mouse to control how fast or how slow your computer will scroll.
Reading materials in order of appearance: Hellboy, Definitely Dead, Sabriel, The Makers Project.
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