Anybody knit at night?

#1

I do most of my knitting at night in bed with a desk lamp positioned on my floor for light, but honestly, I need something with more direct light. The problem is that while I want to be able to see what I’m doing better, I don’t want to keep up my husband at night with a bright light (God knows he’s been patient enough with the desk lamp!) I also read in bed and that lamp being on the floor doesn’t help much at all.

Anybody else knit in bed at night? How do you handle the lighting situation?

I thought about one of these, but I think my family would tease me too much. :oops: Plus, I prefer to use electrical outlets for power because it seems I’m always running to the store to replace those expensive batteries in things.

#2

I have a light that clips onto the headboard. I aim it down and it gives me just enough light while not blinding anyone else.

Kelly

#3

I knit at night, but not in bed. Much prefer my recliner in the living room, with good light and TV for ‘noise value.’ Knitting in bed would not work for me, too uncomfortable.

One of those L.L.Bean head lights would work, they’re a good product, but wouldn’t it just be easier to move where light wouldn’t bother your husband?

#4

I like that and [B]PFFFFFT![/B] to anyone that makes fun of you!!! Can’t be any funnier looking than having to hold your knitting close enough to eat! :teehee: I like to do handwork at night and would wear one! I was “built” in 1956 and have reached that level where I know what I want and need. I say, GO FOR IT!!!

Personally, I am fed up with houses that do not have enough lighting! We are renovating an older house(also built in 1956) and I have demanded that it have efficient and light coverage without shadows when I knit, sew, cook, read…

#5

What about something like this…

http://www.lampsplus.com/htmls/best/view.aspx?cat=SwingarmsWallLamps

#6

Debkcs, I’d love to move into the living room to knit (although the lighting’s not much better in there!), but my husband gives me a hard time if I come to bed too late; this way, I’m already in bed, even if I stay up very late to knit, I won’t “get in trouble”.:teehee: Well, I’m always in trouble with somebody anyway, but at least it’s [I][U]less[/U][/I] trouble.

mwhite, I TOTALLY agree with your frustration with house lighting! Our first house, we had skylights (never needed a light on in the bathroom during the day) and fluorescent lighting in the kitchen…everything was nice and bright to work. Seems like every subsequent house we’ve lived in, the lighting gets worse and worse, and the kitchens get smaller and smaller :hair: --not good for somebody that likes to cook! Counter spaces and work areas are pretty much non-existent. When I lived at home growing up, my dad was an electrician, so I never knew that it was a big “commodity” to have things like ample lighting in a house, lights in closets, etc.–he just put lights in wherever and whenever we needed them. I really miss that. If I wasn’t so scared out of my wits about electricity shocking me to a gruesome death:teehee: , I’d learn how to do it and give it a go at my house and start rewiring right away so I can see something.

#7

Two words: rechargable batteries

#8

I just put a low wattage bulb in the lamp on the nightstand so that when reading late the hubby and I don’t keep each other up. That said the headlamp is a great idea. A word of caution - LED’s are SO BRIGHT that I would make sure you get an adjustable one or one with fewer than 4 (think that’s the LLBean one) I got my hubby one for our first Christmas dating that is adj up to like 6-8 LED’s and that thing is so bright.

#9

I usually knit in bed myself, but it’s just me so I can keep my big overhead light on as long as I want. That said, I think the head light is a good idea, too. My dad used to use one of those on his mail route to read the mail after dark, and they work really well. Also, have you ever used Knit Lites? They’re plastic, and straight, so if you don’t like either of those features you might not like them, but they do shed a little bit more light on your work.

Hope this helps. If not, just tell hubby he’ll just have to get over it. :teehee:

#10

I knit at night, but also not in bed. NOt that it would keep anyone awake (I have my own bedroom) but it is too uncomfortable and my hands fall asleep knitting in that position for some reason. I kit mostly in the living room at night with good lighting.

#11

How about these? http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat2868&PRODID=prd49535
They look like fun.

#12

I have tried knitting in bed but I can’t seem to get comfortable so I knit in the lounge with the lamp behind me…I am a night worker so I always take my knitting with me…also I do tend to get up in the middle of the night and can’t just sit and watch TV so I do my knitting then until I am tired enough to go back to sleep…

#13

I got DH one of those sleeping masks so I could crank up the light as bright as I needed it.

#14

I just bought a booklight for knitting. At this point, I’m clipping it onto a little basket that I have all my knitting stuff in, but I think I could even clip it onto my shirt or something. They come in a variety of sizes–tiny lightweight ones might be just perfect.

Of course, there’s a lot to be said for the headlamp! :slight_smile:

#15

I use an adjustable-height floor lamp that I originally got for hand quilting (looks like a work light). I focus the light on my project and this works well for me.

The L. L. Bean commercial for the headlamps is one of my favorites of the season. Starts out with a group of 4, 5, or 6-year-olds with headlamps sitting on the couch intently watching the fireplace. In the next frame they’re sprawled out fast asleep with the headlamps pointing in various directions. I’m in Maine so I get to see it fairly often…absolutely precious!

JudyD

#16

I also knit in bed, at night…Not so much lately…since my daughter has started school, I just can’t stay up as late as I used to be able to! However, when I do, I also use a small lamp that clamps onto the headboard. I just aim it at my work and it gives really good lighting. I usually have to wait 'til hubby’s asleep though because he complains about the light annoying him…lol…The lighting in the rest of my house is terrible though so there’s not much point in knitting in another room.

#17

I’d be uncomfortable knitting in bed. I do knit at night, but in the living room, comfy chair and an Ott Light, very good lighting.

#18

I knit in bed at night and I DO use a headlamp. I work at a summer camp and we do a lot of night hiking, so most everyone on staff has a nice headlamp. They don’t eat through batteries–in fact, I’ve been using my petzl headlamp with the same batteries since June. Maybe I’m just accustomed to them, but I don’t find them dorky. They’re really convient because no matter which way you look, the light is pointing in the same direction!

http://media.rei.com/media/979427.jpg

that’s the one I have–it’s really nice because it has three levels of brightness and a strobe effect in case you want to have a knitting rave. (glowsticks not included ;))

#19

I knit at night but not in bed. I turn the TV on real low and sit on the couch and knit away!

#20

I’m an insomniac, and do a lot of my knitting at night. I’m fortunate, though, because the lamp doesn’t bother DH at all. He falls asleep easily, and sleeps heavily. I think that if the light bothered him, I’d opt for the headlamp. It looks like a great solution.