After the unrelenting gloom of the Winter which went on and on and depressed everyone’s spirits, I’m still finding the light, bright days we are enjoying a novelty, aren’t you? I don’t think it’s been quite as hot here in Norfolk as some other places but the warmth and sunshine is glorious, and I refuse to complain about being too hot! With my fair English skin I’m not one to sit or lie in the sun but give me a umbrella or a shady tree where I can sit and look out at the bright sun light and I’m very happy. Throw in a good book and a long cold drink and I’m in heaven!
Over last Winter in particular I struggled with a) having good enough light to work by and b) and this was even more frustrating, having light which was good enough to take photographs. I kept coming across other bloggers complaining about the same thing and it’s so essential to have great pictures on your blog.
In view of all this I was really pleased to be asked to try out and review a Lamp from the Daylight Company. They have a great choice of different lamps but the one which suited me best was the Swan Table lamp. It’s portable enough to move to various locations, the studio, the sofa, the dining table etc. but has a sturdy weighted base making it really stable and secure.
Swan Table Lamp
Until I sat it alongside the standard lamp that I usually stitch by I hadn’t realised how yellow the light it gave was, and how it distorted the colours I was using. This probably explains why I very often go to bed with gritty eyes and a niggling headache, because I am very bad at sitting without making, in common with all my creative friends out there, I’m sure!
standard electric light
But what I hadn’t even though of was the fact that I could actually use the light from the Daylight Lamp to take reasonable photographs which don’t require tweaking in Photoshop with levels and filters to make them halfway acceptable to post online, a huge benefit.
Daylight lamp light
So it’s great to not only have the chance to thoroughly recommend the Daylight Lamps but, also…be able to offer one lucky person the chance to win their own lamp! As the end of the summer approaches and the days get shorter they will be all set up for crafting into the winter.
I’m really excited about being able to offer this fantastic prize, the most valuable ever on Planet Penny!
All you have to do is to leave a comment to be in with a chance. How would a Daylight Lamp make life easier for you? If you want more chances then signing up to follow the blog or follow Planet Penny on Facebook or Pinterest and letting me know in that comment will put your name in the draw more times but it’s really up to you. I don’t want to make it complicated, I just want one of you to be lucky!
The draw will remain open until 31st August and then I’ll use the Random Number Generator to pick the winner. I can’t wait to hear from you!
See you soon …x
Ed. to add 31st July 2013 : DRAW NOW CLOSED
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The daylight lamp would help me sit crochet, my daughter is teaching me x
I would be able to crochet dark colours in the evenings as can only use them in daylight at the moment.
I would love this as I am going to have a stall at my very first local fair in nov and so this lamp would be perfect for all of the hours of crochet that are ahead of me!
WOW what a difference that would make to life, imagine being able to knit and crochet on dark evenings
I already follow your facebook page.
My house is quite dark, even in daylight, so a daylight lamp will help me see my crochet or other crafts. My photos of items I’ve made will improve too!
Fingers crosse! X
The daylight lamp would be amazing, so I can work on my polymer clay critters in the evenings once my tiddler has gone to bed. X
It would be great to have the flexibility to crochet or be crafty anywhere, without needing to sit by a window or have every light on at night, some yarn types and colours are so difficult to see properly!
Thanks! X
When it comes to winter I do a lot of knitting in the evenings, and like you I normally do it on the sofa next to the standard lamp. While the light from this is better than from the main ceiling light, it’s still pretty awful and I too often go to bed with my eyes feeling gritty and sore. Getting a daylight lamp has always been at the back of my mind!
I also follow you on Facebook and Pinterest (Ginny Wheatcroft)
I would love to have less gritty blurry eyes in the evening. I never thought how useful it would be when taking photos. If I don’t win I will consider buying one, great product.
I have just started following you on Facebook & Pinterest. I have to own up and say I am now totally addicted to Pinterest.
it would be lovely to have that sense of brightness whatever you are working on; whatever the weather!
Wow, the difference is amazing – the winter will seem a bit less gloomy.
I get migreans, and I’m sure eye strain contibutes, in work there is nothing I can do about it, but at home I try to have as much light as possible (a lamp on each side is I’m doing something fiddly) having a day light lamp would only help, and lessen the pain
I really struggle with dry eyes since having them lazered, Something like this would be brill
Working in the shimmer dark is definetly no good for our eyes…
I have been looking to buy a daylight lamp for my crafting. I love to crochet, but find the long dark nights of winter a real drag. Having a daylight lamp will make me feel its still a cheery summers day. :O)
A daylight lamp would make it so much easier to take blog photos. Even in summer I struggle to get the right angle so there’s no odd glare on the lens so this would be brilliant 🙂
I use a small desk lamp when I crochet and it gives off the worst light ever. The Swan Table Lamp would be awesome! Not only would the light be better but I could actually have it closer to my work so that the stitches with dark yarn would be easier to see! I have liked fb page, followed on pinterest and signed up for your blog! Thank ou for the chance to win this awesome prize!
I could really use this lamp! With a fiance who works 3rd shift and a newborn in the house I have to keep the lights low or off so they can sleep. Having this lamp will give me a bright light in just one area of the room and I won’t have to strain my eyes trying to see!
Aha! I’ve got a SAD light for using in the mornings in winter but can’t really use it for crafting in the evenings unless I want to seriously disturb my sleep patterns, this looks like the perfect answer!
Aha! Although I do have a SAD light for winter mornings I can’t craft with it in the evenings because it would seriously mess with my sleep patterns, this looks like the perfect answer to the problem!
A daylight lamp from stop me from squinting at my crochet in the yellow light, therefore not adding to the growing crows feet and wrinkles around my eyes.
This lamp looks fab! Not only does it look amazing but I bet the light is so much better than a standard lamp. I think we could all use a lamp like tgis, only recently I have had to take several trips to the opticians and doctors to do with my eyes, I am straining with poorly lit rooms and have become more sensitive to very bright lights. Because of poor lighting, I can’t see what I’m doing when sewing or kniting and my eyes get very sore and tired after sometimes only a few minutes! I have been advised to make allowances for better lighting in my home so I definitely will be looking up the Daylight Company regardless of whether or not I win. But winning would be even greater!
Tass
I live in a dark Victorian house and I can’t see to sew or crochet at all on winter evenings!
I already follow your blog and facebook and have now found you on pinterest so am very happy to have lots more crochet goodies to view x This is a brilliant prize and it would make life much easier 🙂
Yes please! I’m making a cushion cover and I had to pause it last winter… It would’ve been done by now.
How I agree about the summer light and also daylight lamps. Our house is quite gloomy in the winter which makes knitting and sewing quite difficult.
Hope you continue to enjoy the lovely weather.
Chris
Xx
I started selling cards all year round to pay for my sewing/knitting projects but have yet to invest in a lamp=massive stash of unfinished projects.
Hi Penny. A daylight lamp would be fantastically helpful on winter evenings with my Planet Penny Cotton and, like you, it would make it far easier to take half decent photos for the blog.
Would just lessen the eyestrain, especially when crafting during the winter months
Hiya! over from your facebook page (and follower from Pinterest) Wow, would never have thought about using a daylight lamp to crochet, and excellent to use for pictures – what a difference in your two pictures. I love taking pictures of my crochet outside in the summer sunshine, and the lamp would mean great pictures in the winter too!! The design of the lamp is really nice too – just perfect for my wee table! Would stop my hubby complaining about me requiring the ‘big lights’ on when I’m crocheting in the evenings!
Debs xx
Hi Penny, a daylight lamp would be amazing all my plugs are too far from the sofa to get a light to them and I end up sitting with the main light on squinting to crochet during the winter.
When my mam died I inherited her daylight lamp and it’s amazing. All lights should be like it !!!
Please don’t put me in the draw. I just wanted to sing its praises – not that it needed any help….
This would be so great to win, I could use it for crocheting and sewing and pictures!!
I also follow you on Facebook and Pinterest.
It would help me at night so I could crochet while the kids are sleeping or falling asleep. I follow the blog through email and Facebook. Thank you!
What a great lamp! I do nearly all of my crochet in the evenings once my girls are in bed and would love to be able to take more photos mid-project, rather than having to remember to set them up the next day (if the sun comes out!). Heading over to Facebook… x
What a great lamp! It makes such a difference to the colours. I do most of my crochet in the evenings once my girls are in bed and I would love to be able to take more pictures spur-of-the-moment, rather than hoping for sunshine and taking them the next day. Heading over to Facebook… x
That lamp looks fabby, the difference in light is amazing. I’m always complaining about how yellow everything turns to in winter! Would love to win.
Now that was an interesting review you were asked to be part of! I am amazed at the difference in the light for taking photographs Penny, wow. I was speaking to a friend yesterday morning and she was telling me about light bulbs her husband found on the net to keep SAD at bay, its something I think we will need to look into if our last Winter was anything to go by. Thanks for the chance to take part in your draw x Penny
I love your page on facebook and have just subscribed to your blog so that I can have your fab yarn in my inbox too!
What a brilliant giveaway! I have been thinking about getting one of these for a while. I have young children so can’t find the time to sew and crochet during the day. So my creative me time is always in the evening when my eyes aren’t so keen!
Thanks
Sarah
I’ve been nagging him indoors for ages to sort out a light for me to crochet by and this would fit the bill perfectly and hubby would be let off the hook…..so to speak ! Lol
I would love to win a daylight lamp. I suffer with insomnia so I’m up most nights. I can’t craft with a standard light as we use energy saving bulbs.
Amazing the difference in the greens and turquoises. What a great lamp to have! Thanks for the chance to win one.
Oh I agree the lamp would be so good i have can’t relax trying to crochet dark colors at night would luv to have this one 😀
Wow what a difference the daylight lamp makes to the colour of your photos! I would use it when taking photos for my blog, and when I crafting too.
@daisyangel1
Angela
Wonderful prize….I have been trying to afford one of these for ages but with an old wooden house that is falling down and is being renovated it is the last thing on the list…even though I paint nearly all day and every evening as my living using an old desk lamp x
A daylight lamp would make crafts in the winter time so much easier on the old eyes.
I had a daylight lamp and loved it, but sadly it has now gone to the great lamp graveyard in the sky :(. I’ve never been able to afford to replace it, and as my eyes (and the rest of me!) get older I’m missing it more and more. I would LOVE to win the wee lamp – it would be fabulous for photographing my tutorials! Plus stitching in an evening would be so much easier, particularly in the long dark nights up here in North Scotland. I’m already a Pinterest follower and will now sign up on facebook too, so hopefully that’s three bites at the cherry! Many thanks Penny, love your blog xx
Wow, what an amazing prize! For me, it would mean (like many others) I could extend my crafting day. My sewing room can be quite dark, and this lamp might mean I could actually see the machine needle to thread it! I think I’d also use it for photography – I try to use daylight, but as you know there are times it’s in very short supply!
Hi Penny,
What another generous gift you are offering! Yes, let there be light…especially for those, long, dark, winter nights….and days here for that matter, in the Pacific Northwest! 🙂
Don’t enter my name Penny, it isn’t critical for me.
Did you see the blind artist featured in the last link on your post? His work is outstanding. Link is here:
http://www.lowvisionart.org/
Oooo! yes I can see that would be very useful. As you say, crafting in the evening would be much easier. I’ve been doing fairisle socks lately & it has been difficult to choose the next pair of colours under artifical light & sometimes I regret my choice in the cold light of day the next morning!
My interior is very dark and that makes for poor lighting. Would love the day light lamp, as it would make knitting and crocheting much easier. I follow you on fb and pinterest and get your newsletter(which I so enjoy). Thank you for the chance to win the giveway.
This would be fantastic for letting me stitch into the evening, no eyestrain, just imagine!
I’d love to win this lamp as evenings are one of the only times I get to crochet for my little business, once I’ve packed the kids off to bed!!!
I am trying to finish my sons afghan baby blanket. (He is now four – 5 in September!) The new glasses are showing up how bad the stitching is, so now I need a lamp to go with them to help me correct almost 6 years of mistakes.
How great would one of these be?!! Just a tad addicted to my crocheting and seem to do it at all hours, especially the ones in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep (bloody menopause!)More than once I’ve woken up to a mismatched colour because I relied on a standard lamp to pick a colour. Grrr!
A daylight lamp would help me so much with my jewellery, I bead with tiny seed beads and being able to see in the evenings would be fab 🙂
Wow, I can’t believe what a difference that like makes. It’s great. That would be great for my husband who is an artist.
This would be great to help me with closer work, eg finishing off my knitted projects or doing my cross stitch! I have just started following you on Facebook and am impressed!
What a brilliant idea – I do almost all my crafting in the evenings and it hard to get colours right in the winter months
I follow you on facebook and interest
The gift of vision is such a beautiful thing,
I end up sitting on the floor by our French doors to crochet, during the day and night, as I struggle hooking and knitting in artificial light. This daylight lamp sounds fab and I would love to win it, it would make life much more comfortable! Loving your blog Penny, and hearing all your news, Thanks 🙂
Swan Table Lamp would mean 24-7 crocheting or knitting. Just might help sleepless nights, Ladies.
This would be the perfect gift for my mum as she really struggles to do the crafts she loves without the proper lighting.
I’d really like one of these. I do lots of different crafts including knitting and cross stitch and this would really help me.
Lovely blog and great things to buy on Etsy….loving the lamp…would make taking photos indoors so much more fun as no fiddling about with them afterwards…have bought the heart garland pattern…just need time to make it !! 😉
i would love one of these lamps, I am told they help with SAD too, i knit/crochet for charity and already dreading the long winter nights!
love following you on FB, going to go check you out on Pinterest too.
Hi! It looks so much clearer in the daylight lamp, Id love to craft at night using it…although one snag…keep it away from the mirror, I rather like how I look in a muted light LOL x Good luck to everyone x
I’d love the lamp. My eyesight is getting worse and even though I have glasses I struggle with my lamp to see the stitches sometimes.
x
I would so be helped to see my crochet, painting en beadwork (I work with the tiniest seedbeads, Miyuki 15/0).In the “normal” yellow light I often take the wrong colors or misjudge the right pigments…!
I am sooo glad, that I discovered your site! I follow you on Pinterest en the Dutch variety of Pinterest, Welke.nl., and of course on Facebook!
The picture of your beautifull mice, that I put on Welke, is pinned very, very often! Lots of people know them now!And love them!
As I work as a seamstress/crafter around my other job and being a mummy to twins I find I am often squinting and have longed for such a lamp….would quite simply change my life!!
Youve diagnosed my problem I keep having a terrible headache when i get up and i do lots of crochet in the evening with poor lighting.This lamp would be a great thing for me.xx
It would be great to be able to see to craft anywhere – even the garden on a long enough lead!
I too am guilty of working in
the wrong light. Something I had not really thought about until your comments.
I have been enjoying sitting crocheting in the conservatory in good light of late and have been wondering what to do as the light gets worse. These lights look brilliant, the difference in colour is amazing.
Alison
I would love to win this light – I follow you on Facebook & Pinterest and have enjoyed crocheting lovely things with my Planet Penny Cotton Club pack 🙂 My name on FB is Lucie Bunnett Williamson. Thanks Penny x
Following on facebook & pinterest. Love your work. The lamp would make it possible for me to crochet at night which I now cannot do – how wonderful it would be, 🙂
I am very crafty, but mostly in the evening, a lamp would help me heaps as I don’t see well these days.
I would love to win this, been struggling to see
I am not sure i even qualify to enter as i am from Canada but I’ll comment anyways 🙂 i live in an apartment building and as per the landlords we are not allowed to use anything other than energy efficient bulbs in any of the ceiling fixtures. This of course provides very little light really. I do have a table lamp that I have a normal bulb in (they haven’t commented on that yet, shhhh)but like you said the light is very yellow and I find at night I can no longer work with darker colours because i just cant see where to put my hook. I love the idea of a more natural light source. Thank you. Oh yes and I do follow you on Facebook
As a full time carer for a dementia sufferer my craty time can be at odd times of the day. A daylight lamp would help me to make the most of every chance I get to crochet/knit/stitch. Fingers crossed x
I follow your Facebook page and would love a chance to win the daylight lamp, I live on a boat and love to crochet and it would help my poor eyesight 🙂
Yes me too – I get the niggling headaches, and thought it was the wine factor, but let there be light…especially for those long, dark, winter nights (and days for that matter). 😉 xx
What a great prize, I’d like to win a daylight lamp as there are never enough crafting hours in a day and the lamp would make evenings longer!
Would love this lamp as we don’t have anything other than overhead lighting in the living room so if I want to knit or sew in the evenings it’s very difficult
I follow you on Facebook Pinterest and emails, love all the ideas, would love this lamp always have difficulty with dark colours in the evening
I would like to win, if I’m the winner I will post a photo of me with the light =)
I would love to have a chance at winning your daylight lamp. I have difficulty seeing any craftwork in the evenings. These new ‘low’ energy light bulbs don’t help sight and the daylight lamp would be wonderful. My crochet hook would be flying x
Loving your blog and fb page. I’d love a daylight lamp so I can see what i’m doing properly in the evenings, no more headaches! 🙂
It would make it so much easier for me to sew and crochet! I can only sew, knit and crochet in the evening when my toddler is in bed, so I never get any good, natural light. I have to avoid very dark yarn when I crochet and always need extra light when using my sewing machine, even though it has a little light of it’s own! We have energy saving bulbs and even though they are extra bright ones, they still leave a lot to be desired!
Oh and I follow you on facebook and I follow your blog 🙂
I would love to win the fantastic light! It would help a lot with my crochet and knitting. I follow you on Facebook and Pinterest too.
my eye’s strain so much now that even going back to my glasses- without good light some stitching is tough, this light would be awesome to have 🙂
Oh My Goodness! So Sweet and Kind of you to have such a wonderful Giveaway. I would Love to win a Daylight Lamp. Seeing the differences in your Photo’s are Amazing! I just recently started Crocheting.and have such a hard time seeing. I now use an Old Lamp that I bought at a yard sale. If I win that old thing is going in the Trash. Thanks so much for the chance. I liked you on Facebook. :0)