I spontaneously decided to host People of Craft on Twitter this last week when there was an unexpected need. I walked through my encoding process – you can read what I wrote here.
I wasn’t originally planning to do a lace design as part of the week, but I was too tempted, and here we are!
A brief explanation: I’m hosting the twitter account called @PeopleOfCraft this week, and it’s filled up the part of my schedule that I usually use for blogging.
I’m explaining part of how I make my code grids. Here’s my first thread from yesterday – it links to today’s thread. (I’ll do that every day.)
The random number generator picked Burst for my first encoded word post of this month, suggested by Lara, one of my Patreon supporters.
I usually develop a complicated knitting stitch pattern for each word, but I also like to provide a basic chart for any craft that’s worked on a grid: beads, cross stitch, whatever. I also try to provide an image of the pattern repeated all over not as a chart. It doesn’t necessarily look like a finished object for any particular craft, but I just want to give a sense of it in use.
Continue reading
The first word I’m encoding for this month is Burst, suggested by Lara on Patreon.
Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. I make two of these into knitting stitches each month: the first is drawn from the collection of new words; the second is drawn from the collection of unused words. A random number generator helps me choose this, and then I get to work, first turning the letters into numbers, then charting the numbers onto grids in various ways. Finally, when I make the chart into lace, I turn the marked squares into yarnovers and work out where to place the corresponding decreases. (I usually make lace; occasionally I make cables instead.) I also make a chart for any craft that uses a square grid for designing; this goes in a separate post.
The charts are not meant in any way to look like the original words; the words are the seeds of my creativity.
Follow this link for charts and written instructions
One thing I’ve noticed over the last nine (!!!) years of learning to design lace, is that it’s easier to make lace look at least reasonably good if it has only a few right side rows, even if it’s wide. There are some other constraints, but repetition helps make things look like a pattern very quickly.
Follow link for charts, photos, and explanations.
Here’s the sequel to last week’s Lace Crescents post. I found myself looking at the edges of the vertical repeats and thinking that I could reduce two columns to one – after all, the decreases were on alternate rows.
Indeed, I like the final result even better. I like the braided effect where the repeats come together.
(This isn’t one of my encoded word patterns.)
Follow this link for a chart and written instructions
The random number generator picked Frond for my second encoded word post of this month, suggested by Lara, one of my Patreon supporters.
I usually develop a complicated knitting stitch pattern for each word, but I also like to provide a basic chart for any craft that’s worked on a grid: beads, cross stitch, whatever. I also try to provide an image of the pattern repeated all over not as a chart. It doesn’t necessarily look like a finished object for any particular craft, but I just want to give a sense of it in use.
Continue reading
The word I drew from my word hoard for this stitch pattern is Frond, suggested by Lara on Patreon. Spring is on the way where I am, and it’s nice to think about sprouting fronds.
Each month, my Patreon backers have the chance to suggest words for me to encode as knitting stitches. I make two of these into knitting stitches each month: the first is drawn from the collection of new words; the second is drawn from the collection of unused words. A random number generator helps me choose these, and then I get to work, first turning the letters into numbers, then charting the numbers onto grids in various ways. Finally, when I make the chart into lace, I turn the marked squares into yarnovers and work out where to place the corresponding decreases. (I usually make lace; occasionally I make cables instead.) I also make a chart for any craft that uses a square grid for designing; this goes in a separate post.
The stitch patterns are not meant in any way to look like the original words; the words are the seeds of my creativity.
Follow link for chart and photo
It’s pretty common for one of my ideas to lead to another. Trying variations of stitch patterns is pretty educational in terms of stitch pattern design! I’ve never had a knitting design block —playing with one idea usually leads to all sorts of other ideas. If I don’t have time to use all the things the first idea makes me think of, I write down enough of a note that I can come back to it later.
Important note about writing down ideas for later: I’ve learned the very hard way that I can’t just scribble down a couple of words that make sense at the time. I need to write things out, or sketch a diagram or chart with an explanation for myself, with enough words that I would have understood what I meant before I had the original idea. Otherwise I come back months later to something like “overlapping braids”, and what the heck does that mean? (I’ve never used that particular phrase in my notes, but it’s the kind of thing that would make sense in the heat of the moment. It would have seemed so obvious to me at the time that I would have thought that it would be enough to jog my memory.)
Anyway! After making Lace Crescent Rib, I wondered what would happen if I shifted every other rib up halfway, removing the purl columns as well. What kind of allover pattern would be the result? Here is the answer. It’s still somewhat rib-like, and I like it. This stitch pattern inevitably led to a further question, and you’ll see what happened with that experiment next week.
