A while back, I doodled up a chart. (It’s not secret code.) I’m gradually working through making it into various kinds of knitting. Here it is as a knit/purl pattern. I don’t know if it’s something to do with the stitch pattern, the yarn, or my gauge, but the pattern in my swatch is really only visible with bright light coming from an angle. I suspect it’s mostly the yarn; my next knit/purl pattern will be done with thicker yarn.
Nonetheless, I’m happy with the result.
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The random number generator picked Mars for my first encoded word post of this month, suggested by Kate, 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.
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The first word for this month is Mars, suggested by Kate on Patreon. This is a happy coincidence, given the recent successful landing of the InSight Mars Lander.
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.
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Last week, I shared a stitch pattern with you that I’d derived from a motif from Ply. This is a variation on last week’s pattern, because I saw that if I changed things around slightly, I could nestle some extra columns in between the first set, shifted just a little bit vertically. A standard term for this that’s used in pattern design is half-drop. Mathematicians refer to this as an example of translational symmetry. (This kind of symmetry involves sliding copies of a motif around without changing the shape of it.)
Note: this doesn’t count as secret code anymore because it’s been manipulated a lot.
Sometimes when I design a stitch pattern, I see a motif that I want to play with a bit more. Ply, from last week, has a motif that reminded me of a candle flame. When I pulled it out of the larger stitch pattern, it was easier to turn the decrease lines into cable stitches, and here we are. (Note: this doesn’t count as secret code anymore because it’s missing most of the yarnovers from the original word.)
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The word I drew from my word hoard for this stitch pattern is Ply, suggested by Natasha on Patreon. Many knitters will know that plied yarn is yarn where two or more strands of yarn have been twisted around each other. (The word ply comes from the French for to bend.) It was entirely accidental that the columns of lace look rather like plied yarn, but it makes me happy.
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.
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The first word I encoded for Patreon this month was Rune, suggested by Catnach on Patreon. Sometimes I make an extra cable design from the encoded word (when it’s a short enough word); this is one of those times.
I ran out of time to knit a swatch for this post. I still hope to do so, but in the meantime, I’ve included the colored-in cable chart I made to make sure I’d put the cable crosses in the right directions. I’ve applied a photo filter on top to make it look a bit better.
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.
This is the final result from my étude post last week. I am not sure everyone technically would call it lace, but it fits my personal definition. (It’s got deliberate holes in it.) It does have something to be remembered on every row, so if you prefer stitch patterns with rest rows, this isn’t for you. It’s otherwise pretty straightforward once you’re familiar with the bunny ears decrease. Columns of alternating YOs and decreases march up the fabric with reverse stockinette stitch between.
Feel free to change how many plain stitches are in the stockinette sections, or even make them wider and insert some other vertical lace design inside!
For best effect, don’t stretch it a lot when pinning it out. I stretched it vertically more than horizontally.
The first word for this month is rune, suggested by Catnach on Patreon. I’ve been interested in runes in a mild way since reading Tolkien as a child, and I’ve always found the angular letters interesting to look at. My lace is not so angular, but I’m particularly fond of the way this one came out!
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.
