Secret Code rewrite: making grids in non-rectangular shapes.

This is part of my rewrite of my secret code instructions. It won’t make sense if you don’t read the rest of the series! It has to do with using one of my encoding methods in a non-geometric shape.

Peace: a free lace knitting stitch pattern

I’ve been working on rewriting my instructions for turning words into lace, and the example word I’ve been using is Peace. This chart and swatch will go into the instructions, but I also wanted to pull it out as a blog post of its own. Peace has been on my mind lately, and perhaps it’s been on yours, too.

In the end, the “obvious chart” I was using for my other swatches turned out not to work so well for lace; this is often the way. (The lace turned into creepy, grinning faces, which is all very well and good if you want creepy, grinning faces. But that’s not very peaceful to my mind.) This is from the code grid I labeled “Method 4, 6 columns”.

Some swatches for my secret code rewrite

Just a small blog post this week. I’ve been rewriting my basic instructions for how to design secret patterns based on words. I knit these three swatches to go with the post about turning a code grid into a stitch pattern. While I love the lace designs I made from code grids, I also really like some of the possibilities with other kinds of stitch patterns. One shows the grid as colorwork, one turns it into a knit-purl pattern, and one shows it with slipped stitches with the yarn carried in front. 

This is two repeats of each Peace chart from side to side. I worked two and a half repeats of the knit purl chart vertically, stopping after row 3. I then started working the slipped stitch chart from row 4 (to continue the code pattern smoothly), and worked two and a half repeats of that chart.

I am considering reknitting this one to be tidier. I should have made a plain border at the bottom; I think that would have helped me get the gauge right from the start. I think I might also do the pattern stitches on rows 1&4 with duplicate stitch. This is two repeats of the Peace grid horizontally, and two and a half vertically, ending after a row 3. 

I have some other swatches to knit for that post, too. 

Turning a code grid into a stitch pattern

It’s been a while since I took a break from rewriting my basic instructions on turning words into stitch patterns. This is the next in the sequence; once I’ve written everything up, I’ll update the old version.

You might be asking yourself how to turn a code grid into a stitch pattern after choosing a layout.

A final note on reflection in symmetry

The kinds of chart layouts produced by reflective symmetry (as described in my last post on the topic) can make the columns along the line of symmetry look a bit clunky. This post explains a way to fix that. If you find anything confusing about it, I would very much appreciate it if you told me!

This is part of my rewrite of the instructions for how to embed words as stitch patterns.

Charted numbers and symmetries

I’m gradually rewriting my knitting “secret code” posts. I’m publishing the new versions as blog posts. This is the next in the sequence; once I’ve written everything up, I’ll update the old version.

Once I’ve charted the numbers onto a grid, my next task is to figure out how to arrange the grid for my stitch pattern. This usually involves playing with symmetries.

Laying out the numbers on a rectangular grid: method 4

This is the next part of my rewrite of my instructions for turning words into knitting charts (or charts for other crafts). Once the letters have been turned into numbers, they need to be charted on a grid. I already posted three ways of making rectangular grids with the numbers; this is the fourth way.

This is the method I tend to use most often for my lace stitch patterns, though it varies from word to word.

Laying out the numbers on a rectangular grid: methods 1-3

This is the next part of my rewrite of my instructions for turning words into knitting charts (or charts for other crafts). Once the letters have been turned into numbers, they need to be charted on a grid. These are three ways of making rectangular grids with the numbers; I’ll post a fourth way in a couple of weeks.

Embedding words in knitting rewrite, part 1

A few months ago I proposed a rewrite of my secret code pages because they’re a little disorganized and confusing for many people. It doesn’t help that I tacked on some extra content in places that it didn’t really fit. Anyway, I think it needs doing.

I’m going to post the drafts as blog posts before changing the originals. Please feel free to tell me if anything is confusing!

Rewrite of secret code explanations

At the top of my blog, there’s a link: Embedding Meaning in Your Knitting (or Other Crafts) (if you have a small screen or narrow window, click the menu link first – it looks like three horizontal lines).

That’s the start of the series of posts I wrote to explain how I turn words into stitch patterns. It’s actually a rewrite of the first time I wrote the series, but I’ve learned some even better ways to explain it since. Also,  some additions have snuck in and been added in non-ideal locations; they need to be fixed.

Anyway. I’m planning to rewrite it, first as blog posts (please tell me if anything’s confusing!), and then once it’s all rewritten, I’ll move the posts up under that menu as more coherent pages.

The first thing I needed was a new outline. I’m not sure if input will be helpful here, since I doubt the outline is comprehensible without all the knowledge in my head. I’m mostly including it for accountability.

I’m not going to be doing these weekly – I’ll still have stitch patterns and techniques to post in between.