Graphing John Watson (a geek knitting post)

[neadods]

I'm going to be starting my John Watson scarf (here) as soon as my sprained finger stops feeling sore. But - working on it, especially working on it if I take it to ChicagoTARDIS, which is the plan, means that I'm going to be picking up and putting down a complex project rather often.

So I'm trying something to help deal with the complexity. It's a lot of initial setup work, but it should make the actual knitting take less brain power.

First, I made a row counter chain 6 links long. (It's a 12-row pattern.) Each link has a different-colored bead on it. The end marker is a little alphabet J because it was left over when I was buying alphabet beads for sock markers - H(eel), I(nstep), S(ole) for "John," naturally.

Second, I retyped the pattern, changing the font text to match the color of each bead. For example, the first link in the counter chain has a pink bead, so Rows 1 and 2 were retyped in pink, with % added at the start of Row 1 to mark that it is the row that the counter begins on. (Row 2 is the row in which you knit back to the counter. Then Row 3 reads Row 3% (new counter link) and is printed in pale blue.

This will, I think, make it much easier to keep track of which row I'm knitting on.

Third, I redid the newly color-coded pattern as a table. So now instead of Row 1 reading P6, K2, P6, K2, pm, p19, K2, P6, K2, P6 (in pink), the initial cable section, the chevron section, and the second cable section have separate cells on the same table row. This makes it very easy to focus on which part of the scarf is being knit at any time. The cell divisions will be marked on the actual scarf with stitch markers, of course.

And finally, within each cell, complex directions have been broken into separate text rows. So the cable instructions now read:
P2, CF4
P2, CF6
P2

... instead of one line of text that has to be puzzled through. The chevrons have been broken down the same way; at one point the rows read:
P5
K1, P1, K1
P3
K1, P1, K1
P5

I *think* all of this will draw the eye more easily than blocks of text. I'll let you know...

Comments

[firiel44.livejournal.com]

The chevron is the same as the one in the sweater pattern, so you could print out that chart and highlight which rows are cable rows. Unless you're a seriously anti-chart person, then your method is probably best. After a few repeats, you'll probably have it down anyway and not need either for the majority of it.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

It's not so much that I'm anti-chart as I'm flailing for ways to make it as simple as possible to pick the project up and put it down while not getting lost. I'm all about making my knitting as ... Well, thoughtless... as possible. Go back far enough and you'll see a post about my using numbered needles to keep track of 4-row patterns. If I get through this project, any project, without putting it down for three weeks and then coming back and going "Where was I?" it'll be a miracle.

[firiel44.livejournal.com]

Have you considered a chart keeper? The type with magnets to hold your page down and serve as a row marker? I got the Knitpicks one and love it. Or would stopping to move it up a line on the chart every time be too much hands-off-the knitting time, or too much distraction from your talks?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Or would stopping to move it up a line on the chart every time be too much hands-off-the knitting time

This. I've got two kinds of row counter and I don't like either one because it breaks the rhythm to keep stopping to click it. It's why I like chain row counters because slipping to the next link is like slipping markers, much more part of the knitting.

Speaking of distraction from talks, I am starting to eye the iPad as a read-while-you-knit device. I can knit and read, but then there's the whole page turning issue, whereas you can just give the pad a quick poke to make the text flip.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

By the way, have you got a link on your LJ? I should send people to you, not my link to your pdf. (I don't want to use Ravelry because I've got readers who aren't on it.)

[firiel44.livejournal.com]

The pattern actually is a Ravelry-friend's, not mine. You could link to the BSSC post instead of just the PDF. Then people can choose to grab the pattern and go, or poke around the site and forums if they like.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Done. I'm all for new souls for the Sherlockian faith!

[swallowedbysky.livejournal.com]

When I'm terrified that I'm going to end up losing my place, I'll print out several copies of the chart (often on the same page so as to save paper) and highlight each row as I start it, both to draw my eye to my place and to mark what I've done. I pin it to the project when I set it down. When I pick it up again, I can see exactly what I did last. Of course, that means carrying highlighters.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

My hope is that by using color coding, I won't need the highlighters. I'll see... if my finger ever stops aching!

[fyrdrakken]

Yeah, I hear you on the magnetic chart keeper being very fiddly (especially for a portable knitting project, especially one that you're going to be working on in a lot of brief interrupted intervals). The disposable pattern chart copy that you can mark lines off of and trash when the project is done are pretty useful, though mainly for something with a big chart that you're only working once or twice over the course of a project.

Generally what I find, though, for a simple repetitive cable chart or a textured pattern that obviously follows from the previous rows, it's very easy to memorize the pattern and not need to be consulting a chart before every row. (Though of course you keep a pattern printout in the project bag to refresh your memory if you have to put it on hold for a few weeks or months and come back to it later.) I haven't got the patience to sit here and read through the pattern line by line to see if it's doing anything unexpected, but just looking at it we're talking about very simple cables and chevrons that build on preceding rows in an obvious fashion. Once you get into the rhythm you shouldn't need much assistance finding your place.