Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Technology for knitting

Still working on those fingerless mitts here, however slow the pace.  But I'm really loving how they are coming out with the remnants of my 'orchard' fingering from Viola... probably the lace would look better in a true solid, but if I were going for texture, I sure did hit it.


Normally when I design a pattern I'm surrounded by scraps of paper where I'm working out gauge and pattern stitches and sizing and shaping, but this time I'm just too tired.  I don't even want to get out of my chair.  So... I've done the whole thing on my iPhone. 

I did start with a pattern book, though it wasn't the one I like best.  But once I found the stitch I wanted to use, I photographed it with the phone and then transcribed it over into my 'notes' app.  That's also where I noted the gauge and the number of stitches I'd need to hit the right balance between the lace pattern and the size I want.  As I worked out the thumb opening, I just copied and pasted the first few rounds into the bottom of my Note and adapted the text for working flat instead of in the round.  Then I copied the whole thing again and pasted it for the instructions for the second mitt, since the thumb openings require mirror image mittens.  I figure that when I'm done - or sooner, lest I lose the phone - I'll just copy and past the pattern notes into an e-mail to myself, pick them up from my computer, and use them for a Word document I'll later turn into a .pdf.

Yay, no paper!

If only I'd transcribed the pattern stitch right the first time...


I went on for four rounds before I realized I'd left out a critical Knit One in the last round of the pattern.  Whoops!  Nothing for it but to rip back - and because lace is so fussy, I had to do it stitch by stitch instead of pulling out the needles and speed-frogging it.

Hope your day went well without anything going wrong that couldn't be as easily addressed as that.  See you tomorrow!


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