07.29.07
Swatchbox
My daughter took a picture of the box where I toss the stitch patterns swatches after I put the pictures up on the web site. She has been playing in them and trying to figure out which one would look best in a dog sweater.
07.12.07
Sorting the Stitch Catalog
This evening I added a new menu item that allows you to sort the stitch patterns in the stitch catalog by the number of stitches in a pattern repeat. I’m not sure how useful this will be to the average knitter.
I use this view of the stitch patterns when I am selecting patterns to work into swatches for the illustrations on the web site. I usually work three different patterns in sequence on one swatch. When I select the patterns to work in the swatch, it is just naturally easier if they all have the same number of stitches in a pattern repeat. I work three patterns consecutively because (1) it reduces the overhead spent on casting on and casting off and (2) three patterns is about what I can expect to get done in a evening.
Another limiting factor in selecting the number of patterns to work on a single swatch is the limits of my scanner bed. Rarely can I fit more than three patterns on the scanner at one time. And the scanner is my cheap, easy way of taking a picture of the swatch. I pin the swatch with dissecting pins on a piece of felt (supported by a block of styrofoam). A few moments on the scanner, a few moments in Photoshop to trim the edges of the image to the desired size, upload the file via FTP and another stitch pattern (or perhaps 2 or 3) have been illustrated on the web site.
I also take into account the category of stitches that I select to work in a swatch. I have found, for instance, that lace patterns do not work up well in the same swatch with twist stitch patterns. One category has a tendency to spread and another has a tendency to draw in. It is better if the patterns in the swatch all ‘behave’ the same.
Speed Knitting Question
A question came up about how fast someone can hand knit. I found documentation that the record is 255 stitches per 3 minutes.
Doily Patterns
The doily patterns on the Knittingfool site are an attempt to capture knitted lace doily patterns in a data base form. The diagrams of the doily patterns are generated demand from instructions in my database. I have tried to present the patterns both as diagrams and in a more traditional written instruction.
Guestbook
I have closed the old Guestbook in favor of using the Knittingfool Blog for the similar purpose. This will offer the guests the opportunity to comment on posts left by other guests. That was not a feature I could easily offer before.
I will move most of the existing guestbook entires into the blog.