Lesson 7

To download the files for this lesson, click here ------->Graphics.zip

Here's the files separately:

Aranbaby.zip
Chinese.zip
Fractal.zip
Pflower.zip
Popcorn.zip
Swallows.zip

If you want to knit any of my patterns, they are of course, in a pixel per stitch format. Either down-load or screen capture them and deal with them in Paint or PSP. If you have DAK, the patterns can go straight to DAK, one at once, via the Clipboard. I've talked about this previously. For Creation 6, (from where my patterns originally were downloaded to the E6000), load in PSP, change to 256 cols and convert to CUT. The Chinese Leaves and Popcorn (Poppies in the Corn) are also available for down-loading on the Daelnet site http://www.daelnet.co.uk/features/knitting/index.htm.

I've given instructions earlier on how to bring up the pattern on the magnified "mirage " square grid, using Prt Sc for screen capture. Then Image/Clear Image, Edit/Paste, Select pattern in grid, Edit/Copy, Image/Clear Image, Edit/Paste, Edit/Copy To (for Save) and Print if you wish to have the pattern in this form for copying to punch card, mylar or PPD etc

People who have no knitting software - the advice in 1 can also be taken by you even though you have not got DAK. You would print out the gridded pattern for future use on punchcard, mylar, PPD etc.

1. Using a superimposed grid to reduce a pattern in size and to provide a"diagram" for conversion in DAK ---Try this with Fred Lion in the first lot of graphics. See you are working in 256 cols in PSP to begin with. If you are going to work in Paint, which is easier, then you can put Fred Lion in the Clipboard (Crtl +C) from PSP. He then becomes a bmp (bitmap) which is fine for DAK, provided that we save the final result as 16 col bmp.

First, (in Paint), we prepare a "floating" grid. Select the Magnifying glass, choose x 8, then View/Zoom/Grid. The grid appears. Press Prt Sc. Choose Image/Clear Image. Press Ctrl +V. The screen shot is loaded. Select a manageable chunk of grid. Save under Edit/Copy To. you can do this with the 4x4 grid and the 10x10 in PSP so that you have a selection to choose from to suit the image and the size of motif you want to produce for knitting. In Paint, choose Image/Clear Image again for an empty screen.

If you wish, you can change the mottled greys of the grid lines to black in PSP or with the line tool, but DAK should have no difficulty identifying what you are preparing as a "diagram" for conversion to its pat file format.

In PSP put Fred Lion in the Clipboard (see above) and load in Paint under Edit/Paste. Draw him away from the right corner. Load the floating grid under Edit/Paste From. Draw away from the right corner and place over Fred Lion. Using black and the Paint Can under Magnification, fill in the grid squares which are from half full to full of pattern colour (red). For those that need to be background, - use the RMB (right mouse button) to fill with white. You should end up with a pattern marked in black in a white bacground set in a grey speckled grid. Save under Edit/Copy To as 16 col bmp. Note the size in stitches and rows. Now you can load it in DAK and convert under Diagram. Any touching up can be done in DAK.

2.Surface Pattern Arrangement - If you are dealing with a repeat pattern, do you just let it repeat in the second and subsequent rows as per the first? It is so easy with the aid of Paint or PSP to consider different options for the pattern's progress and the impact on the eye. There are so many choices: offset brick fashion, half drop, counterchange (colour reversal), diagonal placement, rotation within 4 equal sections and so on.

Look at the P Flower (P for purple) in the graphics selection. I traced this originally from a piece of old wallpaper I found lying in the loft. The progression here looks to be diagonal partly because the top petal tip touches the bottom of the stem. In actual fact, the second row is offset exactly halfway brick-fashion.

The Chinese Leaves pattern was sketched from a museum vase. The 2 leaves are different certainly but the colours are counterchanged in one of them. On the second row, their positions are reversed. This pattern is especially for 24 stitch repeat machines. I'm very fond of this pattern; I have knitted the 2 colour version twice for myself in FI on a punchcard machine! It looks good with subtle colours.The pattern in the Passap jacquard version is much larger of course.

3. Single motifs - a beginner's introduction to these is normally one, placed centrally, on a plain, stocking stitch child's garment. Next, it is a good idea to progress to a diagonal placement of 3 across the front of a sweater. Have you ever considered "scatter" motifs? In 1985, I was a teacher at a seminar in San Rafael, San Francisco. One of the highlights for me was hearing Regine Faust speak. Regine, the legendary pioneer of North American Fibre Art knitting, wore a striking knitted tunic covered with randomly placed butterflies. There was one, I remember on the back of her right shoulder! It was Regine's butterflies that inspired my Swallows garment. To me swallows embody autumn and spring, flying hither and thither between continents to avoid winter and to enjoy summer.

Motifs on Pattern - I have previously pointed out the William Morris was a past master at placing motifs on a small patterned background. If you have not down-loaded the freebies offered by the Wm Morris Gallery, the URL is http://www.lbwf.gov.uk/wmg The Sanderson site which is worth a visit is http://ccny,cuny.edu/wmorris/sanderson.html

If you want a go at this, load (Edit/Paste) in Paint via PSP's clipboard, the Squiggle pattern I put in the first lot of graphics . Now load your finished Daisy pattern which should come in on a transparent background. Place repeats of the Daisy on the squig. (leaf) pattern. Use the pointer to get the second colour in the Squig pattern and outline the Daisy. Get the backgound pattern and fill the Daisy with it. There you are - a complex combination pattern and just 2 colours!

By the way - if you are interested in doing more with PSP, don't forget that the originators Jasc, Webweaver and Oxford University have tutorials you can follow:

http://www.jasc.com/studio.html
http://www.webweaverxxi.com/psp40/
http://info.ox.ac.uk/oucs/courseware/psp

There are also others offered by major service providers like AOL.

4. Inspiration - can come from anything - anywhere. Observation is the key In an urban environment, look out for design in house decoration, wrought iron-work etc. In the countryside, there is plenty. Look out for texture as well as pattern. Take a sketch pad with you on walks and/or a camera for scans into the computer. Looking at my shots, I have snaps of texture on a tree trunk, wood grain in a church, house next door's fancy iron wrought gates, patterns formed by swathes of industrial foam on a river - apart from the usual flowers, leaves, animals etc. A camera that takes a good close shot is invaluable. Remember too, a tracing can go onto acetate for pinning against the monitor and tracing on to the magnified grid of PSP or Paint (2 in Paint - 8x8 and 4x4 depending on how large you want the motif for knitting). Those with digital cameras - you are well away!

5. Fractals - these are the "patterns of chaos" and are wonderful! I've never got with the Maths side to generate them on the computer, but I have used them in knit design. I include one of the 2 patterns I designed from a fractal I translated from an Amiga Public Domain one for my book Creation

6: Pattern Input & Design. It was originally planned for 4 colours and I lost one by loading it in DPaint 16 cols res! Put it back if you wish. Then it will make a lovely afghan pattern! On the Japanese machines, I am happiest with 3 colour jacquard. If you type "fractals" on the Web Search page, you will find lots of entries. Here is one with free fractals to download (no bugs!) http://www.geocities.com/Paris/6976/art/htm

There are some nice ones on http://www.coil.com/~berry/links_fractals.shtml where you will also find an explanation.

How do you use them? - load one in Paint via PSP's clipboard Edit/Paste. Choose a chunk and manipulate - flip, rotate etc. - expand - if you need more rows/stitches say for an afghan. Take back to PSP via clipboard for colour reduction.

6. Picture Knitting & Perspective - normally, when I want to create an illusion of perspective, I use dull browns, greys and muted blues for objects in the distance. In the Cherry Orchard in the Art of Motif Knitting, I also used 3 sizes of tree to suggest perspective. In Popcorn (Poppies in the Corn), perspective is created by 2 blank rows, which are useful to Passap E6000 owners who have an 8k chip in their console as these rows are the demarcation line between Pats A & B. I am very pleased with this pattern and want to knit it on a jacket for myself. Try removing these 2 rows and the perspective is lost! I don't really understand why just 2 rows should create distance, but they do!

7.Texture - Somehow the notion is current with computer knitters that you create texture by a series of hatchings and mini line patterns. Vary the lines and you have texture. That is simply not so. Texture is 3D and involves light and shadow to give an illusion of depth and create the desire to touch! Yes, even on a computer screen! Look at the skirt I've drawn on Terri Hagerty's web site to accompany my skirt pattern. Do you know it looks like the real thing and I do have the desire to touch! http://www.monumental.com/hagerty

The Spray Can in PSP is wonderful. Its "jets" are completely controllable from 1 pixel to many, offering great scope for simulating bouclé and loop knitted fabrics - the fabrics most inviting to the sense of touch.

Traditionally, textile artists have used pastels, wax crayons, white chalk, charcoal pen, pencil, water colour and felt tips to get the effects they want and grey effects have often been the ones they go for. The best medium for creating texture is the 256 grey col palette offered by PSP. Greys shading from white to black can suggest the full colour spectrum. What is more, PSP in its Brush submenu offers a full range of simulated tools - pastels, chalk, crayon etc. I came across a super web site (no bugs!)concerned with creating textures including textiles, in PSP. You can download the freebies. http://www.sumrallworks.com/freebies/buttonhole/psp/tutorials/links2g.htm

As machine knitters we have a problem representing patterns which knit differently from the appearance of their Working charts - tucks, lace etc come into this area. What I have started to do is to store the working chart alongside a section of computer created, drawn knitted pattern. You can scan a swatch directly, or a photo of a swatch (better for sizing). Save in shades of grey and reduce in PSP, touch it up and save it for pattern fill as well as for a sample when you are satisfied with the representation. I quite often sketch onto the magnified grid from the swatch in front of me.

The male model "wearing" a Passap Aran rib sweater was done after I had photocopied a large section of the front. I then scanned in several parts of it and worked from those in DPaint(Amiga). I produced the result in the Amiga, hence the heavy lines and chunky appearance.

The "empty" baby model is a bonus. Why not capture a section of textured pattern from the man's sweater, save as a pattern and pattern-fill the baby's jacket? This would give you a taste of of a fascinating area of computer knit design which is new to us and which lies waiting for us to explore.

I hope you have enjoyed this series of HOW. That's it for now - but don't forget, there will be discussion and Updates in the MACHKNIT List.

Best wishes Kathleen
Kathleen Kinder k.kinder@daelnet.co.uk

Feel free to make copies of the Graphic Lessons for your personal use. The following copyright notice must appear on all copies Copyright (c)Kathleen Kinder, 1997, 1998.