Charting with Excel - Part 2: Colour Charts

• Open a new Excel file

• You'll notice that the default size of each cell is a fairly wide rectangle. We want to change these cells to be much more square. In order to do that, hold your mouse over the square immediately to the left of column A and immediately above row 1 and click once. This will highlight the entire worksheet, and you do this when you want to make a universal change to the entire worksheet (such as formatting, font, or cell size). Your worksheet should now look something like this:

• Now hold your mouse on the vertical line that separated the column heading A and the column heading B. You cursor should change from a cross shape, to a black vertical line bissected with a black horizontal line with arrows at either end. Click and hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor to the left until the number of pixels reads 24. Release the mouse button and your spreadsheet should look like this.

• The next thing I like to do is block out the area (stitches and rows) that I want to chart. If we think of this sample as a small "swatch", then let's draw a square or border around an area 20 stitches (or cells) wide and 20 rows tall. To do this, "select" cells by clicking once on cell F6. Notice that there is a bold line around this cell. This isn't permanent, it is just an indicator of what cell you have selected. Hold down your left mouse button and move your mouse horizontally across the spreadsheet until you have 20 cells highlighted, and then continuing to hold the left mouse button down, move the mouse vertically so that you can select 20 rows down as well. You can tell the number of rows and columns you have selected by looking in the area just above the column headers - 20 R x 20 C.

• When you release the button, your spreadsheet should look like this.

• Now we need to draw a permanent border around this square. In the menu area, just to the left of the paint can, is an image of a small block of four squares with a line drawn across the two bottom squares.

• Click on the tiny triangle just to the right of that to bring down a drop down menu of types of borders, and choose the "thick box border" (eighth one down).

• Your spreadsheet should now look like this.

• Now we want to incorporate a simple colour pattern by colouring the squares. To do this, select cell I23, and then click on the small triangle to the right of the paint can (see earlier screen shot) to bring up a pallet of available colours. If this selection isn't enough colours to choose from, have some fun clicking on "more colours" and have a look at both the standard and custom tabs!

• For our tutorial, let's just click on basic red. This is what you should now have.

• Now you can chart a simple design by either (a) copying and pasting this square to other squares, or (b) selecting other squares and clicking once on the paint box (which will show red). You can make any design you wish, or try your hand at the following design.

• You are of course not limited to one colour, nor do you need to be limited to a 20 x 20 space. Feel free to experiment. Perhaps try your hand at charting out a picture, or a fairisle design. Most importantly, though, have some fun and play a little!

I hope that this has been helpful. Please feel free to post comments! Next time: charting crochet stitches.

Charting Patterns with Excel - Part 1

Over the next few blog entries, I hope to lead you through a tutorial on how I use the Excel spreadsheet program to chart patterns - both for colour charts for stranded or intarsia knitting or crochet, and for stitch types (lace/texture), again for knit (hand or machine) or crochet.

I use Microsoft Excel Version 2007. Most of the functions that I will describe are available on earlier versions of Excel, but the menu paths may differ somewhat. The "Help" menu for Excel is excellent, and should help you to find the functions I describe for earlier versions of Excel.

There are a few limitations with the program. One is that, as far as I'm aware (and please correct me if I'm wrong!), Excel will not do a polar graph (circular, not to be confused with a pie chart, which Excel does do), so charting such things as doilies or table cloths, knit or crocheted in the round, is not possible. However, if you google "polar graph paper" there are sites that provide free templates that you can print off and use the old fashioned way.

The other limitation is with the fonts. There are standard knit and crochet symbols found in published patterns, and you can download free (for personal use only) knitting symbols fonts from The Knitting Universe. As far as a font for crochet symbols goes, there must be something out there but I could only find one (please update me if anyone knows of any!). My solution for the time being is to improvise with the many symbols that are available, and just define them carefully in a "key" or "legend".

Finally, a word about reading charts. Charts, particularly those for knitting and crochet patterns, are generally (unless otherwise indicated) read from the bottom right, the first row being read right to left, the second row left to right, and alternating in that manner to the top of the chart. I put directional arrows on most of my charts so that it is clear.

I have a rough outline for this Excel tutorial series as follows:

• Part 2: a step by step tutorial (with lots of screen shots for clarity) on making a simple colour chart.
• Part 3: a simple crochet lace chart.
• Part 4: a simple knit lace chart.
• Part 5: making "reusable" templates with basic garment shapes.

Please leave your comments or questions or feedback!

Quick Update

Just a quick note to show off the first pair of thrummed mittens from my chart. I am quite happy with the results!

The only thing I'm a bit surprised about is that the yellow diamond pattern, once the mittens are sewn up, is noticeably off centre. I think this has to do with the fact that I didn't take into account the stitches that are sacrificed in the sewing up.

I have had a couple of requests for a more detailed tutorial on charting patterns using Excel, so I hope to have the first of several blog posts up on that topic in a few days. Check back!

EXCELling

I definitely prefer to read patterns in chart form. I also prefer to make up patterns in chart form, and my favourite software for doing this is Excel. I know that there are a number of software packages on the market especially for knitters and craftspeople, but for me Excel does everything I need it to do.

Here's an example of a pattern I was testing for another designer. The designer provided me with written instructions, and I converted them to a chart before I did my test swatch.


















Not only is Excel (and the Symbol font) great for charting lace, it's also great for charting colour. In fact, before embarking on my next pair of thrummed mittens, I decided to play around with some colour possibilities, below.
















It's a quiet afternoon here today, so I'm going to get started with the first mitten, using Briggs and Little Heritage in charcoal as my main yarn, and with my Studio SK860 midgauge machine set to T8 (T7 for the cuff). I'll let you know they turn out!

By the way, if anyone reads this blog (anyone?) and would like more information on how I use Excel to chart patterns, or if you already use Excel this way and have some tips for me, please leave me a comment!

Rule of Thrum

As previously promised, here is a group photo of the multi-coloured sample pack of fleece that I bought ages ago from Rovings. This definitely is the antidote to my colourless winter, although now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities.

As you can see, it's not carded, and although thrums are small and easily formed by hand (see Knitting Daily's great instructions), some of this fleece is a bit matted (because it has been languishing in my stash for so long, I'm sure).

So I had a brainwave, since I don't have actual wool carders - the Pet Store!! (Never overlook entirely knitting-unrelated stores for Fibre Accessory Potential).




















For my first pair of mittens, I decided to go with a blue and orange combination (think sunset), using up some leftover yarn from A Noble Cowl.





















I'm quite happy with the colour combination. I think next some multi-coloured thrumming is in order though, and I'm thinking that a black yarn background will really make the colours pop.

Stay tuned.........

All Thrums

Inspired by a recent Knitting Daily blog entry, and my quest for colour, I've decided play around with some wonderfully coloured fleece I bought quite awhile ago from Rovings, a very cool sample pack of a wide variety of colours (I'll have to lay it all out and take a "group" picture I think). Up until now, I've done thrummed mittens and slippers (hand and machine knit) in fairly traditional, low key colours, such as these slippers.

These were made with Briggs and Little Heritage yarn (I think) and B&L pencil roving for the thrums. They make great, super warm slippers, and they stand up reasonably well, although I have a pair right now (not pictured) that will require some heel surgery.

So I started out quietly, getting myself back into the swing of things by doing this swatch, experimenting with spacing - close/not close, lined up/offset, tone on tone (hard to tell in the picture, perhaps, but there is a section near the top of brown thrums on brown yarn), and then the fun started! You'll get an idea from the top little cluster of thrums of the variety of awesome colours I have in the fleece. I know it's curled there, and hard to see (although you get a glimpse of the fleecey goodness at the back where it curls).

I never thought I'd hear myself say this, as someone who used to hate to swatch, but I'm sold on it now - sometimes it's just darn fun to play around.

To be continued.......

A Whiter Shade of Pale

A finished project to report - a sweater I've been wanting to make for myself for a long time. Against my better judgment for a couple of reasons, I decided to do it in white. For one, this is going to be a hard sweater to keep clean, and second, this endless winter of snow, ice and bitter cold has left me starved for colour (see my previous post about the grey socks). This project's saving grace is that this is pretty much the softest yarn I have had the pleasure to run through my fingers in a long time. It's Diamond Luxury Collection Fine Merino Superwash Aran, and it's heavenly to knit with. Creamy is an adjective that pops into my mind.

The pattern is a Cynthia Helene design found in Shepherd pattern leaflet #1912 "Outdoor Pursuits". I have no links I'm afraid, because I think the leaflet is out of print and I actually just googled Cynthia Helene and she doesn't appear to have a website.

So now I find myself with nothing major on the needles for the first time in awhile, and I've decided that I must find more colourful projects to see me through to spring. Stay tuned!