Sunday, January 22, 2006

So many overlapping directions!

I started reading through the directions for Mermaid and realized that they are quite dense, what with the color changes and the decreases overlapping, and no sanity checks of how many stitches one is supposed to have on the needles. I'm going to be writing out line-by-line directions to keep track of it all before I even start gauge swatching. I'm not even to row 60 and I already realized I missed a whole batch of decreases. Good thing I wasn't knitting!

8 comments:

Annie said...

I know! I feel the same way. I've gotten to the first decrease and I had to put it away--too much going on around me for me to focus on the knitting.
I wonder if it's possible to make up some sort of spreadsheet/checklist?

amy! said...

A spreadsheet is what I'm aiming for on line per row. I think I'm working the medium, but will know for sure after I get it written out and can add measurements to the schematic. I'll make it generally available somehow, but it will probably be a week or two before I finish it.

Anonymous said...

That's a great idea. The Clapotis KAL had a spreadsheet that was revered by all and made it so much easier! Good luck!

amy! said...

Yeah, the difference between this one and Clapotis, though, is that this pattern is not free. So I'll have to devise some method to ensure that only people who own the pattern get the spreadsheet.

Annie said...

I thought the same thing, Amy. I seem to remember a spreadsheet for the Charlotte's Web knit-along. I'll have to try to find the link.

Thanks for working on this!

Not An Artist said...

I basically re-wrote the entire pattern line by line when I was first starting, basically because of all the issues you mentioned. They're all by hand unfortunately, but I suppose I could snap a photo and share them with anyone who has the pattern via email or something...

amy! said...

I seem to remember the the Charlotte spreadsheet didn't actually have the lace pattern in it, just marked off color changes and tracked stitch counts. This one is very different because the color changes and gussets are the integral part of the pattern.
I was already thinking like Billie suggested and e-mailing to people who could "prove" they own the pattern.

Anyway, I've just finished up to starting the 2nd gusset in the spreadsheet and I'm finding that copy/paste is very much my friend. Can't imagine how NotAnArtist did it by hand!

Anonymous said...

I was going to do that exact same thing to, write out the directions row by row. I think I could figure it out while I read it, but I know I would get in the zone and then forget to dc or inc or turn