Pattern Generators

I’m curious to know how many people know of and/or use the Knit Pro pattern generator site? Or something similar…

For those who aren’t aware, the site provides a quick and easy way to create a knitting/needlepoint/cross stitch/crochet pattern by uploading an image. At the moment, the site will scale the image to fit into one of 3 different size grids and will also take into account the size of the stitch you’re using when building the pattern grid.

There are some limitations though, for example you can’t edit the pattern after it’s been generated and the number of colors included in the pattern can be quite a lot depending on the color depth of the uploaded image.

So why am I posting about this? Well, I’m considering taking these pattern generation capabilities a bit further on a new site. But before I do, I’d like to understand how many people find this type of pattern generation useful. I’d also like to understand what types of new features people would find useful in an online pattern generator.

For example, would it be helpful if you could:

[ul]
[li]manipulate the colors in each individual grid cell
[/li][li]dynamically change the number of colors used in the pattern
[/li][li]create a text description of the pattern along with the image grid
[/li][li]add/change the stitches directly on the pattern grid
[/li][/ul]

I’m just trying to get an idea if I should continue to invest my time in this or not. Your feedback is GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I haven’t used one, but this type of thing gets asked about regularly here at KH. Hopefully you’ll get some answers from some more knowledgeable people.

I have used the KnitPro site, and have found it helpful. I usually have used the image as a beginning guideline, though, having to adjust for the outer edges and where two colors meet in the pattern.

It would be awesome to be able to do an on-screen adjustment to ‘clean up’ the edges as well as to change the colors.

I personally haven’t missed the option of text, tho.

Please keep us posted if you do manage this. It would be awesome!

I haven’t used that particular one, but the few pattern generators I have used online haven’t been all that reliable. I guess I’m low tech. My “pattern generator” consists of needles, yarn, swatching, a gauge, and a measuring tape. I don’t like patterns and improvise my own a lot. I’ve been struggling with the fit issue lately. I read something online just this past week. Take an article of clothing that fits you well and measure it. Duh! Why didn’t I think of that?

Even with a pattern generator, you’re still going to have to swatch and check out their numbers and proportions. This top down pattern generator had the back and front numbers wrong. I got more out of the illustration with the percentages at the top. They worked out right. From what I’ve been reading, this percentage system was “invented” by Elizabeth Zimmermann.

http://www.knittingfool.com/pages/topdown.guest.cfm

This may be more than what you want to do, but here’s my two cent’s worth:

I’d love to see the following in a pattern generator:

  1. A place to type in your gauge and yarn size.

  2. A way to actually chart different patterns with a variety of stitches (and not just images). For example, it would be really cool to generate lace patterns.

  3. A database of lace and other types of patterns that you could pick and choose from (and mix and match).

When I first thought of this kind of pattern generator several years ago, I envisioned it for crochet with crochet symbols. Then using your gauge measurements, the generator could create a pattern telling you, for example, how many of a pattern stitch would be needed to fill a space.

I don’t see any reason why this wouldn’t work for knitting, too. These kinds of generators might be out there already. However, I’ve not seen them.

I’ve never used the online generators, but I have used KnitWare’s shareware pattern generator software for sweaters.

It allows entry of stitch and row gauge, yarn type, etc. as well generating a written pattern, and a place to enter what your pattern stitch is. Also it gives multiple design options on sweater type, necklines, hemlines, etc.

Having only used it for machine knit sweaters, it was quite helpful. Though the graphics are somewhat rough for sweaters you can see what the pieces should roughly look like after knitting for construction.

I loved using it, but alas, it’s only for Windows systems, and I’m leery of using Windows emulators on a Mac. :sad:

This pattern genertor, has you put in your gauge and needle size, and there’s tons of stitch patterns at the knitting fool site. There’s also a random stitch pattern generator that makes a chart. You’d have to put it together but should work out pretty well.

Right this very minute, I’m using Firefox on my Macintosh-native computer. However, when I receive a document from my work (I can check my work email from Mac or Windoze), I boot up in Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac. I then work in Windows-native software: Word 2007 (.docx), Excel 2007 (.xslx), Powerpoint (.ppt), and all the rest of it. I’ve even had to call tech support, and they were able to “reach” into my computer and couldn’t tell that it was Macintosh hardware.

When I’m done with my work, I close out of Parallels. At any time during work, if I want to look something up on the Net (I do very technical work), I can do it in either platform. My machine is, at such times, “bi-platformal,” like some people are bilingual.

Parallels isn’t an emulator. It provides Windows native capability to my Macintosh.

DCM

Have you tried http://knittingpatterns.is it’s free and easy to use.
It uses Silverlight that is compatible with most computers, it’s a browser add on like Flash Player.
Here is a screenshot :

Thanks DCM, this is absolutely something for me to look into! :muah:

I’ve not had to consider anything remotely resembling dual boot capability until now.

@fatoldladyinpjs thanks for replying.

When you say the generators you’ve used haven’t been reliable, what types of problems have you had?

@justplaincharlotte, cool thanks for the heads up. I’ll check out the KnitWare product to see what they have to offer. It sounds like that would be more for creating a pattern from scratch correct (vs. starting from an image)?

You’ve got it!

Please tell me that your generator would either be used online or will cross platforms. This Mac user is hurting from lack of a usuable pattern generator! :wink:

Right now I’m targeting an online solution, with potentially an iPad app to follow. We’ll see :slight_smile:

I use Intwined Studio for charts because it allows me to draw over the graph paper and it fills in ‘stitches’. Really simple, costs about $44. By the way, even with the correct scale, what looks really nice on the paper (an animal silhouette, for example), might not be as clear in knitting because of the V-shape of stitches. So I often ‘correct’ the chart while knitting and then make changes on paper.

Hope it helps.

I need to add my 2cents here. I am strongly wishing that someone would create a LACE chart generator for the iPad!! I use my iPad daily for knitting and this is the only thing holding me back from offering my designs.

I have tried using KnitPro and the only negative, but a big one, for me was the multiple colors showing up even with a 2-color pattern, aaarrgh .