Why I Write My Patterns and Lay Them Out in LaTeX

Today's @yarnlovechallenge prompt is Draft, so I thought I would talk a little bit about my workflow here. If you are interested in any of the things I write about below, please get in touch via email. 

Separate Calculations from Text

Screenshot of pattern development workflow

   

I write my patterns and grade them at the same time.

But I keep them separate while working on them.

The numbers, including stitch counts, measurements, and yarn requirements are in a spreadsheet, and I have code that import the numbers into my pattern.

This means that I always have a one true source, and I never get them confused while changing stuff, and it saves me a great deal of time I would otherwise spend on checking.

Inspect Code, Not Output  

Screenshot of my editing workflow

I do not like visually inspecting things to see if it was done correctly, because my spatial skills are deficient. I cannot tell if the font size is correct by looking at it, but I can read my code and see if I formatted it correctly.

Program My Diagrams  

Screen grab from Australian Under Wrap

I am no artist, and struggling with spatial stuff means that I do not feel confident with drawing at all, whether with pen and paper or digitally.

In LaTeX, I use the TikZ library to develop my diagrams. I write some code, compile it, and I can reason about my code versus what was compiled, and iterate until it is perfect.

I can also reuse my code. It can be really awesome for modular designs, because you can perform shifts, flips, and rotations with math rather than drag and drop.

LaTeX Makes Sensible Decisions For Me 

I do not have any experience doing layouts or things like that, beyond being frustrated by Word or Powerpoint.

By using existing libraries, I can rely on decisions made by someone else who has thought long and hard about how to make documents look good, without giving up control of the document. I can still muck around and change stuff, but so far, most of the time the defaults look quite professional.

Reusing Text 

Screenshot from Australian Under Wrap

Even though I am just starting out, I find that there there are many chunks of text I would like to re-use across patterns, particularly in the Techniques and Abbreviations section that most patterns have.

I have put together a separate file that I use across patterns, so that my text for things like how to do different cast-offs remain the same. And, should I come up with a better way to write something, I can update all of them with a simple script to recompile all the patterns for me.

It was really useful when I was obsessing over my bio section too.

A Tidy Stretchy Chain Bind-off, or Create More Loops!

This post started off as a comment to Kwerkii in a Ravelry group, but I decided that I would expand on it here. I would also like to thank Holly Chayes for sharing her favorite bind-off trick, because it was the inspiration for what I share here. 

When binding-off x stitches, you create (x-1) loops across the edge (because the first 2 stitches bound-off only create 1 loop). I propose that for a nice, stretchy bind-off, create more loops!

In this post, I will use the following abbreviations:

• YPCM: Yarn used per extra stitch bound off, in centimetres 
• YPS: Yarn used per extra stitch bound off, in terms of bound-off stitches 

YPCM is the length of yarn required to bind-off an extra stitch. 

YPS is different from the others, because it is a measurement that controls for gauge. 1 YPS basically means 1 wrap around a needle. If you knit a stitch, that is one 1 YPS, and the same if you purl.  

Therefore, the traditional Long-tail Bind-off has a YPS of 1, because to bind-off one more stitch, you knit the stitch, and then pass the previous one over. You only 'add yarn' once. 

To give you an idea what YPS looks like for other Bind-offs: 

• Long-tail bind-off: 1
• 3-stitch I-cord bind-off: 3 
• JSSBO: 2.5 (0.5 extra because of reverse and purl yarnovers eat a bit more yarn) 
• K2togtbl bind-off: 2 
• 1 by 1 tubular bind off with grafting: 4 

A sideways lace edging is super stretchy, but difficult to obtain a YPS measurement. It creates a longer outer edge than the inner edge that is being bound off, which gives the inner edge more room to grow. 

(These numbers are not calculated by measuring yarn used, but instead by counting the stitches made to bind off an extra stitch.) 

When you use a stretchy bind-off, you are using a technique that has a higher YPS, which consequently leads to a higher YPCM. 

When you increase the needle size, you increase the YPCM but not the YPS. It will usually be faster than switching to a stretchier bind-off, because you will not need to make more stitches.

Create More Loops! 

If you increase the number of loops in the bind-off edge to more than (x-1), you will increase the YPS and YPCM. 

With the K2togtbl bind-off, this can be done by knitting an extra loop (or stitch, depending on how you see it) into the stitch on the right needle at regular intervals. Theoretically, to achieve the same YPS as the JSSBO, you will create this extra stitch every second stitch you bind-off. 

I have actually never done that. I usually find that a loop increase of about 10-20%, or an extra 1-2 loops every 10 stitches, is sufficient -- this means a YPS of about 2.1-2.2. On my current mitten WIP, that seems to be enough so that I just slide my mittens on as opposed to feeling the tight edge as I tug it over the widest part of my hand.

Create More Smaller Loops for Cuffs! 

By choosing the correct needle size, you could have a Long-tail bind-off that has the same YPCM as a JSSBO. It does not mean that the former is equivalent to the latter, especially in terms of good finishing. How you add the extra yarn does matter, and in my opinion, that is why some people (myself included), have trouble getting JSSBO to look good. 

There are 2 kinds of stretchy edges that we commonly need in knitting. 

The first is what we need for blocking things like lace, where we want to open the edge up. We want to have the ability to stretch, open up, and stay that way. 

The second is what we need for things like cuffs and hems. We want it to have give, but to shrink back once we pull it over the right body part. 

For the latter, I like to suggest that you need a relatively high YPS while carefully managing the resulting YPCM so that you do not have a flaring edge. 

We can do that increasing the extra loops, to have a YPS of 2.3-2.4, and decreasing the needle size. 

Final Note: 

I will be back with photos at some point. I need to get a lightbox as I have trouble getting the close-up shots required.