Saturday, January 24, 2009


I have Microsoft Office Excel on my computers and use it to chart patterns, and plan colorways.
With a new workbook, I format the row and column width toform small squares. The Row height stays the same as the default. The column width is changed to about 2.43. Now my page looks like graph paper would.
Using the basic border, select an area and put borders on each cell.
Go to "Tools" - open the menu and select "Options" and in that menu, select the color tab. You can now create your own palette, by clicking on a color within that menu, and selecting "Modify". Your next choice is "Standard" or "Custom". On the lower right is a block that shows both your old color and your new color for comparison.
After choosing my colors, I plan the design. If the repeat has 6 stitches, starting at the right (because I knit right to left) I number 7 cells (squares) at the bottom of my bordered area. To the right of my grid, I also number from the bottom up, the number of rows it will take to make the pattern. The section of grid needed to make one pattern repeat gets a fat border around it to isolate it.
The illustration shows a very simple pattern to give the general idea. The method can also be used to chart stitch patterns, using wing ding or zbat fonts instead of color to denote stitches.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Mikey


We have a new great grandson! Mikey Abel.

Thursday, January 8, 2009


Sierra's Third Birthday

Wishing all a blessed New Year!

It's hard to believe it has been almost a year since the picnic in the desert in Brawley. We need to do it again!

Old Man Winter must be napping today - the sun has sneaked out and the lake is glowing. I need to take pictures of the herbs in the garden that are surviving the freeze. Rosemary is doing well in the greenhouse, while Lavendar, Dill, Chives, Parsley and others are making it fine. The lemon balm has some frostbite on the taller leaves, but all in all looks to be making it.

I have been working on socks - knitting them with 100% wool for slipper socks. The pair in progress is for Marta. She is always complaining that her feet are cold. I did order some "SuperWash" wool and nylon blend. It's a fine, fingering weight, so whoever gets them will be able to wear them with regular shoes, and wash and dry them in the machines. I suppose the variegated yarns are so popular it is hard to find the blend of fibers that I want in a solid color.

Nuff for now. Perhaps the next time I will get the picture of Jimmy's hat up.