On documenting work . . .

 I use a cheap cell phone to take photos of my work. 

To get a good still photo, I have a tripod with a remote "clicker."

I cut a triangle that is 11" on each side from thin plywood (from the hobby shop) and drilled holes in each corner that allow the legs of the tripod to go through.

I put rubber around the inside of the holes to help keep it from slipping, but the spread of the legs is usually good enough.

I lay my cell phone on the plywood triangle, and use the 'remote' to take the picture. My phone has a 'portrait' setting, allowing for close-ups.

The subject of the photo is placed on the floor, or table on a piece of white or colored paper.

This works so well, that I have shared it with gardening and artist friends for years..

About Markers . . .

 

A marker can be made with many things, provided it slides easily on the needle and is a size that does not slip under a yarn-over. When I place a lifeline in my knitting, I don't put the thread through the markers because the markers will move with my knitting and the lifeline stays on the row for a time.

 

Markers I like include:

 

Plain individual rings

Linked Markers are connected with a chain

Lettered or numbered markers have ‘number’ or ‘letter’ beads attached

Markers with charms or 'dangle' attached

Markers with colored beads glued to cover a jump ring 'join' and work with a color code system

 

To keep a linked marker, or one with dangles, out of the way of the working yarn, keep the marker to the front of your knitting in a knit row, and to the back of the knitting in a purl row. Move it as necessary when you have both knit and purl stitches in a row.

 

Back in the day, I made markers that spell out 'right' and 'left', but I no longer use them.

If you've never seen linked markers, you may still have heard the term. Linked markers are a feature of the app Knit Companion. I made linked markers because I needed a way to see both the old and the new position of my marker, and I wanted a way to determine the RS (right side) and WS (wrong side) at a glance.

This is what I came up with:

The bead covers the join

in the jump ring, with Superglue™

Here is a set at work

An unexpected benefit was that if I place one marker before removing the other, there is less chance of losing the marker through the planks of my porch floor. The floor has a window screen underneath, so I can't even retrieve something without a hassle.

I still have to hold a marker before placing it, unless I slip a stitch, place the marker, then slip the stitch back to work.

I use 7 mm and 10 mm jump rings, size 6 seed beads, and a chain that is sold as a 'chain extender."

We had a scare with the PC. Rushed it to the I.T. doctor, and brought it home the same day! I was in despair that I wouldn't keep my promise of having a post today. Keeping a promise is important to me.

Consistency . . .

 

Methodology -  doing the same thing the same way every time…creating a neuro-path.

The Process and Tools I use . . .

 

I don't like to communicate verbally, because I make so many mistakes: I appear foolish, stupid, or tactless. I communicate best by drawing and writing. It also means I have to be very organized to find anything in the studio, file cabinet, or bookshelf. My brain damage could have begun at birth (the cord was wrapped around my neck). I have always been 'different.' The most difficult issues began with trauma seven years ago.

 

In both mediums, drawing or writing, I start with a general idea: a rough sketch or draft on paper with a pencil that has an eraser. Handy to have is a very long eraser in its own handle. Also useful, an eraser "shield" - it is a holdover from pre-PC days when illustrators produced work by hand. The shield allows me to cover up what I don't want to erase. They are sold in art/drafting supply sources.

 

The next phase is to refine a drawing or edit my article. Usually, I print it to see how it will look on the page to help me see the mistakes. An article may require many drafts before publication to get it as close to perfect as my ability allows. It's the same with a drawing or illustration. 

Then I may color with highlighter pens, and ink in the pencil marks with a fine Sharpie™. I also use drafting pens that are sold with precision point widths for some illustrations. A line drawing must convey precise information with simple lines and shapes. The goal of a drawing is to present the subject with as much clarity and little distraction as possible.

 

The final step is to re-draw the chart on the desktop computer. I love the benefit of having 'artificial intelligence.' It is faster for some applications.

If you want to learn to draw on a computer, I recommend the program Affinity™ to begin, rather than Adobe Illustrator™. Adobe Illustrator is a highly complex system while Affinity is more 'amateur-friendly.' But Illustrator does have some features that are not available on Affinity. I also use the free version of Grammarly™ to check my work, and "Google" for miscellaneous questions I may have. Henry Ford is purported to say he didn't have to know everything about automobiles as long as he knew who to ask.

 

Before retirement, I worked mostly as a temp or free-lance. It got the jump on getting fired for my social gaffs. It also taught me many ways to do things, having so many different employers. I should add that I loved my work and spent my time working as opposed to office-politicking. I was fired from one job and told later that they had to hire 6 people to replace me. I asked why they didn't call me back. The manager said he called me, I already had another job, so he didn't ask.

 

For word processing, accounting, and charting, I use Microsoft Office. Working as a temp, it was the 'most often' used software by employers, though I did have to learn some more refined office software on occasion.

 

Compatible with Word and Excel, the knitting symbol font called 'StitchinKnit' was my choice. You can learn more about it here: Knit Symbol Fonts/. There are free fonts available. I just happened to like this one and paid a small license fee.

 

I made a pair of templates in Excel for graph paper, but I also have a free software called: Graph Paper Printer. It has been around a long time and has many applications, including music and scientific papers.

 

More tomorrow . . . 

Enlargement of an analysis of a knitting pattern chart . . .

 

Row 1: Edge, Pattern Repeat (PatRep) Center. Row 2: PatRep

Row 1 (left side): Center, PatRep, Edge. Row 2: PatRep

More Info

Note: Stitches are increased at the edges and center but after 4 rows become an additional Pattern Repeat (aka* PatRep). 

*aka: also known as.

Knitting Charts for the Rest of Us

 I have a 'different' way to chart patterns. 

That means whenever I want to knit a pattern I must re-chart it so I can understand it. 

The PROCESS of re-charting helps me to understand the pattern better.

I need to understand because my brain doesn't work like a 'normal person.'

I am using Winter Chill Shawl pattern by Staci Perry, with her permission. The pattern is on Ravelry and is also available on her website: https://verypink.com/. Staci is my 'go-to' knitting YouTuber. This pattern is my favorite for playing with patterns and learning the skills I have needed to master.

Here is how her chart for the section Zigzag B is presented in publication:

This is my version of the same chart. Nothing has been changed. The only difference is I give myself more information..

Another version shows which rows are worked in a pattern repeat (abbreviated PatRep in my knitting language.) This is what I use after learning all I can about the pattern.

The question isn't IF I make a mistake, but WHEN! This is my solution for checking stitch count. It is easier than it looks.

If I need further help, I may use my computer to make this:   If you have 'artificial intelligence' as a tool, use it.

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The main difference is my charts are color-coded, so I can readily see the difference between 'knit' and 'purl' or 'RS: right side' and 'WS: wrong side'.

Usually knit is pink and purl is green. Just because I like those colors and they are opposite on the color wheel.

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FACTS:

1. If a single stitch is created by combining two or more stitches, I use two or more chart squares within a single thicker border.

My story behind rehabilitation and recovery from brain trauma

 Happy Mother's Day !

I was born the 3rd daughter of six children. I had two younger brothers and a younger sister, Lori, who was born with Down's Syndrome the summer after I graduated high school. Mother only lived another 3 years.

 

I had to fight my older sisters for the privilege of raising Lori. They wanted her admitted to an institution. We had a cousin who went to an institution and did not live a year beyond the day he entered it. I fought hard.

We took 'the family' to court three times in order to provide sufficient support and achieve legal guardianship of her. The elder sister once made a comment that 'with all of Lori's problems, she could always go on welfare.'

 

We were told Lori would not live past the age of 10 - 13. Typical of Down's her tongue was large, she had a partial hearing loss, and when her permanent teeth emerged, she had two rows of teeth on the upper part of her mouth. Which meant she had trouble speaking and at one point gave up trying to speak. When she was 8, she was diagnosed with kidney disease: hydro-nephrosis, meaning her urine flowed both ways. If her bladder was full, it back flowed into her kidneys and stretched them beyond their capacity to function. The right kidney could not be saved, but with multiple surgeries, the left kidney and her bladder were repaired. The kidney disease slowed her physical growth, which was a blessing because she appeared younger than her chronological age, making her appear more 'normal' to other playmates.

 

The difficulties of verbal communication required me to observe her body and mood 'language.' At some point, we had to insist Lori tell us her needs before meeting them to instill in her the desire to make herself understood. Even so, she was very stoic, rarely complained and I had to be very watchful to be able to anticipate her wishes.

 

My mission in life was to take Lori as far as she could go until the goal became her ability to function as an independent adult. We succeeded. She graduated high school and held a job. She went to the prom and had fun on her own four-wheeler. She loved music, rocking in her chair, and swinging in the yard swing. She learned to read all the 'danger words' and music labels of her favorite country-western singers. Her sing-alongs left much to be desired.

 

She read her Bible with her hands - similar to a braille reading, but with a regular Bible, literally wearing out 3 Bibles over the years. It always fascinated me that she was evidently getting something out of those printed pages, or she would not have been so devoted to the practice. When she was hospitalized for the last time, I asked her if she had talked to God lately. 'Yes,' she said. 'Oh yeah? What'd He say,' says I. Her answer: 'I'm going to heaven.'

 

She taught our whole family so much, being the eldest of our 5 children. Lori died at age 27 from leukemia.

Her mission of teaching me and all who knew her, pure love, had been accomplished.

 I suffered brain damage and PTSD after the sudden death of my youngest daughter.  Eventually, I had to choose to vegetate or recover. Thanks to the experience of teaching Lori, I had some ideas as to how to work on my own recovery. It has been seven years and I am still learning to read again. At 77, I am the oldest seven-year-old that I know. I had a good brain and still do. Although I lost so much, there also remained so much to work with. I have always been a consummate problem solver, and still am. So much came so easily to me, that I took it for granted. I was an illustrator, pattern/product designer, non-fiction author, an accountant/auditor. Now I can forget something in a matter of minutes and must give myself lists and illustrations. Progress is slow, but it is progress, not perfection.