DBJ, more than 2 colors per row 5, color separation software

A PS: while editing and reviewing content, I noticed some of the language I have used in describing what is happening in color separations here and in the past may be confusing.
When the separations are completed, each color, including one when absent in any design row, will be carried for two passes, traveling to and from the color changer.
Traditional separations for DBJ require color changes every 2 rows and rely on starting files with the height of the repeat adjusted to meet the requirement, depending on the intended use and technique.
The selection for each pair of rows of color can be separated to be the same, thus repeating it twice, or to have the pairs of rows split, in theory producing knit surfaces with an improved overall aspect ratio.
For constant sequences in color changing to be retained, on any rows with the absence of a color, no needle selection occurs on the top bed, but even with no stitches forming there, the carriages still travel for two passes, knitting the color in the specific sequence only on the ribber.
When statements are made as to each color in each design row repeating only once or twice, it is in reference to how the colors are placed in the original design, before any rendering of the repeat to double its height, and the separation begins.

Although home knitting machines, depending on their brand and model year, have clear limitations, especially in punch card models in terms of suitable repeat size and the amount of texture that can be formed without problems, a huge range of knit structures can still be produced, including mock imitations of industrial knits.
Electronic designs can now be generated and downloaded to machines with a range of methods and software.
The post Cables and software for electronic download to knitting machines includes some of the pertinent hardware info.
My last Ayab explorations were in 2018.
As of that same year, the  Ayab shield mentioned was no longer manufactured, but information on it can still be found
https://wiki.evilmadscientist.com/AYAB_KH-910
https://www.ayab-knitting.com/ayab-shield/
Other interfaces are presently in use; there is an active, moderated FB Ayab group.
The discussion group on Ravelry has been locked as of 2018; activity for the group can now be found in Discord.
3D printed covers are now producible.
Options for 910 models remain limited.
More on the interim development of the eKnitter can be found in their FB public group. There is a clear online installation guide, that includes a  910 user caution at the bottom of the document.
After, and continuing an association with Ayab, later with DAK, now there is an eKnitter app in development. It is described in addition to standard image handling as offering color separations for multiple color designs in sizes up to the full available needle width, where each color in each design row is knit only once.
img2track is a straightforward means for downloading self-chosen designs. Issues with the lag in development for the FTDI driver for Macs with M1-M4 generation chips using the latest OS have been resolved with the installation of a wrapper. It has become my exclusive tool for downloads to my 930.
In March 2026, the first FTDI driver since 2019 was published for Mac owners using the latest OS. I am happy with the installed wrapper and am not dealing with this at the moment https://ftdichip.com/drivers/vcp-drivers/
April 13/26: Download from my Mac to the 930 failed repeatedly. After restarts and cable connection checks, switching using the program to download from my PC worked seamlessly. 
My strong post 910/Ayab/interface ownership personal bias and preference is not to eliminate a functioning, original, factory-installed motherboard when possible.
There is an active and informative, moderated img2track FB group, and a significantly less active one in Ravelry.
Garment design can be met without purchasing specific software.
Many design aids are based on default curves that would often require modifications in custom knits.
Published motif repeat access abounds.
The availability or files as BMPs or PNGs renders them usable as provided, except in the case of the DAK universe with its proprietary file format and limitations.
Machine knitting books are now being published again after a very long hiatus. Some offer extended previews online that can aid in making the choice as to whether to purchase them; they may not turn up quickly as references for browsing in public libraries.
With experience or by allowing ourselves to take the time to explore new to us knits, what appeared as yesterday’s “why would I?” or “torture” may become tomorrow’s success and even a repeated production item.
That said, on my avoid like the plague (though survival of such is now proved possible), full garment complex cables on the machine are still on the list, along with knitting any piece larger than a swatch for a related post that contains more than 2 colors per design row.
Double jacquard inherently increases the number of rows knit, and they, in turn,  increase exponentially depending on the number of colors in each row.
Along with that, the greater the number of rows for each design row, the thinner the yarn for stitches to be formed properly.
When working double bed, several inches need to be completed before one can use creative methods, i.e., mirrors and lights, or crawl under the machine to actually see what is being produced, sometimes ducking from falling ribber weights if they are not first removed.
Color separations are required for some knits, both in single and double bed work, and can, in turn, be converted ultimately to black and white pixels
Two-color designs are the easiest to separate.
In double-bed work, in addition to the backing methods and knit carriage settings, the type of separation involved helps control the aspect ratio in geometric or representational designs.
The method, where only 2 colors are in use, and each color in each row knits only on one pass, is automated in Brother models with the KRC selection, and traditionally starts with the first preselection row made from left to right. That can be changed in DIY designs if the file for the separation is available as a PNG.
Swatching helps to inform and trust the process.
Fixed color change sequences are easier to track than mixed ones.
Testing yarns first on small designs helps establish tension, cam settings, preferred backing, or hacks, and whether the results meet our expectations or even our taste.
Added complexity does not, by default, improve results.
This review of blog posts, in reverse chronological order, tracks the result of my efforts to understand the process when the available function is automated and unseen.
The illustrations of the process here are abridged and do not show step-by-step how tos.
They reference using repeats with more than 2 colors in the overall design, not necessarily occurring in every row,  with samples of content in each.
The accompanying PNGs are free to use. When copied/ downloaded, even though they are posted here as BW PNGs, the step converts them to RGB mode.
Open the files again in any paint program that will allow for a change in mode to indexed BW (Gimp), by color reduction (ArahPaint), or any other familiar tool, and save them again in BW indexed for knitting.
Some notes on machine knitting color changers.
DAK DBJ color separations, templates, and other software
includes software comparisons:
img2track by default knits each color in each row twice.
From the user manual: “Multicolor patterns will be knitted double-length. To accommodate changing yarn at the left side of the needle bed, you must knit two passes of the carriage with each color. For each row in the pattern, you will cycle through all the colors. For example, if your image has 3 colors, you will make two passes with color #1, two passes with color #2, and two passes with color #3. This completes one row of your pattern and two full rows of the knitted fabric.”
There is a workaround for this described and proven in other posts to have each color selection in each row knit only once, while knitting for 2 passes. Dak, a working repeat: Passap reader technique. Revisiting Ayab, multiple colors per row DBJ 2
Knitting each color in each design row twice, compared with the heart of Pluto result on the right, where each color in each design row knits only once.
Revisiting Ayab_multiple colors per row DBJ 1
Color changer sequencing identification, palette choices.
Img2track_multiple colors per row dbj, each color knitting only once, compares 3 methods for controlling design aspect ratio. DBJ: more than 2 colors per row 4 
The sequence for when each color in each row knits only once: The accompanying illustration in Dak, method B.
A single repeat where each color occurs only once in each design row results in error messages,  the amended repeat    DBJ: more than 2 colors per row 3
early manual separation methods
DBJ: more than 2 colors per row 2   img2track, using published designs
DBJ: more than 2 colors per row, 1  Mac Numbers, Gimp, and more
When separating for 2-color knitting with the KRC function or a DIY matching color separation, the first pair of rows in the design is split, with the first moved to the top. The overall height remains the same.
The first preselection row is from left to right, and the choice needs to be made whether to take steps to eliminate an all-knit row stripe on the top bed that is not part of the design.
A solution is to shift the last row of the repeat to the bottom instead, which also allows for the first preselection row from the right.
Testing the idea on a previously knit, and swatched 3-color separation that is also usable on punch card models, the magenta cells show the shifted placement of the last row below the first in the repeat on the right of the chart, 24X36. Knit tested using 48X72. Yarn tension was as tight as possible and kept fixed.
Sections were knit in matching numbers of rows.
Some tips: test color contrast and sequence first in knit/knit both beds to determine the best tension for proper stitch formation.
The red in my test swatch replaced a different color yarn that absolutely refused to knit properly on the ribber.
If the colors don’t meet expectations or preference in stripes, they are likely not going to when mixed in a pattern. Also, be prepared for the fact that sometimes what you can get to work on 60 stitches can turn into a problem when one approaches the width of the needle bed.
Keep an eye on where the yarns are after a color change, sometimes 2 yarns will be carried in the yarn feeder, and that is easily remedied if knitting has not already begun.
If there is no disturbance in needle preselection, electronic carriages can be moved while still engaged with the belt; punchcard ones cannot without a row being advanced with each move. To compensate, lock the card, make any adjustments, check settings, and remember to release the card before continuing.
Not moving far enough to the left is one cause of double pick-ups.
Check the changer to see that the yarns are in their proper placements, not jumped to another location, as seen on the right. If selection is fixed, ie, 1, 2, 3, that still allows for personal choice and disregarding the clues in testing, or even when knitting from screen. In my swatch, the first pattern color used was 2, followed by 3, and then by 1, 2, 3, etc.
The bottom of the swatch is knit in striper backing, with the first and last needles in work on the ribber set to N/N. The total number of needles does not matter.
The top of the swatch is knit with birdseye backing for the same number of rows. When lili buttons are in use, the number of needles in work on the ribber must be an even number.
If an odd number of needles is used on the top bed, the first and last can be on the ribber and will knit with alternate changes in direction of carriage movements.
Close-knit bars, also called fine-knit bars, are sometimes supplied with machines.
They slide behind the gate pegs, helping to shorten the length of the knit stitches on the top bed, and are intended for use when using very fine/ thin yarns.
From the KR 850 manual,   and a view of it in place on the machine.
The needle latch positions when the knit carriage is set to KC are different with, L, or without, R, the bar in place, accounting for the difference in stitch size formation.  Using the bar should not be the first go-to when dropped stitches or some of the other errors occur, but it may be worth considering in situations such as with this striper backing, if it were the preferred or only available backing option.
There are clear differences in the results in terms of fabric height, width, and pattern definition as the ribber begins to slip/knit EON patterning using lili buttons. There are many other DBJ backing variations; birdseye is most likely the best choice for these knits.

Adding color to 2 color tested repeats available in BW to illustrate what happens with color separations differently: for manual color separations to work, pairs of rows are color-inverted throughout the repeat. To manually achieve this, if anything other than black and white pixels is used when performing the separation with free programs, color inversion will alter palettes, faulting the process.
When the goal is to produce an image for download to the machine in BW PNG format, for use in models or with software that requires it, the process can vary.
The color separation methods described in my blog, except those resulting from vibe-coding, are achieved manually using Mac Numbers, ArahPaint, and Gimp, separately or in combinations.
The final PNG files are programmed as Fair Isle, using DBJ carriage settings.
There is a distinction between design rows and knit rows when discussing color placement.
In this first 8X8 2-color image, each color selection in each design row occurs only once. For it to be knit as DBJ, it needs to be doubled in height, to 8X16.
Each color selection in each design row must be selected twice.
Each color need not appear in every row in the chosen original. They are accounted for with no selection on the top bed rows while the ribber still knits, thus adhering to the color change sequences.
If any colors are present for an odd number of rows in the repeat chosen for separation, there will be errors in the knit result.
The minimal number of rows knit is achieved, where each color selection/number of pixels in each design row knits only once, retaining the 16-row height.
The first pair of rows is traditionally split between the first and last rows in a new repeat that is the same size.
The first color selection will knit for only one carriage pass.
The first preselection row is from the left, with that color knitting one row in pattern from right to left.
Color changes from then on are made every 2 rows to and from the changer on the left. Rendering the repeat 8X8 double height to 8X16, reversing the shift and moving the last design row to the first in the repeat, and color-inverting BW alternate pairs of rows, produces a file with the same repeat height,  but knit with the first preselection row from the right. The easier separation to achieve is the one where each color selection in each design row is repeated twice.
More carriage passes are required.
The original is quadrupled in height to 24X32 rows, and the resulting knit image will be elongated, no matter the backing technique.
This is the default separation when using more than 2 colors with img2track.   The work on the needle bed or the repeat itself, if it is available as a PNG, can be manipulated to have each color selection in each design row knit once, moving away from the color changer, and skipping all needles on the main bed, moving from the right back toward it.
Manually, needles selected for the second color pass can be pushed back to B to be slipped on the top bed.
The equivalent of this can be programmed. It is a relative or the Heart of Pluto separation available in Ayab and Dak users can explore the long stitch separation F. The aspect ratio improves with the result, which may be used for traditional 2-color DBJ with birdseye backing, or for other double-bed knit fabric structures.
The Brother Ribber Techniques Book, the KR/ ribber manuals, and color changer manuals describe how to set up for and use punch cards designed for DBJ, referred to in them as multi-color rib. Technically, however, DBJ is not the only fabric knitted double bed in multiple colors. The latter are outside of the scope of the early instruction manuals.
Electronic model manuals provide instructions for using the built-in KRC function.
The approaches are similar when using a separated design with more than 2 colors in the starting image.
The 11X10 repeat, with 2 passes required for each of the 3 colors, is multiplied by X6 in height to 11X60, and can be separated, akin to the KRC method. My latest tests begin with the last row of the design moved down to below the first, the opposite of the traditional order of first to last, allowing the first preselection row to happen from right to left, toward the color changer. The very abridged version of the separation. The rows with no color on the main bed are marked with purple cells. The original design is clearly elongated. The extra stripes at the bottom happened when I forgot to set the knit carriage to slip.  The method proposed in the blog post DBJ, with more than 2 colors per row 4 produces the result where the same selection for each color in each design row also knits the same selection twice.
The abridged steps: the original 11X10 repeat is multiplied in height by X3 to 11X30.  The results are combined in a repeat that is still 11X30.
Before knitting, the 11X30 separation is rendered in black and white, and doubled in height to 11X60 as a new PNG before download, or used as is, in combination with the double-length selection in the knitting machine.
Removing black cells from the second row in each pair of matching rows will lead to each color in each pair of carriage passes knitting only once on the top bed, when moving from left to right. The rows with no color on the main bed are marked with purple cells.
The swatch: Returning to present experiments, the repeat was reconfigured to keep the sequence of green>1, red> 2, blue>3, continuing to use the same yarns and tensions; there is a noticeable increase in preservation of the design’s aspect ratio.
With ribber number settings unchanged, stitches formed were smaller, making it harder for them to always knit off properly; there were a few dropped stitches toward the top purl side of the swatch.   This is a side-by-side comparison of this last result, on the right, with the swatch where pairs of rows were split on the left, in theory emulating the KRC separation. Repeating the separation for knitting each color occurring for pairs of rows.  Here, the resulting swatch, on the right, is compared with the one that used the split pairs of rows, on the left, and appears to knit with less elongation of the design. There are some missed, dropped stitches on the main bed, but no problems with the ribber stitches.  For illustration purposes, a different colorway is used.
Each color in each design row is separated, appearing only once to produce a second 11X30 file.
To knit as DBJ with color changes every two rows, the 11X30 file is doubled in height to 11X60.
The results are compared to those achieved by working on the 11X10 file multiplied in height by X6 to 11X60. Both convert to the same, final BW PNG for download to the machines.  A close-up of the first 30 rows in charts corresponding to manual separations for the 3 methods. All three are knit with the same number of total carriage passes. When working in slip stitch designs, both single and double bed, the stitches on the needles being slipped get longer until they are knit off again.
By varying the sequences in color changing, the total number of carriage passes can be reduced, i.e., in this instance, by 14. Reducing carriage passes by eliminating pairs of rows with no color in them is an interesting concept.
Keeping track of fixed color change sequences, i.e., 1, 2, 3, with ease and avoiding patterning errors may more than make up for any of the time saved by reducing carriage passes. Food for thought, as an example, my DBJ limited edition scarves usually were composed of at least 1200 knit rows.
The difference in the length of the stitches in the rows where fewer colors are represented may be visually noticeable, or make gauge in garment shaping less predictable.
Large tests, i.e., 100X100, are good indicators in determining personal preference in method, result, potential effort involved, and whether one should because one can.
Small areas of yet another added color can always be dyed or duplicate stitched, keeping the remaining fabric constant.
Variable color changes may rule out the option of using a motor when knitting large pieces or production series.
The same process can be repeated with designs containing 4 colors per row. The manual separation can begin with any chosen color in the first row of the design. In considering software separations, consistency can be established, i.e., starting with the first colored cell on the left, or the color represented by the largest number of stitches/pixels in the first design row. Defaults, depending on the program chosen to automate the process, can be different.
Switching out colors may make the knit from screen clues less meaningful in tracking changes.
The abridged 4-color manual separation now begins with a new 11X10 image,   multiplied in height X8, the number required to knit each of the 4 colors for 2 consecutive passes, 11X80  The last BW PNG, tested on 44X160 is planned to knit each color in each separated pairs of rows only once, with no needles selected/ knitting on the top bed on returns to the color changer.
In charted rows with no color, the ribber still completes a single full knit row, carrying it for 2 passes.
In swatching, I forgot to change the ribber cams to slip along with the use of the lili buttons for birdseye, and the result was an interesting surprise,  striper backing with ripples, a technique that could be developed further, intentionally. The green yarn was ending, and was replaced with the navy in the birdseye sample.  compared to the striper-backed version and, lastly, to the 3 color birdeye backed repeat.  With the separation PNG already available for download and programmed as a FI design, I “had” to try knitting a swatch using the 930’s built in double wide variation key. The bottom of the swatch began with birdseye backing, the top completed with striper, using the same yarns and  carriage tension numbers. There are interesting variations and contrasts in color distribution as well as textures when comparing purl and knit sides.

One repeat explored in many ways

Questions as to how to design for specific knit structures or how to use randomly found repeats appropriately turn up regularly in forums.
A review of punch card repeats found in downloadable volumes, which provides clues as to the suitability of random finds for different techniques, can be found in  Punch cards to electronics: book symbols and samples.
This post began with a random published find from an electronic pattern book. The initial goal was simply to evaluate and play with the design, and then it evolved into a project growing in size as more ideas were sparked for added swatches. the match, 24X3648X72 is potentially usable for
1: knitting as FI, with a wide maximum float of 9 stitches, which would merit control
2: thread lace, both yarns knit white pixels, the thin yarn forms the stitch on the knit side, the thicker yarn floats behind it
3: knit weaving, deciding whether to manipulate the long floats that are formed intermittently
4: tuck stitch, must be color inverted, white pixels form tuck loops for 1, 2, and 3 rows in various spots in the design.DIY editing of the first repeat, seeking uniformity, eliminating rows, and shifting pixels for added possibilities.  24X24in full repeat X2, 48X48doubled in height, 48X96 color inverted, 48X96potentially knittable doubled in height once more, test with thin yarn, 48X192tested single bed for 60 rows, an obvious change in texture and aspect ratio. Single bed using the original, color-inverted file, 48X72. The yarn is a 2/20 wool; the resulting stitches are open enough to allow the dark bleeding through from the background to influence the appearance of its color. The swatch measures 7.25 inches in width.  Double bed
The knit carriage is set to tuck in both directions, the ribber to knit in both for what is often called pintuck or punch tuck rib. The knit lies flat and is “reversible”. Using the same number of stitches and knit tension as the above, this swatch measures 10.75 inches.  With the tuck stitch file easily color-reversed on the electronic, the knit carriage set to slip in both directions, and the ribber to knit in one, slip in the other, the density and width of the resulting knit change significantly.
Punchcard knitters would need to punch a second card.
Blisters are formed on the knit side while stitches on the ribber become elongated when slipped.
As the knit carriage returns to the left and skips needles, floats are formed to a max of 9 needle spaces, and eventually form pockets in the white pixel areas. As the ribber knits in one direction, it slips in the other, and stitches become elongated until they knit once more. The yarn needs to be able to tolerate being held for the necessary number of rows without breaking. The swatch measures just under 5 inches in width, although worked on the same number of needles as the tuck samples.
Some of the color difference is due to a change in natural light, but also to less bleed-through of the background as a result of the fabric density. As double bed knitters know, several inches of knitting happen before you can crawl under the machine or get creative with a mirror and/ or + lighting, to see whether you are actually knitting the intended pattern. This design, using the same yellow yarn with the added blue yarn of the same weight, and the same carriage tensions as for other double bed samples, made it hard to see whether anything but stripes was being produced while on the machine. The bottom of the swatch was knit with striper backing, the ribber set to N/N, and measures 6.5 inches in width. The top was knit with birdseye backing, using both lili buttons, the ribber set to slip in both directions, and measures 5.75 inches in width.
The color placement for background or design can simply be chosen by which color knits first, so either the color-reversed or the original repeat may be programmed. Original 48X72Single bed
This swatch was knit using the thread lace setting, and two slippery yarns, a rayon and a nylon thread of an unknown brand. Serger monofilament is an option, but my supply is multiple decades old and broke easily halfway up the first repeat. Testing large swatches and blocking them in the same manner as the finished piece would serve as guides in making choices.
End selection needle is canceled, but if end needles are brought out to D as part of the pattern design, they need to be pushed back to the B position manually before the next row is knit.
Width comparison does not apply, since the tension required was double that used in the other swatches.
There are less common applications when choosing designs. For example, the same repeat was tested to create a single-bed lace transfer design, with a single row knit after the transfers in each design row have been completed. It finally took using a 4th yarn to get the stitches to knit properly, unlikely something I would knit in a large piece, but it helps to understand what happens with reversals of directions in the mesh.  An explanation of the technique, with added swatch samples and designs, may be found in the post Unconventional uses for punchcards 2: thread lace cards for “filet” mesh 
The slip stitch double bed blister knit was shown previously, using the starting 48X72 repeat. Here is a double bed version, using the plaiting feeder and with the knit carriage set for thread lace. The results differ with placing the yarns in alternative positions, and both swatches measure 9.75 inches in width.

 

 

 

Using the same repeats in many ways: hand transferred lace

Lots of designs can be developed by shuffling repeat segments to achieve desired textures.
Here, the same number of stitches is hand transferred using multiple prong tools, and selections are aided by electronic or punchcard needle selection with the knit carriage set to knit with no pattern buttons pushed in.
The maximum number of stitches moved is 5.
The post on hand-transferred lace with color striping explores variations with transfers that share the concept.
In a spreadsheet, potential results can be visualized, i.e., placement of eyelets once stitches are moved, locations where transferred stitches are placed in each sequence (yellow columns), and easily adding personal notations.
Each of the designs is 24 stitches in width, suitable for punch card models as well. End needle selection is canceled.
A manipulation beginning with transferring single stitches, followed by inverting the shapes
24X24,   and with transferring groups of 5 first, followed by inverting the shapes 24X24. Results are similar. A brick configuration, 24X48, will form chevron shapes of knit stitches between transfer segments.   
And finally, a brick alignment, 24X24.In the bottom of the swatch, the full eyelets are retained, moving toward the top they were reduced in size by picking up from the row below on each side of the transfers.
The resulting 3D textures were referred to as dragon scales in previous posts, some with better results than others, at times with the transfers toward the center of the groups made on each side of an undisturbed center stitch as opposed to on it.
This version from Single bed scales made with stitch transfers
was created following the associated chart.A review that includes single and double bed samples can be found in Revisiting 3D scales and shells, automated and not

3D printed slider, drop stitch lace review

Bringing needles on the top bed to various positions can be handy in other instances, but, in this case, the discussion is on double bed work with purposely dropped stitches.
Drop stitch “lace” is also referred to as drive lace in Studio pubs, and summer fair isle in Passap ones.
The resulting knit benefits from use of yarn that responds to blocking for lying flat and retaining scale differences between the different stitch sizes.
Knitting begins with all stitches on one bed, loops formed on the opposite, and the loops are dropped at varying intervals, depending on the intended pattern, to produce elongated stitches .
Dropping the stitches can be achieved manually with any tool on hand, by sliding the ribber carriage only back and forth if loops are formed on it, or with the aid of stitch ditchers/ dumpers.
Maintaining proper needle selection and not having needles accidentally pushed  back to the A position resulting in possible pattern errors is made easier and quicker with specific tools, often called sliders and sometimes referred to in early manuals as carriages, although they have no moving parts.
Knit bubbles and “stitch ditchers/dumpers”   and Brother KMs “pile knitting”/ ribber stitch dropping tools  share images of such tools.
I was able to obtain a 3D printed model for the Brother 4.5 mm machine, with this file available for purchase from cults3D,  and its use clearly demonstrated here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGjPwGqFJhQ.
It is useful to “read the manual”, or in this case, follow the video.
I chose to mark my slider for future use.
The proper placements on respective needle beds: This top bed placement is wrong, needles are still brought forward moving right to left, but are left out to D, not B on the return to the right. Beginning with single color samples.
A Studio drive lace published repeat for use with the technique
knit 2 rows, drop, repeat
12X16

test knit on 37 stitches results are in hard to read stitch size differencesbreaking the common rules and appearance for this type of fabric, a “what if” version, double height, 12X32 test knit on 50 stitches knit 4 rows, drop, repeat Larger designs can be more effective, 24X22 rendered double height, 24X44 EOR rendered all white/ erased test knit on 48 stitches Previously published related post links in reverse chronological order, followed by a low- resolution collage of some of the test swatches explored in them
Multiple color drop stitch lace using img2track and more
Revisiting drop/release stitch lace 1  
Drop stitch lace using Ayab software 2/ HOP
Tuck stitch/ combination fabrics
Drop stitch lace using Ayab software
Geometric shapes in drop stitch lace 3, end release  
Geometric shapes in drop stitch lace 2, Brother KM  
Geometric shapes in drop stitch lace 1, Brother KM  
Drop stitch lace, 2 colors per row, Passap KM
Drop stitch lace, 2 colors per row, Japanese machines  
Revisiting knit “bubbles” brother KM
Brother KMs “pile knitting”/ ribber stitch dropping tools 
A bubbles cousin
More knit bubbles  
More play with dropped stitches
Knit bubbles and “stitch ditchers/dumpers”  
Working out the kinks in my drop stitch lace saga  

 

On select machine knitting tools, old and new

I began to knit in the heyday of machine knitting, when local, national, and international seminars were held with accompanying marketplaces that made imported magazines and tools available directly from factories in Japan and Europe. As a result, I accumulated a huge stash of tools, including those for the Passap models, which also included duplicates of the Japanese tools with 5mm spacings.
I no longer own my Passap equipment.
My present shares address 4.5 and 9mm tools. Of those pictured below,
most were easily and commonly found, except for the accessory at the upper right and the gadget that accompanied the one on the bottom right (which I do not own).  A few more:

Some have been frequently used, others were handy in demos, and a few have been waiting to meet machines or knits.
My remaining stash of 9mm tools is not pictured; that said, several pairs of now hard-to-find tools marked MT Stitch Tender are among them. Both German and Japanese manufacturers, at one point, provided an accessory to help in manual needle selection in patterns. Some were called Jac-40s, and the Brother model immediately became rare.
Adding to the confusion in terms of branding is that Knittax and the all-metal German-made KnitKing were closely related, effectively the same product marketed under different names in different regions during the 1950s and 1960s. Knittax was a 5mm machine.
The KnitKing name later became associated with Japanese plastic and metal Brother machines.
Some knitting machine history may be found in Daisyknits Brother compatibility charts and history, and Knitting machine history and information, Silver Reed +.
Information on the Passap Jac-40 and how to use it can be downloaded for free in two versions:
https://mkmanuals.com/downloadable/download/sample/sample_id/1001/
https://mkmanuals.com/downloadable/download/sample/sample_id/1002/
The Brother Jac is described as having been blue, while the Passaps were supplied in more than one color, sometimes marked with made in Germany. Early studio 9 mm metal beds came with no card reader or pattern selector.
My first machine was one, a Singer SK 150 metal bed. The PS 150 became available, a 12-stitch pattern selector that used punch cards as well, a collection of such card designs.
An excerpt from the PS manual:
The first few pages of how to use the 9mm version pictured at the top right of the first photo begin to explain its potential use for manually selecting and knitting patterns, sometimes with changes required every single row.

Added images in More on Brother DBJ, including KR 260 bulky KM options.
As built-in card readers were added to machines, adjustable tools were modified, with some are still available to aid in hand selection of needles or pushers, ie, the Passap 30 count model for 5mm machines,  and now, with the advent of 3D printing, a version for the file for a 4.5 mm version with 36 slots: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5252410,
the description by the designer; 16.5 cm long ruler with 36 spaces for removable needle pushers for a flat bed knitting machine. Can be used to create unique patterns with a 36-stitch repeat. Designed for a standard gauge knitting machine, the spaces are 4.5 mm apart. Works equally well on a 9 mm gauge bulky knitting machine, just omit every other space.
Accessories and tools can be a boon in repetitive needle selections on either bed when automatic pattern selection is not available or possible.
I do not own a 3D printer, but have been able to acquire the adjustable selector and a stitch ditcher-slider for use on my 4.5mm Brother machines; info on its use to follow in a separate blog post. The 3D printed 36 selector operates akin to the factory-manufactured ones discussed above.
On wider needle groups, if moving from left to right, match some of the selections on the left of the tool to those on the needle bed on the right, and continue to select from there.
Some literature refers to the small companion pieces as needle pushers, in eBay Passap listings as pusher teeth, and here they are referred to as pins.
Some tips: not consistently inserting the pins in the same direction leads to incorrect spacing, as seen in the two groups on the right. To avoid that, mark to identify the facing side, and insert pins consistently with the nub side up or down. Having additional color pins or tools can help with irregular needle selections.  One possible use of the tool on the single/ knit bed is to use it to make repeated selections in short rows. Pins may be inserted for needle arrangements between opposite beds at custom intervals. For illustration, here the selections are fixed.
Placing the required number of pins on either side of the tool, the rest can be used as a handle to maneuver the pins to move stitches out to the hold position or push them back into the work position.
When working on both beds with the ribber pitch set on P:
pins need to be inserted consistently, ie, beginning with nubs up in the slots on the top and nubs down into the slots at the bottom.  This was my test selection;  there is consistent spacing between and touching of adjacent pins across both sides of the tool.  When the ribber pitch is set to H, the spacing is altered between the groups on the top bed and those on the bottom, as seen on the left, requiring adjustments. The tool, used with the marked side up and with pins inserted with nubs facing down, toward the back of the marked side, resulted in the following selection. The single pin on the left serves as an aid in its placement.Pins are so easily moved/ turned that custom placement can be tested to fulfill desired needle selection sequences.

More DBJ variations: tubular FI, quilting, backings

Recent FB MK posts shared Toyota Simulknit samples.
The company offered attachments for pile knitting and for Simulknit. The latter produced a FI pattern on one side, with a solid color backing on the reverse.
A Brother imitation, DBJ with a solid color backing, is a method that will knit each color in each design row twice, resulting in expected elongation of the design, not a factor in single-bed FI.
Each two-row sequence must be identical, unlike the double jacquard fabric, where each row in a sequence may be different. This remains true even if the KRC-style separations are programmed to start with preselection from the right.
The Knitmaster SRP 60N ribber changes the cam settings automatically from slip to knit and back to knit, saving some time. The ribber carriage must be taken to the extreme left of the needle bed for the autocam lever to trip the driving cam.
From the manual

The original file was chosen randomly based on the number of side-by-side squares in either color, since the color not chosen for the backing will form floats between stitches knit on the top bed.
End needle selection is on.
The backing color is worked with the ribber set to knit in both directions, the alternate color is knit with the ribber set to slip in both directions for two rows, and setting changes are made manually.
Since each repeat is 8 stitches wide, it is usable in punch card models.
The separation is 32 rows in height, enough to squeeze by in terms of punched areas. The usual recommended height for smooth, continuous rotation of cards in the drum is 36 rows; a second 32-row card could be punched and joined if needed.
The visual summary of the process.
The starting 8X8 PNG, doubled in height to 8X16,  color separated, inverting every other row, then rendering the result double height so that each color in each design row will knit twice, 8X32, 4 times the height of the original 8X8, test knit on 40 stitches, but programmed for 48.  The work on the machine, illustrating the pairs of floats formed by the light color after it has completed its two passes only on the top bed.     

A sinker plate hack for knitting on the top bed only with the ribber in work. More ideas for working in one or more colors to produce knits with pockets in them, listed in historical order from latest to first
Blistered stitches DBJ single color
References for double bed single color fabrics with pockets 
Quilting using Ayab software  
Revisiting machine knit “quilting”  includes Passap info
Quilting on the Brother KM 2, solid color back DBJ
includes a method for producing a single color background with the same color outlining/ joining the planned quilted shapes in the second color; the repeat is not separated, is a design where the original is rendered double height, is not color separated,  and additional ribber cam lever settings changes are required. Quilting on the knitting machine 1 single bed
Tubular fair isle is possible, the problem is that the backing fabric is often loose when compared to the slip stitch FI patterning.
The blog post includes Passap info.
The color separation used in the swatch for solid color backing can be altered to produce a tubular fair isle. The preselection row is from right to left. End needle selection is on, and the first and last needles in use are on the ribber to produce the beaded, sealed edging.
Each color will form a single float behind the needles/stitches that are skipped and do not knit.
The carriage settings for each bed and work in progress.  The first test was knit using matching tensions on the main bed and ribber, 4/4, with poor gauge balance between the sides of the tube. The difference is due to the slip stitch in the patterning bed, making for a narrow and short knit. A much improved result, with the tension changed to 7 on the knit bed.

Birdseye backing meets a different color separation to result in each color in each row knitting only once: the  8X8 design did not knit properly when separated with that goal in mind,  using manual separation, the Gimp script, and finally, the KRC function in the 930.
All needles were selected every few rows, spaced in different numbers for each method, with no indication of software download or machine issues, leading to this exploration using the same color separation as above.  The concept should apply when working with more than 2 colors as well.
To avoid extra rows being knit on the ribber, slip/ lili/ birdseye backing is used. A side-by-side comparison of the change in the aspect ratio of the design using the single color DBJ backing on the left, as opposed to the birdseye version on the right, although both were knit at the same carriage tensions.  

Seeking blisters using a new design with a change in ground to contrast ratios, beginning with testing whether the design, simply doubled in height, and using tubular settings, can provide an alternative to color separations:
18X1818X36knit repeat, 40X36 with added borders.  The carriage settings, making certain the tuck lever is not “accidentally” placed in the up position,  both colors form floats. The resulting pattern is very different from the programmed repeat, forming a maze-like design; there are interesting bumps on the purl side, with alternating color single-row stripes.
The dropped stitches are from my having to cut yarns that got tangled around gate pegs just below the waste ribbing.  Is more less? The repeat is now color separated, so each color in each design row knits twice, bringing the total of rows to 4X the original, 18X72.  Visualized in 2 colors, the 18X72 separation was expanded with the intent of having the contrast knit for 4 rows only on the top bed, and the background for 2 on both beds.
The ribber settings change from A when knitting with the background color, to B when knitting with the contrast on only the top bed.  As the ribber set to A and moving from left to right knits the pre-selected needles on the top bed, the floats in those areas will be encased.
The swatch includes 3 errors in switching the ribber slip lever on the right from knit to slip, and are identifiable by the rows with every stitch in the same color.
The result does not immediately evoke the original design. Programming the 18X72 row color separation produced successful blisters with the identifiable design. The light color yarn is a tightly twisted rayon. To explore further the blister dimensions formed by blocks and lines, this repeat is drawn from one referencing Truchet tilings, which explored varied techniques and pattern management, including DBJ pockets in single color knitting with repeats drawn on dotted grounds such as this, 36X36.
The starting repeat, 21×18,  doubled in height to 21×36,  and color separated so each color in each design row is knit twice,
21X72, 4X the height of the original, test knit on 42 stitches.  There are large areas of non-selected needles when only the contrast knits on the top bed, forming long floats, which did not appear to be problematic.

In ArahPaint in knit design 5, some fonts were tested and produced clean BW text for knitting.
Here, several rows in only the ground color are included in the repeat.
44X37 doubled in height, 44X74, color separated, 44X148.In this method, as the ribber is set to knit and the carriages move to the right, they knit every stitch on the ribber bed and any preselected stitches on the top bed; those areas seal some floats in.  As the carriages return to the left, floats are formed behind the alternate color.  The end needle selection is needed to seal the sides.
As in fair isle knitting, in areas patterning with several non-selected needles on the top bed at the side edges, before any carriage movements, end needles should be moved forward to D or E positions manually.
Conversely, when knitting only on the top bed and the whole row is not selected except for the end needles,  push them back to A manually to avoid a float forming from one side to the other; the result is seen at the bottom of the purl view on the right. A birdseye version from Truchet tiling design inspiration 1 .
used to explore wide floats on the top bed as only the contrast color knits, the starting repeat 48X112,  

doubled in height to 48X224,  

color-separated, 48X448;  img2 track on the 930 broke the design into multiple tracks, the first track, 180 rows, was test-knit.
With the ribber knitting the contrast with the levers set to slip from left and knit to right, there were consistent issues with dropped stitches when these areas were reached.   As a compromise, the ribber was then set to knit in both directions when knitting the ground color, and issues with dropped stitches were eliminated. Pockets/blisters still formed, and the floats in the contrast were trapped between the background knitting on both beds, with visible horizontal lines bleeding through.  Blistered stitches dbj  single-colorwork pockets formed over whole rows
Pintucks 1 vs shadow pleats, fair isle pintucks Pintucks 2, ripples in knits using the ribber some published designs, racked variations, more links

 

Pinterest inspirations vs implementation, tuck and lace combos 2

This post will be a growing companion to Pinterest inspirations vs implementation, tuck and lace combos 1, addressing designing repeats for automation of such designs on electronic machines.
Lace transfers made in the same direction will lead to the knit biasing in that direction.
Reversing the direction of the transfers at intervals will balance some of that bias.
In the post on A return to lace with automated patterning, adding color striping, the LC transfers were charted moving diagonally as well,   achieving this result.  In this inspiration source, the transfers are made in rectangular blocks.  Assigning symbols and BW fill to cells in turn,  expanding the repeat following arrow markings pointing to the LC selections and transfers in the correct directions.  The single repeat, 20X42.   In the bottom design rows 1-13, the LC makes 2 passes followed by 2 rows knit, in the top 14-41 rows, 4 LC passes are followed by 2 rows knit.
The test knit on 51 stitches.  The side knit borders are 2 and 3 stitches, respectively. Next to the 2-stitch one, the eyelets are slightly compressed, appearing smaller than those next to the 3-stitch border.
There are charts worked out for fully automated tuck and lace combinations using both the LC and the KC to tuck.
Many are published in the Brother punchcard volume #5, but
they are not usable as provided in electronic machines.
The punch card machines repeat selection when the patterning carriage is retrieved for use from the opposite side.
The final charts in the DIY electronic versions will appear quite different, and although they may still be in repeat widths suitable for punch card machines, they are not interchangeable.
Electronic models advance the design for a row with each pass of carriages set for pattern knitting.
An idea using similar, alternating loop and lace diagonal shapes. In terms of fabric qualities, tuck stitch is short and wide, and lace tends more to long and wide.
Casting on and binding off may need to be adjusted to be looser in final projects.
Jumping right to the use of black and white pixels, following the arrows to track movements of both carriages to achieve the 24X36 final repeat.
Two all-knit rows occur after completing tuck segments, avoiding LC attempts at transfers containing tuck loops far beyond LC tolerance, capable of producing interesting LC carriage jams:  The swatch was tested on 50 stitches.  My seemingly endless supply of white yarn has reached its end, hence the color change and restart. As usual, the tuck texture is more evident on the purl side.  These were published in a Japanese knitting magazine from the late 80s, with accompanying symbol charts. Counting up from the bottom, it looks as though they were intended for use in Brother models, with row 1 marked 7 rows up on the right of the proposed punch cards.    Tentative planning in a spreadsheet for each repeat with arrows indicating the respective carriage movements.
The first preselection row is from left to right, and both begin with tuck patterning.
Testing the first 24X28 designquickly identified a problem area where already formed tuck loops with added yarn from the lace transfers try to meet more tuck loops. Cyan T cells represent tuck loops, the magenta cells the loops formed when emptied needles are brought back into work as the next row is knit. 1: The first pair of tuck loops is complete,
2: and meet the pair of lace transfers stitches to the left and to the right.
3: When needles emptied by the lace transfers are advanced to knit, the center needle between them is meant to tuck once more, but refused to do so with the next all-knit pass.
Often, the limit for the number of stitches or loops on any one needle to knit off properly on 4.5 mm machines is 4, unless the yarn is thin. A solution is to add an all-knit row to the design repeat, marked with blue cells. The amended design, drawn in repeat, checking alignments, programmed on 48X28 for test knitting, and mirrored horizontally on the 930enabled sorting out likely places to watch for any added issues, i.e., location and reasons for any dropped stitches. The second repeat, tested on 48X52, with the pair of added all knit row as above, still posed issues;   all-knit rows between the lace transfers must be programmed for execution by the knit carriage traveling from right to left and back to its home on the right.  Programmed 48X52Test knitting required mirroring on the 930

More tuck and Lace combos:
Lace meets tuck on Brother machines
Tuck stitch/ combination fabrics
Large diagonal eyelet lace
Combining tuck stitches with lace 2 (automating them)
Combining tuck stitches with lace 1

 

Pinterest inspirations vs implementation, tuck and lace combos 1

A companion to this post: Pinterest inspirations vs implementation, tuck and lace combos 2. Both are subject to edits and additions over time.

This has become an interesting rabbit hole for me. I am sharing working notes so far while I explore and document additional textures and combinations that move me forward, making them available to anyone wishing to participate in the journey.
Several images of tuck stitch combined with lace eyelets and diagrams with instructions in a foreign language not clear enough to attempt a translation led to this first exploration of what appeared to be the most complex pattern.
The source image: Pubs are not always in agreement as to the significance of specific symbols. In the published chart, the black dots are assumed to indicate stitches in hold or tuck, building up loops on the machine on the associated needles, the black triangles pointing to the left and to the right, the doubled-up stitches after transfers, and the curved shapes, the place where eyelets are formed after needles are emptied.
Many of my lace posts use cyan cells to symbolize transfers to the left, magenta for transfers to the right.
Starting with a symbols chart, in DIY, one may assign symbols that make sense personally. Conversations with self:
A row of knitting must happen in the location of the emptied needles after each lace transfer.
Each held stitch/ tuck gather in the source image is textured enough to indicate 2 loops represented in tuck stitch by pixel units of 1 in width, 2 in height.
Transfers should occur in the same rows as the first tuck loop formation.
The next carriage pass forms the second tuck loop, with single yarn loops on the needles emptied by the transfers.
Concurrently, the double tuck loops are moved forward on needles to the knitting position, along with preselection for the next first tuck row, and for the next transfers.
Transfers are made after every pair of rows before the next carriage pass, and the process repeats, manipulating needles and their stitches as needed, while also maintaining proper needle selection.
Watch for needles accidentally taken out of work after transfers.
Bring each pair in the transfer groups out to D or E; they need to knit on the next pass.
Getting started: this is a chart that also includes a plan for beginning and ending a program on equal repeat segments, with added cells marked in green.
Charts can contain as much or as little information as to be useful. The tuck stitches and the transfers in the final draft are both programmed as white pixels, resulting in the corresponding preselected needles remaining in the B position. The swatch was planned with 2 all-knit vertical columns on each side edge.
In many tuck designs, both single and double beds, having a pair to a few stitches on the edges, can provide a serviceable rolled edge that follows the pattern movement.
Since the programmed tuck side edges here are not symmetrical in my test PNG pattern, it was mirrored horizontally using the built-in function in the 930.
Leaving the carriage set to knit for beginning selections helps to identify the anticipated placement of the eyelets.
After the pattern was established, the work on the machine appeared to provide enough clues as to stitch transfer directions to develop a rhythm in making them.  This far “simpler” design was planned from the outset in BW pixels. Simplifying the automated repeat, starting in only black and white: all transfers are made toward the center needle in each of the groups of 5 unselected needles.
The 10X8 repeat,  programmed on 40X16 to include knit side edges, mirrored for use on the 930. The emptied needle and the one with the transferred stitch are brought out to E position, making certain the center stitch, the location of the tuck loop, remains in the B position.
The result is subtle, more evident on the purl side than the knit. The swatch was knit in 2/8 wool, first at tension 7, then at tension 10, an experiment in gauge and texture.
While on one side there is a 2-stitch border, the other has 3, and the eyelets on the 2-stitch side pull in a bit more and appear smaller than those on the opposite side, something to consider in planning finished pieces. Using the same concept, a yet untested design chart: the 10X20 repeat and 37X20 to match the chart Returning to a more complex design using a spreadsheet and a different approach:reviewing the guessed symbols in the pub at the top left, with the colored cell significance for this exploration in the center column;   in the table, 20 rows in height, every other row beginning with 1 at the top was hidden; symbols used previously and colored cells were added, including vertical columns in grey for planned needles out of work to heighten the effect of the tuck stitches.
and then with rows unhidden, colors were added in the needed locations.     The placement of black and white pixels began to be considered. This 20X20 effort replaces the white pixels in the third column from left with black, the purple with white for tuck stitches. Eyelet locations are marked in black as well. There remain 2 issues. When drawn in repeat in height, there is an error at the center,  which is eliminated by extending the height to 60 rows and shifting some pixels, now 20X60tiles without errors. The 20X60 repeat, without all the added black cells, can be printed and coded to suit, with added clues, perhaps even as a guide in an all-hand-manipulated version.
Transfer directions and their respective rows are annotated in this chart.
In the column with cyan and black cells, the cyan indicates tuck loops or needles brought out to hold, and the black indicates the return of those needles to knitting. The last consideration is that the columns with lace transfers need to be color inverted, or all those white cells will tuck. Unselected single white cells will then point to transfers, and the ground in their respective columns is black, with all those stitches knitting.
The swatch was planned for knitting on 50 needles with 2 stitch knit borders added at each side. On the machine: ladder locations > NOOW on either side of where tuck loops will form.Depending on the location in the repeat, transfers are made to the right or to the left on the center non-selected needle between ladders and areas with expected tuck loops, which are easy to identify as the knitting progresses.  after transfers are made, both needle involved are brought out to E position.

Single bed slip stitch vs ruching

The companion blog post: Reviewing single bed ruching, new designs  shares repeats, and samples knit lifting sinker loops or ladders to form knit folds and textures.
In planning programmed machine knit designs, no matter which cam carriage settings are chosen, unless the carriage(s) are set to knit, N is king, the black pixels and punched holes knit in pattern, the white pixels and unpunched areas do not.
Programmed slip stitch designs mimicking folds grow very quickly in length, with textures visible on both sides of the finished project that are more pronounced when there are larger knit stitch counts between the skipped ones.
Samples found in: New single bed swatches based on random sources of inspiration. In building textures, man made fibers should be avoided, steaming or ironing could flatten them permanently.
If the yarn is too thick, it will make for a stiff fabric, and also reduce the 3D effect.
Repeats can be designed with the slipped areas in black, but the final image must be color-reversed, whether as a converted PNG or using the selection option offered in electronic models. When applicable, punch card users can mark the white squares, and then punch all the surrounding cells.
In this series of tests, patterning of all white blocks several cells in width and height is explored. Multiple side by side stitches are skipped as opposed to every other seen in the first two samples.
The purl side will have lots of floats, for some knitters this is a deal breaker.
All uninterrupted large areas of black cells occurring at the side edges will ruffle unless white cells are added in select needle positions.
Usually skipped stitch areas form floats behind stitches held in those locations, which in turn become lengthened in proportion to the number of rows they are held; that feature is barely noticeable on the knit side in these tests.
The first PNG 16X42color reversed, knit on 61 stitches The same repeat can be executed as a hand technique where stitches are picked up and rehung to form hems.
A section of the resulting textures, knit in a thicker wool, was tested only on 31 stitches to inform the choices in developing additional designs.
There is an operator error included that may become a design feature or offer the opportunity to approve of and pursue less frequent ruching.       A 24X64 larger repeat with deeper folds, executable on a punch card machine, in which case black cells are left white, and all white cells are punched offers  possibilities for color changes in sequences of even numbers of rowsknit on 58 stitches,color reversed using the 930 function,  no horizontal mirroring required The beginning of exploring using slip stitch blocks to form possible shapes, a 38X20 repeat, knit with a random yarn selection, on 58 stitches.
A 2- knit stitch vertical column is added to each side edge;   identifiable shapes begin to appear.  Expanding the design with the intention of deeper folds and adding color(s) striping, with 8-row unit multiples.
The adjusted repeat, 56X32. The programmed test swatch repeat, 60X32 with equal side borders.  Color changes alternating between 26 rows with slipped stitches, follwd by 8 with all-knit contrast.Changing colors with an easy-to-track every 8 rows.  One of the earliest posts on the topic, written in 2013, A random slip stitch, included these.There are infinite approaches to creating secondary shapes of varying size and thickness.
This 24X20 repeat with the floats easily identified on the purl side of the swatch,  builds solid color slip stitch blocks on striped shapes in a brick configuration with color changes every 2 rows.Single bed tuck/ mostly slip stitch fabrics 3, offered a range of possibilities, opening up the option of adapting a previously explored or published repeat to larger scale.
I taught in a design studio, and dozens of swatches pertaining to the specific lessons and assignments were added to or changed weekly covering a large wall display area.
One of the repeats, 24X36, led to these variationsand was now altered in width to 36X36,  knit tested on 69X36 after adding knit side borders, mirrored horizontally for use on the 930, with color changes every 6 rows, yielding a highly textured knit.The top and bottom of the swatch reflect the difference in width between areas that are knit in stocking stitch and those with slipped stitches.
Besides narrowing the pieces in width, these designs also compress height.
I have a sometimes love/ hate relationship with the Brother single bed color changer, but it is hugely helpful when frequent color striping is planned in even number row counts.
Color striping before committing to final color ways in pattern helps to establish whether contrast in chosen shades works well, and whether the changer and its sinker plate works smoothly.

Reviewing single bed ruching, new designs

IN PROGRESS

The companion post Single bed slip stitch vs ruching explores automated textures that could share design repeats.

Gathering knits to produce folds rather than clustered stitches can be achieved by using programmed slip stitch designs, or manually lifting stitches from rows below the last row knit in an endless variety of ways.
Hand-gathered stitch groups, in proportion to their numbers, produce a hem that is sealed more tightly than the slip stitch versions, whereas the skipped stitches become elongated.
Machine-knit hems 2 illustrates  multiple techniques for picking up stitches, ie. by first finding sinker loops
Select few stitches lifted up on a tuck ground: Pretend/ mock cables 4  Ruching 1: fern “pretender” and more, a charted repeat that moves sinker loop groups, a technique that begins to imitate smocking.Randomly selected samples from former posts:
Ruching 2: more working with stitch groupsShadow pleats knitting 
Adding hems to varied knits includes this knit woven sample
Color striping, “winging it”, in New single bed swatches based on random sources of inspiration Manipulating slip stitch floats Slip stitch patterns with hand transferred stitches, single bed 2 Industry knit stitch vocabularies refer to the yarn portion that connects two adjacent needle loops in the same course/ row as a sinker loop, making what is often called a ladder in home knitting, an extended sinker loop. The spreadsheet plan aided by some copy and paste is to count down to specific ladders, and use their loops to rehang on specific needles after every 10 rows knit in a brick stitch configuration.
The vertical blocks of stitches between out of work needles that produce the ladders are 9 stitches wide.
A single full repeat is 20X20, the test is knit on 55 stitches, with 2-stitch borders added aside first and last ladders.Counting down sinker loops  rehanging 5 times on the left siderepeating 5 times on the opposite, right side, with 2 extended loops now on the center needle of the 9-stitch groupwhat can happen when one is so busy looking at and manipulating stitches as to forget to look up. An alternate method is to count down to specific sinker loops, magenta, then manipulating the knit loop aside the last one lifted,or seek out the adjacent sinker loop, cyan, and pick up the one immediately below it, magenta.In the test swatch, to maintain an easy row count, stitches were lifted up in a brick configuration after every 10 knit rows, on 38 needles, a multiple of 6+2, that included an added single knit stitch vertical border on each side.All-knit rows can be added in each half repeat block, cells representing them are colored in darker grey. The single design repeat is 12X28, 14 rows are knit before ruching, and pick up starts with the 6th sinker loop down. A side-by-side comparison This repeat is 16X42 pixels and may be used color-reversed for a slip stitch variation.
Here, ruching/ pleating happens with lifting stitches for 5-row folds after every 6 rows knit followed by 2 all knit rows, making each pattern full block 7 rows in height.
Whether lifting stitches or changing colors, the carriage will not stop consistently on the same side as each block of lifted stitches is completed.
If color changes are planned, changing the folded depth to 6 rows from 5 will make the use of the color changer possible and avoid extra yarn ends.

The yarns used in the test swatch were a 3/9 wool and a sock yarn remnant, knit at tension 10, resulting in a rather stiff knit. Individual stitches were lifted on each edge aside the large all-knit segments to avoid ruffling and attempt at a balanced length.Spacing the ruched segments further apart and increasing their width may make lifting every other stitch adequate for the 3D desired effect.
In this 75 stitch wide test, each of the 7 stitches in the black blocks was rehung on row 9, followed by 10 knit rows for easy tracking, and the process was repeated in brick fashion in the allotted locations.

Some double bed work:
Pintucks 2, ripples in knits using the ribber  includes this Passap sample
Pintucks 1 vs shadow pleats