Design Repeat Collections – alessandrina.com

More play with triangles

This post adds to my design repeat collections. Most of the files provided are intended as inspiration for DIY.
From Truchet/Smith inspired designs 2 meet ArahPaint
Quilters are familiar with block designs easily found in print and online that technically may be broken down into triangular blocks joined and meeting to form sharp points. Truchet, in his publication, used half-square triangles and assigned letters to the segments, and a PNG to explore, that when magnified shows the inevitable doubling of some same color pixels side by side or in sequential rows when drawing in random repeats; it becomes unavoidable. A DBJ test knit
Exploring how shapes meet and can be combined to make new shapes: this is a 12X10 file, shown in repeat,

and in multiple colors makes it easier to identify intersections and secondary shapes

A 12X12 start,with added colors

tiled in an adjusted colorway

18X18 24X24different palette tilingBW version When you want to knit no more than 2 colors per row, and large repeats with open spaces are appealing, in this 38X18 file, some same color pixels touching soon become evident, in progress 57X5857X58 BW.

Triangles and blocks forming broken ribbons, 36X34 Tired of horizontal and vertical movement, returning to diagonals, recognizing component shapes with clean edges ,

BW 16X48

knit as single bed fair isleIf broken shape edges are OK, this 24X48 repeat with underlying 8X8 blocks, is usable in punchcard models. Triangles are broken along the diagonal solid lines.In electronic machines without the capacity of knit from screen or added storage, non repetitive image PNGs may need to be programmed in sequential segments.
When producing items such as scarves, there is an opportunity to play with extending the idea further.
Wolfram world is an online reference explaining the rules for building automata.
Cellular automata charts for knitting, etc. was written by me at a time when I produced a series of pieces inspired by their patterning such as this, knit on the Brother 930, with images of earlier automata samples knit on my E6000 shared in My new knitting projects

Triangles can be easily recognized forms when testing designing and related techniques and how textures and aspect scale can vary in machine knitting.
From Geometric shapes on ribber fabrics with tuck stitches 2; knitting with 4 carriages Translating Passap model book pattern/use on Brother 1
Early posts:
A simple shape, an exercise in DBJ, Brother KM
Double jacquard using punchcard machines

Just because snowflakes are six sided crystals

I have been using Gimp for more than a decade, but the last 3. and 3.+ versions have had bugs that broke familiar functions, among them saves are now in greyscale, RGB mode is disabled, there are file naming issues, and editing and saving preferences are only temporarily saved.
It took a bit of digging to find a 2024 version that appears to work more predictably: https://gimp.macupdate.com/app/mac/14597/gimp/old-versions.

ArahPaint has become my primary design tool. In the past year, some new features have been added, but have not yet been documented here.
There are 6 previous blog posts with suggestions on how to use the program in knit design.
This post shares my doodles in the development of a theme, not specific step-by-step instructions on how to achieve them.
Learn more about ArahPaint on the related Facebook page, YouTube shorts and videos, and by browsing the excellent manual available to download.
Some sections to explore in the PDF: using tools pp. 19-23, drawing straight lines, verticals and diagonals, and shapes pp. 28-30, working with colors 35-59, and repeat modes 63, 90-95. Brick repeats are narrow and long, suitable for punchcard model machines when meeting the 24-stitch restraint rules. Pillar or half-drop, depending on offset, are wide by default and only usable in electronic machine models.
A very brief review of some of the techniques used in the following designs: as the straight line tool is used, an angle for the line appears above the palette area, the value will change following the mouse movement, and the line will stay in place with the release of the mouse. The tool menu offers options for easy transformations and rotations on the whole canvas, on the chosen full image, or selected portions of it using rectangle select. Parts of the design may be copied and changed before pasting into place or in a new window. Working in multiple color palettes, double-clicking on either foreground or background selections allows for changes to those specific selections. Changes may be made using double clicks sequentially to first protect one or more of the colors to selectively work on the background, then again, to render any color transparent, and a third time to revert to the original palette. I work on a Mac desktop with an M1 chip and OS 26.0.1.
The forms classified as snowflakes in knitting, cross stitch, etc., are often multiples of 4 segmental shapes at 45-degree angles.
That said, a snowflake is technically defined as a single, delicate, six-sided crystal of snow that falls from the sky.
This is the start of a coloring book virtual approach to accommodate the math for a 2D fair isle or DBJ design using pixels.
The more familiar views are developed using 60-degree guides and can vary in complexity. Some of the more complex designs become suitable for applied duplicate stitch or beading to improve the definition of stitches. The base grids are 61X61 pixel canvases to allow for single stitch centers/ pivot lines. Working with double line thickness lines, a 46X46 shape.The PNGs below are not fully developed designs, and are intended for download and use to yield DIY versions that meet your own size and preferences.
Beginning with a 61X61 template with a single pixel pivotal point, the hexagon shape is identified, and it is drawn at 30-degree angles with symmetrical diagonal line placements. Superimposing color blocks and lines,

the shape rendered all blue, with the blue protected, fill ground with white, crop the result to 34X34, convert to BW. The tiled half drop repeat has negative space that will accommodate smaller added designs in DIY if preferred, 68X34

A 15-degree template, with single-line pivot points, to render all lines in grey or any preferred color, lock the white, follow with color bucket-filling with the chosen color. Unlock any protected color(s) before proceeding.
The new canvas is 60X60 for visibility and initial pattern drafting.
The full size is retained in the first attempted repeat; note the six-pointed star shape.

Cleaning up, editing pixels,

another 60X60 design

adjusting for a smaller size and a slightly more circular effect

cropped to 44X44

in brick, 44X88

half drop, 88X44,

determining missing pixels, adding others to form complete shapes.

A different approach, using colors to plot a 6-pointed star in a different orientation, follows color changes for observing different-sized “flakes”, edited as preferred.

Opportunities to explore negative spaces
30X34
30X68 60X34

30X34 with a bolder outline. Not forgetting those cubes, a start in BW, keeping whole star shapes. A “small” 28X32 motif formed following lines in the template. 33X33 with different shapings. Superimposed equal-size stars with one rotated, 38X38. If there is a need to go big, 32X58.Pondering double-thickness lines, the rotated star shape, 72X60. The possibilities for shifting color placements can lead to endless shape variations.
The final choice then becomes as to the best method for executing any of this as a knit fabric, and whether using 3 or 4 colors is practical, whether the designs will become distorted, the rabbit holes are endless.
For a source of inspiration for more variations and shapes, visit
https://numericaldesign.blogspot.com/2016/07/exagonos-02.html
https://patterninislamicart.com/s/published-material/drawings-diagrams-analyses/publication/geometric-patterns-borders , a sample from the pubA template for pursuing more the ideas using color, 78X44tile as many times as needed for the base canvas, or begin with the same design rendered in black and white.And here, a version of finding Waldo, look to find the different size flakes 😉

A tale of crustaceans and critters

Ancient filet crochet books are often a source of inspiration for potential knits.
The files resulting from the PNG conversions collected here are not necessarily knit ready if they are to be used for DBJ.
If the planned design is to be used as a continuous pattern, with a return to row 1 after reaching its top, the designs must be an even number of rows in height to start with.
Archive.org offers one search method for historical results.
The site is free to use; small donations are optional.
I have seen many references from this site and from https://mkmanuals.com/ downloaded and being sold online.
I live on the East Coast of the US, where crustaceans of all types are easily available in seafood sections of markets and restaurants.
This plate from a 1912 pub initially caught my eye.
The first repeat tested was knit in DBJ with birdseye backing,I was not happy with the swatch, measuring 8.75 X 8 inches, and got distracted, as often happens, by other rabbit holes.
The present 76X76 PNG was used to test knit in DBJ with striper backing; the result was definitely more square, measuring 11X11 inches.
Although the two swatches share the same color way, they are knit using different yarns.
Plied yarns were problematic with feeding evenly and getting hung up on gate pegs, a first in my many years of knitting DBJ. After several stubborn starts and switching to a different single ply shade of white, knitting went smoothly.
Each lobster occupies less than a quarter of the full repeat, 19 stitches, illustrating some of the limitations in detail when reducing identifiable images to 8-bit small designs. Not to be left out, the crab in the lower border, on the same page, 30X25

Inspired by the above and other filet crochet references:
an army of frogs that began with a border chart; the 27X83 PNG

in half drop, 81X83

a punchcard version, 24X56

Other design repeats from the same and similar other sources to play with in electronic DIY:
ladybug, 27X27 bunnies:
30X29103X37
squirrels
41X1roosters
39X3939X4159X59fictional
30X2931X31
50X5161X52

75X76Bordered, larger-scale tiles
57X57
87X8587X8787X8787X8792X91

93X9395X95previously shared 165X230 to trim, edit, and make your own, 202X134.A touch of mythology, 152X81.For an updated list of links to previous posts, please see the blog index, new listing DESIGN REPEAT COLLECTIONS

Playing with cube shapes

A collection of geometric design blocks built with squares, rectangles, and lines looked at combinations that were 2D but could play with the illusion of movement. These repeats look at cubes in growing sizes.
The larger repeats have long floats and are more suitable for DBJ than FI.
For easy manipulation, mirror the images horizontally.
To mirror punch cards, flip them over and insert them into the card reader. Depending on the complexity of the design, numbering the back of the card can be useful.
8X14

Its mirrored version 8X22
10X20
10X20
12X22 20X10
Exploring mirroring and rotations of the design repeat to achieve the start of DIY secondary shapesLarger design repeats become more suitable for DBJ. The conventional max in FI single bed knitting is 5 needles, for either or both colors.
24X28 added variations may be made easily by mirroring or rotating the original, ie,
mirrored horizontally, rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise, 28X24
24X44 The opportunity to explore 3 colors per row

Exchanging colors to match yarn stash or to find secondary shapes in RGB/ expanded palette mode. A ribbon effect Choosing from previously developed design repeats, DIY 3 color versions can easily be achieved through filling in the dotted areas. Testing the changes in orientation using the ArahPaint tools to mirror first horizontally and then vertically.
A different design with a vertical orientation, 12X26repeated to the same number of pixels/ potential stitches as the above. Cubes that float, a 12X18 repeat suitable for punchcard models, the effects with color invert, two ways of adding a third color.Developing a more complex geometric shape, 24X20, built by taking away or adding color pixels to create new forms. Working in multiple colors, software assistance visualizes complex shapes built from small units rotated to form new ones.
These were gleaned from Wolfram Math exploring Neat Alternating Tilings of the Plane, in their computational design format, CDF; the linked tilings site permits testing live interactive demos. The version of the CDF player operating on my Mac is 13.3. Nothing appears to be working properly in the latest available one, 14+, tested and now uninstalled.
Triangular unit variations ie, are found in the blog post Truchet/Smith inspired designs 2 meet ArahPaint.
Side-by-side stitches forming lines or intersections in pairs of pixels are unavoidable.
Here, there are vertical lines that form and will shift with the rotation of the files. The colors can easily be replaced in coloring book style to match yarn colors or personal taste.
A small unit, the vertical line is highlighted in the closeup image, 8X8 24X24 different color-way, altering the visual impact by mirroring or rotating the file to shift the placement of the dark color. Inspired by quilt blocks, playing with palette variations
24X24 with added lines of the dark color More collections to explore are listed below. For an updated list/ more, see blog index, new listing DESIGN REPEAT COLLECTIONS
Hound’s tooth FI variations were in a very early post, which offered only charts. PNGs for the designs are now in the process of being added
Playing with diamond and argyle repeats
Developing tiled repeats suitable for multiple stitch types includes some optical illusions
Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats 1 winter, holiday
Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats 2, hearts
Weaving drafts as inspiration for other textile techniques
Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats FW 2025
Working with diagonal patterning in machine knitting

Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats FW 2025

With the approach of fall and winter once again, the post with Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats 1 was discussed in Ravelry.
This share adds to the library of collected repeats, aiming for daily updates.
When choosing any design, view or print the tiled image or selected portions magnified as much as possible, after giving the eyes a rest, before committing to knitting, which can sometimes be followed by disappointment.
Recently, I have begun to use the 930 Lace Carriage for preselecting needles in B position, moving toward the knit carriage, and then removing it, instead of switching to slip stitch for a free pass when needed and risking confusion in returning yarns to their proper position or forgetting to switch cam buttons for proper technique.
Charts will be provided for designs suitable for punchcard use.
18X24
22X20 22X22 24X22 24X24

24X24
The difference achieved by inverting colors in the PNG or switching placement of the yarns in their feeders:

25X26 26X26 26X26 26X26 26X26 26X26
27X27 two ways
30X30 with half segments repeating 39X30 34X32 34×32 color inverted tiling40X40
42X40 isolated from tiled repeat, 42X40 46X46 two ways combining repeats
48X48
65X6572X72
Developing DIY repeats for color striping or with color-inverted tiles can begin with any motif drawn in repeat with areas where pixels repeat in even numbers across rows or columns, lining up horizontally, vertically, or both.
If the goal is to knit a single bed fair isle, consider float management to secure the 10 stitch floats, as in this case, alter the repeat, or simply choose another.
There are several approaches for generating new designs from those already developed. One is to begin with a tiled version, choosing possible breakup points, which are highlighted here in magenta. The manually isolated repeat, 27X54, with the bottom half color-inverted.The design, drawn in repeat X 3, formed alternating color inverted horizontal bands with pairs of pixels at the tiling vertex. Making the choice based on personal preference to eliminate the extra pixels, using ArahPaint mirror X-1, 53X54.Color inverting each quarter for pattern blocks, 53X54,mirrored X-1, 52X54 A slightly different approach, starting with the 27X27 file, undisturbed, draw in repeat X2 in height, and using rectangle select choose the part of the design with the double row of pixels as the point for dividing the image into 3 segments, using rectangle select and colors > invert all, to form the new 27X54 file, for the horizontal repeat.The same file drawn in half-half-drop repeat for alternating tiles of the pattern, 54X54.The 27X27 doubled in width, 54X27,with the center 27 pixel section color inverted,for vertical stripes. Adding a few pixels for float control?
Problem area 1 Problem area 2 The proof of concept, knit on 61 stitches.Punchcard knitters can also add holes to specific areas for float control, such as in the 24X22 repeat shared at the top of the post.Card programmed designs are centered, mirrored horizontally, and repeated in fixed locations across the needlebed. The needle tape markings serve as guides.
When making pieces, if the goal is to place the center of the design other than in the default location, one solution is to move the work to a different place on the needle bed; the other is to shift the motif before punching the card.
Here, the chosen design is drawn in repeat to 48X22, the center segment is isolated, and cropped to the new 24X22 motif, shown on the right with the new holes to punch highlighted in magenta.The chart for the full card, the PNG.The proof of concept swatch: repeating motif components on a more open background, beginning with 50X50 From A tale of crustaceans and critters, a large tile, 87X87,
from Color separations for larger-scale mosaics and mazes

Playing with floral designs

More collections to explore
Hound’s tooth FI variations was a very early post which offered only charts, PNGs for the designs are now in the process of being added
Playing with diamond and argyle repeats
Developing tiled repeats suitable for multiple stitch types, includes some optical illusions
Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats 1 winter, holiday
Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats 2, hearts

Drawing any designs in repeat aids visualization of the potential finished piece. From mylar sheets and punchcard/ electronic pubs
40X43
drawn in repeat, 160X172

44X68
176X20448X54drawn in repeat, 144X16260X56 drawn in repeat, 180X16860X90drawn in repeat 180X9075X80drawn in repeat, 225X240Roses have intermittently appeared in my posts, ie in this exercise using Gimp to develop pattern repeats
The remaining repeats are marked in bold text and are followed by tiled versions on larger canvases.
Suitable for punchcard models, producing striped vertical patterning,
24X70 244X140In this case, elements were added in the negative spaces to reduce the size of floats, 24X24 slightly edited in half drop repeat, 24X51144X143 24X52 144X156color reversed 24X52If knitting in fair isle, the color reversal may be easily tested by switching yarn positions in the A/B yarn feeders.
With evolving software and beginning with online finds, more complex designs are attainable with a short series of mouse clicks.
Filet crochet pubs are endless sources of inspiration along with cross stitch, beadwork, etc.
83X117 165X230 to trim, edit, and make your own, 202X13444X50 132X15046X50138X15048X44144X13270X80210X24030X90 its half drop version, 60X90Drawing both in repeat to 180X180 helps to choose whether further editing is needed, and if the shift in vertical/horizontal vs diagonal striping is preferred
More designs suitable for borders or in pieces with planned vertical repeats:
30X78150X156 36X6072X60144X12040X90120X180 80X90120X18046X5046X10092X50184X200 the start of editing to reduce the white horizontal bands, 184X15046X80138X160 53X136 70X62 bouquet 70X124210X248Large enough for blankets, modify to suit, 140X140203X192203X197 A starting point for DIY introducing other elements, 141X217The spacing between motifs can be controlled in a different way by beginning with the chosen design, ie this 35X36pasting it in place on a large canvas ie 150X150, rendering the white color to alpha/transparent and placing it deliberately singly or with newly captured series finding the repeat, 36X65 144X130 Endless punchcard inspiration may be found at http://perfo.12rus.ru/ including these samples, some of which would form problematic floats if worked in single bed fair isle, usable in electronic models offering the DBJ>KRC option.Converting the images to pngs and testing tiling helps to visualize whether the knit results in a piece would be to one’s taste. A sampling:
24X52 24X58 24X96 Other ways to combine repeats or manage negative spaces:
from ArahPaint in knit design 5 an idea from a punchcard volume DIY began with working in multiple colors until the decision was made as to how many to use in the final design, my starting palette consisted of 4 colors: the starting motif, 35X36 was placed on a white ground, 60X60, replacing the black with color 2 and the shape was outlined using a one-pixel pencil in green/color 1a four pixel brush using white and color 3 was saved and used to fill the background with the pattern, the green outline was removed, the design was trimmed to a final choice 40X48 160X144in brick repeat 40X96

160X192in half drop repeat 80X48

160X144clearer visualization of the repeat in 3 colors and in 2 Larger background brush fills may not line up properly when rendered in brick or half drop as seen in the center of this 50X50 The solution is to develop the more complicated design first using the floral shapes, beginning with the 50X50 picture and a 4-color palette, draw in brick repeat, offset in 25 pixels lock colors in the floral image fill the white ground with 10X10 brush Tools > find exact repeat, 50X100drawn in repeat, 200X150if rendered in 3 colors for knitting, set the number of colors from 4 to 3and to 2 colors for BW the half drop in 4 colors rendered through the same process, 100X50 Combining patterns, referenced in the same blog post, 60X58180X174Vertical designs can be combined as well, ie. with a scarf in mind, single repeats 76X8076X14 borders were developed for the bottom and the top of the whole item. A very short virtual representation of a finished piece The programming sequence for the components is influenced by the software used and the machine model.
For items such as wall hangings or blankets, 89X89 trimmed avoiding doubled segments and combined as tiles to 167X167and a single, large design, Another small floral vertical design/ potential border, 14X44 An untested mosaic design to develop/edit in DIY before executing the color separation for knitting it with color changes every 2 rows, 44X146color reversed Figurative designs in mosaic knitting includes some floral designs on varied grounds ie.

Playing with diamond and argyle repeats

More than a decade ago, I began a library of Hound’s tooth FI variations
that grew over the years. When I began publishing posts sharing my repeats was limited to screen grabs of the related charts. Since then I have been editing, adding PNGs that can be downloaded and used in electronic machines, or charts may be also downloaded and scaled as aids in marking punchcards.
Recent questions on argyle patterning have led to this post, which will grow periodically.
Many of the related designs form floats wider than the recommended maximum of 5 stitches and will require some float control unless they are knit as DBJ.
Some repeats are also suitable for use as thread lace or with tuck and slip stitch settings.
Elongation in some knitting techniques is to be avoided if possible. In some of these instances, multiplying the height of the original repeat X2 produces the more visually familiar argyle shapes.
Repeat segments can be edited to develop custom variations
16X16tiled16X17 tiled 16X34 tiled 16X32tiled 16X20 tiled 16X40 18X40
tiled 20X28 tiled 20X40tiled20X56 tiled24X24tileddouble height, 24X48tiled24X24tiled24X40tiled24X44 24X44 24X44
tiled24X48tiled24X48tiled24X48tiled24X48tiled24X48tiled24X48tiled24X48tiled24X48 tiled24X60 for border or horizontal bands of design trimmed to 24X52 for all-over patterning 24X96
tiled24X96 tiled 32X44tiled 32X64tiled36X80tiled42X32tiled Passap 257 40X4040X80 Working in multiple colors and color ways beginning with colors >invert all
22X22 22X44 36X36 36X72 32X32
32X64 A coloring book approach can be used to develop DIY designs by filling in segments in any repeats provided expanding the color palettes, or creating custom-sized diamond outlines and filling in individual shapes between lines with colors.
Beginning with a 24X48 design visualization of patterns becomes easier on a larger canvas than one simply doubling the original to 48X4896X96 the smallest repeat segment, 12X24 for quick color changes to custom A 24X48 repeat with all white outlines for filling in shapes reducing the number of colors shifting shapes: 12X48 It is possible to form related shapes with hand-transferred stitches, as seen in Using punchcards to track small cables in pattern (1)

Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats 2_hearts

Charts are included for repeats suitable for punchcards, where the designs must repeat in height to a minimum of 36 rows.
Some reminders: the BW pngs here are intended for import into a paint program or image processor where they can be magnified to suit, with a grid view for counting cells to consider the width of floats if used in single bed fair isle, adjust the design in DIY variations, or import into download programs as provided.
The tiled repeats help to visualize how the final appearance on the knit side.
While the pngs are shared in BW indexed mode, when dragged to desktops or otherwise copied and are opened in image processors, they may change to RGB mode by default and will need to be converted back to BW indexed mode prior to use for import and download to knitting machines.
Some machine models will automatically mirror the image horizontally, depending on brand and model year as does Ayab software.
When direction matters, ie in representational designs or transfer lace, the mirroring may be performed on the image provided before using it, or by using the appropriate button or command after downloading to electronic machines.
Punchcard users can mirror after the fact by simply turning the card over before inserting it, after marking and numbering at least the starting row on its reverse.
To retain symmetry in developing half-drop or brick repeats, having an even number of stitches and rows in the original design is useful. Some designs are broken up in ways that are subject to use based on personal visual preferences.
If used for blankets, the repeats can be tiled to dimensions leaving room for coordinated borders.
12X10 12X10 to 12X20 brick

12X10 to 24X10 half drop

24X24 24X28 10X8
32X32 34X34 43X43 adjusted to 44X44, an all symmetrical suitable as a single motif or in larger formats brick 44X88 brick tile half drop tile 84X44

3 color 14X3, requires a different color separation than KRC, each color in each row needs to be knit twice the 2-color version From weaving drafts: a mosaic-like design the 68X58 png cropped to 67X58 to avoid double stitches
its half drop repeat 134X68 the source for a much smaller repeat the 14X20 png When all you need is a border, repeats that may be used vertically or horizontally, presented in punchcard configuration, 24X21: 24X20, rotated for horizontal use would become usable on electronic models only
From To mesh or not to mesh 9: more on mock filet design See the post for additional repeats and my method of developing the design.
I could not find the source for this Pinterest find on the upper left, which results in a combination of large mesh and single transfers to create the heart shape.
The initial 24X44 png brick repeat, 24X88

with more knit stitches between shapes, 36X88 the knit rows separating the stripes of heart motifs are highlighted in red.
On Brother machines the KC does advance the repeat in standard lace, so each of those red stripes is reduced to two rows of blank cells, resulting in the 36X88 repeat charted on the far right A small proof of concept knit in 2/18 wool A Studio 560 was my first electronic model machine, owned decades ago. Among the mylars saved even though the machine was sold many years ago, I found this repeat, 24X47 cells, the last offered in this series. Studio mylar sheets were marked in 6X5 blocks instead of Brother’s 5X5. The punchcard repeat chart here is outlined in 6X6 blocks of cells, the convention in Brother punchcards. the png

A series also shared in the post Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats 1
two from the various groupings
24X3924X78

Seasonal knits inspired by published repeats 1

In previous posts, ie Numbers and GIMP: online punchcard patterns to electronics 2, I shared some ways of converting online images from varied published sources.
This series was edited using primarily ArahPaint and some Gimp, both are available for free.
DAK users have the ability to achieve similar results in that universe, producing stp proprietary files. There is no export (or import) available to other formats ie png or bmp possible.
Fair isle is not in my preferred wheelhouse, especially in season-specific designs, but that said, I have been sharing these repeats in the FB machine knitting forum and thought I might make them available to others here as well.
The pngs are editable for further DIY modifications.
24X18924X94 24X85 cropping given repeats for desired tiling, # 1068 the original 24X119 png cropped to 24X105 My first encounter with “naughty reindeer” was during a Brother dealer-sponsored small machine knitting club meeting. A present update, using a Pinterest find as the source the original 24X60 with 2 rows added to 24X62in brick repeat, 24X124

A 40 stitch Madag design 40X68_1 40X68_2 A 24 stitch version, with the moose, and without the original, 24X152 cropped to 24X118 with the moose edited out, 24X84 Snowmen and trees
24X120 24X50_1 24X50_2 testing tiling before knitting, editing out unwanted symbols the original 24X99 the edited 24X74 As a 24 stitch repeat, this is suitable only for single motifs, since repeating them horizontally would join the darker ball shapes. Adding a blank pixel column on the far right changes the horizontal alignment. A few pixels added at the top of the motif form an unbroken join vertically, the final 25X146 shown on the right This Santa was identified as being attributable to Knittery, a company long defunct that offered pre-punched cards for purchase. Images where the background is punched out make it possible to introduce striping it with the color changer or using the chart for duplicate stitch embroidery on a knit ground. the original, 24X38 in half drop, 48X38 and in brick repeat, 24X76

the original, 24X185 with the elimination of some rows, first at the very top and then just above the snowman’s hat the final 24X182 png The question as to how to adjust repeats for use on 12 stitch knitting machines often comes up in forums.
Continuing in the seasonal vein, the easiest method is to begin with a 12-stitch repeat that occupies only half of the card vertically and twice in width. Here the original “half” is 12 stitches wide, 46 rows tall.
One method for the conversion is to work on a spreadsheet:
Begin with a table 24 cells wide, adding enough rows to the expected planned height to repeat the snowflake border, 46 cells in total
configure the cell borders for easy viewing, ie with a 3 pt red lines
hide 12 columns beginning with the second from the left
fill in black cells matching the original design or the DIY version
unhide all 12 columns for the final repeat When converting the screen grab from a spreadsheet to png in Gimp, before scaling to final size, a first scaling may be required to make certain the result is divisible by the expected number of stitches and rows using the broken chain link, and then scaled again with closed chain link, the first png Working in Gimp or any paint program
draw the “original” and save it, mine now has 2 added rows, one above and one below the deer, making it 12X48 pixels scale it to twice the original width configure the grid properties for contrast/easy viewing
fill in every other column with white using a straight line white pencil. To do so, select a pixel with the mouse, hold the shift and command keys down to draw the lines, and release the mouse to stop. The first white pixel may be placed within an easy-to-follow section of black ones and then the mouse may be held and moved up and down to complete each column. Save the result.
Proof that it is always a good idea to draw the initial image in repeat before committing to color separations or any downloads and actual knitting: Two possible alternatives in adjusting the design to one’s preference are marked in 6X6 grids in ArahPaint to match markings on blank Brother factory blank cards:
the first removes a snowflake border and is reduced to 12X39 pixels, the second adds 4 rows at the top of the second snowflake border, 12X52 the number of rows between motif segments can be varied for planning the introduction of stripes in added colors If only Gimp is available, I have not found a way to vary colors in grid borders in blocks other than to use guides, appearing as dotted blue lines. A break from reindeer, teddy bears and hearts follows, perhaps for a baby gift or to save for Valentine’s Day. When clear horizontal borders are added to motifs, the half-drop repeats will produce mixed results. the pngs:
24X3924X78 48X40 24X6024X30
48X30
24X26
24X52
48X26 Bell motif variations
24X3024X48 48X24 The last in this series, a nutcracker motif inspired by a larger scale cross stitch design, reduced by me to a workable 24 stitch MK design with varied borders and collaged small motifs in the background 24X101 24X87 24X87 with added background designs Considerations in choosing a design are guided by its end use, tiling the repeats leaves fewer surprises in any actual knitting.
This might appear in casual observation to be a “snowflake”.
The full 25X25 pixel version can be isolated, with matching fragments around the whole. Magenta lines indicate cropping points depending on end use if double stitches not immediately obvious or planned are to be eliminated. A: the full design as a potential knit border
B: trimmed a one-pixel width column on the right to 24X25 while retaining matching top and bottom rows C: trimmed the single top row as well to 24X24 for an all-over execution, drawn in repeat for an opportunity to evaluate whether the design as it now appears produces the initial imagined shapes and effect Then there is the optical effect change that happens with color invert, for which an easy test may be made during knitting by simply switching yarn color positions in the knit carriage sinker plate
24X24
12/2024 additions beginning with punchcard suitable repeats
24 X24 designs with addition and subtractions of pixels on a base repeat, along with visualizing the difference in appearance resulting from color reverse 24X22 24X68 electronic additions
playing with color reverse
17X17

34X17ArahPaint 34X34 from mylar sheets 20X22 22X34 26X26
28X36 32X32 36X36 StitchWorld 3 #75, 32X34 38X40 40X41 StitchWorld 2, 40X64 inspired by a weaving chart: diamond diagonals with interior flakes, 40X41 Passap 163, 20X40 Passap 162, 37X37 from the Russian site: #5383, 24X255 gone skiing #6669, 24X149 #5697, 24X120 Early new model electronic machines offered large scale designs as mylars or downloadable files. It is possible to work with the images of the files from the associated manuals or books.#18-2, 108X184 #18-1, 108X200in repeat, 216X384 #10, full working repeat 151X150 Check tiled repeat for any rogue pixels or to choose specific segments #14, 120X200 #22, 120X173, individual flakes can be isolated and combined in different ways

A collection of geometric design blocks built with squares, rectangles, and lines

I have grown fond of playing with ArahPaint’s functions: guess weave from grid, and drawing in repeat, and am constantly amused by the speed with which most design repeats and color separations can now be drafted when compared to the very first efforts in the days of anyone trying to use Excel spreadsheets to accomplish the same tasks.
Drafts designed for handweaving provide endless inspiration for knit design.
In conjunction with ArahPaint, Gimp remains a frequent go-to as well, along with Numbers for Mac for when spreadsheet tables meet charting or design needs.
The programs are free, there is no need to purchase expensive design programs in order to develop DIY motifs.
Developing tiled repeats suitable for multiple stitch types, including tuck , offered some repeats that began with geometric blocks built with squares, rectangles, and lines, some of which are suitable for punchcard knitting.
Many are included here again to serve as a cumulative collection of possible springboards for use as is or for developing more personal variations.
A reminder: the pngs below were saved as indexed, B/W files.
When downloaded, they may be converted automatically to RGB mode.
Prior to downloading any to machines, check their image mode, and if it is RGB, convert it back to B/W indexed. The pixel dimensions text for designs suitable for punchcard machines are highlighted in a different color.
More repeats are available in the post on Working with diagonal patterning in machine knitting
Larger pngs may be subdivided to change their appearance or alignment of specified numbers of cells.
To begin with, cells may be filled in any color, with mode and color changes to indexed BW if for electronic download
8X8 punchcard full repeat its png12X12

visualized drawn in repeat X12 and modified using drawing X12 in random repeat for use in electronic machines introducing dotted squares, another 12X12 19X19 18X18, shown tiled X 9 in both width and height and modified using random A Ravelry query prompted these designs
22×22
22X30 32X32
44X54 66X60
The present series:
20X20
25X23
26X23
35X35 68X68 A visit to a quilting blog led to these explorations, beginning with a 20X20 repeat, rotated in 4 directions to be combined in new 40X40 repeats for different movements. A first simple 40X40 grouping tiled X5 in width and height, also color reversed to visualize the result with the potential exchange of the yarn positions in the color-changing sequences Dividing the repeat in half, color inverting the 20X20 segment on the right, combining it with the left half And with color inverted quarter segments In the following designs, the meeting points are slightly offset. and lastly, aiming for more of a diagonal Varying shapes
12X12 drawn in repeat X13 26X26 drawn in repeat X6 with color inverted quarters drawn in repeat X6 16X16drawn in repeat X10 drawn in repeat selecting random 24X24
24X20
24X24
Developing related series, stop or continue, choose a preferred design anywhere along the way
47X47 94X94 with segment rotations drawn in repeat X2 a few rows and columns removed, 43X43 86X86
a series beginning with 68X64 pixels A purposeful effort to create outlines, 22X24 55X59 Alternating outline colors, 50X72
Using pixelated lines to break up blocks
8X28 16X16 drawn in repeat X10 14X14drawn in repeat X11 24X24 24X24 with quarter-turned segments
drawn in repeat X7
24X47 cropped to 24X40, for different symmetry Developing repeats evocative of samplers
48X48 64X64 An electronic repeat with shifting angles, 32X32 magnified 2X2 for a better view Color inverted quarter segments composing a slightly glitched pattern evocative of tartans, 128X128 112X112
Tiny details, large repeat, 48X98 34X140 74X74 The start of a different potential family, 93X32 Introducing circles or parts of them to the library, 19X20 tiledX10 random variations 36X40