GIMP – Page 5 – alessandrina.com

Mosaics, mazes, and DBJ charting meet Numbers, GIMP 2

Please see the post Gimp Update for Mac 3 written in December 2022 for a simpler and quicker method of color separating maze/mosaic repeats using only Gimp and related swatches.

I shared some working methods to achieve these color separations in 2019/06/29/mosaics-and-maze…numbers-and-gimp/. Mosaics and Mazes came on my radar once more recently, Numbers and Gimp have both been updated, and a few more ideas have occurred to me for managing the necessary color separations. The process as described here assumes that there already is some comprehension of GIMP and a spreadsheet’s basic functions. These are 2 more samples from Barbara Walker’s book on mosaics, offering the repeats in both 16-stitch wide and 24-stitch versions.

It is always a good idea after isolating the repeat to tile it in order to get a sense of how multiples line up

I was lazy about doing that with the first version of the colored repeat in Numbers and got the result in this swatch due to a missing black cell

The second try, see edit below to amend another missing cell

Beginning with the long method to create the design repeat in the color separation suitable for elongated dbj: the built-in color separation in most Japanese machines for DBJ (179 and color reverse in Passap) will knit each color in each design row only once, as happens on the single bed in knitting fair isle, which in turn is far quicker to knit in that setting than by using slip stitch with color changes every 2 rows. The first preselection row is from the left to the right, the first color knits once before colors are changed every 2 rows.
The dbj color separation that knits in each color for each design row twice begins with preselection from the right and continues with color-changing every 2 rows. The produced image will be twice as long as the original design, not desirable for keeping the aspect ratio as close to the original as possible, but a necessity in creating some alternative types of fabrics.
To start, create a table, making certain that cells are square and equal in size, height, and width. I prefer 20 X20 or more when working with small repeats.

The zoom factor can be adjusted, increased for more visibility, and reduced prior to screen grabs that are planned to be further processed in Gimp. At less than 75% while creating charts, adding numbers or text, and sometimes changing the qualities of individual cells is harder to achieve. Large-size images may be scrolled through during the formatting process

The working design repeat is 16X16. Create a new table that is 16 cells wide, twice its height, 32. While holding down the command key, select all the odd-numbered rows planned for the final chart repeat, any errors can be corrected by clicking again on the same spot, still holding the key down. The process may be done in steps, releasing the key in between selecting groups

Choose the hide rows option, hiding 16 rows,

Fill in cells the chosen 2 colors

Add a column to the table. It will be colored, select the column and choose the no color fill option for it, then resize far wider by clicking and dragging the symbol

at the upper table right to allow for copying and pasting the full repeat more than once.

Select the chosen repeat in 2 colors, copy and paste it to its right. The rows are re-numbered in the new “chart” thus providing a new set of even/odd-numbered rows. On the new odd-numbered rows, select by holding the command key, choose black squares on each now odd-numbered row, and used no color cell fill option to render them white. Release the key at any point to work on gradually selected groups of cells. If there is an error, while still holding the command key click on the individual cell or cell group again to erase the action, continue the process. Again, holding the command key selectively, on even-numbered rows add colored cells immediately above any empty cells in the row below. It could be done all in black, but for me, that becomes difficult to keep accurate when separating large repeats. With some familiarity with spreadsheet creation, this can be fairly quick work. Copy and paste the table content once more. In the new table holding down the command key, on even-numbered rows change colored squares to black resulting in the repeat on the far right. The latter in turn will need to be doubled in height once more prior to knitting the final fabric, whether in the software or by the machine in the downloaded design

To produce the .bmp file: copy and paste only the BW portion of the above table once more. Using the cell format option, remove all interior borders,

and if you prefer an outside guide, add an exterior border

try zooming at 75% zoom, screengrab the table content, with an added blank border surrounding it, and import the result into Gimp. Choose crop to content, which will eliminate the extra white space around the image

The final image needs to be double-height, so using the scale option choose image scale to 16 by 64 using the broken chain link prior to entering your numbers. These were my steps in scaling, I always check one more time for image size prior to saving. That is reflected in the last pair of numbers, with the now intact chain link symbol

When I first used Gimp I devised and explained this method for mosaic color separations in prior posts. The expectation in working with such repeats is that on any rows there will be no more than 2 white squares marked side by side. On odd-numbered rows in the separation, the contrasting color squares slip, while on even-numbered rows the black squares slip. On odd-numbered rows, the main color (black squares) knits, on even-numbered rows the contrast color knits.
I think of row one/ odd rows as needing to knit black squares, row 2, and even rows having to knit white squares rather than marking in the traditional manner for slipped stitches on each row. I now have found a far quicker alternative to color separation for mosaic knitting using only GimpWorking on the black and white indexed repeat, using a magnification of at least 1800X. Using the rectangle select tool choose every other row beginning with the second one in the chart. That row will be highlighted by a white dotted line. Choosing will swap black and white cells in that row. Continue the process on every other row. It is not necessary to select the tool each time, as you advance and select the next row, the one just left remains briefly outlined in white dashes, making it easier to advance correctly in the design.
Import the black and white table, process as described, scaling for my final image to 16X32: This repeat posed by a quandary. The file may be used as-is and doubled in length after download. For doubling the height in Numbers, prior to importing the final screengrab into gimp, please see post: 2021/01/27/mosaics-and-mazes-charting-meet-numbers-gimp-3/
Because of my personal preference for not using elongation when knitting pieces in these techniques, I tested doubling height in Gimp with no success at all. However, I was successful in doing so using 2 paint programs, both available for free download for Mac. The first has an amazing range of features, including the illustrated resizing options https://www.arahne.si/products/arahpaint/

and https://paintbrush.sourceforge.io/downloads/, which allows for scaling by percentages or pixels Comparing the results for the elongated repeat, errors in the first are obvious, there should be no white squares anywhere repeating for more than 2 rows Proof of concept December 2022: knitting the above again intending to share the result in Instagram, I noticed that 3 stitch/ row color block, which did not bother me at the time, but with the float showing behind the wire, I went about inserting that center cell. The red pixel in the image on the left marks the trouble spot. The remaining images illustrate using my latest Gimp separation method to rework the original png: comparing the final result to the one in this post:
The new file prior to lengthening X2, double lengthReturning to 2020:
A review of a design from 2012/10/15/mosaics-and-mazes-from-design-to-pattern/, separated this new way the repeat charted in Numbers tiling for viewing the repeat alignment revealed errors that will result in missing colored squares in the final fabric, which may not be noticed until after eyeballs have had a rest. The amended repeat was color-separated working in indexed black and white and shown compared with the punchcard Here the final .bmp repeat is also compared with the color image in the previous post. It will need to be doubled in length for use with the color changer, the first preselection row is from right to left. End needle selection will ensure that each color knits the first and last needle on each side of the piece. The double-length repeat, 24X56 Another very quickly separated repeat copied from 2015/10/03/working-with-generated-mazes-charting-1/

adapted for maze knitting, eliminating long floats, to be lengthened to double-height drawn double-height via a paint program Because there are no more than 2 white squares on top of each other, and no two side by side, I tested the pattern in tuck stitch, which produced some added texture. I had a major aargh moment with yarn where dropped stitches are seen at the top of the swatch Using the maze generator by Laura Kogler, the larger BMP newly created with the program was imported into Gimp, explored in two renditions, eliminating double lines in the one on the right The proof of concept swatch for the version on the right, knit in tuck stitch the double-length BMP ready for knitting, 14X68

Designing your own motifs in expanded graphs: start with a template for either of the 2 grids shown below, and fill cells in or remove them. Remember these charts, unless knitted as a machine or software-separated dbj, will require a careful color separation. Beginning ideas for motifs, borders, and alphabets

A collection of previous posts on this topic in reverse chronological order
2019/06/29/mosaics-and-maze…numbers-and-gimp/
2015/10/21/working-with-gen…-gimp-charting-2/
2015/10/03/working-with-gen…mazes-charting-1/
2012/10/15/mosaics-and-maze…design-to-pattern/
2013/05/06/mosaics-and-mazes-drawing-motifs/
2012/10/15/mosaics-and-maze…design-to-pattern/
2012/09/22/mosaic-and-maze-…-on-the-machines/

Ribber fabrics with stitch transfers between beds 1

These images provide partial views of garments shown in a recent Facebook MK group post, followed by the “how-to” question A quick analysis leads to a list of assumptions that both are double bed fabrics, with stitches subtracted or added to create moving shapes on a striped ground. A color changer will be in use, so each color must be carried for 2 passes. The color used in the traveling shapes (red in my swatches) knits on both beds, the second color creating the alternate stripe on the background knits on only one bed. The second row of the red stitches is slipped while the white knits, so they become elongated, something that is reflected on the striping on the reverse, as well as on the knit side.
Though the ribber is in use, this is not a standard dbj fabric, so if automation is the goal, the color separation for the knit needs to be hand-drawn.
It is possible to move stitches to and from needle beds when knitting true DBJ with striper backing. This is one of my ancient swatches, every needle is in work on both beds except for areas where stitches have been transferred down to and up from the ribber. The main bed is set to slip in both directions, the ribber set to knit. The suitable dbj separation is the one where each color in each row knits for 2 rows, whether performed by hand, using the 3 colors per row separation in img2track or the default separation in Passap. The Ayab HOP separation is awesome, works for any 3 color design with as little elongation as possible, but is not suited for this purpose. How-tos for DIY separations and their automated versions by programs for knitting more than 2 colors per row have been discussed in other posts.
The process may be reversed between beds. Stitches can be picked from the opposing bed to fill in needles emptied by transfers or brought into work empty for increases. The resulting eyelets may be left as a design element or filled in by picking up from adjacent stitches or ones on the ribber bed.
In the first swatch, all stitches will be in work on the knitting bed, while patterning stitches will be in selected groups on the ribber. When testing a concept it is best to start with a simple shape, contrasting colors, on a limited number of stitches. To begin with, I went the easy route and tested the concept with a small racked pattern using only 5 ribber needles. The ribber slips for the 2 rows knit in the contrasting color in the ground, knits the pattern for 2 rows, requiring cams to be switched every 2 rows The goal is to be able to see and understand stitch formation. Production got cut short when I was faced with dropping individual stitches followed by the whole piece falling to the floor. In one of those drat it moments I realized that for the first time ever, with the knit carriage properly set to N, I had not, however, engaged it beneath the metal bar on the back of the bed, leaving it with its rear floating freely. A similar process on the Passap allows for playing easily with both racked colors because of the possible arrow and pusher settings on the back bed, but on Brother, this would require hand selection on the ribber on every row or a specific color separation for needle selection on the top bedSeeking automation, keeping things simple, here is a basic zigzag pattern in a repeat also executable on punchcard machines. The ribber is now set to knit throughout (N/N), the main bed to slip in both directions. End needle selection must be canceled when using the slip setting selectively or when working patterning with needles completely out of work

The color separation: the desired design needs to be expanded, with 2 blank rows between each pair of design rows The pattern on my 930 is knit as it appears in the chart, on the purl side. Punchcard knitters or users of other programs may need to mirror it to match my output The process using 3 colors: the patterning color will be knit on needles preselected on the top bed. As shaping is about to begin, in this pattern, one needle preselected out indicates the location for an “increase”, one preselected back to B position a decrease To perform the decrease, using a double eye tool to transfer the B position stitch down onto the ribber needle adjacent to the first needle in D position on the top bed As the carriages move to the opposite side a loop will form on the preselected empty needle, creating the increase on that side, keeping the width of the patterning stitches constant In order for the patterning to remain correct, all needles on the top bed must be maintained in B position while not in use, or preselection may be incorrect, and increase loops will not be created, so, not this A sideways view (for space consideration) of the knit still on the KM begins to show the distortion in the knit created by the movement of the stitches. The red yarn creates a single line where stitches are skipped on the reverse, a double one when it knits for 2 rows The repeat and the knit shown on both sides: Comparing the 2 color and 3 color versions: aside from the obvious increase in length, note that the slipped segments in red on the 3 color swatch are now composed of longer stitches since they are held for 2 additional rows, and the overall fabric is more puckered than the 2 color version. The curling at the sides is the nature of edge stitches, especially if the yarn used is wool. At times that may be used intentionally, as a decorative edge.

Repeats where the design charts require expansion to accommodate techniques quickly grow in length. The simple zig-zag doubled in length from 32 to 64 rows. I work things out in a spreadsheet, open a screengrab of the final choice in GIMP, index mode the result, scale it, and save the PNG for download to the 930. Long color separations are harder to achieve cleanly in GIMP alone but are also possible.

Returning to the 2 color pattern in the inspiration image and limiting the width to the 24 stitch punchcard restriction: a way to begin is to design a 2 color shape to approximate the repeat in the desired fabric and as in any other designs, check for repeat alignment by tiling prior to knitting to find any easily visible errors. The first single (ultimately 24X32) repeat, suitable for standard DBJ, has not been cropped properly in the top illustration. It is followed by the correct one Using the same color separation as for the simple zig-zag shape, the design is expanded to include knit bed rows that will be skipped completely, resulting in the ribber alone knitting in the second color for those rows. It is now twice as long as the original, 24X64The planned proof of concept added a 4 stitch border on the right for a 28 stitch swatch centered with 14 stitches either side of 0. Tiling the repeat X2 again in height made it easier for me to plan how to manage transfers to expose the varying stripes in the ground. Visual comparison to the movement in the inspiration knit: As the number of needles in work on either of the 2 beds is increased, it is likely tension or yarn changes may be required. The first preselection row is from the right, toward the color changer. The stitches on the non selected needles are transferred to the bottom bed with the color change, only preselected needles will knit on both the top and bottom beds moving to the right and will do so again on the return to the left while preselecting an all blank row on the next pass to the right only the ribber knits in the ground color; on the following pass to the left the second ground color row is knit on the ribber, with preselection happening at the same time for the next row in the pattern color The red, 3 strand cash-wool was giving me grief, so I switched it out for the blue. Both yarns are on the thin side but OK for testing the concept. The initial partial striped lozenge shape is finished with straightforward knitting The solid ground stitches in the inspiration fabric, however, have a sideways movement as the next striped lozenge gets shaped. In any standard knit such movements are achieved manually by using multiple stitch transfer tools. Planning ahead in a spreadsheet helps. My first test of the full repeat approaches the desired result, but the transitions beginning at design row 30 for the decreasing angle in the white yarn is a bit clumsy and requires a redo to make it easier and with clearer instructions Back to the drawing board in order to reduce the number of hand manipulations involved, with a shift in the center transition, the repeat in my spreadsheet is now 24 stitches wide, plus an additional 4 stitch border, and gets marked up with colors. I prefer to program the width of my knitting as opposed to a single repeat for all over patterning The resulting final 24 stitch repeat with the added 4 stitch border, now 68 rows highThe choice can be made based upon the preference of moving stitch groups to the right or to the left with the horizontal direction of the repeat adjusted for your KM model or software used. I planned the transfers in this swatch toward the color changer after picking up the proper color, white, and before knitting the next row using it. The 930 png: The preselection row is from right to the left, toward the color changer. End needle selection is canceled. All stitches not selected on the main bed are moved down onto ribber needles beneath them. Needle selection takes care of the increasing angle in the surface yarn (white), as less of the striped ground becomes exposed. At this point, row 34 on the 930 counter, the single elongated slipped stitch is moved down onto the ribber. The next preselection will require the first transfer on the top bed, row 38. In my case, the movement was to the left. After the transfer is made, be certain to leave any empty needles in B position, and to bring all transferred stitch needles out to hold so they will knit in the slip setting as the carriage moves across the bed to the other side. The preselection will insure all necessary stitches will knit on the way back to the left When the top of the repeat is reached, row 68, the only needles selected will be those of the 4 stitch vertical columns and the design repeat will return to its start
My proof of concept swatch is 3.75 inches wide The inspiration sweater was knit using a wider repeat and significantly thicker yarn, reflected here in the small number of repeats composing the sweater body front Amending the 24 stitch repeat is possible, its length will grow in proportion to the increase in its width. The ratio of rows/ stitches to maintaining shaping by single stitch increases or decreases as in the original remains at 2.8. The lozenge is likely to remain elongated. Since at any point, the ribber will be knitting a large number of stitches single bed, the tension on its carriage needs to accommodate that. When the majority of needles are selected on the top bed, the fabric is knitting in every needle rib, which requires a tighter tension than when using the same yarns single bed. As a result tension adjustment to reduce the height of the knit repeat may be very limited.
The last test is now 84 rows high, with 5 stitch vertical bands. An added 6 stitch border on one side changes the programmed width up to 36 stitches so I don’t have to think about positioning the pattern on the needle bed. The extra stitch was eliminated at the start of the piece: The off white yarn used here was the same thickness but not fiber content as in the previous swatch, 2/18 wool-silk vs Australian wool in the former. It is not as smoothly spun. The result shows an interesting similarity in length, though there are 16 additional rows in the pattern repeat. This time I programmed my repeat for stitch transfers on the knit bed to move away from the color changer. Eliminating the border on one side, a double repeat (30 stitches) measure 4 inches in width. To put the difference in scale to the sweater in perspective, an oversize garment with 40 inches in chest diameter would require 20 inches in width for the front piece. Ten single repeats, as opposed to the inspiration’s sweater 4, bring the total required the number of stitches to 150. With the added border of 5 stitches for matching side edges, the fabric is in the realm of possibility for producing a garment on the home knitting machine. My tension was set at 3/3 for all the swatches, with some teasing required on occasion to encourage stitches on the main bed to knit off properly. Ribber height adjustment can also have an effect on those numbers. I tend to do all my knitting with the slide lever in the center position. The double 30X84 repeat with no added border

DBJ: more than 2 colors per row 2

My first attempt to use a 3 color automatic separation was with img2track. There are 2 oddities for me using the program. One is that the default selector setting is for a single motif, perhaps on the assumption that the main use would primarily be for large-scale, nonrepetitive images. The other is that even if working with 2-row color changes with each color in each design row knitting for 2 rows, the first preselection row must be made from the color changer side. This is a necessity in Japanese color separations for 2 color work where the first color knits for only one row on moving from the right side to the left, but if 2 colors with the same selection are required at the start, one row of the 2 appears to be technically eliminated as a result. I had expected to use 3 shades of grey, a pleasant surprise: the program can actually import 3 colors other than grays. The test was using the 11 stitch repeat A pleasant surprise: the program can actually import a 3 color other than greys image. Using Gimp, images worked in RGB can be reduced to indexed 3 colors for this purpose. If there are rows where there is no color represented, then as explained later in the post, the indexing should be to 4 colors, not 3 for the planned for import to work properly. The design is automatically flipped vertically, so it will appear as intended on the knit side of the fabric. Yarn colors may be placed in the color changer matching the order in the assigned color numbers to match the placements in the original image. The program automatically adjusts for the vertical stretch, which changes the aspect ratio of the shapes. On my 930 I received prompts on which color to change to prior to doing so, eliminating any confusion. With no such prompts generally one can tell which color was knit last because it will appear on top of the previously used one on the left of the knit. With a stretch factor of 1 selected in img2track, the image height was reduced by half. To achieve a look closer to the intended shape, the repeat needs to be rendered twice as long, or the stretch factor can be adjusted in the program itself to 2.0

In the past, I have preferred to elongate the design prior to importing with plans for download rather than to rely on memory for changing settings either in the download program or in the machine itself in future uses of the same design. The same yarns, tension, the total number of carriage passes, and settings were used showing the difference in aspect ratio between single color per row knitting and the img2track built-in color separation. The width of both swatches is essentially identical.
Images may be loaded into the program without the cable being connected to the machine. Error messages do appear with download attempts if the cable is not properly in place. The machine also needs to be powered on before the program is launched if a download is planned. I am working in Mac OS Mojave 10.14.6, have no present desire to upgrade to Catalina.
Executing fabrics that will knit each color in each row only once for every 2 passes on the main bed: back to that original repeat Here it is used as drawn, note vertical stretch set at 2, will be cut in half by the software, getting the image back to the original height l0 X 3 = 30 rows required for all colors to knit in turn; there will be 60 carriage passes to complete one single repeat. The 930 will provide prompts for the next color to be selected by pushing the matching number button on the color changer, avoiding any confusion in terms of what should be picked up next. img2track will also flip the design horizontally automatically so the image will appear as originally drawn on the knit side. Images are loaded as single motifs, so the change in the selector needs to be made manually for an all-over pattern.

In order to have each color in each row knit only once: cast on with preferred method and color. Set up the machine so that the yarn colors are placed in the color shown in the image presented by the program to match your design. End with the machine on the left-hand side for the first preselection row.
COL: set both carriages to slip in both directions and all its needles in B position, set lili buttons if not already in use, pick up color 1
knit one row to the right
COR: knit to left, color 1 will knit for a single row
**COL: change color, STOP! Push back any needles on the top bed back to B position, as you knit to the right the ribber only will be knitting, knit one row to the right
COR: preselected needles will knit in the color last picked up on the way back to the color changer, knitting only one row in that color on the main bed as you return to the left**
repeat the last ** 2 steps throughout. One can get into a rhythm. A cast-on comb, part of a garter bar, or any tool of adequate width can make it a quick process of pushing needles back to B when needed to
trust the software, not the selection expected by your eyes.
My swatch seemed to be growing in length at a faster rate than I remembered in the last exercise, here the results are shown side by side with the fabric executed previously Obviously a success in terms of the single row for each color reducing elongation of the design shape. While knitting occurs using the same yarns, at the same tensions, there is a clear difference in the length of each stitch on the main bed and their appearance. The reverse. Checking the ribber carriage I noticed on the left side it was set to knit only, not to slip: OOPS! N is king, so the ribber set as shown is knitting every other needle when moving to the right, but even with lili buttons in use, it knits on every needle when moving back to the left. Every other needle on the ribber will then be knitting for 2 rows as a result. The more knitting on the ribber for each pair of rows, the longer the stitches on the opposite bed. The backing is an interesting variation (half) birdseye. The elongated stitches on the main bed show more of the backing in between their shapes, it is referred to as bleedthrough. In some instances, the result can make the knit surface resemble weaving and its appearance far less familiar in a surprising, pleasant way. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Remember always to double-check all settings at the start of any process in case something was missed or magically moved, and keep notes.

I was asked on Facebook whether the technique shown here is the same as the 3 color slip (skip) stitch patterns in the Stitchworld pattern book, my response: some of the stitch world patterns for 3 color slip are designed for or may be used on the double bed (often single bed as well). For instance, patterns 392 and 394. The original designs are rendered color separated. Numbers on the left suggest the order for color changes to achieve a look similar to that in the swatch photos. Assuming the pattern is not easily accessible because of its being built in your machine’s memory, it would have to be entered into a paint program manually to make it available for import and in turn for download. Note that the color-changing sequence may change over the course of knitting the image, so prompts or notes of some sort would be needed to keep it correct. Each color in each row knits twice after each color change. My goals in my blog posts so far have been to keep a constant color-changing sequence with each color in each row of any personal design knitting only once. I did it first with my own color separation, then, in turn, used the 3 color separation feature in img2track to achieve my desired result. Here are 2 images from the Stitchworld section in question The images could be replicated as given in a paint program, using only one color for the squares, but “should be reduced to black and white”. Attempting to import an indexed 2 color image drawn in a color other than BW may result in strange results. That said, if glitched knits are the goal, the above could work just fine. Curiously, here is the same process, using a different color, and a successful import. Checking again, I had forgotten to save the image after indexing it from RGB mode to 2 colors. and a test with another color
Drop stitch lace periodically comes up, I have written several posts on the technique, now considered the possibility of producing it in 3 colors. The resulting fabric tends to be long, thin, and in need of blocking. There is no way to avoid the striped ground. Passap knitters often refer to this type of knitting as “summer fair isle”. I adjusted the repeat widthNote to self: if you are determined to use a punchcard carriage on your electronic machine remember there is no KCII to cancel end needle selection!
In order to knit this fabric, stitches must be cast on in whatever method you prefer, but prior to any patterning all stitches must be transferred down to the ribber, and the main bed needles are placed in the work position but are empty. Because of the single row knit for the first 2 design rows of color one, the start is a bit finicky. Alternative start follows lower in post
COL: KC II, main bed set to slip <– –>, ribber stays on N throughout, no lili buttons. Knit one row with color 1 (ribber only)
COR: as you knit to return to the left, the color 1 preselected needles will knit, while the ones corresponding to color 2 will preselect
COL: carefully drop any stitches on needles with color 1 on them without disturbing the new needle selection for color 2
**COL: change color, knit to right
COR: drop the stitches knit in the new color, make certain all needles are empty and in B position, knit back to left and needles will be preselected for the next color**
Repeat the ** to**
Again, the resulting fabric is narrow and long, it may take a bit of squinting to recognize the design.
If each color is not represented in each design row, the ribber only will knit with no selection on the top bed corresponding to those no pixel rows. A single repeat results in about 3.5 by 9 inches of knitting, a far cry from what might have resulted in a single row per color design row dbj virtually shown here in a tiled format

The question then comes up re dropping only one of the 3 colors. Using the manual selection described above, the knitting on the top bed would need to be canceled on every color, every row except for the single row in the chosen drop stitch color. To my mind, that is too much to keep track of for any length of time. It would be easier achieved with specific self-drawn color separations.
There is a lot of testing that can go into developing any fabric in unfamiliar techniques that may or may not meet our expectations or our “like”, it all contributes to learning regardless of whether the tests evolve into projects.

My last post on drop stitch lace in from single color to two: revisiting the techniques on brother machines

2022: returning to the topic, exploring drop stitch lace in multiple colors

Reviewing what happens within the program one more time, highlighting significant items to verify before beginning to knit Getting that first row to knit twice instead of a single time if that matters in your technique or is your preference:
advance design row to last one in the sequence, in this case, 30
in the 930 when the pattern is loaded, using the down arrow key gets to the last row in the downloaded pattern more quickly

COL: set machine to preselect pattern, the next 2 passes would need to not knit, so both carriages are set to slip in both directions
knit one row to the right
COR: number 30 design row flashes
knit one more free pass to the left, row 1 of color 1 will preselect as you knit
COL: number 1 design row flashes
check all settings, main bed set to slip <– –>, ribber set to slip <– –> with lili buttons, and with an even number of needles in work for standard dbj pick up color 1 in yarn changer
the resulting knit design will be elongated
COL: knit one row to the right.
As you knit the first row of color 1 design row 1 will knit, row 2 of color one design row 1 will preselect
COR: knit back to the left
as you knit back to left row 2 of color 1 design row 1 will knit, row 1 of color 2 design row 1 will preselect
COL: pick up color 2,
continue in pattern changing colors every 2 rows

In designing your own, small repeats can easily be rendered even in a simple paint program. Larger, more complex ones, may best be worked using layers and masking in a variety of programs ie. Photoshop or Gimp. It is possible to combine 2 color dbj and 3 color dbj in the same piece simply by using different color separations for each segment, but the look of the fabric in terms of the length of each stitch on the knit side may be quite different when moving from one segment to the next. Of course, the backing will change as well. Though the aspect ratio of the design changes in terms of height when one knits 2 rows for each color in each design row, it remains the easiest separation method. Adding the hand selection as described above so that the main bed knits in one direction only helps reduce some of the extra height, making the original image more recognizable. There is no option within img2track to perform the action automatically in terms of adding the necessary blank rows to replace some of the colored ones in the separation.

Passap knitters are not left out of this idea. Passap preselects pushers. On the E 6000 Tech 179 emulates the built-in KRC option in Japanese model machines. My guess was that technique 180 for 2 colors, perhaps 197 with both arrow keys on the back may work for 3 colors. TBD in my next spurt of knitting activity on it. That said, the console’s built-in designs may be used cross-brand. It is possible in Passap to layer repeats in order to add the third color to the mix. Here is one sample reworked for use on Brother and downloaded into img2track. If black and white repeats are already in your library, one may easily recycle them adding a third color. Here I did so with a repeat intended for a very different topic in future posts. The image was altered and tiled in Gimp for a repeat alignment test and is also shown imported into img2track for possible knitting. What about using images published in punchcard machine references? It is probably best to start with smaller repeats. That said, this is from a Deco pattern book. Deco punchcards were 40 stitches wide, could be joined together in length as can those for the Japanese models The image of the separation on the above right has not been proofed for accuracy. If it were, the next step would be to elongate it X 2 for color changes every 2 rows. One method is to elongate the original in a paint or photo processing program. The width is fixed (40), the height is scaled X 2. The resulting BW indexed image may be imported, using a 1.0 stretch factor, it remains unchanged. When I tried to elongate the unstretched image in img2track by 2.0 my first try failed. It turned out the reason was I had saved the import without first indexing it to 2 colors. With that corrected, the result matched the one from scaling X 2 in height in the paint program
For years now I have been doing color separations which at first could be extremely slow, one pixel at a time. With increasing familiarity with Gimp and Mac Numbers over time, I have been able to decrease the speed to achieve them immensely. So here, with img2track I now have a program that can work with and separate multiple colors at a time (up to 6 in its pull-down menu option). Here I returned to my first separation in 3 colors for the now-familiar repeat A, elongated it in the paint program B and imported A into img2track choosing 2.0 stretch and 3 colors C. I can totally live with the fact the colors are not the same. The color changer can be set up with my chosen colors in any order I choose

In my first tests with charting a repeat missing any color in some rows, I had scaled the original image taken from a spreadsheet to the wrong size in Gimp, so operator error resulted in crazy results in img2track. Here the image is scaled properly for each color represented for a single row in height, and also scaled again for double-height for possible knitting in Gimp. The Gimp scaling failed to be accurate for me (second image from left) until I indexed the original to 4 colors as well instead of 3. The no color rows as we view them actually serve as a fourth color in the separations. Importing the proper size png into img2track for separation of 4 colors per row now gives results that make sense: note the daunting estimate for the total number of carriage passes for a single repeat height
If the ribber has knit on every needle by its return to the color changer and the machine is set to slip both ways with no needle selection on the main bed, the “no color” can be executed as an empty yarn holder in the color changer combined with no yarn in the feeder. The rows involved should simply not knit on the top bed, with no dropping of any of its stitches since no needles will have been selected thus coming forward with the yarn in the hooks and traveling behind the latches and in turn, slipping off the needles as a carriage with no yarn pushes the needles with now empty hooks back to B position.

In testing concepts, I prefer to work initially with small repeats. Punchcard books can be an excellent source, but the Stitchworld books have the advantage of actually showing a single repeat for each design, so an 8 stitch repeat, for example, would be shown as such and it would not be up to the person using it shown in a 24 stitch card one to isolate it. I randomly chose pattern 394. I realize that if used from a built-in library of patterns in any machine model the prompts may be provided by the machine, but here I am looking at simply duplicating the pattern for import into img2track.

After duplicating the repeat and associated numbering using Numbers, these were some of my results. A pleasing surprise was that colors in the 2 color import need not be only black and white. That said, the pale green failed, the red did not, and the results from importing both the red/white and the black/white were identical. Another future time saver for me to keep in mind.

If colors were assigned to each pair rows representing each color used, the white squares were read as an added color on import, and the only way to have those few blocks for the 4th color to show up in the visual representation in an imported repeat was to assign a 5 color separation, resulting in a scrambled pattern. Removing the few squares in color 4 will produce inaccurate separations for actual knitting of the given pattern whether imported to be rendered for 3 colors or 4. The black and white on the right is the “correct” match, leaving any prompts for use of shifting color changers to be tracked somehow by the knitter. Punchcard knitters may have the easiest knitting variable color sequences since cards may be visually marked up with colored pencils matching needed change locations and taking into account your eyes are a number of rows above the row being read by the card reader. This number depends on the machine’s brand and model.

Some spreadsheets that may help with tracking row color changes or other regular actions on paper: 2018/04/tracking-rows-1.pdf

I have been asked about the position of the slide lever being fixed in my dbj illustrations. I have found the alternate positions can be wild cards, would rather make adjustments in carriage settings if needed rather than let the factory settings do some of the work for me. If the settings are accidentally in the wrong place as multiple pieces are knit, or in knitting ribber bands for garment pieces, the gauge is changed if the alternate setting is not adjusted and kept constant, and that may not be noticed until the piece of knitting in question is completed, needing a restart. With 15-20 machines active in each studio class and lab session, out of habit, I tried to reduce as many variables as possible.

A video resource on using img2knit for 3 colors per row knitting with blank color rows in the design by Tanya Cunningham, and a Ravelry thread on the topic

GIMP update for Mac

July 2021: Gimp update for Mac 2 includes information on
Brushes and patterns
Colors exchange
Colors threshold
Grid options
Symmetry Painting

My last post, written prior to these updates, revisiting-gimp-in-knit-design

I lean toward experimentation as a way of learning and finding what steps work for me. These notes are not intended as full tutorials, they simply share some of my explorations. There now are excellent videos online, but the amount of information can be overwhelming and tends to work with many more colors and significantly higher resolution images than those usually suitable for knitting, where images are often binary and small scale. I add to these work-in-progress notes as I have time, so the information in them will evolve over time with editing and at times rethinking the process used.
June 2021 I have been making a more concerted effort to use the latest version, though if one chooses to, files may still be opened with the earlier There may be some differences in the program’s appearance depending on which version of Gimp, Mac computer, or OS is being used. Tools appear in new placements as well as the single-pixel brush/ pencil now that brushes fall into 4 types. The symmetry tool is greatly improved and more user-friendly, allowing the distribution of patterns in varied repeats across canvases ie garment pieces.
January 2021 update GIMP 2.10.22: there seem to be very few changes. This could change slightly depending on the version of GIMP and Mac used.
Things to consider: the tools are now stacked in folders, shown on the right, so they are not immediately visible Right-click on the tool icon to reveal other choices As they appear when viewed in their preferences folder For changing the tool options to the more familiar format go to preferences, scroll down to and click on toolbox, uncheck use tool groups. That said, note that the placement of icons is different from the familiar older version format, ie. paint bucket and rectangle select. An option for selecting specific tools that include keyboard shortcuts to do so or right-click on the chosen tool I had issues with the pencil tool not creating continuous lines, these are the settings that made that work for me, and they are saved when one quits the program The jury is out as to whether changing the snapping preference value solves the problem long termA FB friend with a lot of experience with the program offered this as a possible cause “sometimes I accidentally activate commands with key combinations. It happens if you use the keyboard a lot (I have not used the mouse, for years). I work on a large Mac desktop and prefer the mouse to any keyboard commands.
The crop to selection tool when used on small files ie 20 pixels wide, crops to one extra pixel on the right, so to get a 15-pixel image, cropping to 14 wide appears to get the wanted result, checked with image/scale. The problem persists with slightly wider, and even tiled images up to 60 stitches wide and here with a portrait size image If brushes, colormaps, or palettes were saved in the “older” version, they will be lost. They can be recreated and saved using the brush import feature in the palette editor. Go to windows, dockable dialogue, palettes, and right-click on the palette window to call up the necessary menu choice A new manual and program update for Mac OS are available (2.10.14 in 2020). The program launches in an all-in-one dark window with grey tool icons. As I become aware of any other changes I will attempt to share them. My use of the program is limited to working with imagery for knits and for my blog, my progress doing so up to now can be viewed via a category search. A lengthy tutorial on using 2.1 in Windows computers for beginners by Michael Davies was posted a year ago but new to me may be found on youtube.
Mac users are included in the latest version update, but will need to get around security settings for installing software from non-Apple approved developers. Long-time users will face a very different appearance upon launching the program version 2.10, in a single window display It is possible to switch to a lighter theme color by going to system preferences/ resources I actually found I have been working long enough in the dark theme to prefer it and restored it. These notes were taken when I first downloaded the program: images being processed appeared as shown below Previously clicking on the red X dot would ask if the image was to be discarded, and on the acknowledgment of the fact, the program would continue to stay open, now that same action will quit the program completely. Clicking on the X beside the image will bring up the discard option, quitting the image and working on it as opposed to quitting the program. It is possible to work on multiple images at the same time. Drag and drop superimpose the new image fixed onto the center of first. Choose file open, and processing multiple images is now available, with the ability to toggle between them. Working on 2 images again, copy the smaller image on its own screen, return to the screen with the larger image intended to be in the background, paste the smaller image for a floating selection that can be anchored anywhere on the ground, edit/ undo may be used repeatedly if need be, and done

Discard each image individually to keep the program running, use the hide command if the larger update window is in your way or distracting, click on the gimp icon again to restore the view.

There is now an integrated search function

2 sample entries:

Document history can also be found on the right, a right mouse click on any of the thumbnails will show possible document actions

Experimenting with more changes to defaults: adjusted image size to start with. The default width and height are in full HD resolution. Setting @300 PPI is best for printing, and can be brought down for simple pixel work. The problem with doing that is that if a high-resolution image is then loaded into gimp, the result is not workable. I take photos of my swatches in high res, and scale them in GIMP prior to publishing them on my blog, the greyscale result at the bottom represents one such load for processing.

Color settings may also be changed. Since Ayab and img2track do better with 8-bit integer color processing the new test defaults for me are shown below, which will mean only indexed images will have a colormap. Gamma changes automatically with bit adjustments, ie. a 32-bit color floating point will adjust to linear light gamma, which is the highest resolution possible.
A word of caution: after choosing the 8-bit option and not liking the quality of my imported images, I tried restoring the original 32-bit floating one without success even after saving, quitting the program, and restarting it several times. I then chose to reinstall the program and continue working in the default settings for now. The download turned out to be for version 2.10.14, this is the new default appearance after launch on my computer

A new way to navigate menu options: a right mouse click in the workspace, once an image is loaded, will now make menu choices available within it

I use both Ayab and img2track, depending on the desired fabric outcome. There are active FB groups discussing the use of Gimp and both download programs as well as activity on Ravelry, where questions on tips and techniques become threads and have the great benefit of contributions by both Adrienne Hunter and Tanya Cunningham. Knowledge shared by both has rescued me from many sticky or problem spots in my own knitting.

In reference to Ayab, in one such thread on multiple colors per row knits, it was mentioned that color separations for 3 or more colors are done in shades of grey, and in terms of technical details “You need a pattern image which is 8-bit greyscale, each color is coded in a range of the 8bit values. So for 4 colors, it would be 0-63 color a; 64-127 color b; 128-195 color c; 196-255 color d. It seems to be OK to give the image some color, so long as the gray component of the colors divides up as given.”
As a matter of personal preference, I like to work with color in my repeats. The specific placement of each of the 3 (or more colors) can be planned in the color changer so that the yarn matches the corresponding color in the chart. That led to thinking about color numbers, shades of grey, and saving palettes.
Binary images have only 2 possible intensity values, normally displayed as black and white with values of either 1 or 255 for white, and often 0 for black. Thresholding a greyscale or colored image can be used to separate the image from the ground, the color object is often considered white, and the rest (black) is the ground. That convention may have led to the selection of white as color one in automatic separations such as the KRC Japanese one, where white is selected first. In a greyscale or color image, a pixel can take on any value between 0 and 255. Searching for numbers to match greyscale shades:
Of note, the assigned numerical values are different depending on the source. The indexing options remain unchanged. These are results of reducing the number of colors used in each of the above. The results could be saved as .pngs, each of those opened, and the dropper tool used to select colors and use them in turn in new canvases where the motif is being designed. What about saving the color information as easy access palettes? Doing so in this release is fairly intuitive. The palette options include a Generate optimum palette for the best possible palette with a default maximum number of 256 colors (classic GIF format). You can reduce this Maximum Number of Colors, although this may create unwanted effects (color banding) on smooth transitions. You may be able to lessen the unwanted effects by using dithering, in image processing, however, in most knitting patterns the color may be limited to 4 or under when working in multiple colors per row. Use custom palette: this button lets you select a custom palette from a list. The number of colors is indicated for each palette.
Useful information on the indexed palette and palette editor.
When attempting to create and export new palettes in order to make them available in the future, an error message may be received. A folder needs to be activated for the saves to occur. Both options below the writable folder heading should be checked, the red dot will then turn to green. To make the necessary change: folders may be found in system preferences at the bottom of the default list Click on the + to the left of the icon to expand the view of the available choices

To import a new palette, select windows/dockable items/ palettes in the top menu or select the option after right mouse click in the work area To obtain a 6-color palette in the grey range, I reduced a greyscale image to 6 indexed colors and then used the settings below for the import after right-clicking in the palette dialog and choosing import palette from the resulting menu. The opportunity is there for editing the palette, it is the first item in the palette’s dialogue. To use the palette double click on your chosen one, a new palette editor dialogue opens up Selecting any one of the colors will automatically change the foreground color for working on the image ie choosing color 3 of the 6Switch the foreground and background-position and select an added color to make both of those 2 colors available while working Using this feature with palettes containing multiple colors makes far quicker work when designing in RGB. Set pencil to desired pixel size, click on the desired color in any sequence to choose it, and then click again to place it on the working canvas Right-click on any of the palette icons, for this dialogue menu While experimenting I reached a point at which my pencil refused to draw in anything but gradient shades without my having changed any settings. The problem went away when I “found” the fade length and set it to 0. So much that is new, that it’s hard to know what is operator error and what may be a “bug” Another tool dialogue option to explore for ease in coloring pixels in specific palette colors The Windows version of the software has had several small updates not available on the Mac yet. The latest was for 2.10.18 announced on 2-24-2020. As a result, searching for tutorials may provide instructions, views, and options not yet available to us, for example, transform dialogue in Windows A sample in Mac, with the rotate dialogue which now appears as a separate window copied and pasted on the upper right of the image below and another view from the image menu selection in the top dialogueSymmetry is now an option for drawing in repeat in a variety of ways, making mirroring, tiling, and more possible while creating the design. The tool is considerably improved in version 2.10.22, see the post. My first experiments were on 40X40 files, magnified X800, with the grid in view. Some of the available choices: Some quick doodles using a single-pixel brush note the lags in some of the mirroring
Other than drawing freehand I have had no luck working predictably with larger designs, even if saved as brushes or patterns. One problem is that the pivot point is 2 pixels in each direction, not one, so repeats with single stitches/rows along their center axis would still need editing. In a previous attempt to explain mirroring in a forum post, I used Passap 1273 as my sample pattern. Copying and pasting the image on a larger canvas leaves one unable to change the direction of the newly pasted image alone, the whole potential repeat is affected by the command. The image in question here was 16 pixels wide by 16 high, the goal to mirror it to a 32 by 32 repeat.

There was no problem with transforming the original and pasting each in place, here it is also scaled twice as high and wide
tiling is compared for both the original repeat and the same scaled X2, with both the final tiled images 128 pixels in width and height The best I could achieve with symmetry was a relative with 3 out of 4 motifs placed mirrored in the desired direction, but also off-center and in need of editing Freehand drawing the full repeat as given using symmetry is doable, but I found it a bit dizzying. Copy and paste around the central axis is not a solution. A compromise could be reached by freehand drawing for a different, final image that can be easy and immediate to produce. Some of the transitions: The mandala option reminds me of spirograph drawings, the number of points can easily be changed Tiling may be useful in brick or offset repeats, but my limited experiments did not produce anything worth saving or sharing.

Text: any font installed on your computer can be made available by going to preferences once more, clicking on both options in the font folder, and green light on= you are set to goI have no idea yet whether symbols can be laid out on a custom grid so as to create a whole chart using them, but can imagine that large versions of symbols, web dings, and wingdings could potentially become pattern repeats. A very quick repeat from a webding 40 stitches wide

and a 24 stitch one

On 10/18 I ran into issues when using the pencil tool with the fore and background colors swapping positions during long strokes along with switching formats from 8-bit to 32 with pencil drawing seizures. Restarting the program did not help. What appears to have provided a solution up to now, was to use preferences to reset and save the defaults for tools and the 8-bit precision option I have previously written on using Numbers (similarly done in Excel) to create charts, then importing them into Gimp to create .bmps for download. This is a review of a method that seems to work well with smaller repeats: the working chart. Make certain the table is formatted so that all cells are the same size, with equal height and width Use the border option to eliminate the interior cell borders, selecting no border,

then add a border at the outer edges of the chart in a thin line, screengrab the image with an additional white area surrounding it. The black outline below is from Gimp dark background Use the bucket fill tool to make each color segment black, change the mode to indexed, remove the excess border, scale the image to the desired size, magnify to at least 800X, show grid, check that no clean up is needed, the image needs to be color reversed in order to be used for slip-stitch knitting, saved as an indexed .bmpIf dragging and dropping or copying .bmps from FB or other sources, check that the download is still in indexed format and has not been altered to RGB mode during the process.
A blog post illustrating using the repeat /2020/10/18/single-bed-tuck-mostly-slip-stitch-fabrics-3/

Subsequent posts:
Gimp to create text for knitting 1/21
Numbers and GIMP: online punchcard patterns to electronics 12/20

Weaving drafts as inspiration for other textile techniques

July 2021: since this post was published I have written on using a combination of Mac Numbers and Gimp to modify repeats from punchcard and electronic published sources including:
Numbers and GIMP: online punchcard patterns to electronics
Numbers and GIMP: online punchcard patterns to electronics 2
Numbers to GIMP to create images for electronic download
I am now adding a shorthand version for those with some familiarity with both programs using an online draft from Luminescence to obtain a knitting repeat. Images saved from the site even if drawn in black and white do not convert easily and cleanly to black or even 2 colors indexed images in Gimp, are workable using this combination software method.

As previously published:
Weaving drafts can be a source of inspiration for other textile mediums as well. Luminescence is an online weaving program developed by Andrew Glassner. There are ample instructions and help files on site with regards to weaving. My first instinct, however, is often to interpret images of all sorts for knits (I abandoned weaving many a year ago). I am sharing some very quick first experiments with the software with that possible intention. The same charts might be used for other counted stitch unit textiles.
The first draft I chose to load from the app’s pull-down menu was called High Seas. The numbers indicate “Fabric Size”, stitch and row counts in knits

120

Quoting from the help files: “Show grids: This is another cosmetic choice. Turning this on draws the internal grid lines for all 6 grids (warp pattern, warp colors, weft pattern, weft colors, tie-up, and fabric). These let you easily count the cells, which can make it easier to match a published draft. As with Show threads, this checkbox and its effect are disabled if the Fabric size is 100 or more.” “

“To save an image of the fabric, just right-click on it. You should get a pop-up menu that offers you a few options. One of these will be Save Image As… (or something close to that). Choose that, and you’ll get a standard dialog box that lets you put the image where you want it. Using Firefox on the Mac allows the image to be saved in the standard PNG format, which offers the highest quality. You can change that to JPG or anything else using almost any image editing program.” Safari is problematic with saves, allowing only for a web archive or screen capture.

99 easier to see and/ or count units, clear tiling: 60enough to easily sort out repeats: 30

your preferred paint program may be used to draw lines that isolate single “knit” repeats; threading and tie-up sequence repeats are used as guides, making the process fairly straightforward

imagining possible related borders a more complicated draft isolating the much larger repeat

always double-check tiling prior to knitting for accuracy, any “surprises”, and the possible pattern placement on the knitting machine’s needle bed

got a draft from an online pub? always good to start with a recognizable, simple design isolate the repeat (GIMP): crop tool and size control

in this instance, the result is a 154X 154 pixel square image, with 14 X 14 unit desired subdivision, making my grid preferences setting 11 X 11 pixels

tiling test: looks like a match!

line width, colors, etc. may all be set and changed to suit individual needs and preferences. Please note superimposed grid lines are lost when the image is tiled or exported from GIMP, some version of screen grab or snap must be used to capture and save gridded images

an additional draft, the same process

A bit on the charting: after launching the program and loading an image, the GIMP windows options will become available. I leave my toolbox always active. Tool Options give the opportunity for controlling crop size, pencil line width, etc. As you click on/ select any tool, the options windows will change and offer selections for managing that particular tool

crop pencil brush

notes from a previous post on charting for straight-line drawing on Mac: “first select color and pencil tool. Place a pencil dot where you want the line to start. If you press the shift key, a crosshair will appear, press the command key in turn as well for straight-line mode, click where you want the line to end. Consecutive clicks will continue drawing straight lines that originate from the end of the last line. Pressing both the shift and the command one at once after the initial pencil mark will call up the color picker and require a color selection and an “OK”

GIMP and dithering color reductions for B/W “portraits”

The many faces of Rocco: in my 2013 tests in Gimp, the image is 150 pixels wide by 154 pixels high The image is used with the kind permission of Rocco’s owner. I have used this image before, when I posted previously on some ways to reduce colored images to B/W for possible knitting using a Mac computer, please see post on 013/03/14/ color-reduction- conversions-mac-os/. Gimp offers some alternatives to the familiar dithers and is available, free, for both PC and Mac platforms. Tutorial links on Gimp edge detection available online as of May 2019 are listed at bottom of the post.

Image_Mode_Indexed_ one bit black: immediate result, too dark

Threshold adjustments may not be made in indexed images to alter the above image, so it’s back to greyscale. Reductions to greyscale may be achieved through Image_ Mode_ Greyscale or choosing Colors_Desaturate_OK options. Desaturation offers additional choices

Image_Mode_GreyscaleColors_Desaturate_OKRocco desaturated, in “knittable portrait size”using edge detection and its algorithmsDifference of Gaussians

what happens if in addition color_ invert is used with Robertsadjusting B/W with Thresholdafter a bit of “tweaking” Image_Mode_Indexed, rendering it “knittable in 2 colors” getting silly with filling the ground with pattern behind the floating head

2021: the latest, December 2020 updated version of Gimp for Mac OS
Gimp dithering controls easily accessible with mode changes to indexed I found I got the best results adjusting the contrast in the original greyscale image prior to changing its mode to indexed and dithering (Floyd_Steinberg, normal) Dithering options in Gimp 2.10 may be found at the bottom of the colors menu This filter can reduce the number of colors in an image by reducing the levels per channel (colors and alpha). Different dithering methods can be specified to counteract quantization-induced banding.
Presets are common features for many Colors commands.
Red levels, Green levels, Blue levels, and Alpha levels sliders set the number of levels for the respective red, green blue, and alpha channels.
Dithering method: can specify the dithering method to use
None: no dithering will be performed
Floyd Steinberg: the most commonly used method of dithering, and the default for this filter
Bayer: the algorithm is characterized by noticeable cross-hatch patterns in the result
Random, random covariant: use randomization of the pixel values to reduce the number of colors
Arithmetic variants are based on magic numbers and arithmetic
Blue noise variants are sometimes thought to be the least distracting
Random and new seeds are two random dithering methods.
When converting to indexed colors with the image unaltered, and using positioned dithering, the last option Hyperdither: options offered default Jarvis
default Stucki
online, options https://ditherit.com it is possible to choose from multiple palettes Sierra dither

5/4/2019 Other than GIMP: after straightforward load, convert, and save, with no other adjustments, images shown in approximately 150 pixels/sts in width, no significant change results with conversion to color B/W indexed
http://gazs.github.io/canvas-atkinson-dither/
online, default settings https://29a.ch/2016/08/04/ditherlicious-1-bit-image-dithering
Check dithered results, downloaded images may be in RGB Mode. Prior to any knitting, they will need to be converted to B/W indexed.
Looking for ways to reduce the noise in dithered images I tried this conversion in XnSketch, using the photocopy effect, beginning with the colored image of Rocco, the results: imported the result into Gimp and saved it in indexed 2 color BW and in turn, 3 color indexed mode, no color adjustments, finding the result pleasantly simple beginning with the greyscale generated image followed by Mode changes in Gimp, indexed 2 color BW, then indexed 3 color, there appear to be very subtle differences with a bit more detail: Another online resource with an extensive array of dithering options https://app.dithermark.com. Here are 2 conversions using the app, the images are 2 color B/W. The presence of a third color is an illusion created by the difference in the distribution of BW color pixels, they loaded fine as viewed for knitting in Ayab, and in img2track, once I remembered to change its setting to 2 color knitting from the last used one at 4 colors It is possible to reduce images to 4 or 3 colors using the program as well: a slider for color count is used to choose the final number of colors in the reduction. Again, these instances have no added manipulation A series of dithers:
To retain the quality and size of the dithered image, download it, rather than using a screen grab. The software used to separate the chosen dither may alter the result somewhat. I am writing my posts using an iMac M1 with OS 12.0.1. At this point Ayab is not operable, img2track does open images, but in this case, with interesting distortions, and it does not download any files at all. Yet another dithering tool, allows one to draw in dithering mode using a variety of patterns and will dither images. In the latter instance, there is no real opportunity to tweak or alter the result shapes drawn using a few of the large variety of offered patterns:

2023 working with pattern fills and removing any background

In this instance, a portrait of a dog wearing a sweater image was generated in Midjourney and scaled to 191X195 pixels.
Dithering online apps were used to reduce the colors in instants to 4, 3, and 2.
The greyscale image was also color reduced and dithered in Gimp.
All results were not adjusted further in any way.
Color reductions could be tweaked a bit further prior to actual knitting.
Magnifying the chosen individual result will help visualize the change in resolution quality of the image in the final knit piece.