alessandrina.com – Page 30 – machine knitting and more

Cellular automata charts for knitting, etc.

I have written before on the fact that since my knitting is done primarily on a Brother 910 and a Brother punchcard models, I am ever curious re and exploring ways to produce chart images that will allow me to knit patterns via mylars or punchcards, with an occasional wincrea download to my Passap via an ancient laptop. My eternal wish list to date has included the option to download to a hacked Brother model I already own, or to my Passap, directly from my Mac (presently Mavericks OS). Mathematical knits via hacked or commercial knitting machine use have been explored by some, including Claire Williams and Fabienne. With the help of online generators, even with a lack of understanding of the math involved, one can produce charts for knitting or other textile applications.

The Wolfram site is a resource for both Mac and Windows platform users who are interested in math, computation, and its visual results. There is a downloadable CDF player that allows exploration of documents and provides for download, CDF format explained, demonstrations projects, search for cellular automata. Below are some samples obtained through browsing the site. In some instances show mesh option will provide a gridded motif, show scale will indicate “stitch counts”

then there is this

an isolated segment
the image in Photoshop (CS3) as it appears with the program’s self-color-adjusted grid GIMPcreating a colored grid grid for easier counts

see previous blogposts on isolating repeats, drawing additional markings, and other uses for GIMP.

A visual guide to automata “rules”

Thread lace and punchcard knit carriage use on Brother 910_2

A short while ago there was a Ravelry thread discussing reversible, double bed knits. I recalled a demo from eons ago that I saw at a machine knitting seminar and decided to explore my memories and share them. The result approaches a “reversible” fabric, with imperfect results depending on the yarns used and other factors. There is a group of knitters that are presently experimenting with “glitch knits”, where the intent is to purposely create patterns with what some people might consider “mistakes” as purposeful parts of the design. For one example see a video of the technique. The “imperfections” in the fabric below may be seen as a positive by some. It is not the result of any aberrations in the programmed pattern, but rather a result of the way the threads get pulled through each other as the carriage moves across each row knit.

My samples were knit using equal-weight yarns. The fabric may be better served by using different weights, approaching the usual recommendation for plaiting. See the manufacturer’s directions for plaiting feeder use.

Cancel the end needle selection on your knit carriage.
Cast on for full needle rib with both yarns in place.
Hang comb.
Knit 2 circular rows followed by one more all-knit row.
Change to a rib tension that has been tested for yarn combination.
Several rows may be knit for a “solid” color edging.

When the first pattern row is selected, one need not set the KC carriage to slip. N is king in Brother, regardless of pattern/ needle selection as long as no cam buttons or levers are pushed in/ selected, everything knits, whether single or double bed.
After the first row of the pattern is preselected on the main bed, use a tool to push both buttons in as seen below, and proceed in the pattern. Even though end needle selection has been canceled, if the end needles on the main bed are selected, they need to be pushed back to the B position or those stitches will be dropped.
Plenty of weight is required.

my punchcard carriage with the added magnet set up on one of my 910:

when testing motifs it is always good to begin to do so using a simple pattern, making needle pre-selection easy to view and check. I began with “checkers”. They can be viewed at the bottom of the image below with the machine set for double length, at the top as drawn on the mylar; most such fabrics are well served by double-length on any machine, electronic machines could easily vary the repeat size or color reverse at the flip of a button, using lili buttons on ribber may add to the mix of results as well.
a familiar stock Brother punchcard, knit on my 892, double-length Review of the use of plaiting feeder from Brother ribber manual

Thread lace and punchcard knit carriage use on Brother 910_1

Yes, the 910 has no thread lace setting. I happen to also own a punchcard machine model # 892E (no idea why Brother chose to add the E to a punchcard model name). I remembered eons ago reading about someone on an Australian list actually getting a punchcard model carriage to work on an electronic machine. It is good to beware that not all carriages may be interchanged between different models, especially if the latter were manufactured several years apart.

The magnet on the back of the electronic carriage is what trips the reader in the 910. With the 892 and 910 carriages side by side, I marked the approximate spot I wished the magnet to be. It is presently in place with cellophane tape for my tests. I believe it to be a “rare earth magnet”, 12 mm in diameter, part of a jewelry piece from days gone by, with a deep attraction to all KM metal parts.

the first location was too high, the pattern did not read properly what turned out to be a much better spot a random mylar repeat the resulting fabric, on both purl and knit sides

I used two cotton yarns, with a slight difference in weight. With the exception of when knitting transfer lace, the first instinct may be to use the color reverse option when the mylar repeats show lots of “white squares”. However, in this type of fabric blank squares knit both yarns; black squares or punched holes knit only the thinner yarn, while the heavier one floats behind it. The KC tension used needs to accommodate both yarns easily knitting together. When only the thin yarn knits on selected needles, the stitches formed will actually be larger in size than those where both yarns knit together, giving the “illusion” of holes.

This fabric was also at times referred to as punch lace. It is only possible in Brother machines that have 2 cam buttons in the center position, both center buttons under the MC/L mark are depressed. The punched holes/ black squares in mylar select needles that will knit in the fine yarn only. If you are using a very fine yarn for the second yarn, you may have to wrap it twice around the dial on the mast tension unit to control its feeding. Better edges are produced by canceling end needle selection or manually pushing any selected end needles back to B. If KCII is an option on later electronic models, some of the work is done for you. End needle selection may also happen as part of the design repeat, so in those instances, unless you are happy with the thin yarn only knitting on the very edge of the fabric, those needles need pushing back to B by hand as well.

BTW: end needle selection must also be canceled whenever patterning with needles out of work is used, or needles on both sides of out of work ones will produce knit stitches regardless of programmed pattern.

If a contrasting color is used as the thin yarn in the B feeder, the results may be seen below. Note: the colors appear reversed to their position in feeders, so A (thick) color is seen more on the purl side, the B (thin) is more evident on the knit side of the fabric. The top of the swatch shows the result when blank rows are programmed into the reader. Sometimes this setting is used as an alternative to replacing the standard A/B feeder with the machine’s plating feeder (if available for your model km). Reversing yarn position can produce some interesting stripes

not all A/B yarn feeders are created equal

I have always found the extra B gate on left more a nuisance than a necessity, particularly if the B yarn needs frequent changing.

Another unconventional use for this setting to produce “pretend cables”

It is possible to knit thread lace with the plaiting feeder in place on the single bed as well. The effect approaches glitched versions of the pattern, Stitchworld #407. This is a quick hack to keep the front yarn from slipping out of the yarn feeder The blue and white yarns are equal in weight, the orange replaced it and is thinner

Weaving drafts as inspiration for other textile techniques

April 2025: ArahPaint has become another tool for developing these designs. The results can include large-scale formats, suitable for blankets, planned to keep the size under 200 stitches in width, and/or leaving a frame for added borders. A sample isolated repeat inspired by a Pinterest find, 78X78, drawn in repeat to 234X234, trimmed to 168X168July 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 straightforwardimagining 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 Working with generated mazes: GIMP charting 2 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, and 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”

Picot cast on for every needle rib

Depending on the sort of rib, the beds need to be aligned in most instances so that the needles on opposing beds line up between each other. For this ribber cast on the beds start at full pitch, as you would for EON knitting. Every other needle is brought in to work. A first “zigzag” row is created at the tightest tension possible. On the second row, the alternative needles need to be worked. On Passap E6000 BX, LX with pushers under new needles only will help do the job. On Japanese machines: bring the new needles out to hold, set both carriages to slip. This will result in only those “new” needles knitting on the next pass. The outcome will be one zigzag crossing over the other (red over blue in the photo). Prior to the third knit row, reset the carriages or locks for circular settings (CX/CX, opposite part buttons). Because all stitches will be knitting on each bed, loosen the tension to about three-quarters of the rib stitch size, knit two rows, change racking handle/lever and needle positions to half pitch at their completion. Adjust tension to desired rib stitch size, knit a closing “zigzag” all knit row at tension used for the remaining knit, and proceed in rib
The method may be used both for every needle and for every other needle rib.
The configurations for each, colors are in reverse order from photos that follow

first zigzag rowsecond zigzag row (contrast color for illustration purposes)hang comb, knit 2 circular rows change racking position and needles alignment change tension, continue in rib, knitting all sts both beds detail close up

Racked ribber cast on and rib configuration tips

This cast-on (on any ribber) is capable of giving a softer, looser start and is good for fabrics that stretch. It is described in most machine knitting manuals.
When experimenting, check the alignment of needles physically before proceeding for knitting ribs on all needles. In Brother machines, the racking grip handle is used in creating “racking patterns”. By turning the grip handle the ribber bed is moved to the right or to the left. The racking position is indicated on the racking indicator. Usually casting on is begun with the indicator in the center position, #5. As indicator numbers rise the ribber moves to the left, and as they decrease the ribber moves to the right. The two cursors can be moved and set to use as an index of the racking range. I prefer to track racking positions in other ways ie. with punchcard markings when possible. The arrows L and R indicate the racking movement and will change position after each handle turn reversing direction is completed. The pitch is set to accommodate rib configurations. In the P position needles on each bed “plain and purl” are directly opposite each other and in a collision course. If EON (every other needle) on each bed is in use, then this position is used to center needles on opposite beds between each other. In position H the ribber needles are centered between two main bed needles.
If observing a suggested needle rule, set up needles using it.
Rack one full number to put the needles out of the rule, and knit one row at about 2 numbers tighter than the final setting.
Hang the comb and wights, and rack again to the original position. Add any edge stitches that may be needed for the specific knit fabric. Knit one row across stitches using the final tension setting.
For every needle rib cast on in my sample I began with the racking indicator on 6, COR, knit zigzag row to Left. Note: at the start of the process, on the left side, the first needle is in work on the top bed. The ribber is then racked to position 7. The first needle on the left is now in work on the ribber. A row is knit from left to the right. The ribber is then racked back to its original position (6). The first needle on the left will once again be on the top bed, and the first needle on the ribber to its right Continue in the planned rib.
Often manuals give suggestions as to the “needle rule” for each type of rib. The sequence below is knit on a Passap. It, in theory, would produce a 2X1 “industrial rib that could transition to every needle or main bed knitting without any holes at the transition point. Note here there is a needle in work between each pair of needles on the opposing bed.

“zigzag” row, normal needle position: work slowly, make certain all needles have picked up yarn
hang comb: the first needle is in work on the back bed on the far left rack one full turn to the right: the first needle in work on the front bed is now on the far leftknit one row rack back to the original position, and continue plain rib There are sources online including videos that recommend circular rows at this point, they are actually unnecessary. The other recommendation made by many after any ribber cast-on is for 3 circular rows. There is no need for the third circular row. It will actually create a visible line across one side of the rib, that is noticeable, and may not be wanted if it is on the “public” side of the finished garment.
To fill in potential holes produced when empty needles are brought back into work, bring all empty needles into work, and tuck one row across both beds, making certain loops are formed on each needle knit 2 rows circular slowly, some needles hold 3 loops of yarn, switch to ENR rib
the result at rest
rib stretchedGoing for a rib with more of a 2X2 look: set up needles for rib pattern, there are still 2 needles in work, one not, on each bed. The empty needle space is now at the center of each pair of needles on the opposite bed

rack one full turn to the right, and knit one row hang comb and weights rack back again to “needle rule” position Knit one row at final setting, proceed for ribat the top of the rib knit 2 rows circular, proceed on EN rib

tension adjustments may make a big difference, my samples have been knit at the same tension throughout, and single-ply throughout

the first rib at rest stretched Both instances produce a reversible rib
Some experimenting is required to achieve cast-on rows in the rib that is not too loose or too tight. In this instance there has to be enough slack in the loops so that there is room for racking one full turn, too much will leave loops. Loops created by cast-ons with deliberately large stitch sizes may, in turn, be chained off with a latch tool. The stretch factor and weight of the resulting rib also need to be in balance with the remaining knit fabric. If “improvising” it is always advisable to keep good notes. Most publications and how-tos are really guidelines, starting points for investigating what may be the best method to use in any one piece.

A variation: a racking cast on at a large stitch size can be chained with a latch tool after the work is off the machine to make an edge that nearly matches a chained-off bind-off. It is useful, especially in rib tuck fabrics.
Set up needles in the needle rule and rack out of the needle rule.
Knit one row at a large stitch size, moving slowly to the opposite side. Testing will determine the tension the specific machine will tolerate with the yarn being used.
Check that all needles have picked up loops.
Hang the comb and weights and rack back to the needle rule.
When off the machine, use the method described in the post Ribber cast ons: breaking the “rules”

Transitions in ribbing from EON to FNR fabrics

It is always helpful to use a familiar yarn when testing techniques and to have some idea what baseline tensions produce each desired fabric before combining fabric types, structures, and techniques. This will ensure that the knit result will be both manageable to produce, and will match your desired concept.
Any time an empty needle is brought in to work, the first knit pass will create a loop on the empty needle; the second pass will form a full stitch, resulting in a hole. This is seen in lace transfers or when bringing empty needles into work closes single ladder spaces.
Use garment yarn double thickness in the EON needle rib if the aim is to produce DBJ, which will yield a different thickness knit. Test for other fabrics ie patterned English rib, etc. Swatching is worth the effort, avoids producing whole pieces where combined results are disappointing.

EON rib set up for your brand machine
Knit 20+ rows
End and begin the test with COR; trim off one yarn end, to be woven in using your favorite method
Racking handle at half pitch
Bring all needles into work both beds
Observe the needle rule appropriate for your double bed fabric Set both carriages or locks to tuck
Reduce stitch size tensions by one whole number, knit one row, which will produce a “zigzag” across all needles, with a loop on each needle, both beds
Set both carriages to knit circular; this will be a slipstitch, tension may need to be loosened by one number to accommodate the added yarn, knit 2 or 4 rows
Set both carriages to knit, enlarge stitch size one or 2 numbers if needed, knit one row
Proceed as required for pattern

Depending on which direction your first row of “garment” fabric needs to be selected if using a color changer, planning for that may affect which side of the machine needs to be your final location before knitting the first row of pattern.

The swatches below illustrate the transitions, are in their “just off the machine” state. I used the same tension throughout. The EOR rib was knit single strand, the resulting difference in width is easily seen, though the density difference is obviously not observable in a photo. The yarn used is one of my “throw-away” acrylic/ wool blends.

side 1 “holes”
side 1 “no holes”side 2 “holes”side 2 “no holes”

QR codes for knitting (2) or other textile techniques: “happy holidays” a few ways

I reviewed, edited, and added information to an earlier blog post on QR codes and knitting earlier today. The results from the same steps in processing the generated images may be applied to any fiber technique which results from using counted, single units. In light of the coming season, I thought I would offer some “happy holidays” variants. In assembling them, I found an additional free online generator that allows for far more control on output code pixel dimensions than others I have previously experimented with.

Aztec (smallest unit possible 100 pixels square)onto the morovia website the “blanket” size getting back to knittable, less than punchcard width a less than 50 wide repeat for mylar, and surprise!

Unconventional uses for punchcards 1: tracking racking positions in ribbed fabric

In a long-ago post I shared the punchcard image below. The card is used double length throughout. Cast on in your favorite method. “Memorize” the first row of pattern, set card to advance EOR, set KC to tuck in both directions, set RC (ribber carriage) for normal knitting throughout. This is a racked pattern. The numbers to the right of the card are for the racking position on each visible row (takes into consideration your eyes can view card 7 rows above card reader teeth). There are only 2 positions in this card as written, 4 and 5, so the results are vertical columns in a textured rib

the corresponding swatch, both sides are shown

The tracking for the racking sequencing may be created for any punchcard, whether punched holes are required in the card for patterning or not. The image below is taken from the Brother Ribber Techniques Book. If KC is used, no holes are punched, and the carriage is set to plain knit, though the card advances, all needles knit. End needle selection is not a factor.

the racking handle movement repeat isolated

In the card, for use on Brother, the first row of the repeat with the machine on racking position 10 would be placed on row one pre-marked position found on stock brother blank cards. Always check markings for your machine. I have a roll purchased for Brother kms specifically that actually are stamped for Studio, with # 1 two rows below where it should be on right. No holes need to be punched in this instance. Needles are brought into work and filled as illustrated on the ribber book page. Knit one row across stitches with the card set to advance normally. In this instance marking row numbers in preferred colors will indicate when the racking sequence changes direction. Green rows rack to left, orange to right. The racking handle position repeat is 20 rows high (shown on left), a minimum of 36 rows for the card to roll properly) is met by repeating it twice, and the “motif” is broken up to accommodate the fact that the reader is working on 7 rows below the row number visible on the machine exterior. Rows 34 and 35 would become the 2 every square punched rows always placed at the top of pattern cards. The blue numbers on right reflect the racking handle position for that row before the next row is knit. They can be marked on any blank square if the card is blank, or alongside existing row numbers as seen in the punchcard for the checkered swatch. It is helpful to have consistent habits if one needs to stop for any length of time ie. always knit row, rack to position or stop after knitting, rack upon return.

The machine can be set for double length for racking after every 2 rows knit.

Using the method for cables and crossed stitches (3 posts)

Lace cards on 260 bulky PDF

Working with generated mazes: GIMP charting 2

My previous posts on using gimp to generate charts and images suitable for knitting: 1, 2, 3, 4. I am working in Mac OS 10.10 now, so there may be some variations in results from earlier OS or for Windows versions users.

the edited repeat from the previous post

It is possible to knit this design in DBJ with the same separation as for knitting it as a maze, both are 2 color slip stitch patterns, the maze separation is less laborious. To process for use in DBJ, the image needs initially to be doubled in length. The easiest way to achieve this is to create a new gimp document, several times the size of the repeat, select and copy the corrected repeat, in turn pasting it in the new, larger canvas. I used 40 by 60; color 1 is red, color 2, white, most of my charting is done at 1,000 times magnification

drawing a vertical line in nonpertinent color to border areas having several rows with no second color present, as seen below, may help define end or start of selections when attempting to invert colors. Color invert may be achieved in RGB mode, not indexed. Below the inversion occurs on “even-numbered” every other row. The program in my OS now showed the previously red squares in blue, the alternate squares in black.

After using color invert, nonpertinent color (blue) may be erased (using the pencil tool, each square on the grid is a single-pixel) as well as those yellow “border” squares. In the image below the black squares on the left represent all holes that will be punched out in the card. One drawback of this program, because of the scale using single pixels, is that no text to include row numbers etc. is possible. The final repeat is 10S X 44 R.

If one wants to avoid using double length in the automated machine settings, the image of holes to be punched may be doubled in length. To do so color mode needs to be changed to indexed (4 colors) to retain image clarity. screenshot_19

fabric knit in DBJ, long stitch on left, bird’s eye backing on right

Maze and mosaic knitting, my previous posts: drawing motifs, from design to pattern (Excel), from pre-punched cards, and references and pubs. The repeat worked out for slip stitch and edited down to 2 colors. Again, the black squares on the left represent all holes that will be punched out in the card.

To further mark the repeats in blocks, making charts easier to follow in absence of numbers, the subject of drawing straight lines comes up. Most of the online tutorials for using gimp are for its Windows version. The pencil tool may be used. Normally, tool options are displayed in a window attached under the Toolbox as soon as you activate a tool. If they are not (Mac), you can access them from the image menu bar through Windows â†’ Dockable Windows â†’ Tool Options, which opens the option window of the selected tool. In theory “Ctrl: this key changes the pencil to a Color Picker. Shift: This key places the pencil tool into straight line mode. Holding Shift while clicking Button 1 will generate a straight line. Consecutive clicks will continue drawing straight lines that originate from the end of the last line.” On my Mac, I worked out this method: 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.