For me, inspiration most often happens when diving deeply into a particular technique, making a small modification, and asking the question, What would happen if…

Two swatches, same file, different look! I’m always amazed at the way the look of a machine-knitted stitch pattern will change simply by switching out the yarns.

Racking, or shifting one knitting bed laterally, can add visual complexity to double bed knitting. Racking changes the order in which the needles are knitted.

Choosing the right yarn for a knitting project is essential. Your yarn influences the appearance, texture, and functionality of your project.

As promised, the last four steps of the sweater project are detailed here. But first, a review of the original plan.

From inspiration to finished project, the way I work with the Kniterate differs little from the way I work with other machines.

Back when I wrote “A Good Tuck” followed by “A Good Tuck, Part 2”, I thought I was done talking about tuck operations for a while. But there have been updates to the Kniterate design app and compiler.

Although textures and intricate stitches are my true favorites, I spent a couple of weeks earlier this year revisiting double jacquard on the Kniterate knitting machine.

At a first glance, one might think I've taken up designing knitwear for dolls on the Kniterate.

Even if you’ve read the Kniterate manual and all the support pages, it’s difficult to remember the exact answer when you need it or to figure out where to look when all you want to do is get knitting. Based on the most common issues I’ve heard, I’ve provided a little quick guidance for anyone who’s set up the machine but can’t manage to get the knitting started.

Tuck stitches can be created on any type of machine — manual, punch card, and electronic machines. They are often used in combination with other techniques, such as slip stitches, cables, and colorwork, to create complex and intricate patterns.

Fabrics made with tuck stitches are typically wider and shorter. Knitting tuck loops on a needle over several rows will create added depth. With different color feeds, they can be a great way to hide and reveal colors. 

With double jersey jacquard, I consider this hat a Kniterate special.

Plating is a wonderful effect I never seem to use often enough. It’s also a very easy technique with the Kniterate.

As far as converting a hand knitting chart to instructions for the Kniterate, I think it pretty much depends on how complex the stitch pattern is and one's understanding of hand knitting.

Both of these swatches were knitted on a Kniterate. Each was a surprise in its own way. As I see it, unexpected swatches fall into two categories.

“Lace is composed of three elements: openings, lines, and solid areas,” state Susanna Lewis and Julia Weissman in A Machine Knitter’s Guide to Creating Fabrics. Frankly, my experience with “true” lace, the type made by transferring stitches laterally, is limited. Creating those openings means making transfers, and transfers can be tedious on a hand knitting machine. Before Kniterate, I stayed away.

I truly admire beautiful colorwork in sweater knits, but my main interest has always been developing texture. So after my initial adventure with jacquards on the Kniterate, I was excited to see what textures I could produce.

Programming a double jacquard pattern for the Kniterate is as easy as drawing the design in the browser-based app or importing a premade .jpg or .png file into the app. There can be up to six colors per row.

My self-imposed mission was to see how quickly and easily I could come up with a viable swatch. I had already knitted elements from the Kniterate sampler — garter ridges, a basket weave, and pointelle — but I had never used the proprietary design app.