I’ve worked on two very complicated cable charts recently – the Crazy Gloves, with the most complicated charts I’ve ever seen, and Beatnik, one of our knit along sweaters.
Working cable charts is challenging, especially when there is a huge list of cables to be worked in that chart. I’ve got a secret weapon I like to use to make reading these cable charts easier.
Crayons!
These crayons, by the way, are the same box of crayons I’ve had since my mom bought me a bunch of stuff I would need when I moved away to go to college. Win, Mom! Win!
Color Coding is Super Helpful!
Here we’ve got the cable charts for Beatnik, from the Fall 2010 Knitty. There are 15 different cables used in this pattern and they are all somewhere in these two charts. So, starting at the top of the cable key, I marked my first cable in blue, and found each of those cables in the charts and marked them in blue.
Almost Finished!
I continued down the list of cables in the cable key, changing colors for each cable, and finding each use of that cable in the chart.
Fully Color Coded Charts
Color Coded Cable Directions
Until I had very pretty cable charts with cables in colors that correspond to both the cable key and cable directions.
So when I’m knitting and I come to a pink cable, I can quickly find what that cable is both in my key and my instructions, instead of trying to match the cable symbol to a long list of cable symbols that all kind of look the same.
Pink cable? Got it! C4FP! Easy!
No need to be scared of chart patterns. I mean, how can you be scared of anything that has to do with crayons? Color coding makes everything a lot easier! A lot easier to read, a lot easier to follow, and a lot easier to knit.
Now get yourself a box of crayons and go to town!
okay! I was kinda on that route but without crayons but I can see how visually this is MUCH easier (plus, I have in my posession a TUB of JJ’s crayons) so no excuses here.
HOMEWORK!
fun.
I’m catching up..YAY
Comment by Cindy — January 17, 2011 @ 10:35 am
Brilliant. Is there anything that can’t be solved with a box of crayons?
Comment by AnnWithNoE — January 17, 2011 @ 12:21 pm
GENIUS! I have zero problems cabling and secretly love them. But when I got a pattern recently (cabled cowl by Olga on revelry) and discovered that to make this beauty I would have to read a beast of a chart I freaked out and found your site. I’ve never used charts before and thought about writing out all 307 rows. Crayons to the rescue! (that should be a t-shirt). THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Comment by Courtney — March 8, 2011 @ 1:17 am
I’m so glad I could help! Super crayons!
Comment by allyson — March 8, 2011 @ 8:31 am