About DAK and Lace
The Goal
Learn to use the drawing tool and the "rules" DAK applies for machine knitting
Understanding how your machine knits lace with the lace carriage
Left and Right Mouse Buttons
Set up for your machine and project
Don't over-complicate it
Brother vs Silver/Singer
Copy Hand Knitting Lace Patterns
About DAK and Lace
How to use the tool
Based on your choice of machine, DesignaKnit will create the stitch pattern as needed for your lace carriage.
When you select the lace tool, the cursor changes.
Click where you want the eyelet and drag in the direction of the stitch transfers.Note: For machine knitting, you don't use the standard pencil and paint bucket tools. Just activate the lace tool and draw
- Insert the eyelet,
transfer 
and decrease symbols 
in the direction of drawing - Insert a double decrease symbol
where lace transfers from opposite directions meet - Prevent placement of eyelets on adjacent stitches within the same row
- Warn of invalid lace sequences for the selected knitting machine when saving or checking the pattern
- Remove the eyelet, its matching decrease and any transfers in that sequence with a single click on an eyelet symbol with either the Left Mouse Button or Right Mouse Button
About DAK and Lace
Left and Right Mouse Buttons
(Brother fine lace symbols
)
About DAK and Lace
Set up for your machine and project
2 important settings:
- >Options >Method of Knitting > Wrong side facing textures
- >Options >Method of Knitting > Choose your machine
About DAK and Lace
Don't over-complicate it
When considering a stitch pattern to copy, make things easier on yourself by looking. for the smallest repeat.
This pattern is overwhelming at first, but it's really only 12 stitches by 18 rows.
About DAK and Lace
Brother vs Silver/Singer
To create lace, Brother machines use 2 separate carriages. The lace carriage selects needles and transfers stitches, the main carriage is then used to knit the row(s) according to the pattern.
The thing to keep in mind is the lace carriage "lives" on the left side of the needlebed. A single row of lace transfers requires 2 passes of the carriage.
One pass to transfer the stitches and one pass to return the carriage to the left side of the needlebed (to make room for the main carriage to knit).
The lace carriage on these machines can transfer stitches AND knit the rows. The main knitting carriage is set aside while knitting lace.
When creating more complex lace patterns, the carriage settings are adjusted to "transfer only" and "transfer and knit".
About DAK and Lace
Copy Hand Knitting Lace Patterns
- Hand knitting diagrams are usually written with "right-side" facing. When drawing in Stitch Designer, the workspace also shows the design as right-side. However when working with the stitch pattern (and transferring it to your knitting machine) the method of knitting should be set to "wrong side facing". Interactive knitting and punchcards will reverse the position of the symbols
- Stitch Designer uses "Smart Symbols" that apply rules to the design based on machine knitting logic and machine-specific logic
- Stitch Designer will give warnings when symbols are positioned incorrectly based on those rules
AND
How DAK applies lace "rules" to stitch pattern designs.
About DAK and Lace
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