1 Draft the Body from the Dimensions

2 Your Turn - Create the sleeves

3 Notes on Translating HK patterns

Copying a hand knitting pattern is much easier if the pattern includes a diagram.

You may need to "translate" some of the written instructions. This exercise will use measurements and we'll let DAK calculate stitches and rows to create knitting instructions we can use on the machine.

Inches/Cm to Rows

Most hand knitting patterns will instruct you to measure your knitting as you go.

As machine knitters, we can't measure the length of our knitting while it's hanging on the machine. The knitting is stretched width-wise and we hang weights. We can't accurately measure until the knitting is off the machine and RESTED (preferably at least overnight).

Machine knitters rely on row counts to determine the length of our pieces.

When reading a hand knitting pattern it may say "Knit until sleeve measures 18" from cast on edge".

To translate:

1. Convert the dimension to rows using the row gauge of the pattern
2. In DAK, switch between stitches/rows and inches/cm and move points to copy the pattern instructions

Shaping Instructions

When converting hand knitting patterns to DesignaKnit, it's easy to get caught up in reproducing the pattern EXACTLY.

Yes, it's important to get the dimensions right to copy the pattern, but it's OK to "fudge" a bit with shaping instructions. (As long as you keep the stitch and row counts the same)

In this example, the sleeve shaping instructions can be confusing, especially if you aren't an experienced hand knitter.

In shaping this sleeve, the important instructions are the starting number of stitches and the ending number of stitches. (Let's ignore the ribbing for now)
In DesignaKnit, create the sleeve shape and set the starting and ending stitches according to the pattern.

Let DAK calculate the shaping instructions for you.

The exact instructions may differ from the original pattern. BUT:

• The results are what's important. Start with X stitches and end with Y stitches
• You probably are going to knit a different gauge than the original pattern, so the shaping instructions will be different anyways

Save yourself headaches and design time. Don't stress over shaping instructions. Let DesignaKnit do its job.