Here’s a silly little hint for working with a pattern repeat, such as in lace knitting. I used this tool when I was knitting my Little Leaf Shawlette.
Make a copy of your instructions onto cardstock. Or you can glue your copy onto cardstock. Cut it just outside the edges of the printing. I like to use my paper-cutter, but scissors will also work.
Measure how tall just one line of print is. Mine was 1/4″ tall. Measure how wide your paper is. Mine was 3″ wide.
Now you are going to make a moveable sleeve to fit over your directions. You can make these in any size or shape for different sized pattern directions.
Using a contrasting color cardstock that is an inch or so wider than your directions (I used a file folder), draw 2 lines that are your measurement apart (for me I did them 1/4″ apart). Then make a mark on the lines that is the length of your paper width measurement (mine was 3″). Center it as best you can by eye on your paper.
Then using a box cutter knife or exacto blade with a straight edge, cut on both the lines, going just beyond the marks you made. Make sure to protect your table with some cardboard underneath first. You don’t want the sleeve to fit to tightly that it won’t slide, or too sloppy and big so that the sleeve doesn’t stay in place, so cut slowly to your measurements.
Now insert your directions in the slots as shown. Move your window opening up or down to the line you are working on.
Also, if your directions are 2 lines long, make the window opening big enough to see two lines at a time. If some of your directions are 2 lines long, and some are one line long, just remember to follow the instructions that pertain to the top-most line.
When I finish knitting for the day I hold my place with a paper clip so that it won’t get moved accidentally.
This little home-made tool is helpful in conjunction with a row counter, as sometimes the directions send you back to repeat the stitches on a former row.
Happy knitting ~ Karen
The simplest ideas are so often the best. It’s a treat to start my day with a visit with you, thanks.
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thank you for your visits and nice comments! i can feel connected to you and so many others!
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What a neat idea! Thanks for sharing it. It is indeed a treat to start the day with a visit with you.
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nice to know that you are reading all my scribblings!
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Nice idea for other instructions as well. Thanks. Enjoy the day.
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now if i could just find a way for it to help me with my daily work!
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I too am working on a scarf with a 16 row repeat. Excellent idea. I do tend to get lost! Love your daily post.
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thanks, janis, i would love to see your project!
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OK….now how about a hint for those dropped stitches???? lol
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yes, i know! that is why i pick easy patterns that don’t tax the mind too much! i am an easy lace knitter!
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I always have to rewrite instructions so I can read them more easily…this is a great idea!
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yes, i used to do that too. sometimes laziness gives you an opportunity to invent!
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Very clever and resourceful! Thank you for sharing.
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thank you for your kind words and for reading my blog!
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Great idea! This time year the urge to knit sneaks up on me.
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yes, even with all of this super hot weather here in august, the evenings have been cooler. and i start yearning for pumpkins and candles and bonfires… and knitting!
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Awesome!..thanks for sharing..have a great day!
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happy to have you stop by for a visit!
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Could also work well for counted cross stitch especially for those of us with “mature” eyes!
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what a great idea. yes, the eyes are getting a workout, especially with cross stitch designs! i give you credit, my eyes can’t take such miniature work.
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Thanks for the tip. What a beautiful blog! Just told my hooking companions about it last night. I look forward to reading and re-reading your posts. Keeps me sane! : ) I sneak a peek during lunch at work to remind myself that the world beyond my cubicle is indeed lovely.
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thanks for sharing my blog with your friends. i am happy to be a part of your work week!
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That’s just what I need for my knitted lace 🙂 Thanks for the idea!
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let me know how you like working with it sometime!
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What a clever idea! Thank you so much for sharing!
rebecca
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thanks for commenting today!
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LOVE…
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love right back at you lisa!
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Brilliant!
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Thank you for sharing such a great yet simple idea!
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i was hoping that it would be helpful. and you play with paper! i love paper!
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I don’t even knit and i still think this idea is brilliant!!
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now you have a silly reason to learn to knit! i guess i am just an enabler!
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Genius. 🙂
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little ideas are so fun!
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Thank you for your brilliant idea! I would love to try it 🙂 hugss
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let me know how it works for you! enjoy!
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I use a metal board and have a magnetic ruler to help
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those are great tools, katherine, and i have a knitting friend that uses old metal lunch boxes as the magnetic board!
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Thank you and thank you again – great idea
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Great tip! To enhance it, you could highlight (either with a highlighter pen or in your word processor) every other line of instructions. This would be especially helpful with directions that are a couple of lines long. That way you would have another visual aid to help keep the pattern.
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excellent addition, many thanks, anne!
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I love this idea. Just brilliant!
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thank you for your kind words. sometimes a simple idea is all you need!
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Love this idea. I plan to use for the next project. Thanks for sharing!
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enjoy and thanks for checking out my blog today, karen
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Really good idea!!!! Love it!! I will share it!
//Airin
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Absolutely brilliant . I have been cursing my memory in my present project and have frogged an annoying amount of times Thank you Digiknit
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so glad to have proposed a solution for you! just think how much more you will knit without having to UN-knit!
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I like the idea, but in a pinch, I use post it and a small mark that takes me to the exact line I am working on.
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my experience with post its has been disappointing, since once you move them a couple times they fall off and leave me stranded! got to watch them as they have a mind of their own! thanks for stopping by and commenting!
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Reblogged this on OX KNIT and commented:
Fantastic idea!
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What a fine idea – thanks so much! I usually go the extra-strength Post-it route, but at first they are so sticky it takes two hands to move them, then they work perfectly for five moves, then they are not sticky enough to stay on anymore. I will be trying this idea soon!
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let me know how it works for you. i appreciate your comment, yes, i can relate to the post-it note disappointment!
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Brilliant!
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simple = good idea
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Why did I think of that?
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maybe you have thought of some other wonderful thing that you need to share with us!
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I print/scan my patterns and use your idea using cardboard wide enough to fit on a letter size page. Have done that about 40 years now. Using a narrower paper seems a great idea too but I have a wide open area where I knit.. I keep my place with a clothes pin on each side
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thank you for stopping by and sharing your technique!
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I could KISS you for posting this brilliant yet simple tool! It works soo much better than my bobby pin sliding up and down a piece of paper, it always seems to disappear in my knitting bag. Thank you, thank you!
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you are welcome! so happy to hear that you think it is a good idea and can use it!
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Thank you so much for this idea! My husband cut my cardboard out yesterday and I’m ready to use it for a crocheted afghan that has six rows of repeats. Great idea!
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What a time saver this has been. Also a mind saver. Lol. Thanks.
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Wish I had thought of this years ago for knitted lace!!! Please MORE hints for knitting!!!
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Very creative problem solver you are. Your tool sounds effective and efficient to make. Also will travel easily. Wonder if the counter could somehow be attached to the strip?
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FABULOUS idea! Reminds me of my dad, he can find a way to make most anything more efficient and just with things around the house. Kudos and thanks for sharing it!
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Thanks for the great idea currently using it on the irish hiking scarf to make sure I get my cables in the right place.
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Ingenius!
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What a wonderful idea! I will use this for sure.
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Thank you for sharing such a terrific idea! I can see this very beneficial for lace patterns.
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How clever of you 🙂 Thanks so much. Will make one of these for sure./K
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so glad that this is helpful!
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Love this idea. Will save me so much time and frustration.
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I have an old metal typing stand, originally designed to hold handwritten or shorthand copy upright for typing. It has a plastic bar about 2″ wide with a magnet on one end that lines across the copy, holding it upright and marking the place. The plastic piece has a marked off section similar to the slot cut in the cardboard above. I use it for keeping track of the row I am working on just about any pattern. It can also be used with additional magnets to mark my place on a cross stitch pattern. I am so glad I held onto it when I shut down my home office. It’s a wonderful tool that has been repurposed.
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i love vintage tools! sounds great! thanks for sharing, karen
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This is one clever idea. I have been using a magnet board with a long magnet which means moving the magnet for every row. This would work beautifully while working on knitting my patterned cowel. Thank you for sharing.
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Such a unique idea for reading a pattern! Never would have thought of it myself. Thank you so much!!
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thanks for your kind words betty!
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What a GREAT IDEA!!! Thank you so much!!!
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This is awesome! I had to use this idea to help my son with his form of dyslexia and never thought to use for my patterns! Thanks for sharing!
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