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New! The Herrschner's Worsted Palette - thank you to BetwixtTheStitch!
New! We've just added the palette for Deborah Norville Everyday Yarn! If you knit and/or crochet, this is for you. This is a beautiful yarn with a nice feel to it, a good alternative in worsted weight acrylic! (Thank you again to BetwixtTheStitch!)
New! The Red Heart Super Saver Palette - thank you to BetwixtTheStitch!
Welcome to Stitchboard! Feel free to sit and stay awhile. Check out our new Premier features. In addition to the ability to create larger patterns (up to 500 stitches wide), illusion knitting and private labeling (no more worries about editing those pesky and messy PDFs), we've just introduced Filet Crochet, our most popular request! We have many more features planned, too!
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Kathy,
As this is a technical issue (I can tell you all about crochet, but not computer programming!) I've alerted Terry (Support) to your issue.
What I do know is there's a known problem with stray colors that will be fixed in the next build; beyond that, I don't have the expertise to answer your question, which is why I've forwarded it to Terry.
Caroline,
Welcome!
We currently don't have a version of the software that will edit a pattern; that feature is currently in development. In the meantime, the best thing to do is use a graphics program to edit your image before you send it in to the freePatternWizard. If you're on a PC, I can give you links to two free and very powerful graphics editing programs. I can't tell you how to use them, as I use an old, old program from, gasp, about 1998, but they do have tutorials and manuals available.
Also, when you edit the graphic, the best thing to do is to ensure a 1:1 relationship of pixels to stitches. This is for width only; for length the program does the calculating, so if you want to change that, you'll have to experiment and add borders to your image until you get it to the length you like. This will change when editing features become available, but the reason we didn't originally make the program work that way was because we were worried people would attempt to resize their images and would truncate or skew them.
Another thing to note is the image format of what you're using. If you're using a jpg, the image will already be "lossy," e.g., colors will bleed and the image won't be sharp. You do need a sharp image for the freePatternWizard, as giving it an image with a gazillion smudged colors will give you an unsatisfactory pattern, so usually a gif or png image would be optimal. However, you can't simply take a jpg and save it out as a gif or png, because if you do, you'll only get a lossy image with a gazillion smudged colors and an unsatisfactory pattern!
I apologize that I don't have a date for when the editing features will be available, so using a graphics program is the best way for now.
Mccarthy,
Welcome!
Sounds like you're really doing a lot of interesting things in beading!
I used to cross stitch, so I found beading the other way, by beading directly on cross stitch fabric (both Aida cloth and linen), then converting over to off-loom techniques.
I don't recall having a particular difficulty with either Aida cloth or linen; do you find you need to wear glasses of some kind, perhaps magnifiers to help you focus on the fabric better? Are you having similar difficulty with tapestry needles? And if not, is it the length of the beading needle that might be the problem? When I used to bead on cross stitch fabric, I used a very thin, small "sharps" needle. Unlike a beading needle, it's quite short and could make it easier on you to find the holes in the fabric.
I can't think of anything else offhand. Of course, needlepoint canvas would be a good alternative IMO, since it's very different from Aida cloth or linen. You might be able to find a particular technique that fits needlepoint canvas better than a conventional stitch would on Aida or linen.
One other thought, though I can't imagine this would really affect anything. What kind of stitch do you use to attach the beads to your cloth? There is a much better way than a half cross stitch, which is to make a tent stitch. A tent stitch uses more thread and holds your beads on much more securely than a half cross stitch. (It's a stitch that's generally used for needlepoint.)
Wish I could think of something else; I'm not sure if the above is at all helpful, and if it's not, my apologies!
Thanks, Melanie.
I find it makes the learning curve a lot easier when I do things this way.
Hopefully, others will as well.
To read a particular post, simply click on it!
MStanley,
Welcome!
At this time we
support only certain stitches such as single crochet, Tunisian and
filet crochet. In the future we'll be adding other stitches. In the
meantime, the problem with single crochet to half double crochet
would make it a very different size of stitch. Depending on your
gauge, you could end up with a very distorted piece. It's not the
width of the stitches that's the problem...it's the height. While
your stitch width would likely remain the same (unless you were to
switch to a different yarn or hook than what you've been using),
the height of your stitch will be more elongated, as a half double
crochet is taller than a single crochet. I don't remember offhand,
but I want to say a half double for me is about 1 1/2 times the
height of a single crochet. It's not a lot, but it's just enough to
throw it off.
With more elongated stitches,
your graph for a single crochet will end up with fewer rows per
inch, meaning your entire piece will be elongated. If you're
working with something that isn't critical to remaining true to how
long the stitches are, you'll be okay, but in most cases, I'd say
your finished item will be longer than anticipated and the longer
stitches may look wonky.
I wish there were
more of a direct correlation, but while the width of the different
stitches are usually the same, the height is usually different.
Kathy,
As this is a technical issue (I can tell you all about crochet, but not computer programming!) I've alerted Terry (Support) to your issue.
What I do know is there's a known problem with stray colors that will be fixed in the next build; beyond that, I don't have the expertise to answer your question, which is why I've forwarded it to Terry.
Caroline,
Welcome!
We currently don't have a version of the software that will edit a pattern; that feature is currently in development. In the meantime, the best thing to do is use a graphics program to edit your image before you send it in to the freePatternWizard. If you're on a PC, I can give you links to two free and very powerful graphics editing programs. I can't tell you how to use them, as I use an old, old program from, gasp, about 1998, but they do have tutorials and manuals available.
Also, when you edit the graphic, the best thing to do is to ensure a 1:1 relationship of pixels to stitches. This is for width only; for length the program does the calculating, so if you want to change that, you'll have to experiment and add borders to your image until you get it to the length you like. This will change when editing features become available, but the reason we didn't originally make the program work that way was because we were worried people would attempt to resize their images and would truncate or skew them.
Another thing to note is the image format of what you're using. If you're using a jpg, the image will already be "lossy," e.g., colors will bleed and the image won't be sharp. You do need a sharp image for the freePatternWizard, as giving it an image with a gazillion smudged colors will give you an unsatisfactory pattern, so usually a gif or png image would be optimal. However, you can't simply take a jpg and save it out as a gif or png, because if you do, you'll only get a lossy image with a gazillion smudged colors and an unsatisfactory pattern!
I apologize that I don't have a date for when the editing features will be available, so using a graphics program is the best way for now.
Mccarthy,
Welcome!
Sounds like you're really doing a lot of interesting things in beading!
I used to cross stitch, so I found beading the other way, by beading directly on cross stitch fabric (both Aida cloth and linen), then converting over to off-loom techniques.
I don't recall having a particular difficulty with either Aida cloth or linen; do you find you need to wear glasses of some kind, perhaps magnifiers to help you focus on the fabric better? Are you having similar difficulty with tapestry needles? And if not, is it the length of the beading needle that might be the problem? When I used to bead on cross stitch fabric, I used a very thin, small "sharps" needle. Unlike a beading needle, it's quite short and could make it easier on you to find the holes in the fabric.
I can't think of anything else offhand. Of course, needlepoint canvas would be a good alternative IMO, since it's very different from Aida cloth or linen. You might be able to find a particular technique that fits needlepoint canvas better than a conventional stitch would on Aida or linen.
One other thought, though I can't imagine this would really affect anything. What kind of stitch do you use to attach the beads to your cloth? There is a much better way than a half cross stitch, which is to make a tent stitch. A tent stitch uses more thread and holds your beads on much more securely than a half cross stitch. (It's a stitch that's generally used for needlepoint.)
Wish I could think of something else; I'm not sure if the above is at all helpful, and if it's not, my apologies!
Thanks, Melanie.
I find it makes the learning curve a lot easier when I do things this way.
Hopefully, others will as well.
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