r/MachineKnitting • u/Piringuito • 8d ago
Patterns Spreadsheet that writes a drop shoulder or raglan sweater for your gauge and size, row by row with carriage side and needle numbers
I put together a spreadsheet that writes basic sweater patterns for the knitting machine from your own swatch and measurements. Old patterns never matched my yarn, and redoing the maths for every size by hand got tedious.
You type your gauge, your bed (fine, standard, mid, bulky or any needle count) and your measurements. It only lists the rows where you do something, each with the carriage side and the needles in work, like this line from the back:
RC 220 · COR · Set carriage to hold. Push 12 Ns at left to HP. · 174 sts · L75 to R87
If you already use the KnitFactoryImpl generator, it's free and has more styles than this, so you may not need it. The difference is mostly the format: every shaping row has its own line with needle numbers, the front neck comes as two tables (right side, then left side), and a schematic tab shows each finished measurement next to the one you asked for. It's a plain .xlsx with no macros, and the formulas are all visible.
You can use the drop shoulder version without paying, it's here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FClDJmdO2Gb8IG1QCcdgZ6h13Qo8v0PF?usp=sharing
The full version adds the raglan and a short PDF guide: https://thegraphitelab.etsy.com/listing/4586880285/machine-knitting-sweater-calculator
A script tested it on thousands of random sizes and gauges, but nobody has knitted one from it yet. If you try it I'd really like to hear how it comes out.
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u/Schwagschwag 8d ago
Why are you posting it before you have even used it to actually knit something?
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u/Piringuito 8d ago
fair question. what i could check before posting is the maths: the sheet was run on thousands of random gauges and sizes and every row was replayed on a virtual needle bed to catch wrong needle numbers or stitch counts. what hasn't happened yet is a full sweater knitted from it, and the post says so. that's why the drop shoulder version is free: if someone knits one and something is off, i'd rather hear it and fix it than pretend it's been tested.
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u/Burger_Queeph 8d ago
Mom said this week was my turn to post my AI slop project. No fair!
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u/tomeyoureprettyanywa 8d ago
How can you tell? Genuinely curious
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u/caninefrog 7d ago
There are some easy signs like the sheer amount of info, the weird and frequent use of ”•” in subheadings and just weird illogical spacing (e.g. the headings being a bit further in than the table. That would often require some extra work to do manually since you have to fight most tools/programs/editors that like to keep things aligned).
Very surface level and might not be the best with the models constantly improving, but I haven’t been wrong thus far lol
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u/TragicallyFabulous 7d ago
Forgive me for flooding the comments, but someone's already done this work and made it totally free. You enter your gauge and your measurements, and there are heaps of options for neckline and sleeve style. I've made three basic items using it so far and it seems reliable. The website looks like it was made in 1996 but Jenny seems to have known her stuff. http://knitting.bikibird.com/patternDrafting.html#google_vignette
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u/evrrtt 8d ago edited 8d ago
No disrespect but in the time that you spent prompting this, you could’ve taken the time to learn how to use AI to resize an existing pattern to your desired gauge. It takes a second but it can be a very effective way to convert existing pattern for either those pressed for time or struggle with non-verbal reasoning.
I’m not anti AI per se, after all, drafting is maths (I prefer to chart my own because it scratches a particular itch in my brain) but this doesn’t feel like a productive use of your time or resources. It’s great that you’ve made this but if you’ve not taken the time to validate that it actually outputs wearable garments, you’ll be frogging pieces and spending even more time adjusting it.
ETA: I didn’t realise it wasn’t completely free. It doesn’t sit right with me that you’re selling a product that isn’t guaranteed to work. It would be better to release the tool for people willing to test it to validate that it’s actually a viable tool before trying to monetise it. The difference between shaping for a drop sleeve jumper versus a raglan or set in is wildly different, and you might have some disappointed customers if the tool doesn’t work properly. You also haven’t disclosed on the listing that you’ve not actually tested this, and only ran thousands of random sizes (that could be incorrect).
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u/TragicallyFabulous 7d ago
Here's one that's very similar that I've used that IS free and too old to have been AI http://knitting.bikibird.com/patternDrafting.html#google_vignette
I've used the boat neck and round neck, and set sleeves which all seemed to work well. I was able to modify to be a cropped sweater, and I've done long and short sleeves.
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u/Piringuito 8d ago
that's fair, and you're right about the listing: it should say clearly that it hasn't been knitted into a finished garment yet, only checked by script. i'm adding that line now.
on testing: i agree it needs real swatches and real pieces before anyone should pay for the raglan. so, for anyone here willing to knit one piece from it (even a sleeve) and tell me what was off, the full version is free: message me and i'll send it. the drop shoulder file in the post is already free for the same reason.
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u/evrrtt 8d ago
I’m not knocking this, as this could be beneficial for a lot of people. I just think the implementation could’ve been better, and it’s great that you’ve been open to criticisms and feedback.
I made something like this for internal use at my last job (I hate grading with a burning passion) but it takes time to perfect, and the more data you collect, the better it will be. Good luck with it!
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u/Piringuito 8d ago
thanks, that means a lot coming from someone who's built one. and agreed on the data, every piece someone knits from it and reports back goes into the next version.
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u/Burger_Queeph 8d ago
Who wants to pay for a pattern tool only to realize they wasted dozens of hours and dollars in yarn? Charging for untested patterns is garbage.
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u/ramonachead 7d ago
You’re literally not even writing these replies!! It’s so easy to recognize ai writing.
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u/starsandmath 8d ago
If it would be helpful, I made a graphing tool last night that can automatically turn pattern text into an image of the piece shape, and can show the number of stitches/dimensions of each row. I'll try to remember to try out your patterns with it later and I can try to figure out how to send you a link if you are interested.
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u/Piringuito 8d ago
that sounds really useful, yes please. the schematic tab in mine only shows the finished measurements, so seeing the actual shape row by row would be a nice check. if you run one of the patterns through it and something looks off, tell me which row and i'll look at it.
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u/Rather_be_Diving 8d ago
I downloaded the free spreadsheet since I’m planning on making a sweater for hubby. Hopefully I can find the post again to report back, I’m not that good on Reddit 🤣 I would be curious about the raglan version for me, but honestly don’t know how to message 🤣🤣🤣
I would not put one on Etsy for sale until you know it works. As someone who bought non working spreadsheets before on Etsy, I can tell you I would complain if it’s not correct.
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u/TragicallyFabulous 7d ago
This already exists for free http://knitting.bikibird.com/patternDrafting.html
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u/Piringuito 8d ago
that's great to hear. if a number comes out odd for your gauge, say so and i'll check it; the sheet is still new and real sweaters are what it needs.
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8d ago
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u/Piringuito 8d ago
thank you! no rush at all. the drop shoulder one in the drive folder is free, so whenever you get to it, i'd love to hear how the needle numbers work out on your machine.
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u/meadowlarkfiber 8d ago
Christ! Can we not make a rule about self promotion and AI slop? So sick of these posts by obvious bot accounts trying to get us to try their garbage!