Exporting and editing per-stitch polygons

Posted 3 Aug 2015 by JC

Stitch maps shine brightest when used to depict stitch patterns with “flow,” where increases and decreases make the stitches lean. Usually, this means lace. But not always.

Some designers create stunning results by combining the flow of increases and decreases with colorwork. Examples include Lorilee Beltman’s vertically stranded colorwork; Lucy Neatby’s Zinna, Sunburst, and Blossom blankets; and Kieran Foley’s stranded designs. My favorite is Scandinavian, which Alasdair Post-Quinn has re-interpreted in double knitting.

Designers of this ambitious sort will likely appreciate a new feature at Stitch-Maps.com: when a premium subscriber exports a stitch map, the resulting PDF, EPS, or SVG file will include a small polygon behind each symbol. Initially white, these polygons will be invisible against a white background.

But when edited in vector graphics tool like Illustrator or Inkscape, the colors of these polygons can be set to reveal... well, whatever design you choose, I suppose.

I cooked up this quick sample as an homage to Scandinavian, using motifs from Terri Shea’s Selbuvotter.

It doesn’t compare to Kieran Foley’s exquisite work. But I think you get the idea: premium subscribers now can combine increases, decreases, and colorwork into coherant stitch maps.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask.