A little more meaningful

Posted 8 Dec 2015 by JC

Having a computer spew an error message at you is bad enough. Having it spew an unintelligible error message is even worse. And that’s why I’ve made a couple of the error messages at Stitch-Maps.com a little more meaningful. Consider this sample:

Row 1 (WS): Knit.
Row 2: *Knit, purl, repeat from *.

Previously, that would result in:

How “*knit, purl, repeat from *” ought to be repeated is ambiguous.

Now Stitch-Maps.com will respond with:

“*knit, purl, repeat from *” contains too many sections of adjustable width. On each row, use just one section of adjustable width (“knit,” “purl,” “BO,” or “*..., repeat from *”). To knit, purl, or bind off a single stitch, use “k1,” “p1,” or “BO 1 st.”

A little long-winded, sure. But it describes the problem more fully, and hints at a solution. (Want more info on this topic? See the Horizontal repeats section of the knitspeak guide.)

Here’s another example:

Row 1 (RS): Sl1 wyib, k1, *p1, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, repeat from * to last 3 sts, p1, k2.
Rows 2 and 4: Sl1 wyif, p1, *k1, p3, repeat from * to last 3 sts, k1, p2.
Row 3: Sl1 wyib, k1, *p1, k3, repeat from * to last 3 sts, p1, k3.

Previously, this dreaded error message would result:

We’re unable to determine a suitable cast-on stitch count. Are you sure the pattern is legit?

Now Stitch-Maps.com is a little more helpful:

Row 3 can’t be worked on top of the preceding rows. The number of non-repeated stitches isn’t quite right.

Row 3 is problematic because it ends in p1, k3 when it ought to end in p1, k2. (For more info on this topic, see the the FAQ.)

Questions? Comments? Just let me know!