I bought this amazing program called DesignerKnit 7. It enables me to design my knitwear on the screen. not just the pattern but also the shapes. i.e. I draw a shape(or use a standard). Then i place the patterning on it in any colours I choose or texture. When it is done to my satisfaction, I save it along with the swatch measurements etc and what size garment I want to make. I then download it to one of my 7 machines with a special cable. Whilst i knit, the machine is told which needels to select for the pattern. The shape still has to be done by hand but I now have a lady;'s voice telling me exactly what to do and when. Beats having to read my own written patterns in Word! Mind you, yesterday this woman kept telling me to do something I couldn't. I swore at the silly cow but she insisted on repeating the wrong instruction. So I phoned the company and guess what? I had found an error! I was impressed by how quickly they sent me the update and put it on the web. All done by late last night. Now, it can take many hours(even a day) to design a sweater. A few more to knit it, maybe a lot more, and then a good 2-3 hrs to sew it all up. Then wash it, dry it, and label it and package it. Good job I don't charge by the hour! Many people think that m'knitting is a quick way to h'knit when in reality it is a completly different craft. (actually machineknitting is crochet-but that is too complicated to bother explaining). They also tend to think that you tell a knitting machoine to knit you a sweater and it does! It is physically tiring and quite hefty work for a start. All the shaping has to be done by hand. And like eveyting else, they go wrong! -- bw colin [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.geocities.com/tantra_apso/index.html
