Why is reading a lace chart so much easier?

[HamaLee]

:rofl:
I've been absolutely terrified of knitting from a chart up until this point right here, right now. I've always looked at them and thought "silly heiroglyphics make no sense! It'd be much easier if they just wrote it out!" :shrug: In fact, I even refused to knit certain lovely patterns because they only had a chart and it looked too confusing for me as a n00b.

Well! I'm knitting the column of leaves scarf and in the first repeat I just got myself lots a million times keeping track of which stitch I was on--whilre READING the longhand written pattern. Oh gosh, I thought...it's hopeless.

BUT! I was very brave and decided to try the chart.
:passedout:
It's SO much EASIER!!! I haven't lost my place since. I still have to glance now and then to remember what the symbols stand for, but woohoo! I can't believe it, it doesn't really make sense to me that it's so much easier--but I"ll take it!

Hooray for me being brave! Hahahaha...I've even read tons of posts about how so many people prefer knitting from a chart and I just didn't understand. Well--consider me converted! :notworthy:

Hehehehe.

[Ingrid]

:figureditout: I wish everything was charted.

[HamaLee]

Heheh,
Ingrid you were one of the specific people I remembered being gung-ho for charts! ANd I always thought--well you know, Ingrid is the super-awesome knitter, she must have superpowers that make charts easier. Cuz I've seen your FOs and they're just soooo beyond stunning and amazing. :notworthy:

But I love knitting from the chart! Now I can feel a tiny bit as cool as you. :rofl: :roflhard:

[AnreeAce]

I loves me some charts too. I've been known to chart stuff for myself, just so I don't have to try keeping track of written patterns.

I think it helps me because I can see what the pattern is going to do next, how what I'm knitting fits in... Someday I'll do my first colorwork pattern, and I can't imagine doing that without a chart!

[jazzyp]

I make my own charts if the pattern doesn't have one! I get so lost following written instructions, and invariably the post-it note falls off :??

[mwedzi]

I must be the weirdo in the bunch (tell you something you don't already know, right?) I can follow lace patterns written out way easier than in chart form. It's like all I see is a sea of circles and dashes, and I always lose my place. :shrug: Trying to follow the chart was what made me quit the Branching Out scarf.

[Virtuella]

I cant knit long sentences, I love charts, and make them if I have to!

[suzeeq]

I must be the weirdo in the bunch (tell you something you don't already know, right?) I can follow lace patterns written out way easier than in chart form. It's like all I see is a sea of circles and dashes, and I always lose my place. :shrug: Trying to follow the chart was what made me quit the Branching Out scarf.

The other weirdo here... I do fine following the yo, ssk, k whatever instructions and my eyes glaze over looking at charts. :eyes: VERY simple ones I can follow -- long enough to write them out!

sue

[Vendie]

I love charts because I can visualize the overall stitch pattern that way, and I really need to visualize what I'm knitting. Charts are not only shorthand, but they show the relationships between the stitches and the rows. Cuts down on having to count, which is a very good thing for me. I have to create charts if there isn't one in the pattern. It's very had to for me to revert back to written words for anything besides shaping instructions.

[suzeeq]

I can `read' my knitting and see if I'm off. I go reference the pattern to check it, but I can tell if it's not right. I found a typo in a Knitters Magazine pattern. No matter how I did R 2 of a 4 row repeat it wasn't coming out right. I figured out what the right way was, then found they'd swapped R2 and R 4 when I got to R 4.

sue