Neume: a needlework chart for any craft

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The random number generator picked Neume from the suggestions for this post, suggested by Catnach, one of my Patreon supporters. Neumes are an early form of music notation, used for Gregorian chant, among other things.

See bottom of post for an interesting coincidence.

I developed a lace stitch pattern for Neume, but I also like to provide a basic chart for any craft that’s worked on a grid: beads, cross stitch, whatever. I try to provide at least some digital art of the pattern repeated all over not as a chart. It doesn’t necessarily look like a finished object for any particular craft, but I want to give a sense of it in use. (I try to make it look like knitting when it’s got floats short enough for easy stranded knitting.)

How the Neume needlework chart might look as stranded knitting. Abstract patterns made of ovals and stylized circles, with some arcs that look like parentheses.
Chart showing how to work the Neume needlework chart with dark and light squares. Written instructions in blog post.
click chart to enlarge
  • Neume has a repeat of 12 columns and 30 rows. This is pretty large, but you could use a smaller version if you like. I recommend cutting the chart in half vertically.
  • In the written instructions, color A is the light squares above, and color B is the dark.
  • The written instructions below are formatted for stranded knitting, but it is my hope that they could be translated into instructions for other crafts. For instance, if working filet crochet, 1A could be one open square and 2B could be two filled-in squares.
  • Designers, please feel free to use this in your patterns (no need to ask). I’d like credit but won’t be offended if people don’t give it.
  • My blog posts and stitch patterns are supported by subscriptions on Patreon or donations to my Paypal tip jar in the sidebar. If you appreciate my work, please consider helping out. Thanks!

Round 1: work knit as follows; *(2A, 1B, 1A, 1B) × 2, 2A; work from *. (12 sts)

Round 2: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 3: work knit as follows; *1B, 2A, 1B, 4A, 1B, 2A, 1B; work from *.

Round 4: work knit as follows; *1A, 1B, 3A, 2B, 3A, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 5: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 6: work knit as follows; *(1A, 1B) × 2, 4A, (1B, 1A) × 2; work from *.

Round 7: work knit as follows; *1B, 2A, 1B, 4A, 1B, 2A, 1B; work from *.

Round 8: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 9: work knit as follows; *2A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2A, 1B, 2A; work from *.

Round 10: work knit as follows; *(2A, 1B, 1A, 1B) × 2, 2A; work from *.

Round 11: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 12: work knit as follows; *1B, 3A, 1B, 2A, 1B, 3A, 1B; work from *.

Round 13: work knit as follows; *2A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2A, 1B, 2A; work from *.

Round 14: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 15: work knit as follows; *(1A, 1B) × 2, 4A, (1B, 1A) × 2; work from *.

Round 16: work knit as follows; *(1A, 1B) × 2, 4A, (1B, 1A) × 2; work from *.

Round 17: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 18: work knit as follows; *2A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2A, 1B, 2A; work from *.

Round 19: work knit as follows; *1B, 3A, 1B, 2A, 1B, 3A, 1B; work from *.

Round 20: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 21: work knit as follows; *(2A, 1B, 1A, 1B) × 2, 2A; work from *.

Round 22: work knit as follows; *2A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2A, 1B, 2A; work from *.

Round 23: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 24: work knit as follows; *1B, 2A, 1B, 4A, 1B, 2A, 1B; work from *.

Round 25: work knit as follows; *(1A, 1B) × 2, 4A, (1B, 1A) × 2; work from *.

Round 26: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 27: work knit as follows; *1A, 1B, 3A, 2B, 3A, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 28: work knit as follows; *1B, 2A, 1B, 4A, 1B, 2A, 1B; work from *.

Round 29: work knit as follows; *1A, (1B, 2A) × 3, 1B, 1A; work from *.

Round 30: work knit as follows; *(2A, 1B, 1A, 1B) × 2, 2A; work from *.

This is the smallest unit of the code chart I made for neume, turned by a quarter. I know very little about how to read neumes, but I was interested to realize that it might be possible to read this as neumes? Anyway, that could be fun, if true.

a chart that's three squares high by 15 squares wide. There is one black square marked in each column so that it makes lines that move up and down.

The numbers this shows are 112 012 210 111 012, which is to say, neume encoded in base three, as I explained how to do (generally speaking) in a different blog post.