Fresh: a charted design for any craft
The random number generator picked Fresh from the suggestions for this post, suggested by Kate, one of my Patreon supporters. I’ve got the February doldrums, so I picked some bright colors for my illustration.
This chart is strongly directional; I’ve got the pointy bit facing down in the actual chart because I think it looks better for stranded knitting, but you could of course face it in any direction you like. In fact, if knitting, this will work nicely for top-down knitting, like socks or a top down hat — see the bottom of this post or the featured image for how the stranded knitting looks after being flipped over.
I developed a lace stitch pattern for Fresh, 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.)

- The Fresh charted design has a repeat of 8 + 1 columns and 12 + 6 rows. (end after either row 6 or 12.)
- 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.
- This pattern is written in rounds, but because each row has mirror symmetry, the colors can be read in flat rows as written. If knitting, just work purl stitches on alternating rows instead of knit.
- 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; 1B, *1A, 1B, 3A, 1B, 1A, 1B; work from *.
Round 2: work knit as follows; 1B, *(1A, 2B) × 2, 1A, 1B; work from *.
Round 3: work knit as follows; 1A, *2B, 1A, 1B, 1A, 2B, 1A; work from *.
Round 4: work knit as follows; 1A, *1B, 1A, 3B, 1A, 1B, 1A; work from *.
Round 5: work knit as follows; 1A, *2A, 3B, 3A; work from *.
Round 6: work knit as follows; 1A, *(1A, 2B) × 2, 2A; work from *.
Round 7: work knit as follows; 1A, *(1A, 1B) × 3, 2A; work from *.
Round 8: work knit as follows; 1A, *2B, 1A, 1B, 1A, 2B, 1A; work from *.
Round 9: work knit as follows; 1B, *(1A, 2B) × 2, 1A, 1B; work from *.
Round 10: work knit as follows; 1B, *(1B, 1A) × 3, 2B; work from *.
Round 11: work knit as follows; 1B, *1B, 5A, 2B; work from *.
Round 12: work knit as follows; 1A, *2B, 3A, 2B, 1A; work from *.
Knit as desired, ending after either round 6 or 12.