So, how is the Mittens for Money going?

Well, DH finished the first iteration  of a java program for me last night at 11:13PM ish or so, that takes my charted pattern, and turns it into text.  I’ve been charting the 4 other sizes of the mitten this week, and have only the cable ovals, and the proof reading to do. Then they can be zapped by DH’s program, which will create a right hand chart for each left hand chart I’ve already made, and write the instructions for each hand at the same time (each of those actions took me a week last year, before I discovered a fatal flaw in my grading, and had to start over.)

Of course, I did forget to tell him that some of my patterns were 6 stitches wide, and the program searches only for 5 stitch and smaller patterns (it writes “Grr” whenever there is an un-defined stitch) and I forgot to define the inverse patterns for a LOT of stitches.  But all programs go through iterations, like knitting pattern instructions.

Back to the big picture: It is possible than in 2 weeks, I will be e-mailing a pattern to a tech editor, with my style sheet and OH Yeah! Opps, I need to make new SVG charts on Inkscape! I need a day each to make those charts, so 3 weeks, he or she can’t really make sure my charts are accurate if I haven’t made them yet.  Inkscape charts are prettier than spreadsheet ones, but harder to change on the fly, so I’m making them last.  I also need to make up a style sheet – Goodness, I’m not actually sure what font to use, how many spaces I want and where, how to delineate sizes…maybe I’ll be mailing it off in 4 weeks?

One ivy mitten is knitted, the model is being scheduled (she has to fit me in between her other job) the photographer doesn’t have too many weddings right now, so he can fit me in on a Saturday when the model isn’t working at her other job, and I’ve almost finished working out the other stitch for the companion mitten that with be photographed at the same time.

So, the whole deal will get e-mailed to the test knitters in 6 weeks, optimistically?

And then I’ll send the works to the lay out editor in, oh, maybe 8 weeks?

publish it in 9, or 10? And the snow will be gone.  But remember, mittens are small, not too hot projects, and you can knit in the Spring to get a jump on Christmas…Maybe knitters in South America and New Zealand will buy them.