by Sarah Dawn Adams.
Hello! For those who are just “meeting” me, I am the new Sponsorship Coordinator for the Toronto Knitters Guild. I connect with the yarn stores and vendors that support our guild. I also bring a background in Accessibility and Universal Design, and I know how to apply their principles to a range of activities, including knitting. So, I have put together a short blurb about how to make your own knitting easier for you.
Pattern Charts: Despite their popularity and the fact that many knitting tutors promote the use of charts, they aren’t for everyone. If you can’t read charts, please, don’t despair. And don’t think it’s a deficiency on your part. More and more pattern designers are recognizing folks that need full written instructions, and that’s something you can absolutely look for and search for on sites like Ravelry and Etsy. If you’re buying online, check the pattern description. If you’re buying in-person, there’s no harm in skimming through a book or magazine to see if there are written instructions before you buy it.
Measurements: You may have come across patterns that give vague measurements like “Woman’s Small.” Those sorts of pattern measurements aren’t very helpful! Instead, look for patterns that give multiple and exact measurements without resorting to assumptions about body type or gender stereotypes; not all women have small hands, for example. Patterns with precise measurements—both as to the body and to the finished garment—will be far more accurate in fit, which in turn will make you a happier, more satisfied knitter!
Tutorials: Many patterns are now offering tutorials, which make things super easy for us knitters! That said, if you’re looking for tutorials on your own in the wilds of the internet, it’s a good idea to know what you need. Do you learn better with video? YouTube is 100% the best place to be. Do you need captions? Many YouTube tutorials have captions nowadays (though YouTube’s auto-captions can still struggle with knitting terms). Do you need Described Video? That one’s a little trickier, but you can try looking on YouDescribe. Are you someone who learns best by photos, instead? Then you’re better off looking at photo tutorials from one of the many wonderful knitting experts out there, and many of the big knitting sites have their own tutorial centres, too.
Alt-Text: Lastly, are you sharing your own makes on social media? If so, don’t forget (or learn about) alt-text which is a very easy way to make sure that all your fellow knitters can find and see your gorgeous projects! Alt-text is the text that loads in place of images when the images don’t load. It’s also used by screen-reading technology for the visually impaired. (If you’ve ever had an e-mail that didn’t load images, and it just said ‘Image’ or ‘Header’, you’ve run into badly-done alt-text!)
Each social media platform is a little bit different about how to put in alt-text, but most of them offer it. On Instagram, it’s under accessibility. On Ravelry, in a forum thread, it’s in the image link. On Facebook, there’s an option under the Image menu. Not only will your pictures be accessible to more of your fellow makers, but the various algorithms like it when you put in alt-text, because it gives them more data to understand what your post is about!
