Sharing my special interest with others

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So I have a somewhat unusual special interest. It's not unusual in the usual way (such as, say, researching the complete history of toilets), but rather it's a computer concept that I feel could do a particular community a whole lot of good. I briefly thought about posting this on the Computers forum, but the issue is really more of a communication style than technical.

The concept is very easy for me to understand. (After all, it's my special interest!) It also relates to the kind of planning and design I do at work, so the idea came really pretty easily. It's also been fairly straightforward to implement some samples and code some decent software to illustrate the concept.

Here's the problem, though. While the concept is easy for me to get, most people in this community can't understand what it is I'm trying to do. When I explain it to them, they ask me, "Why you would want to do that?" So I come up with some examples to illustrate why it would be useful, thinking that this will hit the point home. However, they come back with, "Okay, outside of those examples, why would you want to do that?" Then I get frustrated because that leads to comments like, "That will never work," or "that's not useful enough for all of that trouble," or "the software is shabby and has a lot of work before you release it to the masses," indicating that they have completely missed the point. It's extremely frustrating because I know I am 10 steps in front of just about everyone, yet I don't know how to tell others how to take those 10 steps to get where I'm at.

Has anyone else ever had a problem like this? Any ideas about how to get people to understand something when it is a concept and not just an eccentric hobby? (Well, it is an eccentric hobby, I'll grant you that.)

Is this the knitting software you mentioned in another thread?

Regards,

Patricia

Heh, yes. Now I've been totally outed.

Oops! I do that a lot.

We have a fair sized knitting community here on WP, from what I've read in the forums. Why don't you post a description of the project here and we can give you some input? Maybe we'll see where you're coming from a little more easily.

Regards,

Patricia

I'll post a link rather than rehash everything on the About page:

http://www.knitml.com/blog/static.php?page=about-knitml

And I was only joking about the outing.

That looks awesome:0


though... I have trouble taking in all the information:\

What exactly can you do with it?

'Cause I see you can get the patterns translated into different languages...
and something about designing patterns (though..I haven't figured out how.. or I read it and didn't quite register it)...

Either way, just the translation option is awesome, 'cause you can knit anything in the world that way!

Tell me if I understood this correctly. This is a program people download to help them design and organize their planning information before knitting right? Also, it's in a way to make knitting patterns more universal? Did I get that right?

DAMM thats pretty sweet how do you knit I could do with some pointers but I would like to make some clothes for myself as it is totally individual and I would knit a shaun the sheep jumper my nan knitted me one as a kid lol teachers loved it others said WTF

Funny, almost no one else thinks that's a particularly useful feature.

At its core, it's a knitting pattern markup language. I've been told that saying that it's "HTML for knitting patterns" often works, but I'm undecided if I like explaining it that way. Much like a modern web page where the document content (HTML) is separated from its layout (CSS), this attempts to capture only the pattern information and algorithm. Then the layout is managed through the rendering software. All of the software that has been written are merely tools around this specification. While they should work well to give a good demonstration, they aren't really the core of the concept.

So, on to why I think this could be useful. Knitting patterns today mix content and layout in a way that can't be separated. That's not inherently a bad thing, as there are many places in the world where this is basically the only way to go: cookbooks, do-it-yourself guides, Ikea instructions, etc. Its limitation, though, is that it can only be presented in one way. See, knitters are generally very individualistic people and like to do things their own ways. Some people prefer to see the pattern represented visually (called a chart, and it essentially looks like it's done on graph paper). Other people like line-by-line instructions that tell them exactly what to do. Some patterns supply both, but most don't, and this inevitably makes someone unhappy. In some cases, the pattern is unusable completely (I've been told that reading assistance software for the blind just simply can't handle charts.)

Some people knit left-handed and they currently have to read patterns from right to left. Some people knit using a different technique that can get confusing to read instructions which weren't written for that technique. Still others may prefer metric measurements.

This new approach would solve all of these problems. Designers could write the pattern once into this format, and then each knitter would have their own preferences which would apply their own personal layout to the pattern. Designers aren't writing 10 versions of each pattern they produce, and knitters get the version of the pattern they want. Problem solved. Except others don't realize there is even a problem. They don't realize that when they wish for a chart, or wish that designers everywhere adopt a technique-neutral decrease notation, or wish that they didn't have to go through a pattern and highlight their particular garment size, that there is, in fact, a solvable problem. They are so used to compensating that it's just accepted.

By the way, knitting is a great stim toy. I would often be fidgeting if I weren't knitting.

Oooh... so..
(I'm sorry if I'm slow)..

In (very) short, it comes down to being able to customize the pattern's layout/text to your own preferences?
And because it's not done by hand (but by computer), it's pretty much impossible to end up with an error in the pattern (saving you lots of work).

And yeah, I think the translation part is super!
I'm no experienced knitter, but I can't even keep up with all the times I've stared at patterns in foreign languages etc. wishing I could understand them.


There's software (I just found out) where you can calculate the space you'll need between the buttons on your knit-work, so I don't understand why your concept isn't accepted as much :\

Though would this function only be used on online patterns, or could you use it on patterns that have been published in books as well (by just filling in the info by hand)?

Stevee, punctuation marks are your friends, don't neglect them:P

That aside, if you want to learn how to knit:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/learn-to-knit

this site has a lot of video tutorials that will teach you.
I'd suggest you start out knitting a scarf with a bulky/chunky yarn at first, as it's easier to learn how to knit with big needles (since it's easier to see what you're doing/what happens to the yarn etc. and it's easier to hold).

thanks v muchat atleast they are always there for you lol

No, you got it just fine.


Primarily online, though you could "fill in" an existing pattern manually as well. I tried to make the notation for doing so as close to what a "real" pattern looks like as possible.

I think that having at least a primary layout published is very important. After all, patterns are often "eye candy." So I'm envisioning a world where a pattern would appear the way it is today (in a book, on Knitty, as a PDF, etc.) but then the designer would also provide, via a download link, the pattern in this universal format. That would be for when you're ready to get down to business and actually knit the object.

One of my friends came up with a cool idea for an iPhone application that would take a pattern and would essentially act as a row counter for that pattern. Except it wouldn't just be a number to count; it would be the actual pattern instruction you were supposed to knit.

Anyways... are there any thoughts about a better way to explain this concept to knitters? Usually it takes me 3 or more tries, and there are still folks that don't get it.

This is absolutely a great idea, fiddlerpianist. I have no idea how many patterns I've passed up because the designer only offered a chart and I need the lines written out. For some reason, I just can't work from a chart. I think your problem is with people who like doing things one way themselves and don't consider that others might prefer something different. (And they say we're inflexible!)

edit: Do you mind if I post a link on my blog? Not that anyone actually reads it, but someone might.

Regards,

Patricia

I don't mind in the least. I think the more people that know about this and "get" it, the more others might "get" it, too.

My suggestion is that you have a product. You can develop it with other software where it's available for download along with it, or maybe do it all online where people can submit their own patterns as they use your software. If you have it ready for use, and completely user friendly where any novice knitter (not a complete moron like myself) can access it, use it, and promote it, then it will pick up in the knitting community to possibly your mission with it.

Another suggestion, Web Marketing for Dummies. I love that book. Great insight on how to efffectively design your website, some basic information on creating a marketing plan, and lots of details on ways to market and promote your website and service.

Yeah, I have trouble explaining some technical concepts. When I get the gut feeling that something's the Right Way to do a particular thing, or that a certain idea won't work out, I can only come up with feeble examples that get shot down quickly. But in the end I'm often right. This is very frustrating!

You should follow your gut, f**k what others think! FWIW, I think it's a cool idea