Right Sidebar

The vertical bar on the right contains the following buttons:

• Shape
• Layers
• Params
• Checks
• Actions
• Settings

• Shape

  The Shape settings behave differently depending on the type of panel you are editing.

  For rectangular panels, the Shape settings let you adjust the panel's dimensions and tension values individually in the pane that opens when clicking on the Shape button.

  

  For sweater panels generated from a template, the Shape settings are shared across all panels in the garment. You can modify the garment's design and measurement settings, as well as reset the body measurements and tension values entered during the template wizard, if needed. Any changes you make apply to the entire garment rather than to an individual panel.

  

  The pane displays the garment name at the top with a lock icon. To modify the garment settings after you have started working on your panel, you must first unlock them intentionally. After making your changes, click Apply to update the garment. Because these changes affect all panels, modifying measurements or tension values after you have started designing may alter the garment geometry and cause certain editing commands to produce unexpected results.

  Any additional panels that you create, duplicate, or import are independent. Each has its own dimensions, tension settings, and edit history.

   

• Layers

  The Layers button shows the list of commands used in your design. Clicking it opens the Layers panel, which is initially empty.

  To start editing your panel, click on the + sign and pick a command from the list.

New commands are added below the last layer in the stack. Use the + sign at the top to unfold the command menu and add commands to the stack.

Hovering over a layer reveals three icons:

• Edit (pencil) opens the Params panel for adjusting command settings
• Toggle Visibility (eye) temporarily hides the layer
• Delete (trash can) permanently removes it.

Once a command is added to the Layers stack, you can rename it by right-clicking on its name and selecting Rename.

Renaming commands is especially useful when the same command is used multiple times, as it helps you clearly identify and organise each step in your design process.

Each layer has its own parameters, editable in the “Params” box.

Commands are arranged in the sequence in which they are applied. You can reorder commands by dragging and dropping them into the desired position, but this may affect later commands. Always revise subsequent commands when reordering, especially those that apply to a specific selection or location.

To revise a command, click the pencil icon to open the Params window for adjustments. Commands can also be deleted or hidden, but doing so may affect subsequent commands.

Understanding the order, coordinates, and dependencies between layers is essential for managing complex designs and ensuring edits produce the expected results.

• Params

  The Params window allows you to set parameters for each command. Many commands require a specific area of the canvas to be defined, using the Location/Selection box at the top of the command’s parameter window.

  If a command requires a location or selection and none is assigned, the box will display a pink and white warning, indicating the command is blocked until a valid selection is made.

  To assign a location, click the gray Location/Selection box, choose one of the available options, select the area on the canvas, and click the gray box again to confirm.

  The command will then apply automatically to the selected area, and the box will return to its normal appearance.

  Each command has its own configurable parameters, which can be adjusted in the Params window. Details for individual commands are provided in the relevant sections later in the manual.

Modifying the position or order of commands in the layer stack can affect the functionality of subsequent commands. When this occurs, affected layers may appear with gray and white stripes, indicating that a review and correction of selections or settings is required.

• Checks

  The Checks button helps validate your design by identifying potential issues and highlighting their location on the canvas. For better organization, you can split the Checks window into three sections: Issues, Kicks, and Moves.

Notifications in the Checks window can vary in importance:

• Critical issues indicate problems that must be resolved for the file to validate and compile correctly. These usually represent incomplete, misaligned, or conflicting elements.
• Warnings signal potential concerns or inefficiencies. They do not prevent compilation but should be reviewed to ensure the design functions as intended.
• Always resolve critical issues before compiling your design.

Kicks and Moves are automatically generated by the compiler:

• Kicks are carriage movements that prevent interference between yarn feeders and needles or ensure proper stitch formation, such as during bind-offs.

  Some kicks can be avoided by adding explicit “Miss” stitches at the edges of the design. This moves the feeders slightly farther away from the knit, helping maintain smooth operation and avoiding unnecessary slowdowns in the knitting process.

• Moves are other carriage movements, like fetching a yarn carrier from the opposite side of the knit.

Common Issues

1. Pick-up stitch is not stable: appears at the bottom row when there’s no cast on.
2. Two-sided needle actions require half racking: (does not compile) need to set the rack to 0.5 wherever we are using all needles on both beds 
3. Knitting without carrier direction: (does not compile)it happens when inserting rows, they don’t have a yarn feeder assigned by default. We need to set it by selecting the whole row, right-click in it > Set> Set yarn 
4. Transfer row with carrier direction: (does not compile) it happens when we draw transfer symbols in a line that has a yarn assigned. We should always insert blank rows for transfers by selecting a single stitch where we want to add rows, right-click on it >Insert rows > enter number of rows and “below” or “above” 
5. Float distance is too large: can be due to different reasons:
   • Short Rowing generates floats longer than 7 stitches: we need to bind off those stitches.
   • The yarn carrier is parked on the opposite side of the knit: we need to add/ delete a row if possible to get the carrier direction right. It’s possible to change the direction of the carrier as well by selecting a row, right click on it > Set> Set direction> enter “rtl” (right-to-left) or “ltr” (left-to-right)
   • Fair isle design with floats longer than 7 stitches.
6. Transfer from an empty needle:  appears when a transfer symbol is in a wrong place. We need to erase the transfer symbols.
7. The initial direction of a carrier must be left-to-right: appears when the initial direction of a carrier is not starting on the left, considering all feeders should always start at the left side (home). If we, for some reason, need a feeder to start from the other side of the knit, the compiler will warn us with this message, but it will still allow us to compile, and it will generate a carriage move to fetch the feeder from the right. In that case we must make sure the feeder is placed there for the carriage to catch it.
8. Loop has more than 2 parents, which is dangerous: it appears when there are more than two loops on a needle, due to transfers.
9. Needle action in unsafe bed range: it appears when there are racked rows and the canvas is not centered on the needlebed.
10. Invalid needle specification: appears when there are transfers in a row with a half pitch rack.

• Files

  The Files button provides options for importing, exporting, and reporting issues. When clicked, the following menu appears:

  • Download Buck: Exports a .buck file of the active canvas that merges all layers and does not save the command stack.
  • Load Buck: Imports a .buck file into the app. The action will appear in the stack as "Load Image" layer and allows for further editing by adding other commands to the stack.
  • Download Cstack: Exports a .json file of the canvases on the workspace that saves the layers associated with your design.
  • Load Cstack: Imports a design along with its layers.
  • Insert design: Allows you to import a design from My designs onto the workspace. This can be a single canvas or multiple canvases.
  • Download image: Generates a .png image of the active canvas.
  • Export Kcode: Compiles the active canvas and exports a .kc file that can be saved on your computer or on the SD card for knitting. Once compiled, it cannot be imported back into the design editor.
  • Bug Report: Sends an anonymous notification to report any bugs or issues encountered in the app.

  Import error

  If this error appears when opening an existing design, it indicates that the file was saved in an older version of the app and the software has since been updated (for example, to fix a bug or to implement a new feature).

If the design on the canvas looks correct, click Clear. If it shows distorted or broken, please contact us at support@kniterate.com for assistance.

To ensure you are using the latest version of the app, clear your browser cache and reopen the app. You can check the current app version by clicking on your login name in the green top corner of the screen.

• Settings

Click on the button to open the option menu:

• Multicanvas options: Edit the distance between canvases.
• Display options: only for visualisation; they affect only the size of the stitch square we see on the canvas, not the knit’s tensions.

• Compiler options: adjust the carrier spacing and the stopping distance of the yarn feeders. Increasing the carrier spacing parks yarn feeders farther apart from each other. Increasing the stopping distance parks them farther away from the active knitting area. These adjustments can help prevent clump errors, feeder–needle collisions, and the generation of excessive carriage movements.

  Be aware that setting the stopping distance too high may cause dropped stitches at the edges of the knit. Adjust these values carefully to balance stability and efficiency.

• Validation options: set the value at which the compiler warns about a long float. Distances bigger than 7 stitches can cause knitting errors like dropped stitches, so we recommend not exceeding this value.
• WIFI Enable: allows entering the IP of our WIFI SD card if we are using one.
• Caching options: behaviour and performance requirements of the caching system. We recommend using the default settings.