Shaping the chart
A knit chart does not have to be a rectangle. You can grow or shrink it a row or column at a time, and you can add or remove individual cells to chart shaped pieces — a sleeve cap, a neckline, or several separate pieces side by side.
Rows and columns
Section titled “Rows and columns”The row and column buttons in the toolbar change the size of the chart:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Insert 1 row(s) above | Adds a row along the top of the chart. |
| Add 1 row(s) below | Adds a row along the bottom of the chart. |
| Remove first 1 row(s) | Removes the top row. |
| Remove last 1 row(s) | Removes the bottom row (Row 1). |
| Insert 1 column(s) to the left | Adds a column on the left side. |
| Add 1 column(s) to the right | Adds a column on the right side. |
| Remove first 1 column(s) | Removes the leftmost column. |
| Remove last 1 column(s) | Removes the rightmost column (Column 1). |
New rows and columns are filled with blank cells that follow the outline of the row or column next to them. The row and column numbers update automatically.
To insert a row or column somewhere in the middle of the chart, right-click a cell and choose Insert 1 row(s) above, Add 1 row(s) below, Insert 1 column(s) to the left, or Add 1 column(s) to the right — the new row or column goes next to the cell you clicked.
Every row and column change can be undone.
Stitch mode and Cell mode
Section titled “Stitch mode and Cell mode”The Stitch / Cell switch below the toolbar decides what the Place and Erase tools do. Select a side, or press A to switch back and forth.
- Stitch (the default) — you work into the chart. Place paints the current stitch onto existing cells, and Erase clears a cell back to blank. The outline of the chart never changes. Hovering over a spot with no cell shows a red outline, and nothing happens if you click there.
- Cell — you shape the fabric itself. Place adds a new blank cell, and Erase removes a cell completely, leaving a gap with no fabric. Stitch symbols fade while you are in Cell mode, and the stitch and color pickers are turned off.
Adding cells
Section titled “Adding cells”In Cell mode, a new cell has to touch an existing cell above, below, to the left, or to the right — touching only at a corner does not count. As you hover, a neutral outline shows where a cell can go and a red outline shows where it cannot. You can drag to add a run of cells in one stroke.
To start a separate piece that does not touch the rest of the chart, hold Alt as you click. You can also right-click an empty spot on the canvas and choose Start new piece here (or Place cell here when the spot touches the chart). Each piece’s bottom row is its cast-on edge.
Removing cells
Section titled “Removing cells”In Cell mode, use Erase or right-click a cell and choose Remove cell. The spot becomes a gap: there is no fabric there, and it is skipped when the chart is read.
Pieces that lose their cast-on
Section titled “Pieces that lose their cast-on”If removing cells or rows splits a piece so that part of it is no longer connected to its bottom (cast-on) row, StitchPress tints the cut-off cells red with a red border. This is a warning, not an error: nothing is deleted or blocked, and the highlight never appears in exports.
To clear the warning, reconnect the red cells to the rest of the piece, remove them, or undo the change that split the piece. If you meant to make a separate piece, start it deliberately with Alt-click or Start new piece here — pieces you start that way are never flagged.