# Knit wits: help a mother out?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knit-wits-help-a-mother-out/345471>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 21, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knit-wits-help-a-mother-out/345471 "2006-02-21T14:59:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knit-wits-help-a-mother-out/345471/1 "2006-02-21T14:59:09Z")

</div>

My mom got in touch with me the other day to ask me to help her out with a couple of knitting projects. She wants to knit logo sweaters for my dad and brother for Christmas with their alma maters on them. Ohio State for my dad and Michigan State for my brother. She needs patterns. Does anyone know if logo sweater patterns exist for either or both of these schools? Or in the alternative, can someone explain how to translate a graphic into a knitting pattern?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knit-wits-help-a-mother-out/345471/2 "2006-02-21T15:14:22Z")

</div>

You can get knitter’s graphing paper (each square is an odd size, since knit stitches are longer than they are tall). It’s free online just about everywhere, google will tell you.

You can take a picture of the logo (from the school’s web presence, I assume) and import it into a number of free chart generators (this is one from google, I have no idea how good it is [http://www.pcstitch.com/Download/Download.aspx](http://www.pcstitch.com/Download/Download.aspx)) or just make an excel spreadsheet with the right cell height and width (which you can surmise from knitters graph paper) and hand color in the cells.

The actual knitting from these charts can be done intarsia or fair isle or with duplicate stitch.

Hopefully that gets you started.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knit-wits-help-a-mother-out/345471/3 "2006-02-21T15:20:54Z")

</div>

I should add: I make my own charts by printing knitters graph paper and coloring in a design from a picture with pencils. This works best for simple projects.

[http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/](http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/) is the software that others in knitting groups I frequent recommend.

Also, is Ohio State just a big O and Michigan State just a big S? There are a bunch of free alphabet charts online, as well in most knitting books.

Good luck!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knit-wits-help-a-mother-out/345471/4 "2006-02-21T15:24:20Z")

</div>

This’ll be a big help. Thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knit-wits-help-a-mother-out/345471/5 "2006-02-21T17:16:53Z")

</div>

The college’s websites or alumni websites might also have such patterns. Come to think of it, I think I’ve seen some in craft catalogs, although a quick search of Mary Maxim didn’t turn anything up, but one of the others might.

CJ