Yes! Previously I had been hearing that only PC users were able to make the fonts work, but as of November 8th, 2023, this site has been updated with Mac-specific instructions so that Mac users can enjoy the fonts as well. Thanks to Allison Sheridan at Podfeet Podcasts for researching and writing up the instructions!
How do I download the knitting font?
Left click on the button of the font that you want. This will produce a window where you can select to save the file to your computer. Since this is coming from Google Drive, you'll want to look for the download button at the top of the menu (you're downloading a zip file). You can choose where to save it, for example you could save it to your desktop or to a particular folder. Just make sure that whatever you choose, you remember where it is, because you'll need to know in order to unzip the files!
A lot of computers will be able to automatically unzip a file for you if you double click on the icon (it will look like a file folder with a zipper on it in most cases). Or you might be able to right click on the folder and choose to Extract All. Then you'll need to choose where the unzipped files will be saved. If this does not work for you, you will need to download a program to do it for you.
For PC users: The easiest way I know is to go to the place where you unzipped the files, right click on the font file (it will end in .ttf), and click "Install" on the menu that pops up. If that doesn't work for you, click on your Start button and select Settings, then Control Panel. Click on "Fonts" (it might be inside Appearance and Personalization), click on "File," then "Install New Font." Navigate to the place where you unzipped your files to, and select the .ttf file. Click on "Install."
For macOS users: Go to the place where you unzipped the files, find the font file (it will end in .ttf), and double click that file. This will bring up the application call Font Book. Click the Install button. To see this process laid out step-by-step with screenshots, click here!
You need to change the spacing between your lines. In Microsoft Word 2007, you can do this by clicking on the Page Layout tab, and in the Paragraph section set the "Before" and "After" spacing to 0 (zero).
In Word 2003 (and probably others), you need to click on the Format menu, choose Paragraph, and on the Indents and Spacing tab you will find the "Before" and "After" boxes. Again, set them to 0 (zero).
I think that for knitting with different colors, rectangular grids are the way to go. However, I've noticed that when I chart cables, the fabric pulls in and the resulting knitted design is not proportioned the same as it is on the graph. Since cables were my main inspiration in creating this font, I decided to squeeze the symbols in a little in the hope that charted cables would be better represented.
The best way to keep your columns nice and straight is to type your left-side row number, press the Tab key, and then type in the symbols for that row. On rows that do not have a number at the left side, you also need to press the Tab key to keep everything lined up.
I originally did the keyboard I am familiar with, and it was only later when a tester from Germany sent me a graphic showing how her keyboard was quite different that I realized I should duplicate map some of my symbols to make them easier for her to access. If you use a different keyboard and some of the symbols are hard to use, please let me know. It would be great if you could also supply a link to a graphic showing the keyboard layout that you use.
I understand that you are not making millions of dollars on your patterns. However, I chose to create this font on a free site because I love it when I find a cute free pattern, but I don't love it when the creator of that pattern has to resort to alphanumeric symbols to try to chart their design. I think that people who take the time and effort to create those free patterns deserve a fixed-width free font that makes it easy to see how the pattern will look when knitted (this is particularly true of cables).
I combed through knitting books, online patterns, etc, and tried to condense all of that information into a coherent, intuitive, font. However, what is intuitive to me might not be what is intuitive for you. Or perhaps I missed a source that has some really excellent ideas for symbols. If you want me to take a look at the symbol(s) you're talking about, please link me or give me the title/author of the book where I can see what you've got in mind. New symbols may eventually be added to the font.
I tried at first to group often-used symbols or symbols that will be used in combination with each other on easy to reach keys. I sometimes used keys that reminded me of the symbols that I mapped there (like using the greater- and less than- signs for the cable ends), but as I ran out of keys, it got harder and harder to map them in a place that made sense in either of those dimensions. I hope that after you do some charting, the mapping will be easier and easier for you to remember. This is also why I included a keyboard graphic; it's much easier when you have the map in front of you.
I built this font pretty much pixel by pixel on FontStruct. I had to decide how wide to make the characters, how tall they would be, which symbols to create, what angle to use when creating the slanted lines....it took a lot of time, thought, and effort. If you are inspired by my font to make your own, please do! Do what I did; look at the characters, then create your own version of them. Do not import the font and then alter pieces of it until you hope it will pass as your own. That's cheating, like taking someone's knitting pattern, making a few changes and calling it your own design.
I used to think so, but it's been a long time since I developed these and I'm not sure I can commit to relearning it all. They might be pretty well set at this point.
By golly, you're right! I'm currently trying to figure out a better way to do 3 over 3 cables, but for now you can either add an extra "z" character and just make it really clear in your key what that cable symbol stands for, or you can try mixing it up with the long diagonals that are mapped to the tilde/accent key.
UPDATE: I think the best solution here is the accent/tilde key for crossing to the right, the P/p for crossing to the left, and for cables crossing over purls, the left and right slant keys (meaning / and ?, \ and | ). I have updated the Cable Recipes to show these combinations.