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Gauge Calculator 1.0 for Windows Phone 7 or later enables a knitter or crocheter to easily do the arithmetic required to:
In addition, the Windows Phone Edition implements two bonus features. It will:
The gauge estimation feature lets you estimate your gauge in stockinette stitch (knitting) or double crochet stitch (crochet) based on yarn weight and what you know of your tendency to vary from the gauges presented in patterns. The estimate can't be relied on to just dive in and start working up a project, but if you're shopping in a yarn store, see a nice pattern and some nice yarn that isn't quite what the pattern calls for, it can give you a rough idea of whether the two are compatible. The save and re-use feature lets you save key inputs that you have typed in and later load them back in. So you can enter in stitch count, and size information from a couple of potentially interesting patterns at home, go yarn shopping, and at the store, pull out your phone, estimate your gauge for an appealing yarn, pull up the gauge or stitch/row information you entered at home, and get an idea of whether you could get the size you want with that yarn. Weavers can also use Gauge Calculator to do the arithmetic for converting between ends, picks, ends per inch, picks per inch, and size (on the loom). Just think ends whenever the application mentions stitches and think picks whenever the application mentions rows. Note: The images in this document were captured on a phone set to the red theme. Where you see red in the document, on your phone you will see your theme's accent color. The Windows Phone 7 version of Gauge Calculator is a free application. It has a banner that displays in-house announcements and advertisements for other Canitag branded applications. General Usage InstructionsGauge Calculator Windows Phone Edition is a standard Metro style application. The top of the screen has a banner identifying the product (Gauge Calculator), our company (Canitag Apps N Crafts), and the page name or mode. For all pages except the main, the page name area holds the name of the page. The main page is a different from the others. The main page is a Metro pivot page. The large text in the page name area at the top reports which of the four modes is active:
The active mode will be much bolder in color and at the upper left of the page title area. The picture above shows the main page when compute-gauge mode is active. You can switch between the four modes by either tapping on the name of the desired mode in the page name area or by swiping right/left to bring a different mode in view. The main page has two other differences from the other pages. The main page has an application bar. On the main page, if you are holding the phone narrow end up, the bottom of the screen has an application bar with four icons and an ellipsis (...). The application bar will be found to one side or the other if you are on the main page holding the phone long end up.
The application bar has four icons plus an additional two menu choices that can be brought into view by tapping the ellipsis or dragging the application bar upward with a finger. The icons are:
The additional menu choices that are usually off-screen are:
Just above the application bar in all but the estimate gauge mode (yarns pivot), there is a block of space reserved for a mix of trivia and promotions from Canitag Apps N Crafts. Sometimes the area will be all black, as depicted in the image of the gauge pivot earlier. Sometimes it will hold an announcement or bit of trivia with no link to further information. Sometimes it will hold an announcement and an arrow that follows a link to more information on the web. The image below shows what an announcement with link looks like: The Settings PageBy default, the Gauge Calculator is configured to work with gauges specified as stitches and rows per standard 4 inch gauge square. The default configuration works with lengths and widths specified in inches. If you want to work with a gauge specified in one of the other common conventions, select the gear shaped icon in the application bar: The settings icon sends you to the settings page. The settings page has three sections. The first section lets you indicate your preference for working in inches or centimeters. Tap the radio button for your current preference. When you change your preference, the information back in the main page converts to match your new preference. For more information how to take advantage of the auto-conversion feature, read the section on converting gauges. The second section let you indicate whether you prefer enterring gauges as stitch and row counts for a standard gauge square (10 cm. or 4 in.) or whether you prefer entering gauges and stitches and rows per unit (e.g. stitches per inch).Tap the radio button to indicate your preference. Changing your preference will convert the information back on the main page to match. The third section enables you to opt out and opt back in to the two kinds of data that Gauge Calculator will normally report back to use periodically:
A crash dump report identifies the type of phone, version of software, and location of a crash. The information we collect does not identify you, your phone, or contain other personal information. We use the information to help us fix the problem. An analytics report identifies the type of phone and version of sofware. It conveys some performance data and some feature usage data. The report does not contain personal information, although it does hint at personal behaviors. We aggregate the performance and usage data to take away the temptation to track usage patterns of individuals. You can see the kind of data contained in an Analytics report by scrolling up in the application bar and selecting the analytics menu item. Calculating Your GaugeTo calculate your gauge, you need to know the width and length of your swatch (or size specified in a pattern), the number of stitches, and the number of rows. Swipe along the top of the main page until the word gauge appears in bold. The picture that follows shows what you'll see if you selected the right pivot. If you have not already configured Gauge Calculator to use the units you want (inches or centimeters), follow the instructions in the section on configuring Gauge Calculator. Then come back to the gauge pivot of the main page. Enter your width, length, stitch count, and row count into the text boxes. You can use integers and decimal numbers. You can't use fractions such as 4 1/3. The input areas are normal Metro text inputs. If you don't have a keyboard or have not slid it out, the page will slide up to make room for a numeric input keypad below the text input.
Once you have typed a width and stitch count, you'll see the stitch gauge appear in the boxed value below the line. Similarly, once you have typed a length and a row count, you'll see the row gauge appear. The image below shows what you will see after filling in your sizes and counts. The gray background rectangles hold the numbers you type. The numbers in the rectangles outlined in red were computed by the Gauge Calculator. When Gauge Calculator recomputes the gauge for you, it copies the result not just to the outlined boxes in the gauge pivot. It also copies them to the gauge input areas of the stitches and size panes. You can go back and edit the swatch length and width, stitch count, and row count. Gauge Calculator will automatically update its calculations of your gauge. Updates are triggered when you change focus to a different field in the form or tap on a spot that isn't a text input. Calculating a Project's SizeTo calculate a project's size, you need to know your gauge, the number of stitches, and the number of rows. Swipe your way on the main page to the size pivot. The picture that follows shows what you'll see when you reach the right pivot. (A couple of numbers have already been enterred in the image.) If you have not already configured Gauge Calculator to use the units you want (inches or centimeters), follow the instructions in the section on configuring Gauge Calculator.
Enter your gauge, stitch count, and row count into the text boxes. You can use integers and decimal numbers. You can't use fractions such as 4 1/3. Once you have typed a stitch gauge and stitch count, you'll see the width appear in the boxed value below the line. Similarly, once you have typed a row gauge and a row count, you'll see the project length appear. The image below shows what you will see after filling in your gauge and counts. The gray background rectangles hold the numbers you type. The numbers in the rectangles outlined in were computed by the Gauge Calculator. Gauge Calculator tries to present the sizes in a friendly fashion. A number like 18.2394095 is rather intimidating so Gauge Calculator will round to a more reasonable value. If you are using centimeters, it will round to no more than a couple of digits after the decimal (less if the result is a large number). If you are using inches, it will round to a multiple of an eighth of an inch (or quarter, half, or whole value if the result is a large number). For ease of understanding, fractions are given as fractions, such as 5 3/8 inches. You can go back and edit the gauge values, stitch count, and row count. Gauge Calculator will automatically update its calculations of the project size. Updates are triggered when you change focus to a different field in the form or tap on a spot that is not a text input. You can use Gauge Calculator to display the project size as either centimeters or inches. If you want to
learn more about how to use this conversion ability now, skip ahead to
the section on Converting Sizes.
To calculate how many stitches and rows you'll need to knit or crochet in order to produce a project of the size you want, you need to know your gauge and how big (i.e. how wide and how tall) you want your project to be. Swipe at the page title area until the word stitches is bold. The picture that follows shows a picture of what you'll see if you've selected the right pivot. If you have not already configured Gauge Calculator to use the units you want (inches or centimeters), follow the instructions in the section on configuring Gauge Calculator. Enter your gauge into the text boxes. You can use integers and decimal numbers. You can't use fractions such as 4 1/3. Enter the desired project width and length. Once you have typed a stitch gauge and a desired width, you'll see the stitch count appear in the boxed value below the line. Similarly, once you have typed a row gauge and a desired length, you'll see the row count appear. The image above shows what you will see after filling in your gauge and sizes. The gray background rectangles hold the numbers you type. The numbers in the rectangles outlined in red were computed by the Gauge Calculator. You can go back and edit the gauge values, width, and length. Gauge Calculator will automatically update its calculations of the number of stitches and rows you'll need to work. Updates are triggered when you change focus to a different field in the form or by tapping somewhere other than a text input. If you are using a mix of centimeters and inches, be sure to read the labels on the text box to make sure Gauge Calculator is expecting the right thing. If not, go to settings and tell Gauge Calculator what unit you want to use. Gauge Calculator rounds the results to at most one decimal point when telling you how many stitches and rows to work. Estimating Your GaugeThe Windows Phone edition of Gauge Calculator can assist you in coming up with an estimate of your gauge. The estimate is based on guidance by the Yarn Council of America's yarn description standard and input from you about whether you tend to work more loosely than patterns' gauge requirements (i.e. need to go down needle or hook sizes to hit gauge) or work more tightly (i.e. need to use bigger needles or hooks). Swipe on the main page to reach the yarns pivot. The picture below shows what you'll see. You'll find a list of yarn types under the area labeled Yarn. The yarn weights follow the Yarn Council of America's yarn weight system. Scroll up and down to select the yarn weigh of interest -- from 0 / Lace to 6 / Super Bulky. If your yarn does not have a Yarn Council of America weight value, you can read the description of the kinds of yarns that fall into the class to decide which weight category to use. Next select the kind of stitch you'd like to use. The gauge estimation feature supports two stitches: the (hand) knitted stockinette stitch and the US double crochet stitch. (Heads up: US double crochet is British treble crochet.). Tap the appropriate radio button to make your pick. If you have worked up patterns in the past and found that you consistently need to use a larger or smaller needle size to get the pattern's gauge, move the slider to reflect your tendency. Move the slider to the loose end if you tend to knit or crochet more loosely (i.e. your gauge squares turn out too big until you go to a smaller needle). Move the slider to the tight end if you tend to knit or crochet more tightly (i.e. your gauge squares turn out too small until you move up to a larger needle size). If the yarn is on the fine end of its category, you may also move the slider to the tight end. Click the button to generate a gauge estimate. The estimated gauge will be copied into the all of the gauge fields in the other pivots. Saving and Re-Loading Your GaugeGauge Calculor for Windows Phone lets you save your work and read it back at a later time. To save or restore, click on the Save icon on the application bar: This will send you to the Saved Data page. To save your work, enter some text to identify the data you are saving (as shown in the image above), then click the save button. If you click the save button without enterring a note, Gauge Calculator will use the current date and time as the note. After you click the button, you'll see a new entry in the list of previously saved data snapshots. Gauge Calculator keeps the following information when its saves data:
The saved gauge value is taken from the best available value:
You can come back at any time to the saved data page and reload the data from a previous save. The data is kept until you use the saved data page to delete it (or until you wipe all data on your phone). The list of your saves is shown in the bottom portion of the saved data page. To load or delete a save, first tap it to select it. The text of the item you select will turn into your accent color, as illustrated in the following image. If you click the Load button, the data will be loaded into the main page and you will be automatically sent back to the main page. If you click the delete button, you'll be given a chance to confirm that you do want to delete the save. If you confirm, the data will be deleted. Converting GaugesGauge Calculator can help you work with patterns that measure the gauge in units you normally don't work with. As an example, consider the plight of Chris. Chris wants to knit a sweater for a friend with a 34 inch bust and has found a lovely pattern that says to cast on 216 stitches with needles and yarn that deliver a gauge of 24 stitches per 10 cm. Chris wants to know if this pattern would work. Chri knows the gauge and the number of stitches so she selects the Size pivot of Gauge Calculator. Oops -- Chris knows the gauge in stitches per 10 cm. but the display is showing inches. So Chris taps on the settings icon, selects the radio buttons to the measure size in centimeters and gauge per 10 centimeters radio buttons, then uses the back button to get back to the size pivot of the main page. Now Chris enters the gauge from the pattern. Chris has measuring tapes and knows sizes in inches and is most comfortable working in inches and stitches per inch. So Chris taps the settings icon again, changes the radio buttons for inches and stitches per icon, and uses the back button to return to the main page. Chris sees that Gauge Calculator has updated its display to show that a gauge of 24 stitches per 10 centimeters is equivalent to a gauge of 6.1 stitches per inch. Chris enters the stitch count and learns that the sweater will be 35 3/8 inches around. That is a bit snug, but close enough that Chris figures it won't be hard to find a yarn and needle combination that will yield about 5.9 stitch/inch gauge, which would make the sweater just a bit larger around -- a nice fitting sweater, with an ease of 2.5 inches. Chris was planning to measure to get the right sleeve and torso length anyway so the slight increase in rows/inch is not an issue. Gauge Calculator recomputes the values you've already entered whenever you select a different radio button for the unit of measurement or gauge. You can easily convert between gauges in stitches and rows per inch, stitches and rows per 4 inches, stitches and rows per centimeter, and stitches and rows per 10 centimeters. Just select the radio buttons corresponding to the unit you want to type in, type in the gauge, then select the radio buttons for the units you prefer to use. Converting SizesGauge Calculator can help you work with patterns that state lengths and widths in units you normally don't work with. As an example, consider the plight of Robin. She bought baby hat pattern plus the amount and kind of yarn specified by the pattern. Robin sees that the gauge is 24 stitches and 32 rows per 10 centimeters on size 4 needles. Robin knows that 10 centimeters is almost exactly 4 inches so she does a swatch to confirm that her gauge is 24 stitches and 32 rows per 4 inches. Great! Now she casts on and starts knitting. Robin realizes that the pattern tells her to knit ribbing for 1.6 centimeters. Robin's ruler measures in inches. How far should she knit? Robin knows a size (1.6 cm.) and so picks a Gauge Calculator pivot with inputs for the size. Either the Stitch or Gauge pivot will work. Robin picks the Stitch/Row pivot, visits the Settings page, and taps on the radio button opting for measurement in centimeters. Robin decides it might be nice to know how many rows to expect to knit and so also selects the radio button for gauge measured per 10 centimeters. Now Robin enters the size and gauge from the pattern. Robin sees that knitting for about 5 rows will yield the 1.6 centimeter target length. Robin still wants to measure progress in inches so Robin selects the radio button to configure Gauge Calculator's measure in inches mode. Robin uses the back key to return to the main page of Gauge Calculator. She sees that that the display now shows that the gauge she entered (32 rows per 10 centimeters) is equivalent to a gauge of 32.5 rows per 4 inches. The rule of thumb about treating 4 inches and 10 centimeters as the same in gauge swatches checks out. That gives Robin confidence that Gauge Calculator is working properly. The expected row count is unchanged - still 5 - which is what Robin expected since row counts aren't measured in centimeters. The length measurement was converted. 1.6 cm. is approximately 0.625 inches (5/8 of an inch). Robin can measure that on a ruler. Gauge Calculator recomputes the values you've already entered whenever you select a different radio button for the unit of measurement. You can easily convert between sizes in stitches and sizes in centimeters. Just select the radio buttons corresponding to the unit you want to type in, type in the measurement, then select the radio buttons for the units you prefer to use. You can do the conversion whenever it is convenient. If you have a size in centimeters and a gauge per 10 centimeters, you'll find it useful to do the conversion after you've typed in the size and the gauge. If you happen to know mixed units such as a size in inches and a gauge per centimeter, the best approach is to configure Gauge Calculator for the unit you don't want to use (e.g. gauge per centimeter), type in the value in that unit, reconfigure Gauge Calculator for the unit you like, type in the second pair of values (e.g. size in inches), and view the results. Copyright© 2011-2012 by Canitag(tm) Apps N Crafts. |