For reference, I’m Autistic with ADHD and and have long suspected that I may be dyslexic. I also have Complex PTSD and OCD, which also fall under the neurodivergent umbrella, as do most mental illnesses.
In addition to my personal needs, I used to be a school teacher for 11 to 19 year olds, and part of my job included what was then known as being the ‘Special Needs Liason’ for my department – I needed to help ensure our resources and teaching methods accomodated as many different learning types and styles as possible.
For the purposes of this article, I’m writing from the perspective of neurodivergent conditions that impact reading and processing of information, drawing from both my personal and professional experiences.
Design Approach
One important aspect to consider is that designing for neurodivergent brains, including cognitive disabilities, starts before the pattern writing process. Because our brains process information differently, designs need to be more intuitive and logical, with fewer executive function hurdles (decision making steps). This means accessibility for neurdovergent folk needs to be built into the construction (how it’s put together) and the grading (how the different sizes are worked).
This means considering grading before casting on the sample. This doesn’t just improve design and pattern writing skills, it also helps in considering how accessible a pattern will for a wide range of needs.
For me and my patterns, wherever possible I avoid designs that require different sets of instructions for different sizes. I also avoid instructions that have broken or incomplete repeats – i.e. the repeats will work for all sizes. It isn’t always possible to achieve this in every design, but it is something I work hard to minimise.
I start designing a Hat from the crown down, regardless of which way it will be knit. By this I mean I start with the crown maths, which in turn ensures mathematical continuity all the way through a design, forming an invisible yet integral design structure. This not only helps a design flow and feel more intuitive but also helps folk, especially nuerodivergent folk, visualise how a design comes together.
One example of this would be a sideways constructed Hat. Sideways knit Hats are made by knitting consecutive panels (or wedges) until the Hat is complete. The instructions for one panel is generally short with minimal grading, and is repeated over and over until the Hat fits. Short, easy to follow instructions that are easily memorable. e.g:
Repeat these 44 rows a further [6, 7, 8, 9] times for a total of 7 [8, 9, 10] panels.
Another example would be a vertically knit Hat where the instructions for the brim, body and crown are clearly labelled, and where the repeat instructions work for each size. A stitch pattern may need to be repeated a different amount of times for each size, but the repeat is always complete, with few or no additional steps, to finish a row or round. e.g.:
Rnd 1: *K1, yo, K3, ssk, K8, k2tog, K3, yo; rpt from * to end
Presenting Instructions
Designing a pattern with the above points in mind makes writing the pattern much easier, because how the different sizes will work, how the different parts of the pattern are presented, and how they connect have already been worked out.
The next thing to consider is keeping the instructions short and succinct, with plenty of white space and clear headings.
It isn’t always possible to keep instructions short, as it is very design dependant, but I keep this in mind when designing my Hat patterns. If a design gets too wordy or unwieldy, it gets ripped out and started again. I spend a lot of time refining my designs so that instructions are more intuitive, easily memorised, and use markers or other visual clues to help reinforce the instructions.
White space is really important in helping our brains process information, but at the same time too much can be just as difficult. I keep consistent margin sizes within my patterns, as well as line breaks and paragraph spacing. I avoid long paragraphs, as walls of text are particularly difficult to process. In combination with frequent paragraph breaks, headers are used to help guide you through.
Columns within a pattern are incredibly useful, but this is one area where it depends on the pattern and the neurotype reading it. As my instructions and repeat rows/rounds tend to be short, a 2-column presentation in my standard layout is most effective for the majority of people. I do have a low-vision/screen-reader format that is single column in large text, but I haven’t yet converted all of my patterns to this 2nd format.
Clear headers are used for the different sections of the pattern, and they are presented in chronological order.
Information Hierarchy
This is particularly important for ensuring brains with processing disorders don’t get confused. In short, this means presenting the most important information first – my patterns start with all the material requirements, gauge and sizing information on the first page.
Then the Abbreviations are given, followed by any pattern notes – this could be information about adjusting the pattern, how yarns are combined, or anything that needs to be noted before you start. This way there are no hidden surprises at the end, and it helps reduce the risk of rushing into a pattern and missing important details.
Pattern Length
The more text there is, and/or the more steps there are, the more difficult it is for a person with a cognitive disability, or aprocessing, memory or executive functioning disorder, to follow a set of instructions.
I don’t include romance text, or the story behind a design, in my patterns or even on the pattern pages. Whilst I know it’s good for marketing, I keep that sort of thing purely for marketing – blog posts, Instagram and so on. This allows me to focus on the important information – the instructions! – without concern about overwhelming someone or asking them to read or process too much information.
Page count is kept to a minimum. I do see my patterns as educational resources, and provide in-depth photographic tutorials to help guide knitters through unfamiliar techniques. However, I don’t include all of these tutorials within the patterns themselves, as that would quickly becoming overwhelming with so many pages to sort through. Instead, I provide download links for the tutorials, so that you can download them as needed. If you’ve already downloaded and learnt a technique from a previous pattern, there’s no need to add to the page count by including it again!
Charts
Charts within knitting patterns can bring about strong opinions, and there isn’t one method that works for everyone. For instance I have trouble with the charting notion where the chart shows what’s happening on the right side of the work – it means, if I’m working flat, that I have an extra translation hurdle to jump in my head. I prefer charts that are instructional, and where the symbols represent what’s happening with the stitch.
Within my patterns, where charts are included, they will nearly always be a full chart for the entire pattern. The chart page is self-sufficient, meaning wherever possible there will be little to no reference to the written instructions needed. The Abbrevations and any additional notes, including how to start and finish the Hat, will in the majority of cases also be included on the chart page.
I do not use colour in my charts. I find a lot of colour use, a variety in colour use distracting, so for my own needs as well as colourblind accessibility needs, as well as printing needs, all of my charts are in greyscale with high contrast symbols and repeat boxes. Where more than 3 colours are used in a chart symbols are used to represent colours, and knitters can print them off and colour those in as they prefer.
I hope this overview of how I’ve approached neurodivergent accessibility needs helps! I know I won’t be able to design, write and present my patterns to suit every brain and neurotype, but I have tried to cover as many as possible based on my personal and professional experience. I’m always keen to hear how my patterns work for you, so do leave a comment!
And if you’d like to try a sample pattern, you can download the Meret for free to see if my pattern writing style suits you 🙂
0 Comments