What better way to be warm than to wear a hand-knitted sweater or cardigan? If you want to make your own to your size and to create your own pattern, this template is for you.

It is an ots spreadsheet that you can work with LibreOffice on any computer (GNU/Linux, Mac OS or Windows) and that can be downloaded for free. It can also be worked with other spreadsheets software.

It works for a basic adult sweater with straight arm holes and a crew-neck (or a turtle-neck), but you also can use it for a cardigan for example. You may have two kinds of measures: by choosing a size or by adding your own measures. Each has a schema that gives the rows, stitches and the measures in cm and in inches. It is based on metric system and converts the measures from it to US/imperial system. But there also is a sheet that converts form US/imperial system to metric.

You can export the spreadsheet in pdf file if you wish, or copy-paste it on a text file to write the pattern and then share your pattern, or publish and sale it if desired.

It was first published on my website aiguilles-magiques.com.

Step 1: The Structure of the Template

While this template has been made with LibreOffice Calc, you can work it with Gnumeric; Excel (you will need to modify the formula that counts the number of skeins required, it is explained ih the sheet “Guide”) because it is an open format file. Like any other template of LibreOffice, you will need to save it as a template (Files > Template) then to use it: File > New > Template. You have similar features in the other softwares.

The sheets of the template are protected without password. You can unprotect them by right clicking on the name of the sheet.

It has seven sheets :

Guide that explains how to use the template,
Pattern on which you have all the calculations to make your pattern,
Schemas that is automatically filled with the data of the sheet Pattern,
Yarn, if you want to document your knitting, it is not linked with the others sheets,
Pers notes that is empty and for you to add any thing you want on the pattern, it is not linked with the others sheets,
Conversion, that is not linked with the others,
Sizes on which the sheets Pattern made all the counts.

Step 2: How It Works

First, you must make a swatch that will be the base of all the maths the spreadsheet makes. Then enter the number of stitches and rows for a "given size" of swatch, for example 10 x 10 cm.

If you want the sheet to counts the amount of yarn you need, you also need to weight the swatch and to add the exact number of stitches and rows you knitted for it (usually a swatch is bigger than what I called the "given size").

Then choose a size (from XS to XXXL) in the drop-down list in B6. You can add the height of the ribs (optional).

If you want to calculate the amount of yarn required, give the length in metres of the skein (hank, ball, cake, what is the name you give to the unit of yarn) and the weight in grammes.

That's all you need to add.

If you want to have you own measures, for some parts of the pattern, or for all, enter them in the green cells "Adaptations".

All the data will show up in the sheet Schemas that can be printed on one page if you want.

Next step : knit it, the software won't make it for you, sorry. :-)