Alan Dart » Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve downloaded a pattern to my iPad but can no longer find it.

admin — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 10:51:24 +0000

You need to save the pdf file as well as downloading it.

1. Check that you have the free iBooks app installed on your iPad.

2. Download the pattern as usual. You can test this method by downloading the free Furry Fairies pattern.

3. When the pattern has downloaded completely, touch the very top of the pattern page and, briefly, two labels will show. One says ‘open in iBooks’ and the other ‘open in …’. Touch the iBooks one and the pattern will open on the pdf shelf of iBooks, and will remain there until you delete it. The second label will list any other apps you have on the iPad that will open and save the pattern, but iBooks is the best.

4. Should you need to print the pattern from your iPad, and don’t have an Airprint compatible printer, you can use PRINTOPIA, although this only works via a mac. Download the software to your mac (from ecamm.com/mac/printopia – there’s a 7 day free demo). When you want to print from your iPad you choose ‘print’ on that and it finds your computer wirelessly and uses any switched-on printer that is attached to the computer.

I haven’t downloaded a PDF file before. Would you describe what happens?

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:48:26 +0000

Once you’ve paid for your order through PayPal you will be directed to a page from which you can download the pattern(s). Click (once only) on each ‘download’ button in turn and your computer should ask you where you would like the file to be saved. Each computer has a different way of doing this, but the main point is to save the file to your hard disk, because if you click on the ‘download’ button again (or double-click in the first place) you will lose the file. Once saved, you can open each pattern, using Adobe Acrobat Reader, and then print it out. Should you have any problems and are unable to download all or part of your order, then please write to me via the ‘contact’ page of this website. Don’t forget to give details of the patterns you have ordered, the order number, and the email address you used when placing the order. I will then be able to send you replacement patterns as attachments to an email. If you’re in a different time zone from the UK, then please bear this in mind and don’t expect an immediate response.

I’m new to knitting, so are any of your patterns suitable for a beginner?

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:46:37 +0000

Although my patterns only use basic knitting techniques, most contain a good deal of shaping. However, if you take things slowly, and follow the instructions line-by-line, then you should have no problems. You could download one of the free patterns (Chick and Egg or Furry Fairies) to see how I write the instructions, and you may like to join the Alan Dart Group on Ravelry, because this has a Rapid Response Team who are there to help members with any queries regarding the knitting and making-up of my designs. They are a lovely group of people, many of whom will also be beginners, and I’m sure they would be more than happy to give you any advice you might need.

I’m having difficulty getting the head to stay upright, even though I have followed the instructions and made a neck former from a drinking straw. I also can’t get some of my toys to stand up on their own. What am I doing wrong?

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:39:48 +0000

The toys in all the photographs you see on the website standing on their own, and have no hidden means of support. I suspect the stuffing you are using is too dense, which makes the head too heavy for the neck, legs or feet to support, and I always use a very light, ‘high loft’, toy stuffing, as this gives bulk without being weighty. In the UK you can buy this stuffing online or by phone from Dainty Supplies. It’s worth paying a little extra for this because cheaper stuffings weigh much heavier but also compact, which means you end up using more. You should also remember that you won’t get a good result if you simply push a large amount of stuffing inside, and you should gradually add small amounts of stuffing and mould the piece between your hands as you do this to achieve the shape.

I don’t have a PayPal account, and don’t want to open one. Can I pay for my order by another method?

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:37:14 +0000

You don’t need to have an account to pay via PayPal, and can choose to use a credit or debit card instead. You will given this option when you are redirected to the PayPal page after you have proceeded through checkout.

If I knit all the pieces first, I sometimes forget which piece is which. What can I do about this?

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:05:25 +0000

Why not pin a little label on to the right side of each piece after you have knitted it? This is also particularly helpful when using textured yarns where it is sometimes difficult to tell which is the right and wrong side

You sometimes use plastic safety eyes or felt dot eyes on your toys. Are these suitable if the toy is to be given to a baby, or should I substitute with something else?

admin — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:02:27 +0000

If you’re making the toy for a baby or toddler under 3 years old, it’s probably wiser to embroider the eyes, using yarn and working a tiny circle of chain stitches. Some of my patterns use this method, usually splitting the yarn so you only use two strands for the embroidery.

Why is my toy so much larger than the size given? It took more yarn and stuffing than quoted in the pattern too.

admin — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:01:42 +0000

You probably didn’t check your tension first. I know it’s boring, but it is the only way to make absolutely sure that you get a perfect finish. All my designs are knitted with smaller needles than those recommended for the yarn used, as this makes a firm fabric through which you can’t see the stuffing. If your tension is too loose, you’ll need to adjust the needle size until the number of stitches and rows match those quoted in the pattern. The looser your tension, the larger the finished toy will be, and the more yarn and stuffing you will use.

Where can I buy the patterns you designed of well-known characters like Brambly Hedge and Beatrix Potter? I have seen copies for sale but believe these aren’t legal.

admin — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:57:28 +0000

All the patterns for these and other licensed characters are now long out of print and the licenses to sell them have expired. A licensed character is one that appears in other mediums, such as books, films, or television programmes and, although I own the copyright to the instructions, I can’t legally release the patterns again until a company that prints knitting leaflets pays for the use of the license. You may be able to find some original patterns offered for sale, but photocopies, CDs and downloads of these designs are illegal because they not only infringe my copyright but also that of the license holders, and I’d be most grateful if you would report these sellers to me.

Some of your patterns use ‘towelling effect yarn’. What is this?

admin — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:56:32 +0000

The yarn used for these patterns was Sirdar Snowflake DK, which was discontinued for a short while, but then re-introduced as a baby yarn, in pastel shades and in smaller balls, under the name of Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK. If you are unable to find this yarn there are alternatives available, such as Wendy’s Peter Pan Velvet Touch or Darling, produced by Thomas Ramsden & Co., although any double knitting equivalent can be substituted as long as the tension remains the same as that quoted in the pattern.