E-books, Ease of Use, and Reviews

Ease of use isn’t something I normally think about while writing book reviews. I should. If a book doesn’t have proper chapter headings and a table of contents, you can’t scroll through the chapters. This isn’t normally a problem, but what if you’re on Chapter 10 and decide to reread Chapter 3 …Without ‘em, you must go back to the first page, scroll through it, and waste your precious kindle battery skimming for Chapter 3. Let’s say after re-reading it, you want to skip back to Chapter 10…I hope you bookmarked it. Otherwise, you’ll be spending the next hour scrolling, skimming, and cursing the idiot who decided the book didn’t need the most basic amenity–a table of contents.

Some will argue this is Kindle’s downside. It’s not. If the book is properly formatted, you won’t have problems. However, if the file creator took shortcuts and/or flat-out flunked HTML 101, go find the Kindle charger because you’re screwed.

On Saturday, I learned the book I was reading had previously lost its battle with the e-book formatting gremlins. (Either that or the publisher was lazy. Take your pick.)

In response, I’ve tweaked my book review template.

If I can’t scroll to the next chapter with the navigation button…4 out of 5 ease-of-use stars.

If you didn’t use a symbol for scene breaks and one of lands on the next page (on my kindle, not yours) without a big gap at the bottom of the previous page…3 out of 5 ease-of-use stars.

A two or one is possible, but you’d have to do something egregious like center and italicize the entire book. Of course, then I won’t finish reading your book, much less review it.

What formatting problems will make you put down an e-book? Should ease-of-use be weighted less than grammar?

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Step 7: Finalize and Use | chart.

Layers: 7 (Layer 1, Numbers, Line [invisible], Purls, Cable, bg, key)

Scroll down for written instructions.

1. Document > Properties
2. Double click background by deleting 00 at end and changing to FF.
3. Click Fit Page to selection (without selecting any chart elements) to change the document size to your chart size.
4. For PNG:
   1. File > Export Bitmap.
   2. Change DPI to 300 and select either page or drawing.
5. For SVG:
   1. Unlock all layers and delete the line layer.
   2. Edit > Select All in All Layers.
   3. Path > Object to Path.
   4. Save either as the default Inkscape svg, a plain svg, or a compressed svg.
6. For PDF:
   1. File > Save As and select PDF.

Transparent images are wonderful, and I swear by them. However, they do not play nicely with some versions of MS Word or Internet Explorer. Thus, I have added the extra step edit your background step. SVGs are also wonderful, but as I noted in the introduction, they are not suited to production use thanks to Internet Explorer.

And now we’ve reached the end of the exceedingly long, but thorough (I hope) Inkscape charting tutorial. Where will Inkscape take us next? Hm… I’m not sure, but I’m thinking either schematics or crochet.

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Step 6.2: Create a Key

Layers: 7 (Layer 1, Numbers, Line [invisible], Purls, Cable, bg, key)

Scroll down for written instructions.

1. For cable stitches
   1. Drag your vertical guides in your cable key stitch until the outer ones are slightly inside the stitch.
   2. Add vertical guides centered on each grid line.
   3. Edit your horizontal guides in your cable key stitch until the outer ones are slightly inside the stitch.
   4. Click “Draw Bezier curves and straight lines”.
   5. Duplicate the cross point with straight lines.
   6. Edit as needed.
2. For purls
   1. Unlock your purl layer. Copy a purl.
   2. Turn off snapping.
   3. Lock purl layer and switch to the key layer.
   4. Paste the purl stitch and drag it into place.
   5. Repeat this section as needed for each stitch type.
3. Adjust vertical guides so you have one at left and right edge of your background.
4. Click “A” and draw a text box so it snaps to the two guides you just edited.
5. Set the font to Garamond 22, center.
6. Type “Sample Chart”.

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Step 6.1: Create a Key

Layers: 7 (Layer 1, Numbers, Line [invisible], Purls, Cable, bg, key)

Scroll down for written instructions.

1. Lock all unlocked layers.
2. Add a new layer above the others and name it “key”.
3. Edit the moved grid line (ex. 284) and move it back to the edge.
4. Select the “A” tool.
5. Type “Key”.
   Tip: My favorite fonts for keys are Arial and Helvetica Neue.
6. Create rectangle.
   1. Set Fill to #ffffffff and stroke to #000000ff, 1px, hard join.
   2. Set height and width to 18 x 18. (The same as you used for your X and Y grid spacing.)
7. Drag it into place.
8. Create a horizontal guide at the bottom of the square.
9. Create a second horizontal guide and edit it so it is 1/2 the grid square height from the top edge.
10. Add another rectangle and repeat guides.
11. Do this for each stitch type.
12. For cables, go to Render > Cartesian Grid. Set your Major X Divisions to the total number of stitches across for your cable stitch (Ex. 4). Set the Major Y Divisions to 1.
13. Drag it into place.
14. Alter guides to how you set them for the purl layer, but consider each square separately.
15. Click “A”. Set to Arial, 12.
    1. Create the key text for your first stitch.
    2. Repeat for each stitch and drag into place.

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Step 5: Make it Pretty

Layers: 6 (Layer 1, Numbers, Line [invisible], Purls, Cable)

Scroll down for written instructions.

1. Lock all unlocked layers.
2. Create a new layer called “bg” below current and move it until it is below all your layers.
3. Unlock Layer 1.
4. Select your grid and jot down its measurement. (Ex. 182 x 182)
5. Lock Layer 1.
6. Select the bg layer.
7. Click “Create Rectangles and Squares” tool and draw a square over the grid area.
   1. Adjust the rectangle’s width to the width of your grid plus your Major X spacing plus your Major X spacing.
   182 + 18 + 18 = 218
8. Adjust the rectangle’s height to the height of your grid plus your Major Y spacing.
   182 + 18 = 200
9. Set a background color.
10. Adjust your horizontal guide until it is flush with the top of the border.
11. Create a new vertical guide that is centered on the left border line of your grid.
    1. Edit its value to a whole number. (Ex. 284)
    2. Subtract the Major X Spacing and set the X value to this number.
    284 – 18 = 266
12. Drag your rectangle until it snaps into place at the intersection of the two guides you just created.
13. Right click > Fill and Stroke.
    • Stroke: 80% Gray (#333333FF)
    • Stroke Style: 1.1 px, square corners
    • Fill: 2.5% Gray (#f9f9f9ff)
14. Draw in the middle of the previous one. Turn off the stroke. Set the fill to white (#ffffffff).
15. Set the width and height to the grid’s width and height. (Ex. 182 x 182)
16. Create a new guide flush with the left border edge.
17. Drag the white grid to until it snaps flush with the left and top borders.
18. Lock the bg layer.
19. Unlock the cable layer and select one of your cable elements. Adjust each cable element so it has a fill of #ffffff7f. (i.e. A white background with a 127 alpha transparency.)

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Step 4.2: Add Your Cables

Layers: 5 (Layer 1, Numbers, Line, Purls, Cable)

Scroll down for written instructions.

1. After completing the cable, edit your vertical guides so you have one at each intersect point.
2. Click “Edit Paths by Node” and click on one your intersect point. Move the middle point until the side is in-line with the cable front and the point is on the grid line.

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Step 4.1: Add Your Cables

Layers: 5 (Layer 1, Numbers, Line, Purls, Cable)

As cables are borderline art, watch the videos to see the process before attempting the instructions.

1. Lock all unlocked layers.
2. Create new layer named "cable" above all other layers.
3. Select "Draw Bezier Curves and Straight Line Tools" (between calligraphic pen and pencil).
4. Click outside the grid.
5. Click in a second point and double click to set the line.
6. Right click on the new line and go to "Fill and Stroke".
7. Click X to turn off Fill.
8. Change the stroke color to navy blue.
9. Set your stroke style to 3 px, round join, round cap.
10. Delete your example.
11. Edit your guides.
    1. Move one to the bottom of the top grid line.
    2. Move another to the top of the bottom grid line.
    3. Edit your vertical guides so you have a guide separating each group of stitches. (For example, a c4f has 2 groups. Thus it gets 3 guides.)
    4. Edit your horizontal guides so you have one at the top and bottom of each row with a cross point. (These are the same rows you added the lines to earlier.)
12. With your "Draw Bezier Curves and Straight Line Tools", trace the cable. (See the video.)

     

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Step 3: Add Your Purl Stitches

Layers: 4 (Layer 1, Numbers, Line, Purls)

Scroll down for written instructions.

1. Lock all unlocked layers.
2. Create a new layer above the line layer. Name it purl.
3. Adjust each horizontal row guide so it is 1/3 from the bottom of the row.
   1. Double click the guide and edit the Y value by subtracting 1/3 of the row height.
      Ex. 658 – 6 = 652
4. Adjust any double digit stitch row guides so they are also 1/3 from the left side of the stitch.
5. Draw a box with the A tool outside the grid.
6. Set the font to "Knitting Symbols by CET", 12.
7. Type "/" for a purl symbol.
8. Click the select tool.
9. Copy the purl.
10. Paste several more outside the grid.
11. Drag them individually into a column with snapping turned on.
12. After you’ve finished one column, go to select.
13. Draw a box around the entire purl column. Copy.
14. Paste outside the grid and drag the entire column into position.

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Step 2: Sketch the Cable Fronts

Layers: 3 (Layer 1, Numbers, Line)

Scroll down for written instructions.

1. Lock all unlocked layers.
2. Layer > New Layer
   1. Name it "line" and place it above all your other layers.
3. Select the calligraphic brush tool and draw a line in a random spot.
4. Click select.
5. Right click on the line you drew and go to "Fill and Stroke".
6. Click the X under Fill to turn off the fill.
7. Shift + click on a bright color in the Palette to set the stroke color.
8. Change the stroke size to 1.
9. Click the calligraphic brush again.
10. Select what you just drew and delete it.
11. Roughly sketch the front of your cable where the stitches cross one another or shift to the right or left.

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Step 1.3: Create and Number Your Grid

Layers: 2 (Layer 1, Numbers)

Scroll down for written instructions.

1. Create stitch numbers.
   1. Click A.
   2. Set to Arial, 12, align left.
   3. Click outside your grid.
   4. Type “10″.
   5. Click select.
   6. Copy the “10″.
   7. Paste it outside your grid.
   8. Repeat this for each stitch number.
   9. Edit the values to the appropriate ones.
   Do these individually. Do not use spaces. If you do use spaces instead, the result tends to be very ugly because it relies on the font spacing, which means you may have 1 space between one number and 2 spaces between the next, depending on the character width and kern.

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