Pattern writing & designing for Cognitive Accessibility

When it comes to cognitive disabilities, making accessible patterns isn’t just about the format they’re presented in; we also need to consider how they’re constructed during the design process, and how we approach pattern writing.

Cognitive disabilities can vary greatly in their needs and severity, and there are many different types. But two key things that they all share and that need to be considered when it comes to accessibility are memory and executive function.

Making our patterns accessible for cognitive disabilities can be different to making them accessible for visual or other types of disabilities, and sometimes what’s accessible for one may not be accessible for the other. But if we want to work towards true accessibility then cognitive impairment needs to be considered, too.

I have ADHD and Autism, which are both cognitive disabilities, and have Alzheimer’s and Dementia on both sides of my family. I’m happy to share what I’ve learnt over the years, and what helps me.

Formatting, Space and Information Hierarchy

• break up paragraphs, and avoid walls of text - whether it be words or numbers. This is Accessibility 101 for many disabilities but it’s particularly important for cognitive disabilities. If there’s a list of instructions that aren’t numbered or aren’t part of the main pattern, bullet points are really helpful. Use clear headings and try to break things up into logical sections.

• similarly, whilst extra information about the pattern i.e. why you came up with the design or the story behind it may seem like a nice extras, they’re distracting and can cause someone to forget what they’re doing. Keep those out of the actual pattern if you can, or put them at the end if they’re not necessary, so that the important stuff comes first - you don’t want to overwhelm or derail someone before they’ve even started.

• keep how you present your documents as consistent as you can so that folks can become familiar with how you do things. If things move around or things change or something unexpected happens, it can really throw someone off.

  One of the things I really struggle with is the way a shop or website will change things around or rebrand. It doesn’t matter whether they add new signs for things, I’ve lost my routine and any familiarity, and I have to start from scratch learning a new system. And learning a new system is incredibly exhausting, and the loss of familiarity can cause a panic attack or meltdown.

Abbreviations and Common Terms

• abbreviations can be a hurdle but rather than remove them all, it might be better to think of how many are used within a pattern, and how. A few abbreviations may not pose a problem if they’re used regularly, as things that are consistently repeated are easier to remember. But a technique or abbreviation that’s only used once, even if it’s fully written out, could be a stumbling point.

  For instance if you can use one decrease or increase method throughout, that’s far more helpful and accessible than switching between decrease or increase methods. Or if you use two types of decreases, should you wish to mirror them, use them consistently throughout and avoid changing their context.

• common terms are often ambiguous. For example if you want someone to pick up and knit stitches for a section, don’t just say ‘pick up stitches’ - be specific and say ‘pick up and knit’ or conversely ‘pick up but do not knit’.

  There’s a lot of common terms in knitting that everyone thinks everyone knows but actually, people interpret those differently if they’re not specific. We see lots of new knitters struggle with these kinds of terms, or knitters for whom English isn’t their first language, so imagine how it must be for someone with a cognitive disability, who is unlikely to be able to retrain their brain to remember the assumed meaning. It’s better to be specific, direct and clear.

Presenting Instructions

• if you can, avoid long instructions, repeats or even long documents. The more text there is to keep track of or navigate through, the easier it is to get lost, especially if clear headings are lacking. Keep things as brief and as succinct as possible, whilst also avoiding ambiguity - which is easier said than done, I know.

  There are tools to help folk keep track of things but they’re not much use if we forget that we have those tools because they’re not used often, or if they come with a steep learning curve, or if the instructions to use them aren’t written with cognitive disabilities in mind. I can’t tell you the amount of tracking or memory apps I’ve downloaded or purchased then given up on because they’re not designed with my disabilities in mind.

• columns can be helpful, but not always, and it really does depend. For instance I find single-column pages really hard to follow if the lines of instructions aren’t long enough to cover 3 or 4 lines - I lose my place very quickly. A 2-column layout is better for me with patterns like mine where the lines of instructions tend to shorter in general.

• where possible avoid instructions that require too many steps for different sizes or different outcomes. I’ll give some examples of this as it’s not easy for me to explain:

Rnd 5: P 0 [1, 0, 1, 0], ^p2tog, ssp; rpt from ^ to last 0 [2, 2, 0, 0] sts, p2tog 0 [1, 1, 0, 0] times

An instruction like this absolutely screws with my brain and I avoid them as much as possible in my patterns. It’s not the abbreviations, it’s the different steps required at the beginning and then end of the repeat; it’s all the similar numbers and trying to work out which one I should be doing. Even with clear punctuation to break up the steps, it takes me several readings and a quiet room to understand. If this were written out in full, without any abbreviations, it would be an even bigger mess and screw with my brain even more because there’d just be even more text with no reduction in the number of steps I have to take or the decisions I have to make.

What I’d suggest is setting up repeats that don’t require this kind of instruction, and that would work with one repeat for all sizes. This is what I mean when I talk about how making something accessible for cognitive disabilities means you have to think about how something is constructed from the very beginning, and think about how many different steps someone may be asked to take.

Repeat these 44 rows a further [6, 7, 8, 9] times for a total of 7 [8, 9, 10] panels.

On the other hand, an instruction like this for different sizes is much, MUCH easier to follow. This is from one of my sideways knit patterns, so it’s a completely different type of pattern to the one above, but you can use this format for different types of repeats. My sideways patterns are incredibly popular with my Neurodivergent customers and I believe it’s because there’s one short set of instructions repeated over and over - small bite sizes chunks that get repeated are much more likely to be successful with cognitive impairment than longer chunks that are only needed once. Notice also how the total number of repeats are given, as this removes any ambiguity in this kind of instruction.

Charts

• many of us can use charts, and in lots ways charts are easier as there’s less text - numbers or words - to work through. And charts make things much clearer, visually explaining how the instructions come together, thus providing context - and context is critical as it helps us make sense of things we might not be sure of. BUT it does depend on how the charts are presented and the types of symbols used.

• to show repeats in charts I’ve always avoided red, which for some reason is really common amongst designers - I find it aggressive and distracting so I use a much thicker very dark black line for repeat boxes. I avoid colour in my instructions full stop because it’s distracting.

• chart symbols are a whole subject in themselves! The ‘blank square = knit stitch’ short-circuits my brain as it makes no sense to me. I use the symbol family that looks like the stitch the knitter is being asked to make - this is one less step for us to jump through, as although that kind of symbol to stitch translation may be instant in a neurotypical brain, it very much isn’t in ours. Again, not all of our needs are the same but our brains will likely just pass over gaps and miss any inferred meaning so again think about how you’re presenting the steps, and whether the chart symbols visually look like the stitch or the manoeuvre.

• don’t be afraid to reconsider standards, whether it be chart symbols or abbreviations. A lot of what is considered ‘standard’ in our industry has been built on neurotypical - i.e. someone who isn’t neurodivergent or who doesn’t have cognitive impairment - norms. Those ‘standards’ were never developed with us in mind and simply put, to suggest that we should stick to them only perpetuates our exclusion.

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This isn’t a complete list by any means, but I hope it provides some food for thought.

I’ve been wanting to write about this for some time, as I’ve noticed more and more how as whole folks don’t consider cognitive disabilities much when we consider accessibility, or that we only consider cognitive decline as part of the ageing process. Yet there are many of us who, as designers, manage cognitive disabilities daily at any age and I’ve been paying attention to how that comes through in our pattern writing, and the responses we get to that.

Please do share any thoughts you may have about how to improve things for us, or things that have worked for you! Similarly, if you’ve any questions ask away and I’ll do what I can to respond.

Looking at ADHD differently, part 7

All of the free patterns and tutorials on this website are supported by my amazing Patreons! If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be able to continue to produce or host freebies. We'd love to have you join us and in return, you get exclusive behind-the-scenes material, member-only discounts and early access to new free content. Membership starts at $1 per month. You can also say thanks for the freebie via the Tip Jar.

I, Woolly, stand outside against the large silver double decker bus that we call home. I'm wearing black and the early evening light hits my face, highlighting all of my wrinkles. I'm sporting a smirk as a colourful pile of my hand-knit Hats are balanced on my head.

Here's the next post in my series for #ADHDAwareness month where I try and look at the condition I live with through the lens of my work.

As we've mentioned before, thoughts and ideas travel at lightning speed within an ADHD brain. We'll make a decision then act on it in the blink of an eye. Which no doubt seems contradictory to the need to allow us processing time when something unexpected crops up.

The problem is is that we can't control what gets processed, when or how. And that leads folks to doubt and not trust us. But you need to remember that our brains are literally different to yours.

One way to look at it is that we run on a completely different operating system. Our brain's motherboard has an unknown processor and there's a shortage of RAM. Some stuff happens as if by magic, other stuff just doesn't happen at all.

This lack of trust often develops because we'll work something out super quick or know what needs to be done, but we can't always explain how we know. Society places value on using accepted methods because it expects to see linear steps to validate an outcome. An ADHD brain doesn't work that way.

When I'm designing I'll often rework various aspects over and over until they feel right. If pushed I could probably tell you what's wrong but I'll be unlikely to explain exactly what I'm aiming for.

I've had so many lovely messages over the years from folks who've knit my patterns, delighted at the way the maths shines or the poetic way the different elements interact. For a long time I thought myself a fraud as these weren't things I'd particularly paid attention to.

Slowly I started to realise that it wasn't all fluke, that there was method in my madness, and that I produced my best work when I was free of others' expectations. The issue of me not explaining why I'd done a specific thing in a certain way was only a problem to those who felt I should explain. Then I noticed an overlap between those who expected an explanation and those who didn't trust me.

I can't put words to every neuropathway in my brain! And honestly, we shouldn't be expected to to be believed, be considered worthy or valid. I used to think what I did was intuitive or serendipitous; now I know it's my neurodivergences. Either way there is no right or wrong way.

As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding.

Looking at ADHD differently, part 6

All of the free patterns and tutorials on this website are supported by my amazing Patreons! If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be able to continue to produce or host freebies. We'd love to have you join us and in return, you get exclusive behind-the-scenes material, member-only discounts and early access to new free content. Membership starts at $1 per month. You can also say thanks for the freebie via the Tip Jar.

this is another video still of me, Woolly, talking about Hat design, sat within my studio. With the Construct Hat in hand, I'm engagingly looking direct at the camera. I chose this shot because I look determined.

Here's the next post in my series for #ADHDAwareness month where I try and look at the condition I live with through the lens of my work.

For years I listened to folks telling me what to do because I kept trying new things, changing my mind, & that meant I needed direction, right? I'd always been told that my efforts weren't good enough; that no-one does it my way, I should do it this or that way. That I should settle down & make up my mind.

This is really common for ADHD folk. We don't change our minds because we're wrong, we change our minds because something new caught our attention. Every single one of us has been scolded for our inconsistency or changeability. It wears us down. Shame builds up, self-confidence perishes. We no longer trust ourselves. And in turn, we end up taking a lot of wrong paths because we try to conform to a norm that wasn't built with us in mind.

This isn't exclusive to growing up, I've experienced it as an adult, in this industry too. There was a period 5 or 6 years ago when I almost left Hat design because I wasn't enjoying it any more. The amount of helpful 'suggestions' I've received over my 16 years of publishing patterns would surprise you. No doubt folks meant well but to me they were just another person saying I couldn't be trusted.

It took a long time to distance myself from the folk who thought they knew best. I allowed myself to indulge in doing what I really enjoyed doing, then I did it some more. Before long I was loving my work again; my turnover & confidence grew.

Things changed with the Circled collection, then came Elemental. I hyper-focused & published successful collection after successful collection. My sideways designs hadn't been selling up to that point, which always saddened me, but now they were my best sellers.

Like Autistics, ADHD folk can hyper-focus. We also have special interests, though we may cycle through them quicker. There are layers to my special interests 'cos I'm ADHD & Autistic. I'll deep-dive on a 5 Hat collection then switch to a completely different idea & still stay within my special interest. It took 45 years of struggling to learn that my way is absolutely OK.

It really is time for the normative idea that we should settle down, that we should do what's expected of us, to get in the sea. Same goes for unsolicited advice.

Looking at ADHD differently, part 5

All of the free patterns and tutorials on this website are supported by my amazing Patreons! If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be able to continue to produce or host freebies. We'd love to have you join us and in return, you get exclusive behind-the-scenes material, member-only discounts and early access to new free content. Membership starts at $1 per month. You can also say thanks for the freebie via the Tip Jar.

The photograph shows me, sitting in my studio knitting, whilst looking elsewhere, distracted by something or talking to someone. It's an older video still from the #FruityKnitting footage we recorded. I wear black and grey and instead of henna, my hair sports a turquoise quiff against my shaved grey hair. The knitting is gorgeous hand-spun in deep reds and black, which went on to become the #WWHandspunHat sample.

Here's the next post in my series for #ADHDAwareness month where I try and look at the condition I live with through the lens of my work.

Whilst most ADHD folk may not be the externally hyperactive type, the hyperactivity instead firmly in our brains, restlessness is still very much a thing. After all, our brains and bodies aren't separate - one impacts the other.

Us ADHD folk fidget. We flick our fingers, tap our feet, twiddle our hair. We do it as a way to help with processing and concentration. It's a self-regulation method.

The more we need to concentrate on a task, the more we need to fidget. Especially if it's boring, which everything is unless we're interested in it. If we've a lot to process i.e. unexpected news or plan changes, a truck-load of information dumped in one go, or something personal or of great magnitude, we'll tend to fidget.

This is one area where our disability needs are poorly accommodated by society as a whole. We're told to sit still and concentrate. To pay attention, not fiddle. We're not allowed to do something else while we're doing the thing expected of us because you can't comprehend that we need to do more than one thing at a time. Society labels us rude.

Let's look at it another way. When we face boredom our brains create distraction. When we face a processing jam our brains are there, honking the horn.

By fidgeting we distract the distractor. We give it something else to do. Regulation can then kick in.

When I need to write up a pattern I'll have my knitting to hand and a TV series I've watched umpteen times playing. It doesn't distract me because I've heard it all before already. But it provides comfort and the right level of white noise to replace the white noise my brain will create.

If I need to watch or listen for periods of time, you can bet I've got my knitting to hand. The subtle, repetitive movement helps me to listen and pay attention.

Knitting is my fidget aid. I take it everywhere with me, just in case. As you may have started to realise by now, it's no accident that I design and knit as many Hats as I do.

Do us a favour? Let the ADHD folk in your life fidget. It's not rude for us to keep our fingers busy while we talk, or to fiddle while we eat our dinner. If we're not allowed to we invariably find something else to do and then we'll be labelled disruptive.

Looking at ADHD differently, part 4

All of the free patterns and tutorials on this website are supported by my amazing Patreons! If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be able to continue to produce or host freebies. We'd love to have you join us and in return, you get exclusive behind-the-scenes material, member-only discounts and early access to new free content. Membership starts at $1 per month. You can also say thanks for the freebie via the Tip Jar.

The photo shows me sitting in my studio, wearing black, holding up the Ruschia design to the camera. The Hat is silver grey and features a repeat of tapering horizontal lines across garter stitch. I’m caught mid-sentence whilst discussing sideways slouch Hats.

This is the 4th post in my series for ADHD Awareness Month, where I look through the lens of my work to try and raise awareness about ADHD from a different perspective.

The non-linear thinking aspect of ADHD makes me a master at off-tangent rambles. Because so many connections are made at lightning speeds within an ADHD brain, it's hard to focus thoughts and channel them into cohesive words and sentences. This also causes us to forget what we've said or intend to say on a scarily frequent basis.

This is why one of our accessibility needs is to receive information in clear, detailed and succinct formats.

If something isn't fully explained, our brains try to fill in the gaps, and there's a world of possibilities as to what should be in the gaps. If the information is too long, or not well edited or ordered, we can lose focus and drift.

And if it's not broken down clearly, with paragraph breaks or bullet-points, we'll miss details or take so long trying to understand because we'll be processing the information as a whole, causing a bottleneck in our brains.

#ADHD is a cognitive disability.

When we design, we instinctively design to our own needs. So though I may be a master at off-tangent rambling, in the same way that sideways knit Hats reflect so many of my ADHD needs, so it is with my approach to pattern writing.

If a design I'm working on has a loose end that's not easily explained or there's an aspect that leaves room for misinterpretation, the design will be changed or even abandoned.

Repeats will be neatly ordered, I see my patterns as executable code. I aim for logical and memorable instructions, and if different sizes require different instructions then there'll be a tangible relationship between them.

The instructions, and thus the components of the Hat, are broken down into short distinct tasks. Each part is either a clearly defined whole OR clearly connected to the next part. Either way, they'll stay true to the internal mathematical structure. You may not see my logic if I've thrown in something unexpected, but it'll be there.

What I'm trying to say is that it's not just that my pattern writing is ADHD friendly, the designs themselves are.

I believe this may be why so many of you enjoy knitting my patterns. As #UniversalDesign suggests, if something is accessible to one group, it'll be of benefit to others too.