Frequently asked questions

What is Colorwork Studio?

Colorwork Studio is an online tool for charting knit colorwork and previewing it in the actual yarns you'll knit with. Instead of flat color blocks, swatches are rendered from high-quality photographs of real yarn, so you can see how a color combination will read before casting on.

Do I need an account?

You can open the studio and experiment without one. To save your patterns and share them with others, you'll need an account with a verified email address.

Why do the yarn colors look different on my screen?

There are two things you can try:

1. Try looking at the colors of your swatch or yarns outside in direct sunlight. We intentionally use professional-grade studio lighting that mimics sunlight when photographing our source yarns. Indoor or overcast lighting is way too variable to produce "reference" images, so we use a light source that should be available to everyone.
2. You can color-calibrate your screen. We used a color-calibrated screen to ensure our yarn photographs match reality (in sunlight). Without calibration, every screen will have its own, unique rendition of colors. This requires a physical, hardware calibration tool called a "colorimeter" for best results.

What devices and browsers are supported?

For the best experience we recommend a desktop computer running the Chrome browser. Other modern browsers generally work, but desktop Chrome gets you all the features. Mobile devices are currently unsupported.

Who can see my patterns?

Patterns saved on the free tier are public: anyone with the link can view them. You stay in control of copying — each pattern has sharing settings for whether others may make an editable copy, and whether those copies can be shared onward. Private and unlisted (link-only) visibility are planned for upcoming paid tiers. See the docs for details and example setups.

Can I use it with patterns I sell?

Keep in mind that saved patterns are currently public, so anyone with the link can view them — but you can prevent others from saving an editable copy via the sharing settings. Link-only (unlisted) sharing, a better fit for paid patterns, is planned for upcoming paid tiers. The sharing section of the docs walks through the current options.

The yarn I use isn't in the tool. Can it be added?

We're growing the yarn library. Tell us what you'd like to see at team@colorwork.studio.

What does "alpha" mean?

Colorwork Studio is under active development: features are still arriving and details may change. Feedback is very welcome, it shapes what gets built next.

How do I stay updated or get help?

Join our Google Group to chat with other users or get news about features and releases, or email us directly at team@colorwork.studio.