The Knitting Fiend

See my “proto-shawl?”

At The Knitting Fiend Forum, Barbara J. asked:

I am stuck. I was at a knitting store recently and saw a pie wedge shawl knit with Helen’s Lace yarn from “Lorna’s Lace”. The pattern was on the yarn label. I did not buy it, but hoped to find a similar pattern online (to save myself $52.00). On www.thedietdiary.com/knitting fiend I found “How to Shape Short Row Pie Wedge Shawl Version”. First I cannot figure out if the finished shawl would be the shape of a half circle or if it is a U shape. I want a half circle. Second, the calculator is set up for you to enter your own numbers, depending on your gauge, etc., but I cannot figure out how to make it do the computations for me.

Now, I’m not sure Barbara realized it, but I’m the person who wrote that calculator, and it can chart up a pie-wedge type shawl. (That is, a semicircular shawl knit sideways using short rows.) In fact, that calculator can be used to create a variety of shawls. You can make a semi-circular shawl, a u shaped shawl, and, depending on how tolerant you are of complicated short row instructions, you can divide the thing into very few wedges or zillions of wedges.

That said, I wrote the calculator for a specific person who had designed a number of things but just wanted to know something about calculating sideways knit shawls. So, there are few no tips on what to do if you really aren’t “into” designing your own stuff.

Anyway, to help Barbara, I had to find out what she really wanted to make. I asked. It turns out Barbara wants one to make the shawl pictured just to the right (knit by Dee of BlackDog Knitting.)

Ok, what’s the difference between the types of pie wedge shawls my calculator supposedly creates and the one Dee knit? Well, notice those curvedlines of little holes formed on Dee’s shawl? They curve because the short rows are single and not paired. If she’d worked paired short rows, the lines would form straight rays coming out of the center. Shawls shaped with single short rows would be similar, but not quite the same as those knit with paired short rows.

So, that’s a geometric difference and is therefor a fundamental difference. The other differences are related to decorative effects. My old calculator doesn’t make any suggestions about trimming the edges; the knitter has to decide for herself. My calculator doesn’t show a knit sample (scary!!!) And finally, my calculator doesn’t make suggestions about different ways to work the short rows– each of which can have different decorative effects. (Would you like a series of little holes to show the curved lines? Hate them? You can whichever you want depending on how you work the short rows!)

So, I’m fiddling a bit, testing an edging I thought might be pretty, and also trying a variety of ways to work short rows. I’m also verifying that 6 wedges should come out to a semi circle. I’ve knit three; the geometry looks on target! When I’m done, my doll Colocha will model this shawl.

So you want the calculator and the directions for the trim? I’ll write the calculator and describe how to make the shawl, the trim and everything this week.

The whole thing is pretty easy to do, but I’m planning some variations on the trim. I want to explain how and why I am doing the variations, which means that, yes, I’ll go “on and on and on” as I am so often do! Later on, I’ll publish the calculator, and if you want to make your own you can!