The Correct Way To Design a Triangular Shawl
Prepare for a highly opinionated blog entry today. Today we discuss the correct way to design a triangular shawl.
This Is The Correct Way To Design a Triangular Shawl – And Why
There is a correct direction and an incorrect direction for toilet paper. Similarly, their is a correct direction and an incorrect direction for crocheting or knitting a triangular-shaped shawl.
No, no…that wasn’t a question.
Here’s why you should always design a shawl to decrease, rather than increase.
Scenario 1 – Increasing Triangular Shawl:
You’ve chosen the most perfect yarn for your shawl and wound it into a cake. Your hook or needles are all ready. That first exciting burst of casting on has you excited. You chain 3 stitches and increase to 5 stitches in the next row. Within minutes, you’re up to 25 stitches and your progress is SOARING! So exciting. Fast-forward 3 years. You only have 3 more rows of work to complete this shawl. But the total stitches to be completed is more than the first 2/3rds of the shawl combined! You are totally bored with the yarn by now. If you never see this color again, your life will be complete. You trudge on and force yourself to limp through the last few rows. The shawl needs to be put away for at least 6 months before you can even look at it again.
Scenario 2 – Decreasing Triangular Shawl:
You’ve chosen the most perfect yarn for your shawl and wound it into a cake. Your hook or needles are all ready. That first exciting burst of casting on is somewhat diminished by the fact that you have to chain 3,229 stitches to start. But the excitement of getting to see the stitch pattern emerge carries you through the hardest parts. The first two rows. Then each subsequent row, is fewer and fewer stitches. By the 10th row, you think you can even sense that your work is growing faster. It’s all downhill from here! Before you know it, you’re down to the last few rows and you’re weaving in your ends. And blocking and trying on this brand new beautiful shawl. Look out Instagram! You’re going to get tons of beautiful photos showing off this amazing new shawl.
Now isn’t Scenario 2 obviously better?
So, knitwear and crochet designers…start at the top. Do the hard part first. Let yarn-crafters enjoy the excitement of going faster and faster.
That is all.
Current Crochet
Fortunately, the April Showers shawl is designed correctly.
I’ve finished the hard part already! My work is growing faster and faster and it’s practically finished. In fact, I’m enjoying this crochet pattern so much, I am already planning on doing another one in finer gauge yarn as soon as I finish this one!
Sorry, I’m not convinced. I am not casting on the “hard part” first. I like increasing and don’t think decreasing is nearly as invisible. (But of course there is a “right way” for toilet paper: OVER!)
I agree with you KayT. I can decide if I hate it and need to frog just as easily increasing.
BTW, the “right way” is UNDER !
Over
I like to do the easy part first, and if I run out of yarn before the last row is completed, I back it up and end it at the end of the previous row. Problem solved
You make some convincing points. As with most things I would say “it depends on the individual situation.” As a hand spinner I often have somewhat wonky yarn that I’m not entirely sure even after years of experience just exactly how far it will go and I certainly would never want to waste any more than necessary, I say must do increasing in a pattern that can stop at any time. With commercial yarn and tested patterns though I think you make some very good points.
(Over of course)
I am in general agreement with this as i am currently in the part of a shawl where I have 3,229 stitches/row and about 50 more rows before completion! I can *maybe* do 3-4 rows/day if I’m lucky, but of course my row/day will decrease as the # of stitches increases. Fortunately, this is a mosaic shawl in 4 colors, so the color changes (though slow to arrive!) keep things somewhat interesting. (Over, naturally!)
I think of the toilet paper question, sometimes, as a form and function one. I once had a cat that was troublesome only when the tp was the right way. What to do?
I agree with Chris above. If you increase, you don’t have to worry about running out of yarn. And I have PROOF that under is correct: my husband’s ex-wife puts it over. Lol
Sometimes ex wives are right. Over is correct.
I think it depends on the shawl. I like them sideways. Also, some bottom up shawls start with lace that only makes a pretty edge on the cast on. If there are no worries about running out of yarn, I agree with you.