Generate various component shapes

[Terri Oda]

Generator functions for various component shapes. Similar to the sleeve decrease function we already have, you'd want these to take starting/ending stitch counts so they could be customized using actual gauge as needed. Eventually, we'd want to be able to apply pattern fill to all of these.

Some ideas:

Common components (similar to the sweater sleeve decrease function we already have):

• sock toes
• sock heels
• raglan sweater yoke
• round sweater yoke (top down/bottom up?)
• pockets?
• hat - beanie style
• hat - brimmed style
• hat - slouchy style
• hat - other styles?

Shawl shapes:

• square
• rectangle
• biased rectangle
• triangle
• elongated triangle
• asymmetrical triangle(s)
• pi shawl
• half pi shawl
• crescent

More component ideas welcome in the comments, and links describing how these shapes are made would also be helpful!

I'm going to file some shapes individually as I find them so they're easier bugs to work on at one go.

[mp2057]

Raglan sweater
This Youtube video explains the math required to calculate the increases for knitting a top-down raglan yoke
CALCULATE STITCHES FOR TOP DOWN RAGLAN SWEATER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X68JT1hS3wM

Round yoke sweater
This Youtube video explains the math required to calculate the increases for knitting a top-down round yoke
"YOKE MATH - HOW 2 CALCULATE KNIT STITCHES 4 YOKE SWEATERS"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Vs8qUQSys

[mp2057]

Raglan sweater schematic and sizing - Tin Can Knits - Flax pattern
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flax

Typical raglan sizing in cms - these measurements would have to be modified according to the knitter's personal measurements
https://kcguild.org.uk/sharing-knowledge/find-out-more-about-designing/raglan-sizing/

[Terri Oda]

Thank you! Those are very helpful.

[mp2057]

Some information on socks

For a thorough and well-illustrated tutorial on how to knit a basic sock, including heel flap, heel turn, gusset and toes, check out the Winwick Mum sockalong https://www.winwickmum.co.uk/p/sockalong.html

This video shows how to calculate the number of stitches needed for a pair of socks here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKjJid1rSB4 (topic introduced at 1:30 and covered in detail at 6:05)

Sock Math:

1. With your foot on the floor, measure around the widest part of your foot near toes, the ball of your foot. Measure to the nearest .25 inch.

2. Multiply this measurement by your stitch gauge (# of stitches in 1″).

3. Socks should fit snugly, so they should be about 10% smaller than your foot, which is called negative ease. To calculate negative ease, multiply the total stitches (from step 2) by .90.

4. Round the result from Step 3 to the nearest whole number that is a multiple of 4 stitches. The result is the number of stitches to cast on.

Example:

1. Measurement of ball of foot: 8.5″

2. Ball of foot x stitch gauge: 8.5″ x 8 stitches per inch = 68

3. Result from #2 with negative ease adjustment: 68 x .90 = 61.2

4. Round stitches to nearest whole number that is divisible by 4: cast on 60 or 64 stitches. 60 stitches might be too tight so you could cast on 64 stitches.

Toes
A sock toe decreases from the width of the foot to a wedge or cone shape. Knitters can choose from different shapes for a sock toe, including a wedge, a cone or a more rounded shape. Almost all sock toes are formed by decreasing stitches from the foot to the end of the toe.

When to start the sock toe decreases
The answer depends on a knitter’s gauge and the type of toe chosen. Some toe styles decrease more slowly than others. Sock patterns typically tell the knitter to start decreasing for the toe when the sock foot length from the back of the heel is 2 inches less than the length of the knitter’s foot measured from the back of the heel. A knitter who has longer or shorter toes may want to adjust the toe length or shape.

The type of toe that a knitter selects will affect the number of stitches that should be in the sock when starting toe decreases. For example, a wedge toe works best starting from a multiple of 4 stitches, such as 60, 64, 68, 72, 76.

Wedge toe
One of the most common types of toe. The stitches are typically set up with half the stitches for the top of the foot and the other half of the stitches for the sole of the foot. 4 stitches are decreased per round, every other round. The toe is closed with grafting, a technique also known as the Kitchener stitch, when there are 12 or 16 stitches remaining in total.

Variables
Total number of stitches around the foot of the sock
Rounds (rows) per inch in the knitter’s gauge for this project
Final number of stitches left at end of the toe (must be an even number)
Number of stitches to be decreased

Foot stitches - end of toe stitches = number of stitches to be decreased
Number of stitches to be decreased / 4 = number of decrease rounds
Number of decrease rounds * 2 = total number of rounds needed for toe decreases