Hi all! I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to knit a crescent shape. I made a little graphic to show what I mean. I know how to use short rows to get a something like A, but I want something more like B. I fiddled around a little with some yarn, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful so I thought I’d ask here. (Why re-invent – or as EZ would say, “unvent” – the crescent if someone can tell me how to do it, right?)
I tried starting at the bottom, using short rows to make the bump in the middle along with increases to make the ends spread out, but it still looked pretty much like A. Do you think more dramatic increasing would help? Or, do you think I should try doing it sideways instead, starting at one tip and do increases and decreases on the edges until I get to the other tip? Is there a better way? TIA!
ETA: I just realized that my depiction of A is wrong. It should actually be an almond shape. I’m deleting the old pic from the thread so as not to confuse anyone who might be looking at this later. :oops:
I’ve never seen a pattern for this shape, but I think you’d need to start with 1 or 2 sts and increase both sides on every row for a few rows, then use short rows and increase on the outside only, or only occasionally on the inside.
Thanks for the quick response Sue. If I understand you correctly, you are suggesting a technique similar to dividing for a neck, by adding a second ball of yarn, right? You start out with one ball at what will become the curved edge, do increases at both side edges (while going back and forth), and then add another ball in the center where the two sides are going to divide. Then one of the balls continues on to form the right tip (using decreasing), while the other forms the left tip. Is that right? You know, I did consider that yesterday, but I was so intent on getting the short row/increasing thing to work that I didn’t really investigate it. (Thanks for reminding me, because I totally forgot about that option!) Maybe more experimentation is in store… If anyone has any other ideas, please chime in!
ETA: Sue, I read your post again, and now I don’t think that’s what you meant. If so, could you try explaining it to me again? Sometimes my brain gets stuck in a rut.
No, use only one ball of yarn. CO 2 sts, say. Then inc in both of them on the next row - that’s 4 sts. The row after that, inc on each end - 6 sts total. Inc both ends the next row - 8 sts. This begins to look like a V. Then you may want to only increase at the beginning of the row. Next row - increase at the end. Next row, inc on both the beginning and end of the row; next row, inc only on the end of the row.
At some point, you may need to use short rows to make the outside edge curve while the inside edge doesn’t. So you would inc at the beginning, work about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way across, then turn your work, leaving the rest of the stitches on the needle, and go back, inc at the end of the row. The next row, inc at the beginning, then go all the way across and turn, going back with an inc at the end of that row.
Just play around with the increases and short rows until it starts looking like the shape you want.
Thanks again, Sue. I think I can envision what you mean now, but we’ll see what happens when I actually try it out on the needles tomorrow – what I see in my head and what actually comes out are often two different things. :teehee:
And looking at the shape again, you may be increasing on the inside edge while also decreasing at the outside edge too. Just take some leftover yarn and fool around with the stitches until it begins to look like what you want.
I just started knitting the Brea Bag, from Berroco. It is a crescent shape and is the coolest thing – because of the shaping, the ends of the very first row become the top points of the crescent.
I don’t know exactly how it would work without all the cable/rib/moss business that this pattern has, but it might give you something to work with.
Thanks for remembering this old post, knitqueen! The project I wanted to figure out the shaping for has been on the back burner while I indulge my current sock-knitting obsession, but I will definitely go check out that link.
