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New Online Knitting Tool: Waist Shaping Calculator

Mar 27, 2008 by KD Sandi

So it's Friday. It's Spring. Don't you think we all deserve a little teensy goodie today? Yup. We do. That's why here in the Knitting Daily offices, we've spent part of this week cooking up a spring surprise for you:

The Knitting Daily Online Waist Shaping Calculator!

This little wonder widget takes you through the steps we've been talking about in our Waist Shaping 101 mini-course and does the math for you! It asks you for all the pertinent information: stitch and row gauge, hip/waist/bust measurements, desired ease, and the necessary vertical measurements, then gives you stitch counts, row counts, and fills in the blanks for such things as "work decrease row every X row Y times."

A few notes on how to use the calculator:

You can use either inches or centimeters in this calculator--but be sure to be consistent throughout! If you start out entering your gauge in centimeters, then enter all the other measurements in centimeters, too.

You can use either negative ease or positive ease. Put a minus sign in front of the negative ease numbers; enter the positive ease as normal.

Hover your mouse over the little question marks for a definition of that item.

This calculator was designed for bottom-up sweaters. You can also use it for top-down sweaters, provided you remember to flip-flop the increases and decreases. In a top-down sweater, you decrease from bust to waist, and increase from waist to hip; in a bottom-up sweater, you decrease from hip to waist and increase from waist to bust! The calculations are otherwise the same.

Hey crocheters! This same calculator works for you, too!

If you need a reminder as to how all of this works, here are the posts in our Waist Shaping Series that walk you through each step:

Waist Shaping: An Overview

Waist Shaping: From Hem to Hip

Waist Shaping: From Hip to Waist

Waist Shaping: From Waist on Up!

So: Enjoy! And thanks to our talented web programmer Jason, who took my pages and pages of notes and turned them into something easy-to-use!

There's even a couple of buttons so you can easily link to the calculator from your blog or website. Let us know what you think!

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? You know how it is. A friend tells you she's preggers, then invites you over for Easter dinner. Am I the kind of person who can show up without a tiny handknitted baby gift in my hands? No. I am not. Thus, I quickly knitted the most adorable baby jacket ever, the Baby Bolero from the book One Skein.



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Comments

 
GJabouri wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 5:09 PM
Whoo-Hoo - knitting goes high-tech! Thanks for this handy little tool!
StephanieR@3 wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 5:28 PM
Holy enchiladas - you rock!
JillR wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 5:45 PM
Congratulations, fantastic accessory to any knitting pattern, well done!
FelicityE wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 6:12 PM
Wow! You guys are amazing! Thank you!
madnitter wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 6:18 PM
I was just starting a semi-fitted pulloever when the waist shaping calculater arrived in my inbox. Super easy to use and saved me doing all the calculations. Thank you
MayaB wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 6:24 PM
Thank you!!! I already placed the button on my site, what a wonderful surprise!
LouiseR@2 wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 6:39 PM
Your dedication to the craft of knitting is inspiring. Thank you for this tool and the knowhow behind it in the articles.
KimberliP wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 6:58 PM
Fantabulously-fantastic!! As a newer knitter longing to launch into the sweater knitting stratosphere this tool is a god-send! I've been avidly reading and saving the newsletter tips on this topic for future reference, but frankly my mind was a bit numb trying to absorb and understand the math. Now I have your handy-dandy calculator! Yipee...sweater's here I come! Thank you thank you! Wonderful resource. Knitting Daily got brownie points today!
AnnL@3 wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 6:59 PM
I can only "ditto" everything that's been said! Seriously Sandi - you and your cohorts at KD rock!...
mljan wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 7:11 PM
Your waist-shaping tool is better than liposuction! Thanks for the so clever help. With this and my IK subscription, I'm ready to knit up a storm. Or a sweater.
PaulineL wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 7:23 PM
Thank you. That should be very useful for both knitted and crocheted sweaters.
BeverlyK wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 7:33 PM
Fabulous, esp. for those of us who get the concepts but cannot do the math! Thank you.
FrancescaG wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 7:36 PM
This is an awesome tool! And thanks for the blog button, too.
tlkimpel wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 8:20 PM
Wow, the calculator is great! Now I will have to create my own sweater!
KellyT wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 8:25 PM
Saaaweet! Totally Awesome! Thank You everyone for all your hard work!
Marchwind wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 8:45 PM
This is so very cool! Thank you, to whoever, for taking the time to do all the work of making this available to all of us.

Way to go Sandy for posting it too!
CaroleL wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 8:45 PM
Thank YOU! I just began a cotton shell and did most of the calculations for the waist shaping from your wonderful instructional e-mails. Your Waist Shaping Calculator validated that I had done the calculations correctly! Much easier using your program than paper and pencil! Now back to my needles! Your tutorials allow me to be a fearless knitter.
LaurieR wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 8:58 PM
OMG!!! Thank you Sandi, Jason and everyone else at Knitting Daily!!! What an awesome surprise!!!! You guys are awesome!
RoxanneC wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 9:23 PM
I luv it!
Dutchorchidhouse wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 10:24 PM
Awww, man, now I won't have the fun of figuring out all that horrible math and then getting it wrong! Hee hee, ya'll are so wonderful!
TamaraM wrote
on Mar 28, 2008 11:29 PM
Holy !@#$% you guys are amazing! What a perfect calculator. This gets a direct link to my Ravelry page, and a bookmark, and a shout of Hallelujah from the rooftops, just for good measure! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
Tsvete wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 4:04 AM
That's sooo cool! You guys are great! And someone's thought of us poor souls who aren't used to inches and such like :) Thank you!
KarenL@4 wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 4:14 AM
Wow!!! This is sooooo fantastic! What a great idea, and it is so useable too. This wonderful tool will get lots of use, I'm sure!!

THANK YOU!
MandyH wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 4:16 AM
Thanks so much. What an incredibly useful tool. I shall definitely be using this. The links will be useful too for those who have not discovered Knitting Daily for themselves.
AllisonK wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 5:42 AM
This is fantastic! I have been saving all these posts, but it's waaay better to have this tool and keep the posts for the conceptual discussion. In general, I find Knitting Daily to be a super resource. Thank you!
SharonS@7 wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 7:01 AM
Thanks to Jason and the Interweave team. I was looking for shaping instructions this year. You exceeded what I hoped to find.
JeanB@4 wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 7:12 AM
Sandi -- This is GREATTTTTT. Thank you very much :)

Jean
QuinnP wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 7:22 AM
Thank you SO MUCH for this wonderful tool!
just think of all the flatteringly-sweatered folk who will be demonstrating the results!!
A Knitted Brow wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 9:07 AM
You are amazing! What a fabulous online tool. I have been loving all the shaping advice and techniques, and now to have the calculator at my fingertips is just a dream!
Karent15 wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 9:51 AM
Thank you so much for doing this! I read the articles and planned to save them to refer to later, but this is SO much better.
CassieH wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 9:54 AM
Brava! This gives early-stage knitters like me more confidence that yes, we can do it!
RosemarieC wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 10:00 AM
In case you're not sure after the last 30+ comments, this is SOOOO fantastic! Thank you!
JoanK@2 wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 10:07 AM
So, who else but Interweave would be so thoughtful, so helpful, so dedicated to promoting good knitting practices as to synthesize all those great tips on waist shaping into one superb ready-made tool? Thank you is not quite sufficient to express my gratitude. JoanieK
AnneS@3 wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 12:13 PM
This is great! That will solve my waist length issure. Is there an easy way to alter the measurement from your shoulders to your bust? Like adding a torso length measurement into it? I have scoliosis, which makes my waist almost even with my rib cage and a shorter length to my shoulders. I tried on tops the other day, and on almost every one of them, I can pull the shoulders up 1-2" above my shoulders and see how the shirt is supposed to fit, but they never fit me right.

Anne
Ellen W wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 12:23 PM
Thank you! You're giving me the confidence to design my own sweater!
SharonS wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 12:50 PM
I didn't realize how complicated it is to knit a sweater. This widget is terrific. Thank you.
AngieB wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 1:11 PM
Holy COW--I just peed my pants!! haha You guys are like knitting gaurdian angels--there to protect us from the ugliest of ufo disasters...how can I ever thank you enough? HUGS!
angie bratcher
austin-ish
CathyT wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 2:36 PM
Wow! Thank you so much! I've been faithfully reading your pages and wondering how on earth I'd ever get the math right...you've really made my day!
Elizabeth wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 5:33 PM
Thanks Sandi! This is great!
RosyH wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 8:19 PM
This will come in handy so much! Thanks a ton, Sandi!!
KristinB wrote
on Mar 29, 2008 10:45 PM
awesome! I totally needed something like this years ago when I was attempting a crocheted tank...and failed miserably....but maybe I can attempt it again using this lovely tool!
LeslieS wrote
on Mar 30, 2008 2:08 PM
Super duper! Thanx :)
Lana wrote
on Mar 30, 2008 3:36 PM
I like the calculator but it would be nice if it gave calculations for working flat also. I always get 'decrease every 3 rows.' That would mean alternating between the right and the wrong side. Any suggestions?
AmandaS@5 wrote
on Mar 30, 2008 4:32 PM
You guys are fabulous. All the math going on lately was making my head spin...thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mieke_01 wrote
on Mar 30, 2008 6:53 PM
Hi knitting daily folks,

The waist shaping series has been fantastic, thanks! Is it possible to do something similar on sleeve-and-sleeve-hole shaping? All the different shapes and shoulders, so confusing, not to mention how to make them fit together... Thanks heaps! :)
Flowerfrogirl wrote
on Mar 31, 2008 7:13 AM
I keep getting an error message. I know the measurements are correct. Why do I keep getting this message?
Error Calculating Measurements
It appears that some of your measurements are off and resulted in an math error.
LisaJ wrote
on Mar 31, 2008 7:26 AM
Oh, wow! This is so fabulously great and so helpful at the same time. No more math brain freezes for me! Thanks so much for this tool.
Pegperson wrote
on Mar 31, 2008 8:56 PM
I do believe that this calculator should have been out much sooner and the fact that it does all the work for you is even better.

Peggy Stark
RebeccaP wrote
on Apr 2, 2008 7:11 PM
Fantastic.
Love it.
I will definitely put the button up on my site.

Becky
DianaR wrote
on Apr 3, 2008 8:55 PM
What a great idea! The waist shaping calculator is so simple. Thanks to those of you who spent priceless time to create it. How can I have accessibility all the time. I am a certified crochet teacher and I design and sell one-of-a-kind crocheted sweaters. The calculator has made my desiigning more enjoyable. I always hated math! Thank you, thank you.
online calculater wrote
on Jun 2, 2008 3:27 PM

Pingback from  online calculater

KatarinaW wrote
on Jun 12, 2008 11:36 AM

Brilliant! I've just used it for a jumper I'm knitting and I'm eager to start the decresing!

KathleenM@4 wrote
on Dec 29, 2008 1:40 PM
Sandi, I am about to knit an Alice Starmore Fiarisle pullover and I am going to shape the waist. I will have to be carefull not to mess up the pattern. I wore an AS pullover today. I had modified the armholes to get rid of the bulk and made it a high V pullover instead of a cardigan. However when I looked at it today I decided that an additional improvement would be to update the look by shaping the waist. I will try this on the next AS design. I will let you know how it comes out. KM
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