This is the tenth post in a series about different shawl shapes and how to knit them. All the posts in the series can be found right here.

Bias Square

The Bias Square is knit at on a diagonal, starting in one corner and working to its opposite corner. This is accomplished by working a single increase at either edge, every other row through the first half of your shawl, and then working a single decrease at either edge every other row through the second half.

Woven fabric cut on the bias is cut at a 45 degree angle to the warp and weft threads. Since we don’t generally cut our hand knitted fabric, to get fabric on the bias in hand knitting you start working at one corner and work your way to the opposite corner.

This shawl must be blocked once it’s done or it won’t be square. Before blocking, the fabric will pull inwards width-wise and will looked like a squashed rhombus rather than a living breathing square, but it will block into a square, even though you may doubt it while you’re knitting.

Knitting Instructions

CO 3sts.
R1: k1, kfbf, k1.
R2: purl across.
Increase Section
R3: k2, yo, k to last 2sts, yo, k2.
R4: purl across.
Rep R3&4 until the square is your desired width along one edge.
Decrease Section
R5: k2, ssk, k to last 4sts, k2tog, k2.
R6: purl across
Rep R5&6 to 7sts.
R7: k2, sk2p, k2
R8: purl across.
R9: k1, sk2p, k1.
Bind off loosely.

The previous post: Edge to Edge Square
The next post: Rectangles