Bisection

Bisection Knitting Pattern by Carissa Browning

What is Being Made

Bisection is a triangular shawl pattern designed by independent designer Carissa Browning. The shawl features a unique geometric construction based on recursive division: imagine a triangular shawl divided down its center, then one half divided again, and so on, creating progressively smaller triangular wedges that interlock to form the complete garment. The modular wedge structure means you can customize the final shawl size by completing as many or as few wedge sections as desired, making this pattern highly adaptable to personal preference.

Construction and Techniques

This knitting pattern employs short-rows as the primary shaping technique to construct each individual triangular wedge. Rather than wrapping stitches at each turn—a traditional short-row method—this pattern intentionally leaves small holes unwrapped. These holes are a deliberate design feature that contributes to the overall aesthetic rather than a technique to be hidden.

The pattern alternates between knitting the right side and wrong side for each successive wedge section. This directional alternation creates a visual distinction between adjacent wedges by alternating stockinette stitch (smooth, V-patterned fabric) with reverse stockinette stitch (bumpy, textured fabric). This clever design choice produces a reversible fabric, meaning both sides of the finished shawl are visually interesting and suitable for display.

The interlocking wedge construction ensures the shawl maintains its triangular shape regardless of how many wedge sections are completed, providing structural integrity throughout the building process.

Yarn and Materials

Bisection is worked in 4-ply yarn weight, a medium-weight yarn suitable for creating fabric with good drape and definition. The pattern is designed to be adaptable across different yarn weights, allowing knitters to scale the project to their preferred materials while maintaining the geometric wedge construction and overall design intent.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as beginner difficulty, making it accessible to knitters new to shawl construction. While the short-row technique and geometric concept may introduce some new skills, the straightforward wedge-by-wedge approach and the flexibility to stop at any point make this an excellent introduction to shawlette design and short-row shaping.

Format

Bisection is available as a downloadable PDF pattern, allowing immediate access to the complete instructions for this modular triangular shawl project.