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The knitting canvas of Winter Bash 2018 has a weird shape:

knitting canvas

What is this shape supposed to represent, if anything?

9
  • 1
    I've always assumed it was a cloud...
    – Glorfindel Mod
    Dec 13, 2018 at 10:03
  • @Glorfindel cloud of love? :-) Dec 13, 2018 at 10:04
  • 2
    It's the exact shape that my belly makes when I'm brushing my teeth in the morning.
    – user351483
    Dec 13, 2018 at 10:53
  • 2
    @Snow that's new to me. Belly making shape when brushing teeth?! lol Dec 13, 2018 at 11:02
  • Maybe the chicken is to blame?! Dec 13, 2018 at 16:02
  • It's the flying spaghetti monster ;)
    – iLuvLogix
    Dec 13, 2018 at 16:14
  • Almost like an Alvar Aalto vase
    – user271002
    Dec 13, 2018 at 17:36
  • 1)Ahhh the chicken lololol 2)I don't got the flying spaghetti thing. 3)Bellies move when brushing teeth? 4)I think it's a showy island or an "opened up part of the space-time continuum for your convenience to let your creativity out as you wish" Dec 13, 2018 at 20:54
  • @ShadowWizard if you accept my answer I'll get a wizard hat... Feel free to move the check after an hour.
    – NH.
    Dec 14, 2018 at 16:48

4 Answers 4

18

It's the shape of a happy cephalopod after it just ate a yummy crustacean ;)

enter image description here

5
  • 1
    This specific cephalopod actually has a twin ;)
    – iLuvLogix
    Dec 14, 2018 at 13:51
  • 3
    A desire to own a pair of socks with this design on them just struck me with a rather curious sense of urgency.
    – Tim Post
    Dec 14, 2018 at 14:57
  • @TimPost I'd gladly help if I'd had any 5 Cents to my knitting skills, but I might know somebody that can perform those ninja like moves and gets the job done (I'll send them to your HQ). If I would try I'd probably end up with one knitting needle in my left eye lobotomizing myself ;)
    – iLuvLogix
    Dec 14, 2018 at 15:13
  • 1
    Here's a work-in-progress but the wording on the scientific classification just feels incorrect to me.
    – Tim Post
    Dec 14, 2018 at 17:46
  • @TimPost That looks amazing! Maybe Amores Cephalopodores? ;)
    – iLuvLogix
    Dec 17, 2018 at 7:45
16

The shape is an irregular hexacontakaihexagon.

See this chart for how to find names for shapes like this.

13

My money is on a 4-sleeved pair programming sweater, with the bottom two arm holes being for your code companion to also reach the keyboard.

4
  • 1
    🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
    – NH.
    Dec 13, 2018 at 21:51
  • So you subscribe to the theory that, like sex, coding is more fun when done with somebody else?
    – SlySven
    Dec 23, 2018 at 2:20
  • @slysven, I almost do, with the stipulation that the sweater-wearers have complete control of the number of under layers present, depending on their relationship and the feature at hand. Dec 24, 2018 at 3:15
  • Well, yes, the physically relationship does have some bearing on it - compare the fore-and-aft arrangement that can work for both the above activities at any level of ability whereas the lateral arrangement where the participants are side-by-side like on a piano-stool playing a duet; now that does require more skilled practitioners!
    – SlySven
    Dec 24, 2018 at 3:27
7

It's OBVIOUSLY the shape of a knitted t-shirt!

  • The very top is very thin, because it's the neckline.
  • The middle is also thinner, because the waistline is usually shorter than the chest line. Note that the sleeves' ends can be simply cut off.
  • The belly is the fattest, so as to accommodate for people who aren't exactly flat-bellied (they deserve some love too). Also, a t-shirt shouldn't be too tight, it's supposed to be a comfortable garment.
  • Finally, the bottom is a bit thinner than the belly, since the belly ends a little before the t-shirt's bottom. That is because otherwise cold can easily get inside the t-shirt, rendering it moot.

Those characteristics of the t-shirt may look exaggerated, since the canvas is a bit stretched horizontally and squeezed vertically.

Another clue:

@TimPost [...] Guess no chance for actual swag for top answers? :) – Shadow Wizard Dec 12 '18 at 14:42

That comment got this reply:

@ShadowWizard There ... might be something in the works. I can not confirm nor deny any things for any things. But there might be things, or other things. But the thing is, the things are the way they are because of other things, so we'll just have to thing positively and see. – Tim Post♦ Dec 12 '18 at 14:48

(emphasis mine)

Tim tried to cover up for his first sentence, as you can see if you read carefully.

As we all know, t-shirts are very frequent swag! Maybe the shape of the canvas is a hint that swag does indeed exist?

3
  • I like that interpretation, but the size of the knitting stitches rules out actually rolling the thing into a shirt as-is.
    – NH.
    Dec 13, 2018 at 20:28
  • @NH. I might not be able to explain the misrepresentation that has happened on the canvas... as I said, the canvas has been squeezed in one dimension and stretched in the other, but the stitches have then been resized to normal and... yeah, it's confusing, but there is an explanation. ;-P
    – EKons
    Dec 13, 2018 at 20:33
  • This is so crazy that it might be true... ;) Dec 13, 2018 at 21:12

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