recently on one of the knitting boards i frequent, an unusual word popped up. (it's not new to most here, but i didn't find any discussion of it.--but i also didn't look very hard.)
the word (AWAD from Feb 95) was Boustrophedonic
--which mean 'turning like an ox'(does as plowing a feild)
which is exactly how a knitters 'read' charts in knitting.
a chart might indicate Yarn over (O-a sort of increase) or knitting 2 stitches together (K2tog or SSK 2 styles of decreases (K2tog =/ for right leaning decreases, and SSK \ for left leaning decreases), and simple chart might indcate the following instuctions--
K2, SSK (short had for a right leaning K2tog), YO, YO, (2 increases), K2tog(left leaning decrease), K2.
VV\OO/VV<-----read in this direction!
the second row of the chart is read in the oposite direction
UUUUVUUU----->
VV\OO/VV<-----
(short hand for Purl 4(stitches) Knit 1, Purl 3)
charts are always read from the bottom to the top, and you always start reading from the right to the left! knitting charts are totally unlike reading.
i don't know if there are (currently) any other examples of using a boustrophedonic style of reading information.
(there is a bit of an overlap--knitting nerds also tend to be word nerds. last week at a knitting group, the word puce came up (another knitter used it) and several turned to me, to confirm the meaning of the word--i knew it, of course!)
OP
