  We provide a systematic description of the solid angle function as a means of
constructing a knotted field for any curve or link in $\mathbb{R}^3$. This is a
purely geometric construction in which all of the properties of the entire
knotted field derive from the geometry of the curve, and from projective and
spherical geometry. We emphasise a fundamental homotopy formula as unifying
different formulae for computing the solid angle. The solid angle induces a
natural framing of the curve, which we show is related to its writhe and use to
characterise the local structure in a neighborhood of the knot. Finally, we
discuss computational implementation of the formulae derived, with C code
provided, and give illustrations for how the solid angle may be used to give
explicit constructions of knotted scroll waves in excitable media and knotted
director fields around disclination lines in nematic liquid crystals.
