Do we knitters ever take a stitch for granted? Could this be the case with garter stitch? I love the simplicity of knitting every stitch. The finished product is predictable, uniform and flat. Yes, I did say flat. Dear old stockinette stitch is a curly affair. Many a new knitter feels distressed when, after doing all the right stitches...knit a row, purl a row, knit a row, (you know the rest), they discover that their piece curls. It just won't lie flat.
This brings me back to garter stitch. I have heard some knitters proclaim that garter stitch is amateurish looking. These knitters never say that they are "above" garter stitch, but I can see it in their eyes. Thank goodness that Elizabeth Zimmermann, or Sally Melville never felt that garter stitch was beneath them. In fact, the lovely Tomten jacket or the Einstein coat show off the sophistication of garter stitch.
Sometimes, doing things in their simplest form can give the most sophisticated results. Three cheers for garter stitch and all the friendships it forms!
Posted on
Sun, April 18, 2010
by Julia Warmer