Wednesday, June 11, 2014

The architecture of knit stitches

When it takes forever to knit a thing, it seems to me I appreciate its structure about sixteen times more than when I'm going fast.  Probably it's the equivalent of meditation, and being in the Now.  Regardless, I am noticing a lot of stuff about the current pair of socklits I only knit on public transit.


Like: sock heels.  They're such a nice shape, aren't they?  It does amaze me that you can build these sculptural shapes out of a long piece of string.


And then there's the way the stitches retain their group integrity as they move along the length of the fabric.  I put four plain knit stitches between the ribbing at the top of of the foot and the reductions for the heel gusset, and I can still make them out for quite a long time after the gusset is done and those four stitches merge into the ones for the foot.


It feels almost infinite.

The ribbing stitches, too... those stand out because I'm knitting through the back of the knit stitches, to make them taller and narrower.  More refined-looking.  They feel crisp when you touch them.


And they look very clean and symmetrical.

These socks are the second pair I'm making out of one skein of sock yarn from Knitterly Things - just about 18 rounds of sock before I start the heels, and a gamble on whether or not I can really do it with what's left of the cakes I used for the first pair.  So far, so good:


I'm onto the toe of this sock, and I still have a fair bit of yarn left.  It will be a while before I know for sure though whether I can get two whole pairs...


... because the last of the four socks isn't even onto the foot yet.

I guess that means I have lots more time for appreciating the stitches, right?

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