Pardon My Garters!

A few posts back, I mentioned a love affair I’ve been having with garter stitch. Not that I’ve carried the fascination into a project or anything (yet), but I’m so delighted when I see the stitch used in edgings, as a counter-foil to stockinette or even as all-over patterning. It’s just plain sweet 🙂

Garter stitch got its name because it’s perfect for…well…garters! It is elastic, flat and will not roll and so was an obvious choice for the tops of socks and stockings and an excellent finished edge for sweaters. Years back, it was thrown over in favor of ribbing but more and more we’re seeing the garter stitch return to its rightful, honored place.

Sometimes, particularly on projects that are worked in the round, I see purl-every-round-in-the-round masquerading as garter stitch. It’s not the same thing, though. It’s reverse stockinette. Pretty and useful, but not really garter stitch. Nope. Sorry, but you gotta knit a round and purl a round to make garter stitch if you’re working in the round.

Though I’ve got a million things to do and what seems like a million projects going, I’m tempted to spend today digging up worsted-weight leftovers and making this:

Don’t know why I love it but I do! 🙂