Chris, just making conversation while waiting for Denise to finish a row: “So, is that stockinette or garter stitch?”
Denise, just wanting to finish a row: “This is stocking stitch.”
“So that is stockinette, right. Same thing.”
“Yes. Same thing.”
“So why not say ‘stockinette’?”
“I pretty much did. They’re synonyms.”
“Fair enough. So…what is garter stitch?”
“Garter stitch is when you’re knitting flat, not in the round, and you knit on the right-side and then knit on the wrong side. You do know right-side from wrong-side, don’t you?”
“Yeah…I do.”
“Not when you’re hanging pieces in the booth you don’t.”
“OK, noted. Can you knit garter stitch in the round?”
“Sure. But because you’re knitting in the round you never flip the fabric to the wrong side. You would knit one round and then purl one round.”
“So then it’s kind of wavy. Not smooth.”
“Yes.”
“So why don’t you just call it ‘garter effect’?”
“Because that’s not what we say.”
“So, what then is stockinette?”
“Stocking stitch is…”
Chris, interrupting: “Stocking stitch…that’s the same thing as stockinette.”
“Yes…we’ve established that if you were paying attention three minutes ago.”
“Just making sure.”
“OK…stockinette is just a repeating knit stitch.”
“But garter stitch is also a repeating knit stitch.”
“Yes, but think about the effect. The knit stitch on a flat piece, alternating right-side and wrong-side, will have waves, as you say. On a circular piece it will be smooth and even. Look for the Vs. That’s stockinette.”
“So…again…it’s stockinette effect, just like it is garter effect. It’s not really a type of stitch. “
“Of course it’s a stitch. It’s knitting; it’s all a stitch.”
“So why use those adverbs to describe the stitch?”
“Because…wait, wait, wait…they aren’t adverbs describing the stitch. They’re adjectives describing the resulting fabric.”
“Oh…stitch as a noun, not a verb. I thought you were describing the action, not the result. Garter stitch. Stockinette stitch.”
“They’re both adjectives and adverbs, really. The thing that I’m doing becomes the thing that my doing creates. Stitching stockinette creates stockinette stitch.”
“Gotcha. Are you finished with your row? You didn’t start a new one, did you? Can we go watch ‘My So-Called Life’ on Netflix?”
“I’m watching ‘My So-Called Life with a Stubborn, Over-Analytical English Major’ unfold right now.”
I’m telling you, too much fun out there in your neck of the woods. 😉
Thanks for my giggle for the day!
I want to be y’all when I grow up.