Garter Goodness Rocks

The basic of a knit stitch, over and over with nothing else can appear boring to a beginning knitter.  But frankly, many days the truth of this pursuit is that no other thought is needed, but to love and be loved by garter stitchery.  (pardon me EAP)    Entire garments of garter goodness made EZ a legend for all time.  Entire books have been written to praise the truth that is a good square with a true edge.   Many use it as the fall back certainty when failure looms.

I am fascinated once again with the always in style and continually surprising result of basic garter stitches. 

 This is my current on again/off again/is it too hot to knit project.  The brilliant garter workings of the Moderne Log Cabin from Mason Dixon Knitting.  Those wonderful mavens of cross-cultural interactions put together the simplicity of little loops making a square with reinterpreted history and published simple beauty in a blanket.

Mindless knitting suitable for watching a movie in the dark - sans those odd light up needles - is often just what the soul needs.  I find it healing to knit.  Just knit.  Over and over.  Nothing but knit - knitting to heal.  

Well, massive knitting results in a massive quantity of garter stitches.  Luckily, this classic pattern flips and turns just enough to provide the perfect platform for our modern(e) color changing yarns.  I am loving the way that this Plymouth Boku stripes up.  Mixed with a nice solid or two or three, the result is looking like a log cabin quilt composed from the scrap bag and worn out school clothes. 

As you can see, I am four blocks into the construction and evenings here are still cool enough for afghan knitting in the hoped for breeze.  I don't know how much longer the weather will cooperate with a lap full of wool, but while the wind blows the stitches flow and healing takes place.

I can get lazy with this simplest of things.  Note the stitch marker.  All it does is move up ten ridges every so often and that gives me the freedom, during each section, to count no farther than ten.   For huge swaths of repetition, this works.  Oh, sure I will find the energy to grumble when this section is complete and some number of stitches - much greater than ten - is needing to be picked up.  But for now, the rhythm of knitting in the cool darkness is having the desired impact.  

One day, I'll be warm and healed and thankful for the beauty that is the simple knit garter stitch.