Stitch pattern revisited

As a lazy knitter, I have a few stitch patterns that I return to over and over again. Seed stitch -- I love that stitch pattern. Stockinette stitch is another.

Recently, I received an email from a knitter lately. She asked about Stockinette stitch and when it would stop rolling. She asked me what she was doing wrong.

I wrote back and said in brief that she was doing nothing wrong. That rolling is what Stockinette stitch did.

On Wednesday, March 22, 2006

I had stockinette stitch on my mind.

I wrote...

"Rolling, rolling, rolling keep that knitting rolling...Stoking stitch"

(I think I was thinking about the song Rawhide.)

I wrote on...

My knitting dictionary defines "stockinette" as "an elastic knitted textile fabric."

The stitch pattern goes by many names jersey, stocking stitch, stockinette stitch and what I know as Stockinette stitch. I have had other knitters correct me saying, "Oh, you mean stocking stitch:. Actually, all names are correct.

The Knitting Dictionary states that the jersey stitch 'gets its name from the isle of Jersey where, for a very long time, fishermen's wives have knitted sweaters in this stitch for their husbands."

Pam Allen recounts the history of the stitch as dating back to the 1500s and the popularity of knitted stockings in England.

This stitch pattern has a "right" and "wrong" side. The "right" side is called the Stockinette stitch and is achieved by the knit stitch. ...

The stitch pattern is written like this:
Row 1: knit -- to end of row
Row 2: purl -- to end of row.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 for pattern.

The "wrong" side is called reverse Stockinette stitch and is achieved by the purl stitch. ...

The stitch pattern is written like this:
Row 1: purl -- to end of row.
Row 2: knit -- to end of row.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 for pattern.

The correct abbreviation for Stockinette stitch is STst. It is the only stitch pattern that uses capital letters. Why? I'm not sure.

In fact, there are many things about this stitch pattern which leaves me scratching my head. For example, why if both the purl and knit samples lay flat does Stockinette stitch curl? (Now in 2010, I have learnt that it is the difference in weight of purl and knit that makes Stockinette stitch curl.) Why if both the purl and knit samples look the same when worked separately do the stitches look different when worked in alternative rows? (This remains a mystery to me. If you know, tell me, tell me do.)...

How to tame the curl...
One way -- blocking

http://www.ehow.com/video_4976633_blocking-knitting-projects.html

I hope you enjoy knitting STst as much as I do.
Knit on, my friends, knit on.
Leanne
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