Mme Glitchbane’s Arbitrary Comfort Knitting (GACK) Index is a score based on the following elements:

1. Color
   1. More is better. Add one point for each color.
   2. Neutral is neutral. Subtract one point for each neutral color.
2. Texture
   1. Varied is good, but not too varied. Simple stitch patterns add points.
3. Design
   1. The design must make sense and not cause frustration when my head is filled with chicken soup and Sudafed.
   2. The design must hold my interest and keep me from putting it down out of boredom.
4. Simplicity
   1. The pattern must not force me to continually manipulate stitches. Crossing several cables every other row, for example, is painful.
   2. The pattern must not employ maneuvers that require many curse words, such as purling three together through the back loop.
5. Clarity
   1. The design must be charted, not written out in words and abbreviations.
   2. The chart symbols must be clearly understandable and located in a place convenient to the chart itself, not in another chapter or another book. 

I was looking for some comfort knitting this past week as yet another virus tornado hit our humble abode.

I found it; but it seems to have taken on virus-like qualities of its own, mutating and migrating into related, yet different, knitting.

Exhibit A: Mosaic Knitting With Kauni

 

I had two balls of Kauni Effectgarn and I needed a simple two-color pattern that wasn’t too tedious. I wasn’t really feeling like Fair Isle, so I consulted the Oracle of Barbara Walker and decided that, even though I had always turned up my nose at mosaic knitting, perhaps my nose was runny enough that it could stand to try it just this once.

The Oracle says that you can knit every row in Mosaic (creating garter stitch) or you can knit one, then purl one (creating stockinette) or you can mix them up any way you choose. I chose garter stitch.

It was good; it was comforting.

(Other benefits of mosaic knitting are that you do not have to worry about long carries, as there is no stranded knitting involved, and that you do not use as much yarn to get a two-color effect.)

Exhibit B: Mosaic Knitting with a Shadow Weaving Draft and Two Contrasting Neutral Colors

 

As I was knitting comfortably along with the Kauni and the Mosaic pattern, I was reminded of the shadow weaving drafts that abound in the world of looms. They share some characteristics with the mosaic pattern I was knitting, and I wondered if I could just translate them directly into knitting. The Oracle had some rules about how you can design mosaic patterns that would preclude this from working, but I chose to ignore them and try anyway.

Shadow weaving generally uses two contrasting colors so that the weave structure is emphasized, so I chose two neutral colors of Shetland, white and mooskit. Even though this lowered the GACK index, I decided to tough it out.

For the first part of the swatch (see bottom of picture), I used garter stitch for every row, just as I did in the Kauni swatch. Because of the longer areas of horizontal striping, the swatch was rather bubbly and although it might block flat it always seems rather rude to make the blocking responsible for a finished product.

Next, I tried making the thing stockinette (upper quarter of first square). Unfortunately, this resulted in the same bubbly fabric as the garter, only in a different way.

I thought about it for a bit and came to the conclusion that

1) the garter stitch rows are compressed and

2) the stockinette stitches that are slipped are compressed and

3) the vertical stripes are composed of only slipped stitches  

Well, then, why couldn’t I just garter-stitch the horizontal stripes and stockinette the vertical ones? So I did, and it worked beautifully.

Exhibit C: Mosaic Knitting with a Shadow Weaving Draft and Noro Sock with Rowanspun 4-ply

 

There being only two colors, and those being neutral, I wanted to try something more titillating. I exchanged the remaining Serenity cotton yarn for some Noro sock yarn and Rowanspun 4-ply, and swatched them in the same pattern as I had the Shetland. This worked rather well, and I was on a roll.

Exhibit D: Mosaic Knitting with Bigger Shadow Weaving Draft

I consulted my weaving books to find a more curvy shadow weaving draft, and converted it to a knitting chart. Instead of the 32-stitch repeat I had been working with, I am now working on an 84-stitch repeat. It makes for good comfort knitting, as I watch the Noro colors change against the stationary Rowan. The Rowan seems to change against the Noro, but it is simply an illusion, although an interesting one.

It is interesting to note that the “curves” in this draft are simply an illusion provided by the undulating nature of the threading. You weavers will understand what I mean, no?

I wonder whether this chart is a bit too big for the concept, but I will reserve judgment until the end. I don’t know what application the pattern would have—an afghan, perhaps—but for now it keeps me occupied while nature takes its course.  Sherlock and Claire don’t really get it, but they are patient companions.

Meanwhile, when I open the front door this is what I see: