Thanks Mags. Iâm seeing some pretty high-end stuff there!
Thatâs because your mind is continuously preoccupied with counting stitches. This is especially so if youâre doing a variable multi-colored design (think Norway sweaters), and a little bit less so if youâre doing cables. If your cable design is uniform and straight (up) then once you get your design started you can follow the stitches by feel more or less (knit/purl), so the mind is more relaxed and the work becomes more or less automatic because the cables usually repeat themselves; but if your cables are diagonal, or travel sideways or crisscross a lot, youâll still need to keep count, but less so, because the design usually travels/changes vertically (in any case, I find cables easier to do). With multi-color designs you really need to account for every stitch. If you miscount a stitch, or miss it, or it slips and you lose the stitch in the previous row (happens if you knit too loosely), your whole design will get messed up and youâll have to go back to the last place and redo it. The good thing is that usually, youâd know by the end of the row or beginning of the next row when things donât seem to add up anymore. This is why it takes longer and you have to double check your work continuously. Anyway, my point is that knitting (especially multi colored designs) involves a lot of counting, so you canât really let the mind wander; so your mind is mostly focused on one thing, counting. I donât remember doing a lot of counting when crocheting. Though today, most of the work is done by computerized machines.
With sewing, the most important thing, I think, is proper measurement, but itâs also an art I believe that comes with experience. Youâd need to account of how the fabric will shrink after washings (or stretch) and give an extra leeway in your measurements. That, I think, you can know only with experience (by knowing the fabric youâre working with). Also, youâd need to consider individual preferences; some people like their clothes more loose than others. There are some parts of the world where you can still get personalized alteration with your purchased garment, so it fits you perfectly. These are the places that still make and sell their own clothes.
I remember someone mention once that knitting was actually invented by men, and I think it may actually be true, or I wonât be surprised if it were. Men are usually in charge for making fish nets, and it could possibly be considered as a kind of proto-knitting/crocheting, maybe. And I wouldnât be surprised if early man was already making fishing nets when he was still wrapped in skins/furs.
I am thinking that most women in many cultures have spent a lot of their free time counting, historically. Carpet or tapestry weaving, with intricate designs, for example, takes whole months to complete, and Iâm sure it requires a lot of careful counting, and with every row (and there are a lot of rows in a carpet!).
Iâve always wondered what goes through the minds of women who are doing bobbin lace. Do they follow a drawn pattern visually, or do they actually count? A precise design would require a lot of counting, and with that kind of work, you lose your place youâre fucked, unless you can count in multiple dimensions simultaneously!
Beautiful handmade work:
Belgian Lace is very beautiful!
Ok, Iâm gonna stop now.