A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Seed Stitch

In the 1x1 ribbing, etc. post, I hypothesized that working two medium-length transitions on each side of a purl (or knit) stitch would give the most even result and close up some of those pesky holes that so often plague us.  In the same post, I described what works best for my 1x1 ribbing, too: working a column solely eastern, or western, as necessary.

Taking these two ideas, I started working on my seed stitch swatch.  Seed stitch, for those who may not know what it is exactly, is essentially alternating columns of garter stitch.  K1, p1 across.  On the next row, work the opposite what you see.  (If there's an odd number of stitches in the row, just repeat the first row.  If there's an even number, then work it p1, k1 across).  What happens is that a column will be worked only as purls, or only as knits.

And here's generally how it will look:

how it is worked      how it will appear from the RS (*s are purl bumps on the RS)
4  kpkpk                         *-*-*
    kpkpk 3                      -*-*-
2  kpkpk                         *-*-*
    kpkpk 1                      -*-*-

I worked my first attempts thusly:

          *Kw1, Pe1* to last stitch, Kw1.  Repeat this row on both sides.

The result (which happened more than once, so I know it wasn't a random occurrence) was a nice, dense fabric with no holes, but the stitches very cleared paired themselves off, as seen in this picture:

(Okay, so the picture isn't showing it nearly as clearly as I thought it might.  But trust me, it's there!)

While the effect is subtle, it is not the result I was looking for.  And I suspect (I don't know, but I would hazard a guess) that it wouldn't be acceptable for MHK standards.  Though it might make for an interesting texture to work into a pattern...

So I sat down and started again, but this time alternating which columns got the eastern treatment.  My next attempt was worked this way:

          R1:  *Kw1, Pe1* to last st, Kw1
          R2:  Kw1, *Pw1, Ke1* to last st, Kw1
          (because my edges come out nicer if they're worked western, at least with this swatch).

No more pairing!  The columns are clearly defined, there are no holes.  In this demo swatch, I am seeing alternating columns of different sized purl bumps, which I haven't found in the other yarn that I've been working with (I use the Patons Classic Wool for pics here because the stitches show much more clearly in photos than the Valley Yarns Amherst).

But, I'll admit, it was giving me fits trying to remember (and, more specifically, reminding my fingers) which way to work which stitch.  While the stitch mount is the obvious cue, the slightest distraction would send me back to the first pattern (because I had tried it so many times making slight adjustments).  Argh!

I then remembered a comment made by Remclave on Ravelry (hi!  If you're reading this!).  She had found the same 2x2 solution as I.  But rather than than Kw1 Ke1 Pe1 Pw1, she came up with the mnemonic KUO PUO, which stands for "knit under, knit over, purl under, purl over".  If you watch how you wrap the yarn when you make the different stitches, it makes sense (rather than just thinking of it in terms of clockwise/counterclockwise, as I usually do).  My mnemonic for working my new seed stitch swatch:

          R1:  under under under under under under under...
          R2:  over over over over over over over...

Ta da!  So much easier!  Thanks, Remclave!

I've started working on applying all of this to my cables, too.  I'll have some of my findings in another post, hopefully soon!