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I bought a garter bar a while ago. It is a tool for the knitting machine that allows you to move many stitches at the same time (instead of individually). The bar is more akin to a comb, with many teeth which transfer stitches onto itself, and can then be moved. You can move many individual stitches to a nearby needle at once, the whole project to a new part of the machine, to a different machine, or just set it aside for later.
A knitting machine normally knits in stockinette stitch. This is a basic stitch in machine and hand knitting that creates a “knit” (front/right) side and a “purl” (back/wrong) side to the cloth. If a knitter wants to put purls onto the knit side of the cloth to create a garter stitch or rib stitches they have to do it by hand. Rib stitches (purls on the knit/right side of the cloth) need to be unknit on the machine and reknit with a latch-hook from the purl side. A knitter can also use a second bed called a ribbing bed (guess why it is called that) to knit the rib stitches at the same time as stitches on the main bed. If a knitter wanted to make an entire row into purl instead of knit stitches it would be time consuming. She would have to either a) move every stitch to the ribbing bed and pass the carriage to knit one row, then transfer every stitch back onto the main knitting bed and knit one row, OR b) knit two rows, individually unknit two stitches in the column, and reknit one as a purl stitch.
I believe that a garter bar was made primarily to create a garter stitch. Each side of the cloth has one row of knit stitches, and then purl stitches. A flat cloth made from garter stitches is one of the first techniques that a hand knitter learns. To a hand knitter, they are making the same stitch (a knit or a purl stitch) as they work across the cloth turn it around and continue knitting the same stitch. A machine knitter cannot turn their project with ease. The garter bar facilitates the movement of the entire project, turning it around and transferring it back to the knitting machine’s needles.
A garter stitch is a combination of stitches, a garter stitch pattern if you will, that creates a knitted cloth with specific properties. The cloth that a garter stitch creates is considered to be more flat than stockinette stitch (pattern). A whole cloth made from garter stitches is “…thick, strong, and slightly stretchy.” All knit is stretchy, because that is a property of knit cloth, so perhaps the garter stitch is extra stretchy?
When you look at the layout of a garter stitch and a 1x1 rib stitch they’re very similar. One alternates columns and the other alternates rows. Thinking about it this way, and observing the stretchiness of a sweater collar or cuff, then it makes sense that a garter stitch is considered a stretchy stitch.
Why is it called a garter stitch?
It’s not as though the stitch was used to make garters and garter belts, was it?
Generally, a garter is a thing that holds your socks up. One dictionary defines garter as “An article of clothing for holding up a stocking or sock, usually an elastic band around the leg or an elastic strap hanging from a girdle or other undergarment.” A garter can be a piece of cloth that wraps around your leg at the top of the calf or the top of the thigh. There are also garter belts, which are suspenders for your socks. The garters and belts can be made or a variety of materials and locking mechanisms. Garters can be silk ribbons worn with roll top (cuffless) socks under a kilt. It can be made of elastic with a flat clip that wraps around the upper calf. These can also have little suspender clips of their own, like in the movie John Wick. Spy ladies also like to wear a garter around their thighs under dresses to hold guns and whatnot, the weight of which I would find very uncomfortable. The most relatable kind of garter sneakiness would be from those ladies in the 1920s or so who tucked flasks into the garters on their calves, and grabbed a nip when the urge took them.
The type of garter that most likely comes to mind is a wedding garter. A wedding garter is worn on the upper thigh, and doesn’t hold up a bride’s socks. It is made of frilly lacy dainty materials, which works really well for the traditional garter toss and as a memento. As we will see below, garters can be and were knit.
If you’re interested in purchasing a garter belt for any socks thicker than hosiery I recommend that you look at Sock Dreams' website. The suspender clips do less damage to the socks’ yarn than the more common attachment doohickey.
The flat garters are best used at the top of the calf, unless it is not intended to hold up any socks, stockings, etc., at the top of the thigh.
The garter stitch has existed for a long time, even if it was not named a garter stitch. Mrs. Gaugain’s The Lady's Assistant for executing useful and fancy designs in knitting, netting, and crochet work from 1840 and The Workwoman’s Guide (1838) seem to show a parallel appearance of the word “garter stitch” being used when knitting garters. It’s likely that the stitch pattern was used for a long time before it was coined a “garter stitch” in the mass English speaking population.
The book Godey’s Lady’s publishes a garter pattern on page #601 of the 1862 edition. The World Turn’d Upside Down wrote about knitting this for a project, and her interpretation of the pattern here, please check it out. A Peculiar Seamstress has her own interpretation of the pattern here. She also knits a pair of garters using instructions from The Workwoman's Guide.
Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine
Instructions from Godey's Lady's create a garter that has six rows of knit and six rows of purl stitches on the main piece. On one end it is decorated with a triangle attached to a tassel, and a loop at the far end. This functions by pulling the weighted triangle through the loop, trusting the grip of the yarn and the ribbing to hold onto the leg (whether that is on the calf or thigh I do not know; probably calf). The tassel is clever, because it is lightweight, and easy to feed through the loop. Changing the colours of the loop and triangle is a stylish choice, too!
Instructions:
“Cast on six stitches in colored worsted on fine steel needles.
Knit forty-five rows plain knitting.
Double this piece to form a loop ; take up the stitches on one needle, making twelve
stitches in all.
Join the white worsted; knit one row plain, one row purl, until you have six rows; then reverse the rows so as to make a rib the other way: six rows in each rib.
Do this until you have thirty-three ribs.
Join the coloured worsted; knit one row plain, then narrow one stitch at the end of the row for two rows; then knit one row across plain, and repeat the last three rows until all the stitches are off.
Make a short cord and attach a tassel.”
The Workwoman’s Guide
The Workwoman’s Guide from 1838 advises using a modified garter stitch for garters called the Elastic Rib (pg 246-7). Instead of viewing knits then purls on the right side of the cloth, this advises to make rows using either knit knit purl, or knit x3 purl x3. It depends on how you interpret the pattern, and on whether it expects the reader to view alternating sides of the cloth as they knit or to have one “right side” of the cloth.
“No. 16.
THE ELASTIC RIB.
This is very suitable for cuffs and garters, as it clings or contracts to the form.
Inst:
Set on any number of stitches,
Knit a row,
Turn a row,
Knit two rows,
Turn a row,
Continue knitting two, and turning one row to the end of the work.”
In this pattern I am assuming that “set on” means “cast on” (CO). Knit a row is clear, and “turn a row” means to knit a row with purl stitches.
The other thing of note with this pattern is the title. It is named a “rib” stitch despite horizontally (rows) alternating knits and purls. As we saw earlier, contemporary rib stitches alternate their knits and purls vertically (columns). Does this mean that the word “garter stitch” was created to differentiate the horizontal or vertical orientation to the alternating knit and purl stitches?
This pattern from the Workwoman’s Guide 1838 uses a contemporary garter stitch. The pattern creates a strip of cloth with the hole at one end. The garter is fastened by pulling a length of the garter through a hole. This hole is not a loop, but almost identical for making a button hole. What a swift, easy, and pocket sized project. A variety of yarns, colours, and stitch modifications could be made so that every lady is fashionably matching her garters with her outfit.
“GARTERS.
PLATE 21. FIG. 33.[sic]
These are chiefly worn by females, and are merely narrow strips of knitting, of three quarters of a yard long, and a nail, more or less, wide.
They are made of worsted, cotton, or soft wool ; the latter is most elastic and pleasant.
For garters, set on from twelve to twenty, or even thirty stitches, according to the fineness of the material.
Knit backwards and forwards till of the proper length, when fasten off. Some persons prefer a loop at the end; for which purpose, when near the end, divide the stitches equally upon two pins, and knit each pin about ten ribs, after which connect them together by binding them in fastening off. Garters are sometimes knit by putting the material, which is fine, twice round the pin at every stitch, letting the pin be very thick.
Garters are sometimes ribbed, at others knit, in a succession of squares of different patterns.” (WWG 1838 p 255)
The Lady’s Assistant
Mrs. Gaugain wrote two instructions for a garter in this book. We’re looking at the first one (p17), with the second on the following page (p18). The first appears to be a garter stitch, and the second a modified garter stitch. Neither pattern has a hole knit to slip the opposite end through, so I assume that it is made to be long enough that the garter can be tied around the upper calf. The interesting thing with both of these patterns is that Mrs. Gaugain instructs the knitter to slip the edge stitch, which I learned from experience helps the knitting stay flat.
“I. RECEIPT FOR GARTER, (called garter stitch.)
Work with two wires or ivory pins, No. 7 ; cast on 8 stitches with three-ply fleecy one skein is required.
S edge stitch, P 7 , repeat every row the same.
The garter should be about a yard long ; cast off as described in observations.
Explanation of Terms.— S, a slip stitch— P 7 , seven plain stitches.”
“II.— RECEIPT FOR GARTER.
Work with two wires, No. 7 ; cast on nine stitches with three-ply fleecy ; one skein is required.
1st Row, S edge, — P 8 .
2nd Row, Sb edge, — B 8 .
3rd Row, S edge, — P 8 .
Explanation of Terms. — S, a slip stitch by lifting off backwards without working. — P 8 . Eight plain stitches. — B 8 . Eight pearl or back stitches, — Sb. slip back stitch, having wool in front before slipping.”
The chart below assumes that the knitter has a right and wrong side to the fabric. The chart is viewed from the right side.
In Conclusion,
Yes, a garter bar makes garter stitches, which are used to make garters. I cannot wait to try it out.
P.S. Godey’s Lady’s books are full of lots of neat patterns and textiles advice. The Workwoman’s Guide and The Lady’s Assistant are, too. For either one, take time to try to understand the full process of the instructions before diving in.
Sources:
Definition of “garter stitch” by Dictionary.com
noun Knitting.
a basic knitting pattern that produces an evenly pebbled texture on both sides of the work, created by consistently knitting or purling every stitch of every row.
Garter Stitch by Spruce Crafts
Completed garter from sample, historically accurate and fashionable
Peculiar Seamstress knitted garters from 1862, too.
Peculiar Seamstress knitted garters from 1840
Actually Godey’s Lady’s 1862 book
Wikipedia definition of garter