All Fools' Welt...

...or Wager Welt.  This is a plain and very simple pattern based on garter stitch and stocking stitch. It's found in Barbara Walker's first treasury of knitting stitches.  Barbara includes an anecdote about the stitch, as well. From looking at the stitch, it's difficult to tell in an 8 row repeat how many rows are purled. The French called it Puzzle Stitch and the Germans called it Dispute Stitch. The English, however, believing that only a fool would not know the answer called it All Fools' Welt.

The picture of the stitch in the book and I'm sorry I can't duplicate it here, looks like 3 rows of garter stitch and 3 rows of stocking stitch. To produce the 3 rows of garter stitch, you would knit 5 rows. For the 3 rows of stocking st, you would, Knit the first row, purl the return row and then knit the next row.  The pattern then goes into garter stitch again and so you would knit the return row.  Got the answer? 1 row is purled.

Here is my photo take on the stitch.

These are Christmas lights in Barcelona.  To me they look a little like rows of garter stitch interspersed with stocking stitch at least for the first and second set of lights. Winter celebrations also include the "Lord of Mis-Rule Day" and slap stick pantomimes - so I guess the name All Fools fits in here too.

Celebrate today!!