The Old and The New

Let's start with a photo.  Take a good long look at this knitted sock.

I rather like the earth tones used to create this sock obviously designed to be worn with sandals

It is the sock of a child knit in Rome approximately 2,000 years ago.  And it is purported to be in near excellent shape.  According to the Smithsonian the technique used to construct this sock is called nålbindning, or single-needle knitting, which is a time-consuming process requiring only a single thread. The technique was frequently used for close-fitting garments for the head, feet and hands because of its elastic qualities. Primarily from prehistoric times, nålbindning came before the two-needle knitting that’s standard today; each needle was crafted from wood or bone that was “flat, blunt and between 6 -10 cm long, relatively large-eyed at one end or the eye is near the middle.”

This got me thinking about my own knitting, is there any chance any of the hundreds of items I have knit will hold up as well as this sock?  I wonder if the person who created this sock thought it might be around 2,000 years longer.  My guess is s/he did not think about it and yet here it is.  The interesting thing to me is the stitch types are easily recognized.  There is the stockinette stitch on the foot, ribbing on the heel and a bind off in gold at the top.  In 2,000 years these stitches remain essentially the same.  Old technology, that of using stick(s) and thread, remains virtually unchanged.

Now the new technology, my Fitbit Flex.  I will be traveling this summer to Ireland and Scotland for a few weeks.  In preparation for this trip I have been walking for 30 minutes per day for months, but this level of exercise has taken me only so far.  So I ordered a Fitbit Flex to be delivered here in Minneapolis and have found it to be quite motivating.  Since I came for the summer without a vehicle, walking and using public transportation have become my major means of transportation (that and the generous rides from friends and family).  The Fitbit urges one to get in 10,000 steps per day or approximately 5 miles or 8 km.  When I first started this increase in motion it was draining to get to 10,000 steps, but within the last few days the strain is becoming less predominant and today it is actually enjoyable.  My goal is to be able to walk 8 miles/13 km per day with ease by the time I start the trip.  It seems as if this is a real possibility.

Final word, my assumption is the Roman child who wore the sock didn't spend much time measuring the number of steps walked each day.  How things change in 2,000 years.