Halite

Now that I am thinking of knitting something inspired by salt, I am finding that my high school chemistry is a little lacking and was so long ago that I have forgotten most of it. But I am still finding it interesting and intriguing. Table salt or rock salt is called Halite. The structure of halite is, of course, a crystal and is therefore geometric, orderly, and stable.

Halite is made of sodium chloride (NaCl) and makes an isometric crystal.

In the Great Salt Lake, the salt is created when vast areas of the shallow lake evaporate leaving the mineral behind.

 

I have some salt from the Great Salt Lake that I picked up at my last trip out there. It does not have the large crystal forms but on a small scale you can see them.

I am thinking of using the structure in some kind of geometric lace pattern. All the lace I have made so far has had organic forms (leaves, vines, etc.) I am intrigued with how to make something geometric out of lace.