Day 4 - Kumalak

 Day 4

Kumalak - 21 rows on Sock A

Yep, 21 rows again today.  We’ll make up for the extra rows in a different section.

Kumalak is a form of divination that originates in Central Asia.  It involves using 41 small pieces of sheep dung (kumalak means sheep dung in Turkish) sorted into piles.  Trained shaman read the meaning of these piles.  

In order to understand the variations in Kumalak, forty-one dried sheep droppings are laid on a cloth on the earth and then touched, one by one, to the reader's forehead. This is said to open the third eye, allowing second sight and intuitive perception. Following this, incantations are repeated until a spirit jumps to the earth realm in order to reveal answers and move the droppings accordingly.

The droppings are then divided into three piles. Four droppings at a time are removed from each pile until 1-4 remain, and these are placed on a nine-square grid (resembling a tic-tac-toe board). The piles are then separated and re-sorted, resulting in 1-4 droppings in each square, correlating to one of nature's four elements: 1 to fire, 2 to water, 3 to wind, and 4 to earth. The squares are also demarcated by rows and columns, as representing body parts, the past/present/future, head and heart, distance, and mental state. Trained Kumalak readers are said to be able to see the droppings actually move around in a way not visible to the untrained eye.[^1]

PROMPT

Head over to Random.org and choose a number from 1 to 4.  Then, pick your main color based on that number as indicated below.  Pick a second color that contrast well with your main color.

1. Fire - red

2. Water - blue

3. Wind - white

4. Earth - brown

With your two chosen colors, work the chart found here.  Omit the stitches outlined in pink for a 68-st sock.

[^1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumalak