To Knit a stocking..

When I first started knitting socks, about two years ago, I found a poem on line for knitting Victorian stockings. I printed it out and put it away to do later. Fast forward to Wednesday, when a package arrived at my mothers from my sister. The package was full of books for my mother, stuff for my daughter to use in college and there was a SnB page-a-day calendar for me. Thursdays page read…”Victorian knitters were so into making stockings, they even wrote a cute rhyme about it: To knit a stocking, needles four, Cast on three needles, and no more, Each needle stitches eight and twenty, Then one for seam stitch will be plenty.”

Since I was almost done with a project and remembering that I wanted to do that stocking I went searching for the rest of the poem. The whole thing can be found here… http://www.onceuponapattern.com/custom/stockingpoem.html When I started this I wasn’t home and only had #5 needles and some white with black Shetland yarn I had spun. It does not tell you what size needles or yarn but I am sure I am using the wrong ones! The Ladies Useful Stockings in Knitting Vintage Socks uses a #1 needle. So far I am at the first decrease. It is going to be big. I have thought of making the stocking shorter by decreasing more frequently but have decided to keep to the original pattern. I have tried finding where people have knit this to no avail. I will use it as a Christmas stocking if I can, which would make one thing done for the Holiday Headstart.

In other fiber news, I have finished the baby sweater, another stranded hat (The Fake Isle in which I added some stitches into chart 2)and the socks on two circs. I don’t like the sweater (my own put together pattern) and I think that knitting on two circs takes just as much maneuvering as dpn’s. The only plus side of knitting on the circs is that both socks get done at the same time but I could have knit two socks faster on dpn’s. With more practice I may get better but I think I am just going to stick to the dpn's. Why mess with perfection or at least something I am more comfortable with.