More Stocking info

Warning to any non knitters. The following information is mind-numbing. It makes sense as you are doing it and looks pretty when it's finished but describing the details is not much fun.


The body of the Eleanora Stocking is composed of 3 patterns each forming stripes or panels down the leg and onto the foot. I call these patterns Ladder Pattern (LP), Seed Stitch Pattern (SS) and Band Pattern (BP) . They alternate around the stocking like this (BP, LP, BP, SS) 4 (108 sts) Times at the top of the stocking and 3 times by the ankle and on the foot.(81sts)
The details of each pattern are as follows:

LP: R1&2 : k9
R3& 4: p9

SS: R1 : (k1,p1) 4 times
R2 : k8
R3 : (p1,k1) 4 times
R4 : k8

BP: R1 : k1, p1, k1, p1, k1
R2 : k1, p3, k1

This gives the effect of each LP and SS band being bordered by a k stripe. If it makes more sense to you then add those k on the edges to the LP and SS bands and leave the BP as p3 alternating with p1, k1, p1

These bands also give you some leeway for adjusting the circumfrence of the stocking. As long as the LP and SS bands are as wide as each other and more than 2 times wider than the BP it should look like the original. Since there are 8 or these wider patterns in the top of the stocking that means gaining or losing 8 stitches or a little more than half an inch by making the LP & SS bands 8 & 7 stitches or 10 & 9 ststches

Yes I have played with these variables in practice pieces.

While I'm in detail mode I guess I'll talk about decreasing. The center back pattern is a BP and it stays un changed thru all of the decreases. The LP & SS panels on either side disappear as do the BP on the outside of them. The way that I like the look of best was to start by taking 1 stitch out of the LP then work 3 Rows. Then 1 stitch out of the SS work and work 3 rows. Continue in this pattern until the LP & SS panels are looking anemic next to the BP row then reduce one then the other BP pattern to K3/k1, p1,k1. Somewhere along the line I also switch to reducing every other row instead of every 4th row. In all I decreased 27 stitches over about 72 rows. then worked about another 40 rows before dividing for the heel.

Heel details need to be another post (if anyone wants it) Also there is the question of gauge.

Untile next time I get ambitious