Sunday, November 3, 2013

Extra-Fanciful Felted Curly-Toe Stocking

11-3-13  I'm revisiting the Fanciful Felted Curly-Toe Stocking pattern.  Let me present the longer stocking embellished with novelty yarns.  It's a great project, and the stocking will be available at the  Sou'Wester Garden Club Holiday Craft Sale.


Extra-Fanciful Felted Curly-Toe Stocking
Marilynn Blacketer '13

This is a great next-step beginner project because knitting a stocking is simply knitting a really long hat with a heel. You'll be using worsted weight wool yarn and big needles.The best part of the project is tossing the stocking into a top-loading washer to felt away any minor errors, and to be amazed with the results!
Finished size:
Knit, not felted: 20” circumference, height cuff to toe 40(48)”
(If you happen to use superwash wool or acrylic yarn, the stocking will remain this size.)
Felted, for 30 minutes: 11” circumference, height cuff to toe 23(27)”

Materials:
Yarn: 3 (210 yards) skeins worsted weight wool in contrasting colors
Color C for cuff, heel, stripes and toe, Colors A and B for stripes
Photo: Galway worsted weight wool; #16 red, #82 green, and #60 gold
Gedifra Mexican; 66 yards, 50 grams; #67 gold  (discontinued)
Katia Sevilla; 153 yards, 50 grams; 0.5 skeins = 76.5 yards; #35 red
Knitting Fever Dazzle Metallic; 142 yards, 50 grams; 0.5 skeins = 71 yards; #2 green gold
Lion Brand Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter Eyelash; 39 yards, 25 grams; #513  red

Needles: Size US#11, 16” circular needles, set size US#11 double pointed needles
Notions: 2 stitch markers, tapestry needle, sewing thread (Color C) and needle to tack curly-toe

Abbreviations: CO = cast on       K=knit      k2tog= knit 2 stitches together       p=purl
p2tog=purl 2 stitches together       pm=place marker       sm=slip marker      Rnd/s=round/s         st/s=stitch/es

The directions are for shorter stocking with longer stocking in parentheses. (Notes written in italic.)

To begin: Cuff and leg:
Cast on 90 stitches, with Color C, using the long-tail cast-on method, with #11, 16” circular needles. Place marker & join together by knitting first stitch being careful not to twist.
(Start with the eyelash held w/worsted wool rounds 1-10, then work the eyelash/novelty yarn held w/worsted wool on every other round through-out the stocking.)
Rounds 1 – 5: Knit
Rnd 6: *Knit 1, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round (60 stitches)
Rnds 7 - 18: Knit, continuing with color C. Cut yarn, and join in Color A
Rnds 19 - 27: Knit 9 rounds with Color A
Rnds 28 - 36: Knit 9 rounds with Color B
Continue striping with Colors C, A, and B until there are the cuff and 7(8) stripes.
While working the last round of Color A(B), knit 30 stitches, let stitches rest on the circular needle,
knit 30 sts onto a double pointed needle.  (If you forget, just slip the 30sts to the double pointed needle.)

Heel:  (work the novelty yarn as it becomes available again, about every third row)
Using Color C, and working on the double pointed needle, and the wrong side of heel stitches,
Row 1: Slip 1 st, purl to the end of row. Turn.
Row 2: Slip 1 st, knit to the end of row. Turn.
Repeat rows 1 - 2 seven more times, ending with a purl row. (16 rows in Color C)

Row 1: Slip 1 st, k14, k2tog, k1. Turn 
Row 2: Slip 1 st, p3, p2tog, p1. Turn 
Row 3: Slip 1 st, k4, k2tog, k1. Turn 
Row 4: Slip 1 st, p5, p2tog, p1. Turn 
Row 5: Slip 1 st, k6, k2tog, k1. Turn 
Row 6: Slip 1 st, p7, p2tog, p1. Turn 
Row 7: Slip 1 st, k8, k2tog, k1. Turn 
Row 8: Slip 1 st, p9, p2tog, p1. Turn 
Row 9: Slip 1 st, k10, k2tog, k1. Turn 
Row10: Slip 1 st, p11, p2tog, p1. Turn 
Row11: Slip 1 st, k12, k2tog, k1. Turn 
Row12: Slip 1 st, p13, p2tog, p1. Turn 
Row13: Slip 1 st, k14, k2tog, k1. Turn 
Row14: Slip 1 st, p14, p2tog. Turn       (16 stitches)

Gusset:
Continuing with Color C and the double pointed needle,
G.Rnd 1: Slip 1 st, k15, pick up and knit 10 sts along heel flap, (26 st are on the double pointed needle) cut color C (continue with C). Using the circular needle, replace marker and join Color B(C), knit 30sts for instep, place a second marker, pick up and knit 10sts along heel flap, and continuing with the circular needle, knit the 26sts on the double pointed needle. (30 sts for instep, 36 sts for heel)
G.Rnds 2, 4, 6: Knit
G.Rnds 3, 5, 7: Knit 30, sm, k2tog, knit to last 2sts before marker, k2tog. (2 sts decreased on heel)
G.Rnds 8, 9: Knit (60 stitches)

Foot:
Continue maintaining stripes with Colors C, A, and B through the gusset and foot of the sock until there are 4 stripes total from the heel. (Remove second marker.)

Decreasing for the curly-toe:
Using Color C, (B),
Rnd 1: *K8, k2tog; repeat from * to end (54 sts)
Rnds 2, 3: Knit
Rnd 4: *K7, k2tog; repeat from * to end (48 sts)
Rnds 5, 6: Knit
Rnd 7: *K6, k2tog; repeat from * to end (42 sts)
Rnds 8, 9: Knit
(Using Color C, and moving to double pointed needles)
Rnd 10: *K5, k2tog; repeat from * to end (36 sts)
Rnds 11, 12: Knit
Rnd 13: *K4, k2tog; repeat from * to end (30 sts)
Rnds 14-17: Knit
Rnd 18: *K3, k2tog; repeat from * to end (24 sts)
Rnds 19-22: Knit
Rnd 23: *K2, k2tog; repeat from * to end (18 sts)
Rnds 24-27: Knit
Rnd 28: *K1, k2tog; repeat from * to end (12 sts)
Rnds 29-32: Knit
Rnd 33: *K2tog; repeat from * to end. Slip the 6 remaining stitches to one needle.
Rnds 34-37: Knit I-cord (for 4 rounds).
Rnd 38: *K2tog; repeat from * to end. (3 sts)
Knit I-cord for 8”to create the length for the curl. K2tog, and bind off.
Cut 6” tail, thread through and tie off neatly.

Finishing:
To hang the stocking, knit a 8” I-cord, and attach to cuff before felting.
Turn stocking inside-out and weave tails.
  
Felting:
Place stocking in a zippered bag. Using a top-loading washer, machine wash in hot, slightly soapy water for 20- 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to see if felted to desired size. As necessary, shape stocking, reset the machine, and continue washing until stocking is completely felted. DO NOT SPIN. When stocking is completely felted, blot with towels and shape (curling the toe). Lay flat to dry.

Finishing: Use sewing thread (Color C) and needle to tack curly-toe into place.

This pattern is available on Marilynn'sGardenKnitDesign@blogspot.com
Copyright 2013, Marilynn Blacketer.  All rights reserved 11/3/13

The pdf of Fanciful Curly-Toe Stocking is available on Ravelry.com (login needed)
Copyright 2013, Marilynn Blacketer. All rights reserved. 11/15/13
For pattern support please contact: marilynnblacketer@gmail.com


Here are a few photos of the process :

Start with worsted wool, novelty yarn, pattern, stitch markers and needles.
I started with the eyelash held w/worsted wool rounds 1-10, then worked the eyelash/novelty yarn held w/worsted wool on every other round through-out the stocking.  You might have noticed I started the project with a partial skein of gold wool.  Had I completed the project as the shorter stocking, not a problem!

 I made progress because I enjoyed working on the stockings in the evenings, and I purchased two more skeins of red and gold (LYS had one of each in that dye lot).  Working around the novelty yarn may have required more yardage.   
Yes, I needed a few more yards of red and gold. I solved that problem by shopping.  It could have  also been solved by knitting the shorter stocking, or a not quite as many rows in the cuff.


These my favorite photos....  
the before and after felting!



 Oh, please pardon the pun, but I felt I had a problem. I was not happy with the many dots created by the Gedifra Mexican. The wool was available for the integrity of the stocking, so I simply snipped out about half of that embellishment.

I am pleased with the stocking. It is extra-fanciful, and I have enough yarn to knit the shorter one!





11/15/13 Using stash yarn from the October project, (11-11-13) I started another fanciful stocking. I held the Flutter w/wool through-out the cuff, then worked the wool following the directions for the shorter stocking.  The stocking was relaxing work, and knitted quite quickly.

Knitting Fever Flutter; 75 yards, 20 grams, #46 red & pale yellow
Galway worsted weight wool; #16 red, #82 green, and #60 gold