CYCLING AND SHOOTING
KNICKERBOCKER STOCKINGS

HOW TO KNIT THEM

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CYCLING AND SHOOTING

KNICKERBOCKER STOCKINGS


HOW TO KNIT THEM

WITH PLAIN AND FANCY TURNOVER TOPS

BY

H. P. RYDER

London

MACMILLAN AND CO. Ltd.

NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN CO.

1896

Richard Clay and Sons, Limited,

LONDON AND BUNGAY.

HOW TO KNIT KNICKERBOCKER STOCKINGS

GENERAL DIRECTIONS

The difficulty in giving knitting directions arises from no two people knitting alike. Some do so too loosely, others too tightly. In good work the loops should just run easily on the needles.

In order to secure your stocking being the right size, it will be well before you start it to test your knitting by casting on 8 stitches and knitting 8 rows. If, with Alloa yarn and No. 12 needles, the knitting measures about a square inch, your stocking will work out medium size. If, however, the square is much larger or smaller, then alter the size of needles to suit your knitting, taking bigger or smaller needles as required. This is a very important point to attend to. The directions given are for a medium-sized stocking, both in length and width. Any one who has knitted a stocking by them will see at once how easy it is to enlarge or diminish the size.

How to join Wool

Never make a knot, but knit a few stitches with both wools. The extra thickness never shows, and the ends may be cut off close with impunity.

Raising

It is helpful and saves much counting, if, when you raise or decrease, you knit along with the wool, on that stitch only, a piece of fine white wool or thread. It is easily withdrawn afterwards, but it enables you to see at a glance which is your back needle, and the last time you raised or decreased.

You raise, by putting your needle before knitting next stitch through the loop below, in reality the stitch of the last round, and drawing the wool through it. You must be very careful not to make a hole, a slight twist as you take up the stitch prevents this.

Tops in Fingering

When you knit with two wools, carrying them on at the back, the knitting is much more even if one colour, say the dark, is knitted with wool from right hand in the usual English way, but keep the lighter coloured wool over finger on left hand, and take it up as the Germans always knit. This sounds troublesome, but is really quite easy with a little practice.

Another simple but useful direction in knitting with wool carried on at the back I must give.

When you knit 6 or more stitches with one colour, to avoid too long a loop at the back, which is apt to get pulled, at the 3rd or 4th stitch lay the wool you are not using level with your needle so as to come above or rather between the needle and the wool you are going to knit with. When the stitch is knitted, you will find the wool caught lightly through at the back.

KNICKERBOCKER STOCKING WITH FANCY TOP. NO. 1.