Mysterious Antique Wedding Stockings

Maybe not so mysterious, but I don't know who knit them, where she knit them or when.

I acquired them from a Canadian antique dealer who thought they were crocheted and used them as Christmas stockings.

Are they wedding stockings? Okay, so I'm taking poetic license here, but it helps me to imagine the reasoning behind their artistry. The gauge is: 13.5 stitches to the inch (that's inch!) and 18 rows to the inch.

They are knit in ivory cotton and are even more charming in person than the photos represent.

Here's a close up

of the leg of the stocking.

Here's a close up of the very top of the stockings.

If you think you've ever seen stockings like this will you let me know?

A new knitting website that looks very interesting and has great potential just landed in my in-box this morning, it is:

http://metapostmodernknitting.com/

Take a look.

Okay, so I promised a look at a bit

of knitting that I'm working on for another friend's book. I really thought I'd be further along today, but I'm not. Hold on just a second, I've got to run outside and photograph it........

Although it's a bit challenging to see right now, this is the handpainted chenille yarn that I was talking about a few days ago from Blue Heron yarns. There are four small cables in the center, the edges are seed stitch. Notice that the yellow zig zags from left to right up the piece of knitting (the blues do, too). This always happens with their yarns and the zig zag changes with the gauge.

I'll felt the scarf when I'm finished. It doesn't have a bit of wool in it, but if you've ever mistakenly washed some rayons, you know that they shrink. In this case the shrinkage makes the knitted fabric very drapy. Think french silk velvet, that's the feel. I love it.

I designed another similar scarf for TinkkniT called The Impressionist Scarf. The yarn is Blue Heron and it was felted. This was my answer to the Touch Me chenille scarf in Pam Allen's ScarfStyle. Many of my students got lost in the pattern, so I designed this pattern. It only takes one skein of yarn. More information at:

http://www.tinkknit.com/Impressionist%20Scarf.html

I leave for Stitches early tomorrow, I'll let you know what I think.

Good knitting to all!