Friday, June 8, 2012

How to Knit Soldiers’ Stockings


Found this in the Historic Newspapers at the LOC
The Daily Press [Cincinnati, OH] Monday, October 7, 1861
How to Knit Soldiers’ Stockings

            Set up twenty-eight or thirty stitches on a needle; rib two inches; knit plain seven inches before setting the heel; form the heel by knitting twenty-three stitches each side of the seam, taking off the first stitch without knitting; length of heel, before narrowing, three inches; narrow the heel by knitting ten stitches plain; knit two together; knit plain to within three of the seam; knit  two together, one plain, and turn the seam; knit one plain, slip and bend one stitch; knit plain to within twelve of the end of the needle, slip and bind; knit ten plain; knit back plain; knit thus until the narrowings meet; knit back on wrong side to seam; then double together on the wrong side; knit two together and bind off one stitch; take up the loops to the left hand, and knit five stitches off the instep needle on to that one; knit off the instep needle, and take five off the other end, to add to the right side of the heel, and then take up the loops; knit one round all plain; knit three stitches and widen, by taking up a loop between all across, to within seven of the end of the needle; then narrow on the first side, by knitting two together, and knit five off plain; knit instep needle plain; knit five; and narrow on the last needle by slipping and binding one stitch; then widen as before, but only this one round. Now narrow every other round, as before, until you have twenty-four stitches on a needle; knit plain four inches; narrow the toe on the needle to left of instep needle, by knitting one plain slip and bind; then knit plain to within three stitches of the end of the needle; knit two together and one plain; knit thus on each needle; knit three rounds plain, then narrow as before, knitting three plain rounds between each narrowing; then knit two rounds between, to twelve stitches on each needle; narrow every other round to the close.

[bend] a period typo...it should be bind. 

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