A Sheep In Wools' Clothing

Kille's Brother Alpha's Entrelac Stocking Finished!

DS$#1 (of 3) realized about eleven years ago that he was the only child in the family without a knit Christmas stocking from me.  His was crewel, as I originally was going to do each stocking in a different sort of needlework.  And so, he requested a knit stocking.

I started by teaching myself how to knit entrelac, but did not go so far as to research the proper ratio of straight knitting or rib to entrelac portion.  So, after my ribbed cuff on the stocking, the entrelac nicely bloomed out horizontally and looked totally bizarre. 

The start of the stocking got packed away as the family moved for me to do my second residency, and was out of view for some years as I did the residency and studied for my written and oral boards.  It came back to my attention and design intents after I moved to Maine.  This spring, I signed DD (#1 of 1) up for an entrelac class.  As my usual when I sign her up to learn something new, I signed up with her to challenge her to do it.  In the process, I learned something  - the ratio of straight knitting to entrelac, which was the missing piece for my DS #1's stocking.

At Fiber Frolic, I discovered Amy King of Spunky Eclectic and a wonderful colorway of hers, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.  I had her custom dye some in bulky, and the eleven year stocking is at last, as of tonight, complete!

Specifics:
Pattern:  my own, using entrelac, afterthought heel and applied I-cord
Yarn:  "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" and "Soylent Green" by Amy King of Spunky Eclectic
Needles:  Size 9 Knit Picks
Knitting time:  lost track, but done all this month

Wristers Pattern

For my ladies' wristers, I cast on 40 stitches in heavy worsted weight, using size 6 double point needles.  For the larger, men's wristers, I cast on 48 stitches.

Latvian Braid trim:
Knit one row in MC.
Row 2: Add in CC.  Bring both yarns in front.  P1 MC, P1 CC bringing the working yarn OVER the non-working yarn before each stitch. (Don't worry about the twisting - you will get rid of it in the second row).
Row 3:  Continue P1 MC, P1 CC but this time, you will be bringing the working color UNDER the non-working color before you purl the stitch.

That's it.  A two row braid.

Cuff:  Continue using both colors.  K2 MC, K2 CC around.  Continue for 2 1/2".
Option:  Add another Latvian Braid at this point.  If you want mirroring braids, then work the first row bringing the working yarn UNDER the non-working yarn and the second row bringing the working yarn OVER.

Palm:  K1 MC, K1 CC around for 1 1/2".
Thumb hole:  Begin working in pattern BACK and FORTH for 8 rows, then resume knitting in the round for 6 more rows.
Work Latvian Braid trim one last time.  Bind off knitwise.

Thumb:  Pick up and knit 22 stitches around the thumb slit using MC.  Knit two rows. 
*K3, K2tog* around.  Knit two rows.  *K2, K2tog* around.  Knit one row.  Bind off.

If you are interested in my fingerless gloves/mitten flap pattern, let me know.  I have it in rough written form in my knitting journal, and am using this pair I am working on as a test knit of the pattern.  I can write it up more formally after I know it re-created well.