No Black Yarn?

Yes, Easter is over and you know what that means - Christmas Stockings!

I sometimes get a client who plans ahead, which is fantastic I must say, and so begins the christmas stocking knitting for this year.

I just got invited to join Ravelry which I should have paid more attention to, stash-wise, because I can't find any black yarn.

I was sure I had some; it must be hiding.

Anyway, I guess the snowmen will have to wait for their hats and the bears for their eyes.

I was just at the yarn store yesterday too...

I did get to see all of my peeps, of the non-marshmallow variety, but I neglected to get any black yarn.

The pattern is Nancy Lindberg Christmas Stocking Pattern with some changes.

I decided to try making the stocking from the toe up.

I really like it.

As mentioned in past posts it always bothered the total knitting nerd in me that the stitches were upside down in the patterns when the stocking is worked from the top down.

Now they are right side up and I can read the charts right side up too.

I think, in the future, I will try a short-row toe and continue on from there.

To make this toe-up toe I cast on 18 stitches with scrap yarn and worked 3 rows, then picked up one stitch on the edge, pulled out the provisional cast-on, knitted those stitches and picked up one more stitch on the other side.

Then I increased up to the number of stitches I needed.

Also, I added a short-row heel.

This pattern calls for an after-thought heel and I like the short-row because you never have to take the stocking off of the needles.

I also charted out the bears, because there isn't one in the pattern.

It has been a long time, if I have even ever done it, since I have had such a knit-nerdy post.

Thanks for listening,

Jess.