Encyclopedia of Needlework Part 20

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 360. HEEL KNITTED ON THE RIGHT SIDE.]

Knit off the st.i.tches of the first needle after the seam; then on to two spare needles, cast on, 8 more st.i.tches than you had on one needle after dividing the st.i.tches; put the st.i.tches of the third and fourth needles together and knit the first round plain.

2nd round--knit together the 1st and 2nd, and the 9th and 10th of the first auxiliary needle; and the 10th and 9th and 2nd and 1st of the second.

3rd round--plain.

4th round--knit together the 1st and 2nd and the 7th and 8th of the first needle.

5th round--plain.

6th round--knit together the 1st and 2nd and the 5th and 6th of the first auxiliary needle; and the 6th and 7th and the last but one and the last, of the second.

7th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 20th rounds all plain.

8th round--knit together the 1st and 2nd, and the 3rd and 4th of the first auxiliary needle, and the 4th and 3rd, and the last st.i.tch but one and the last, of the second.

9th round--After the two last intakes, purl together the 4th and 3rd st.i.tches before the end of the 1st and 3rd needle, and the 3rd and 4th at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th needles.

12th, 15th, and 18th rounds--Decrease, the same as in the 9th round.

21st round--knit 2 plain, at the beginning of the 1st and 3rd needles; knit the next 2 together; knit together the 4th and 3rd, before the end of the 2nd and 4th needles; knit the last st.i.tches plain; go on decreasing in this way until the purled st.i.tches meet. After the plain round over the intakes, add four plain rounds, divide the st.i.tches that remain for the sole, on two needles and cast off on the wrong side.

Now take up the auxiliary st.i.tches, and in the first 3 plain rounds, knit together the last and the first of the 1st and 2nd needles, and the last and the first of the 3rd and 4th.

With the rest of the extra st.i.tches make purled intakes, knitting two plain rounds after each round with an intake.

For the other kind of plain heel also (fig. 360), auxiliary st.i.tches are required. Supposing that you have 20 st.i.tches on each needle, you must cast on 28 st.i.tches on to each auxiliary needle; knit together the 4th and 3rd st.i.tches at the end of the 1st and 3rd needles, and the 3rd and 4th of the 2nd and 3rd needles, so that you may have 4 plain st.i.tches between both intakes. Go on decreasing, knitting 2 plain rounds after each round with an intake, until you have 6 st.i.tches left on each needle. Then knit together the first and last st.i.tches of each needle, one plain round over it, and finish with a chain on the wrong side of the heel. Then take up the auxiliary st.i.tches and knit the instep.

ITALIAN STOCKING (fig. 361).--The heel, sole and toe of a stocking always wear out before the instep. The Italians and Greeks economise time and material and facilitate the renewal of those parts that wear out, by knitting the upper part of the foot in two pieces. After knitting the heel in on or other of the above ways, work the foot as straight knitting with the two upper needles only, until you have the necessary length. Then knit the underneath part separately, in the same way. You must keep a chain along all edges and a narrow seam of one or two st.i.tches. In the sole, which you make after finishing the upper part, you intakes must come directly after and before the seam. When you have got the same number of rounds in each piece, join them together and begin the toe.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 361. ITALIAN STOCKING.]

Sew up the slits left open on either side, with a needle and thread taking care to fit the corresponding st.i.tches together.

In this manner, when one part wears out, you have only to unpick these side-seams and re-sole or re-heel the stocking as the case may be.

TOE (fig. 362).--To begin as before, with the simplest and most ordinary way of making this part of the stocking, divide the st.i.tches equally on to the 4 needles; knit together the 4th and 3rd st.i.tches before the end of the 1st and 3rd needles, knit the 2 last and 2 first st.i.tches of the 2nd and 4th needles plain, and make an intake by slipping the 3rd st.i.tch, knitting the 4th, and pulling the slipped st.i.tch over. Begin by knitting 2 plain rounds after each of the first 4 rounds with an intake, and afterwards only one. When you have only 4 st.i.tches left on each needle, collect them on two, and knit them together, two and two, on the wrong side of the stocking.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 362. TOE.]

TOE (fig. 363).--Here, before beginning to decrease, divide the st.i.tches by 8, 10, or 12. Supposing that they have been divided by 10, knit 8 plain; knit the 9th and 10th together, 8 plain, knit two together, and so on, the whole way round. Then knit as many plain rounds as there are plain st.i.tches between 2 intakes. In the next rounds with intakes, you will have one st.i.tch less between each intake, in the second therefore, there should be 7 plain st.i.tches between each intake, and you knit 7 plain rounds; and so on to the 7th round, when 2 st.i.tches will remain, followed by 2 plain rounds; when there are only 4 st.i.tches left on the needles, turn them in to the wrong side of the stocking, and finish off with a chain.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 363. TOE.]

TOE (fig. 364).--Begin the intakes with the two first st.i.tches of each needle, by the slip and pull over process, knit one plain round after each round with an intake. In the following rounds, make the intake in the 2nd round with the 3rd and 4th st.i.tches, in the 3rd, with the 5th and 6th st.i.tches, in the 4th, with the 7th and 8th st.i.tches, so that when finished the intakes form a kind of spiral. Finish off in the ordinary way.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 364. TOE.]

TOE (fig. 365).--We will describe one other kind of toe, quite as shapely and easy to make as the others.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 365. TOE.]

1st round--purl the first 2 st.i.tches on each needle together.

2nd and 3rd, 5th and 6th, 8th and 9th, 11th and 12th, 14th and 15th, 17th and 18th rounds--plain.

4th round--1 plain, 1 intake with the 2nd and 3rd st.i.tches, and with the last 2 on each needle.

7th round--knit the 2 first plain, make 1 intake with the 3rd and 4th st.i.tches, and 1 with the 2 last.

In each of the next rounds with intakes, knit 1 plain st.i.tch more.

When the two seams meet, pull the last st.i.tch on each needle over the first of the next; knit the st.i.tches between the intakes plain. Continue to decrease in this manner until the last st.i.tches are reached.

MENDING KNITTING.--Knitted articles are repaired by reconstructing the web with a needle and thread. When the st.i.tches are not actually broken, they can be strengthened by new ones made over them, by means of a needle and thread.

MATERIALS FOR DARNING STOCKINGS.--The thread used for darning a stocking should be a little finer than that of which it is made. Coton a repriser D.M.C[A] is the best, for as it consists of several strands it can be subdivided as occasion requires.

STRENGTHENING THE St.i.tCHES (figs. 366 and 367).--This can be done in two ways. In fig. 366, the thread is brought out between two horizontal bars, pa.s.sed upwards over a perpendicular bar, put in by the side of the same and brought out between the next horizontal bars.

Work the second row of st.i.tches backwards; take up two threads on the left, pa.s.s downwards to the right, over one thread, take up the thread you pa.s.sed over, and so on.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 366. STRENGTHENING THE LOOPS. FIRST WAY.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 367. STRENGTHENING THE LOOPS. SECOND WAY.]

The other way, fig. 367, is, when you have brought out your needle, to carry it over one thread to the right and upwards over two, take up the next two threads on the left, pa.s.s downwards over two horizontal threads, and over one thread to the right, and put in the needle where it first came out; then working from right to left, take up two threads, pa.s.s over one to the right, and downwards over two horizontal ones, and so on. In the next row, hold your work, the finished part uppermost, carry the needle downwards over one horizontal thread, bring it out between two threads that lie separately and take it downwards again over two horizontal threads, pick up two threads, working from right to left, pa.s.s upwards over two threads and over one to the right, take up two to the left, and so on.

REPAIRING PLAIN KNITTING (fig. 368).--When a broken piece of stocking web requires to be replaced by new, draw the new and the old pieces together with a needle and thread, using the same thread the stocking is made of.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 368. REPAIRING PLAIN KNITTING.]

For this purpose, you must clear the loops, by ravelling them out top and bottom, and slip them on to knitting needles. The loops that are to be connected must lie exactly opposite to each other. Enter your threaded needle upwards from below through the first disengaged upper loop, and slip it off the knitting needle, then enter the needle, downwards from above through the first lower loop, and upwards from below through the next, and draw out just enough thread to make the new loop the same size as the old ones. Then enter the needle, downwards from above, through the same upper loop you took up before, taking up also the one next to it, and pa.s.sing your needle through it from underneath; draw out the thread to form the new loop and descend again to the next, and so on.

REPAIRING PURLED KNITTING (fig. 369).--To repair ribbed surfaces consisting of alternate rows of plain and purl, proceed as follows: hold the article so that the row of purled st.i.tches is exactly opposite the upper part. Enter your needle upwards from below, through the first loop of the upper part; join the two lower loops together as in fig.

368; carry the needle upwards again, and enter it upwards from below through the first loop of the upper part and downwards from above, through the loop next it. Join the lower loops again, as in plain knitting.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 369. REPAIRING PURLED KNITTING.]

DISENGAGING THE LOOPS FOR DARNING (fig. 370).--Where the threads are broken, new loops have to be made, and the broken ones ravelled out and cut, so that the horizontal loops may stand out clear and distinct. Cut the threads on the vertical sides so that the loops form an edge and the hole is square, clear two or four loops in the corners of the hole, fold them in and fasten them off at the back by a st.i.tch or two. The darns we are next going to describe should be made upon a ball to prevent drawing the threads too tightly.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 370. DISENGAGING THE LOOPS FOR DARNING.]

DARNING ON THREADS STRETCHED HORIZONTALLY (figs. 371 and 372).--Carry a horizontal thread across on the wrong side, in the place of each broken thread, securing it in the sound part of the stocking, about two threads from the edge of the hole. When you have made this foundation, put the needle in on the right side near the st.i.tch that is nearest to the sound part on the left, fig. 371.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 371. DARNING ON THREADS STRETCHED HORIZONTALLY.

POSITION OF THE HORIZONTAL THREADS.]