No Knit Full Fashioned Stockings

Over the years I've collected a number of wool sweaters that are to worn down at the elbows to be worth fixing again. I've struggled with what to do with them as it seems wasteful to just throw them out. I've also struggled to find nice natural fiber socks. So I was strolling through the internet and I came across Full Fashioned Stockings. Socks that are knitted flat and then seamed up the bottom of the foot and back of the leg. Jolly neat idea, but I want to use my old sweaters and there seam to be no patterns or instructions for that. So as winter approaches once more, I decided to bite the bullet and make myself some No Knit 100% Wool Full Fashioned Stockings or Socks if a stocking must go over the knee.

• Bendable Measuring Tape
• Meter/Yard Stick
• Marker (also could use a pen)
• Large Piece of Paper (if desired a smaller piece of paper may also come in handy)
• Scissors
• Pins
• Junk Thin Light Colored T-shirt
• Wool Sweater
• Wool Yarn
• Sewing Machine (that has a zig zag stitch)
• Yarn Needle

(I'm sorry neither of the sewing equipment is shown, but I couldn't be bothered to unplug the one to move it into the picture and I appear to have lost all of the others that I own)

Measure the circumference of your leg at all the points where it is extremely different.

Measure the distance between these points.

• Upper Thigh
• Lower Thigh
• Knee
• Below Knee
• Calf
• Ankle
• Heel
• Instep

Remember to round the circumferences down to the nearest practical measurement. (No using Millimeters. Use Inches or Centimeters)

I recommend measuring the distance from the ankle to the instep on both the top and the bottom of the foot.

This step can be done as part of the first step.

Use your two measuring tools to mark on your paper the measurements you got at the proper distances. Then connect the dots. To get the area for the toes to hide in I put both sets of toes together at the middle of the bottom end of the paper and traced around them. This seems to have worked decently well.

This is a two-step step. At least how I did it as I care about symmetry.

Use the hem of your shirt as the top of the sock.

1. Trace the half drafted pattern onto your old t-shirt. Making a few marks along the middle of the pattern
2. Fold fabric in half along the middle marks and pin to keep from shifting.

Alternatively you could have connected the dots on both side of the pattern and trace it out flat.

As this is a mockup and I will be using the sewing machine to sew it, I cut a bit outside of my drawn line to give myself some seam allowance.

If you followed the above two-step method you are now ready for Step 5 if not

Step 4.5

Bring the cut edges of the mockup together and pin to keep from shifting.

Now take your sewing machine that has been set to zig zag and simply sew up the sock. Bottom to top

(or have the thread break four times as you forgot to check that it was in the right position and free from potential snags)

Provided you followed the above instructions you likely have something that pulls on with perhaps some finagling to get the heel and seam to behave.

• Pin away the excess fabric and gently ease the sock off your foot.
• Mark where you want to sew.
• Remove the pins
• Sew
• Repeat until satisfied with the fit

Lay the well fitting sock over the folded in half pattern you copied it from originally. Trace. Cut out.

Don't bother with adding seam allowance as the knit will stretch more than enough.

I was very fortunate that my flattened calf measurement fit neatly onto the front half of my cardigan, whether yours will fit on such things will depend on the size of your leg and your sweater. Ideally you are able to as then you can get maximum length for your socks by putting the toe at the shoulder seam.

It's easier to pin the pattern to just one layer of sweater, but you can put it on two.

You may find that part of you heel is in the sleeve area, don't worry about this.

I found it to be easier to start cutting out the toe of the sock even as I pinned it. This action helped the fabric lay flatter. Hence why this step includes cutting out the sock.

Bring the cut edges of the sock together with the pretty side hiding, pin, and get started stitching. Start with a knot at the toe and stab stitch your way to a knot at the top

I recommend the stab stitch, I know it feels like the slower version of the running stitch, as it is straight in and through and then back, but it enables you to ensure that you are getting a secure connection for every knit row and stitch.

Sew as close to the edge as possible so that the seam is barely feelable under your foot. Provided you did a decent job on the stitching and used a sweater that is wool this lack of seam allowance shouldn't be a problem as the heat from you foot should allow the seam to felt.

If you find that the seam of your sock is to long for you to comfortably sew with one thread, or that you have cut your yarn a bit short, don't bother with knotting it off. Work as much of the tail into the seam as you can. If you have 1cm/.5in left don't bother weaving it into the fabric, if it is longer you may wish to do that so you don't have threads in your sock. I then went back 1in/2cm and started stitching again being careful not to pull the end of my yarn through.

Repeat for a matching sock

Turn your newly completed socks right side out and put them on. Hurrah!