not sure exactly how I wanna do this. loose tension, down to the 2nd to last thingy

1. 96 needles in, maybe 20 rows, hang hem.
2. 80 rows plain
3. remove 1 needle in back, 5 rows
4. remove a needle on either side 12 needles away, 10 rows
5. repeat until you reach the front(88) 11/1 mock rib
6. remove 2 needles 12, 5 stitches between mock rib stitches apart, 10 rows between each 2 needles removed.
7. continue staggering it til you have a 5/1 mock rib
8. then do the same, 10 rows between every 2 needles removed until you have a 2/1 mock rib
9. crank 80 rows
10. prep for heel, see notes below

when it’s a 2/1 mock, crank 80 rows

continue kinda like this, tightening the tension as you go. My thighs have some extra padding but my calves are pencil sticks. so this shaping works for me. So this works for my legs as they are right now. Hopefully I will not lose or gain too much weight as my legs have had slightly different shapes over the years, but always pencil calves.

Well I keep making stocking that are too short. I think I will frog my 1st 2 efforts. Anyway my stockings are fitting quite well, it is just a matter of making them longer. I changed my numbers above to better match what I need. I guess my legs are pretty average, perhaps slightly long.

My latest result is a keeper. So that’s 2 stockings to be frogged and reknit. I will make a few changes in the toe of the 2nd stocking.

As far as the heel goes it’s a Cat Bordhi sweet tomato heel but I hate what the 2 rows between wedges does to the color so I tried something else. It’s something like this.

oooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooo

The 3 lines of ‘o’ approximate my wedges. The first is largest with each following wedge being 2 stitches less than the previous. The first wedge goes a touch beyond 2/3s while the 3rd goes a touch less tha 2/3s. They do not line up perfectly but it’s a decent compromise that is less disruptive to my colors.

I also did my add in needles to make a more robust heel. I found I needed to lower the cam a touch to make the stitches a bit looser. Above the heel I cranked 10 rows with needles added in for heel to be a mock 5-1, then 5 rows later, added in 3 more to make the sole solid(see photo). Below the heel I cranked 5 rows with all extra needles in, took out 2, cranked 5 rows, and took out 2 more, then cranked 30.

I’ve been having major issues with the gauge getting tight. When I frog I don’t rewind a bobbin, I go straight off what I am frogging which is fine if I unravel a bunch before I crank. Otherwise cranking off the reject makes my stitches too tight.

Soooo…. I have a couple toes to frog to extend the foot. Everything else is OK but boy do I need to make more thigh highs if I wanna get this right.

Thoughts:

1. must watch tension; cam height carefully as well as yarn intake.
2. my arch experiment worked but should be deeper. tighter stitches make the heel not as deep.
3. short rows by the ball of the foot extend the sole as the tighter stitches shorten it.