'Casting on' above the ankle

At Lynn 's first Garters and Lace, I bought a pair of Aristo fully fashioned stockings, probably made in the fifties. As this close-up photo of the region above the ankle shows, the quality of workmanship is quite remarkable. The photo also shows how the leg of the stocking is knitted from a single nylon thread, very much resembling fishing line. It also shows why the stocking is so transparent - probably 95% of the area of the stocking consists of holes.

 


Detail of casting on

The second photo shows one of the 'knots' where extra stitches are added. I would have expected that the machine would have cast on an extra stitch every few rows, as a hand knitter would. However, as the photo shows, at each knot 5 stitches are converted to 9, in a quite complex pattern. I have tried to indicate the exact pattern of the loops, but there is quite a tangle in the middle of the picture, and resolution of the photo isn't quite high enough, so I'm not quite sure if I have got it right.

I would be very surprised if any hand knitter would be able to do this at all, let alone with the beauty with which it is done here.


Style number knitted into the welt

The third photo shows a style number knitted into the welt. Again the amount of effort that has gone into producing this relatively simple effect is quite remarkable. This section is knitted in a heavier yarn, and it appears from the original photo that each thread is composed of three or possibly more filaments twisted together.

 

 

 

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