Sock-knitting expert Nancy Bush translates and updates a charming Victorian stocking pattern, adapting it into contemporary easy-to-follow instructions for today’s knitters.
The knitted stockings shown here were featured in Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 15, published in London in 1900. They were designed to come above the knee, but I have reworked the pattern as a long sock, 12 inches (30.5 cm) above the heel flap. I’ve used the same number of rows in the ribbing and kept the pattern as close to the original as possible, placing fewer stitches in the leg and therefore fewer decreases down the leg to the ankle. From there, I have followed the pattern as it was written, working a Dutch Heel and Round Toe variation. The original heel flap is longer than usual, but I’ve kept it that way because I wanted to see how it worked out. Lovely.
The original illustration of the evening socks from Weldon’s.
Materials
- The Alpaca Yarn Company Glimmer, 97% baby alpaca/3% polyester yarn, fingering-weight, 183 yards (167 m)/50 g skein, #100 White House, 3 skeins
- Needles, set of 4 double pointed, size 1 (2.5 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge
- Stitch marker
- Tapestry needle
Finished size: 7 inches (17.8 cm) foot circumference, 12 inches (30.5 cm) long from cast-on edge to top of heel flap, and 9 inches (22.9 cm) long from back of heel to tip of toe; to fit women’s US shoe sizes 6½ to 7½
Gauge: 16 sts and 22 rnds = 2 inches (5.1 cm) in St st worked in the rnd, before blocking.
Nancy Bush’s Evening Stockings for a Young Lady to Knit.
Interested in making a pair? Find the pattern and more about Weldon’s in the November/December 2009 issue of PieceWork.
Also, remember that if you are an active subscriber to PieceWork magazine, you have unlimited access to previous issues, including November/December 2009. See our help center for the step-by-step process on how to access them.
Originally published October 31, 2018; updated October 6, 2025.