The newspaper this hailed from was meant for a more upper crust audience. It documented the comings and goings of the court, etiquette, the latest fashions and during wartime, even this magazine leaned into war work.
Queen Mary was used as an example of what the British woman should be like during the war. Still running her household and contributing to the war effort despite the tragedy of it all So naturally, the British High Society were expected to do the same as their queen.
There were a few patterns published, even a rare comfort for the nurses which I hope to transcribe, but the first thing I’ll share is once again, a sock
This sock had a special quirk in that it wants you to knit a lining for the toe. In the article it comes from it is mentioned that the original way of strengthening the sock by taking 2 threads together would ‘get matted together, and become hard accordingly’. A little later in the intro it also mentions that the lining could easily retain foot powder that is ‘so essential for the soldier at the front’.
I have talked before about trench foot and how clean socks were needed to combat this. It was also seen as a moral thing, soldiers being encouraged to keep each other’s hygiene in check. There were sometimes even inspections to make sure the men’s feet were clean.
Also much love and appreciation to Ravelry users Talvi, Schlumbine and Babygirlknits for helping me figure out the heel!
Abbreviations and terms:
- K1; Knit one
- P1: Purl one
- Sl: Slip stitch
- Psso: pass slipped stitch over
- Knitting plain: knit stitch
Materials:
- 150g of 3ply fingering wool and 30g fingering for lining. The lining is specified to be made in white. As for the sock itself, no colour is given but khaki and grey were often used.
- 1.5mm double pointed needles. I recommend the knitpro karbonz
Instructions:
Setting up – Cast on 100 stitches divided into 33, 33 and 34 over 3 dpns
K1 round plain
Knit ribbing in k3 p2 for 13 cm 5 inches
Once your ribbing measures the aforementioned length, you knit as followed:
Knit your 3 k stitches, ktog your 2 purls and knit your next k3 stitches, p2*
Repeat until the end of the round
Knit the new k7, p2 repeat for another 16.5cm 6 ½ inches
the leg now measures 30cm 11 ½ inches
Heel – k7 k2tog* repeat * 4 times and knit 7. This should total 39 stitches
Turn so the wrong side faces you.
Purl until the last 2 st, p2 tog
Knit until the last 2 sts, k2tog
Repeat these two rows until you have 15 stitches left
To turn the heel as followed:
Knit to the end of your row, picking up a stitch on the edge of the flap you just knit.
Turn, purl to the end and pick up a stitch on the other side of the flap
Repeat 24 more rows, picking up a stitch on either side of the heel flap as you go. The effect is similar to a modern boomerang heel
Once your increases are done, proceed to knit in the round again with the k7 and p2 ribbing pattern on top of the foot and plain knitting on the bottom.
Knit this way for 18cm or 7 inches
Toe -K1 round plain, knitting every 2 purl stitches together
k 6 rows
At one side of the foot k1 sl1, k1, psso, knit to the other side and k2tog
k 2 rows plain and then repeat the decrease
You continue this until you have 13 stitches left. Graft these together with the kitchener stitch
The Lining – Turn your sock inside out and count 24 rows down from where the ribbing stops. Here you slide your needles into the work and with your white thread, knit 22 rows, decreasing as you did with the toe. When you have 13 stitches, you decrease for one more round and graft together
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