On these 9 knit one-half of the heel thus: turn the machine backward until the needles have all formed stitches, lift up one needle; run back to the edge and return; lift another needle, continue to knit back and forth, lifting a needle on the inside as before, until only four needles remain, then put down one needle, just as in knitting the heel of a sock, until 8 are down; then put all down and knit clear across to the opposite side; then lift up all but 9 needles and perform the same operation on this opposite selvedge as we have thus described, thus forming one-half a heel on each selvedge. You will have to hold the work down on the edges while thus knitting the heel, either with your fingers or with the HEEL HOOK. Having completed the heel put down all the needles, knit 18 or 20 times across and you are ready for the toe. Knit the toe thus: Turn until the CAM is at the middle of the work; lift up nine needles on each edge, knit back and forth, lifting up a needle on each side just as knitting a heel or toe of sock until only four needles are left down in operation, then push them down as in the toe of a sock until only one is left with a double stitch on it on each side, then push all down, knit to the edge and back, break off the yarn and run out the work.
TO CLOSE THE SELVEDGE.
Your stocking is now complete, except closing the selvedge down the back. This is done with a darning needle, by taking up a short stitch on each edge on the wrong side, and sewing over and over as in over seaming. Close the toe as in a sock. Use double yarn in closing the edge.
The general principle in knitting a child's stocking, flat web is to set up the number of stitches required; knit the top of the leg the length required; narrow for the ankle just alike on each edge; knit half the heel on one edge and half on the other. Knit the proper length for the foot. Knit the toe in the middle of the needles and not on the edge as the heel. The heel and toe are always knit with not less than one half of the needles; so where the heel is knit one-half on one side and one-half on the other, only one-fourth of the needles are used on each edge. Do not forget that every other stitch on the selvedge is a short stitch, and is always referred to as the selvedge stitch.
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