Sewing crack. 

  Late yesterday afternoon, having unexpectedly discovered that my printer was working*, I was in the mood for a quick project after the tedious process of sewing my green dress all over again. So I finally printed up the Rosalie Stockings pattern from the Dreamstress. 

When the printer spat out only two pages, I double-checked the file, wondering where the rest was. Nope, the whole pattern is on only two pages! Nice!

The pattern is only one size, but socks are stretchy and at a guess Leimomi and I are in the same ballpark, so I wasn’t too worried about sewing it up as is. However, the remnant of this grey-striped knit I picked for my tester version wasn’t long enough for the pattern “as is”, so I opted to finish the top with wide cuffs. This worked ok, though they don’t stay up awesome. Honestly, I’m not expecting much in that department—I’ve never met over-the-knee stockings that stayed up. If I’m going to make a bunch of these, a garter belt will be in order. I should actually have the hardware, but a search only turned up one of the four straps I should have. Past Tanit fails at organization, as usual. 

  Pair two was even more restrained, but much taller, about an inch over the pattern plus the width of the stretch lace. 

 I think these would be a good height for attaching to a garter belt. 

 I actually own two other stocking/tights patterns, Jalie 3027 and the Rosehip Tights pattern. I haven’t made either, as yet. The Jalie pattern has a seam that runs down the back and under the foot, which doesn’t strike me as comfy. It’s a dance costume pattern, so long-term wearability probably isn’t the top priority. 

The Rosehip tights also have a back seam, but the foot is a separate piece—which might actually be a great idea as you could theoretically replace a worn-out foot; worn out feet are one of my biggest peeves about knee high socks at the best of times.  But for a quick evening project, two pattern pieces seemed like way too much work. Plus the instructions are dauntingly detailed. 

 I haven’t actually worn these out and about yet, so I can’t comment on how the seams will interact with shoes, but I do like how they’re placed low on the sides of the foot. And they’re comfy for an evening’s worth of wear at home. 

So now I want to make All The Stockings, and I spent a good chunk of the evening digging up stretchy knit bits in every color and print. I am, however, hampered by being unwilling to change the thread in my serger.  Soon, though. I can make a stretch mesh version in ivory without changing the thread…

 *it’s elderly and wireless and while it still works fairly well, my husband had been messing with the wifi and reconfiguring it for a new network and passcode is always a bit arduous and nerve wracking.