If at first you don't succeed...

...nah... that joke isn't appropriate for here.

In any case, the second try at a sample for my new Nordic Christmas Stocking workshop came out well.

I scaled down the motif, the number of stitches, and the length of the stocking from my first attempt. This version should work  just fine for the class. It will be an all-day workshop (usually that means 6 hours of classroom time). I was able to knit the entire toe-up stocking in 5 hours. Students will knit the toe in advance (or they can use a provisional cast on, and knit the toe later), and the goal of the class is not to finish the stocking that day (though it is possible). The goal is to get usesd to yarn wrangling, to be comfortable reading the charts, and to work the afterthought heel. Sock phobic types need not worry- there are no short rows involved. This heel is easy and stress free (and better yet- adaptable to nearly every sock pattern).

All anyone has to do in class is knit a bit past the first chart, so we can all knit the heel together. After that, finishing the stocking up to the picot edge at home will be a snap! And since it's a Christmas Stocking, there's no Second Sock Syndrome.

Woohoo!

Now to write up my SAFF class proposal.