From Nancy Bush’s pattern description:

…I followed the original directions faithfully, working a French Heel and Flat Toe…With size 1 needles and the fingering-weight yarn I chose for the project, the stocking will fit a small woman’s foot. The original had six repeats of the shell pattern in the leg section, but I have worked seven repeats. The original is worked with the stitches arranged on three needles, and I have used three needles to carry the stitches, too, with the fourth as the working needle.