COZY SEASON STOCKING

Make these days even more merry and bright with some festive knitting!

This Christmas stocking is knit in stranded colorwork technique from the top down with the fish lips kiss heel.

The pattern contains lots of different fair isle motifs and ideas of adjustments to help you create a very special item that suits all of your requirements. You can add the name of the stocking recipient in the duplicate stitch using the alphabet chart provided. There also are detailed instructions for an i-cord hanging loop.

YARN

Any DK or sport weight in one strand and even sock yarn held double will work fine
Pick 4 colors of your wish. For the classic Christmas color combination pick some from all the shades of red, green, or blue and add white. You can also go with unusual combinations, why not?
Main color for the cuff, heel, and toe (white in my case) - appr. 2.8oz/80g
Three additional colors, appr. 1.75oz/50g each.

NEEDLES

US 6/4 mm or the size which is comfortable for you to knit the yarn of your choice
Circular needles for magic loop method or
a set of 5 DPNs.

List Of Abbreviations

NOTIONS

Stitch markers
Stitch holders (optional)
Tapestry needle
Scissors

GAUGE

21 sts and 34 rows in 4”/10cm in Stockinette Stitch, blocked
Is not crucial and can be changed depending on the yarn

FINISHED SIZE

16”/41cm from the cuff to the bottom of the heel (customizable)
11”/28cm long at the foot (customizable)
7”/18cm wide

Notes

The stocking is knitted from the top down.
The heel is of a fish lips kiss construction.
The size of your finished stocking will correspond to the stated only if you use exactly the same colorwork patterns. If you change some/all of the sections, this will affect the length of the stocking.
There are directions for stitch distribution both for the magic loop and for DPNs.
The pattern con tains detailed instructions for an i-cord hanging loop. You can adjust its length or skip this step.

Pattern

SET UP

Choose the main color (MC) that will be used for the cuff, heel, and toe - white in my case; and the second main color (MC2) that will emphasize the main - red in my case.

Cast on 96sts with Main Color 2 (MC2) yarn. Join in the round. PM to mark the BOR.

For magic loop method, divide stitches between two needles evenly: 48+48
For DPNs, divide stitches between four needles evenly: 24+24+24+24

CUFF

R1-7 (MC2): purl all sts.
Attach MC and switch to it.
R8-22 (MC): knit all sts. We will be able to use this section to embroider the name of the stocking owner later.
If you don’t want to add letters to the top of the stocking later, you can make this section more narrow.

Switch to MC2 again.
R23 (MC2): knit all sts.
R24-27 (MC2): purl all sts.
R28 (MC2): knit all sts.

LEG

R1-60: knit the colorwork part.

You can use any of the provided charts and combine them in any order you'd like.
You can also make this section longer/shorter to adjust the size of the finished stocking. If you want to change the length of the leg part, add/subtract some of the colorwork sections.
Charts have to be knitted from the bottom up in order to have the images (like snowmen, christmas trees, etc.) in a proper position.

TRANSITION

Cut the strands of all colors except for MC and MC2, leaving tails long enough for weaving in.
R61-63 (MC2): knit all sts.
R64 (MC2): k the first 72 sts. Do not cut yarn.

HEEL

The Heel is worked with Main Color yarn. If you want to make the heel smaller (and a bit less emphasized), reduce the number of stitches it’s being worked on. The directions below can be easily adjusted to another number of sts.

Start working only with the next 48 stitches back and forth.

For magic loop method, use the last 24sts from needle 2 and the first 24sts from needle 1.
For DPNs, use all stitches from needles 4 and 1.

The other half of stitches (for the instep) can be placed onto a stitch holder.

R1 (RS): sl1wyib, k until 1 last st, w&t
R2 (WS): p until 1 last st, w&t
R3 (RS): k until 1 last st to the wrapped st, w&t
R4 (WS): p until 1 last st to the wrapped st, w&t
Repeat R3-4 until there are 16 unwrapped sts left in the middle.

HEEL TURN

R1 (RS): k until first wrapped st, pick up the wrapped loop and k2tog with the stitch it was wrapped around, turn
R2 (WS): sl1wyif, p until first wrapped st, pick up the wrapped loop and p2tog with the stitch it was wrapped around, turn
R3 (RS): sl1wyib, k until first wrapped st, pick up the wrapped loop and k2tog with the stitch it was wrapped around, turn
Repeat R2-3 until all stitches of the heel are worked.
Cut MC yarn.

FOOT

TRANSITION

Place 48sts of the instep back on the working needle(s). Start knitting in the round again.
The next rows are worked with MC2 yarn.

R1: k all sts of the heel; k all sts of the instep
R2: k all sts of the heel; k all sts of the instep
R3: k all sts of the heel; k all sts of the instep
R4: k 24sts of the heel.
Stop here and PM to mark the new BOR. This moves the transition column of fair isle stitches to the sole, making it invisible from the sides.

For magic loop method, re-distribute stitches to place the BOR at the beginning of the needle 1 (48+48)
For DPNs, start numbering the needles from BOR (distribution remains the same, 24+24+24+24).

FOOT

R1-33: knit the colorwork part.

You can use any of the provided charts and combine them in any order you'd like.
You can also make this section longer/shorter to adjust the size of the finished stocking. If you want to change the length of the foot part, add/subtract some of the colorwork sections.
Charts have to be knitted from the bottom up in order to have the images (like snowmen, christmas trees, etc.) in a proper position.

TRANSITION

Cut the strands of all colors except for MC and MC2, leaving tails long enough for weaving in.

R34-36 (MC2): knit all sts.
R37 (MC2): Remove the BOR marker. Knit the next 24 [Sole] + 48 [Instep] sts plain. Place the BOR marker here.
Cut the MC2 yarn.

TOE

The Toe is worked with MC yarn.

R1: [Sole] k 48, PM; [Instep] k 48.
R2: [both Sole and Instep]: k1, ssk, k unt. 3 last sts to M, k2tog, k1
R3-4: k around
R5: as R2
R6-7: k around
R8: as R2
R9: k around
Repeat R8-9 until there are 30 sts for each Sole and Instep left.
Start making decreases in each round.
Repeat R2 until there are 10 sts for each Sole and Instep left.
Cut the yarn with an appr. 15” (38cm) tail. Graft all remaining sts to close the toe.

THE LOOP FOR HANGING

The loop is worked with MC2 yarn. Using DPNs here might be more comfortable, but the circular needles would work fine as well.

SET UP

On the WS of the top back of the stocking, find the beginning of R6 of the Cuff. Attach the yarn.
Still on WS, pick up and knit the stitches in the following order:
First stitch of R6, second stitch of R7, first stitch of R7, last stitch of R6, next-to-last stitch of R5, last stitch of R5.
This creates a set-up circle for an i-cord.

I-CORD

We now have 6sts on the right needle and the yarn is attached to the left-most stitch.
Do not turn the work. Slide the stitches to the other end of the needle. It becomes your left needle now.
Pull the working yarn across the back of work. Start knitting the next row from the first (right-most) stitch of the right needle. Knit all sts. This action closes the circle and creates an i-cord.
Now again, do not turn the work. Slide the stitches to the other end of the needle and take it in the left hand. Pull the yarn across the back and knit all sts.

Repeat these steps, pulling the yarn snug at the beginning of each row to insure even stitches.
Knit an i-cord until it measures 7’/17.5cm or until it’s of any desired length.
Fold it in half and graft the live stitches to the WS of the stocking near the set-up row.

FINISHING

You can add the name of the stocking recipient to the Stockinette (MC) part of the Cuff. Use the alphabet chart provided below and the duplicate stitch to do so. Here’s the link to the duplicate stitch tutorial from Purl Soho: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/duplicate-stitch/

Weave in ends. Wash the stocking in luke-warm water and block it.

ALPHABET