Knitting A Cheery Christmas Stocking

Follow along as I show the steps to knit the Cheery Christmas Stockings. If you have a couple days available this season, you will be able to get one of these done and it will be ready for Santa on Christmas Eve. Maybe he will drop off more yarn 🥰

In the tutorial, I was knitting on the 3 stripe stocking. 
This stocking used 4 colors of yarn total. Three colors for the stripes and one contrast color for the cuff, heel and toe. Have fun choosing your colors! I am currently making a blue variation of the 3 stripe stocking. I will post on the stocking page in a couple days. 

3 different needles were used. US7 and US8 (or 9 if you knit tight) and US7 DPN's for finishing the toe.
Gauge is not very important for this project. Finished stocking is 17 inches from cuff to heel. 11 inches from heel to toe. 

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It was a cold snowy December day. Perfect for knitting. Three feet fell this weekend! I finished this stocking while snowed in. After storm started to let up, I had to get bundled up and spend hours clearing a path to get out. Good exercise after sitting for hours!
Below are the photo's and a video of heel turn stitches. I hope you enjoy making this stocking as much as I did!

​Casting on 60 stitches with green yarn for cuff. This yarn color will also be used for the heel and toe. Setting off the pretty Christmas red and pink candy stripes.
​Use the smaller US7 needle for the cuff. 

After casting on 60 stitches, place a marker to mark beginning of rounds. Make sure your stitches are not twisted on the needle! I check before I insert the right needle into the first stitch and again after I insert the needle into the first stitch. Then, I pull the new stitch for the first round. 

The cuff pattern is Knit 2, Purl 2 ribbing for 5 inches.

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​After finishing the 5 inches of cuff, the striping begins using the larger needle.

In this photo, I have finished the striping for 11 inches. I am ready to start the heel. This is the tricky part of the stocking so I will spend more time on it.

You can see I have two needles in use. The larger needle is holding the striping stitches. I used the smaller needle to start the heel. I am beginning my heel flap. I have added the green yarn for the first 26 stitches. I left the remaining 34 striping stitches on the larger needles AND kept the yarn alive. This means I have not cut any yarn colors. I stuck the three balls of red, pink, and light pink inside the stocking to keep out of my way during the heel portion.
You may see a lump. The red yarn dropped out while adjusting for photo. 

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Heel Turn.
​I have added a little video for you to follow. In this video I am on Row 5 (a knit row) and then turn to start row 6 (a purl row) I jumped into the middle so you could see the triangle gusset starting to form. Please pardon my working hands! I have been stacking lots of wood and finishing some pottery gifts (shh..)

Sometimes reading a knitting pattern doesn't make sense. Just jump in there and trust the pattern by doing it. Then it will all come together. I love the shaping process. I find myself knitting faster. Anxious to see the results. 

And there on the right photo, results! Heel turn. Sounds a lot like a dance class move! 👯‍♀️

​Next, picking the stitches and joining it all together.

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The next photo's show the picked up stitches. This is always a bit confusing. Turning the work, figuring out where to start. There are 4 needle points, different colors of yarn. Ack! It can be a bit confusing. I hope these photo's help you find where to start, what stitches to work back in and complete a round circle once again.

Using the needle holding the pink yarn, use red yarn for next stripe, pick up 10 stitches along heel flap. I like to mark with a clip the mid point so I can evenly divide the 10 stitches. 

After 10 stitches picked up, you are at the heel stitches on the smaller needle. Knit across those. Now you have 34 pink stitches, 10 picked up stitches, and 16 heel stitches. Ready to pick up last 10 stitches on the other side of the heel flap.

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All stitches picked up.

Two markers placed. You cannot see the second marker in this photo. Markers are placed on either side of the heel to mark where decreases will occur. 


As you proceed with your decreases, keep the striping pattern going. I love the flow of stripes radiating off the heel. It is my favorite part of the stocking.

Continue with these beautiful stripes including decreases until you have 56 stitches left on the needle. You can drop the second marker now. But knit all the way back to the first marker. This is still the beginning of your rounds.

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When the foot part of your stocking reaches 8 inches, It is time to change to the Double
Pointed Needles (DPN's) and yarn color for the toe. 

Cut your striping yarn colors. I cut and leave long lengths so while weaving ends in I can pull up and snug any little gaps that may have occurred while picking up stitches.


Here on the right is my toe started with DPN's. And a shot of the snow building up outside. 
So happy to be warm, safe and pleased with this project. 

I hope you have enjoyed this little tutorial and you knit with confidence and joy.

May your stockings be filled with love this Christmas. 💗
Happy Knitting,
​
Barri Sue Gaudet

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Finished!

Sweet Yen Yen loves stockings too!