Festive knitted Christmas stockings, approximately 20 inches long – generously sized, so they hold real presents rather than being purely decorative.
Skill level: intermediate. Designed by Maureen Egan Emlet.
What makes them intermediate
A stocking is essentially a sock that does not have to fit anyone, which removes the hardest part of sock knitting. What remains is the heel turn and the shaping at the toe, and the colourwork if the design includes it. If you have turned a heel before, nothing here will be unfamiliar.
If you have not, a Christmas stocking is a very good place to learn. The gauge is large, the yarn is thick, and a heel that comes out slightly uneven will never be noticed on something that hangs on a mantelpiece.
Yarn
A firm worsted weight. Stockings need body – they have to hold their shape when full and when empty, and a soft drapey yarn will produce something that hangs like a sock. Wool or a wool blend has the springiness to do this well.
Knit at a slightly firmer gauge than the yarn’s ball band suggests. A dense fabric keeps its shape through decades of December use.
Colours
Strong, saturated colours. These are seen from across a room against a wall or a fireplace, so subtle tonal work is wasted. If you are adding a name or a motif, contrast matters more than the specific colours.
Personalising
Knit the name in as you go if you are confident with colourwork, or embroider it on afterwards in duplicate stitch. Duplicate stitch is easier to get right and can be unpicked if you misjudge the spacing.
Hanging and storage
Work a firm loop at the back of the cuff and anchor it well; a full stocking is heavier than the knitting suggests.
Store flat rather than folded. Knitted fabric holds a crease through eleven months in a box.
