Christmas stockings

Our family’s Christmas stockings

Five years ago, I was working on my first ever colorwork knitting project - Christmas stockings for my two daughters. These stockings pictured here are NOT those first stockings. Those first two stockings were atrocious and promptly ripped out. Cheap, mass-made stockings were purchased off of Amazon, and the dream of handknit colorwork stockings for my children waited another year.

I might have been more successful if I had purchased and followed a pattern, but I was determined to “design” my own even though I had no experience or knowledge about either socks or colorwork. In the end, I printed off a free pattern from Ravelry for a plain knit stocking, then inserted various colorwork motifs I found on Pinterest. It worked, and they certainly are one of a kind.

I made Talia’s stocking first. Her favorite color has always been red so that was a no-brainer. The contrasting heel flap was easy to figure out, but I couldn’t figure out what to do over the gusset stitches. I was not brave enough to work colorwork in a section that also involved decreases so I simply left that part white. This giant white chunk is my biggest regret about these stockings. If I was doing them now, I would do a short row heel and make sure the colorwork flowed nicely from the leg down into the foot.

Then Brynna’s stocking was next. After making a two-color one for Talia, I decided to bring in some green for the “transition” bits of colorwork. I like the contrast it brings to the stocking. Using three colors together looks really nice. Of all four stockings, hers is my favorite.

Talia’s stocking was all red and white so I decided that Jimmy’s needed to be just green and white. After doing stars and trees for the girls’ stockings, I decided to swap out the stars for a deer motif for Jimmy’s. This chart had some very long floats in in. I think it was actually a cross stitch chart so not created with knitting in mind. It worked, but its goofiness starts to bug me if I look at it too long. For his, I neglected the contrasting heel flap. I really don’t remember why, but I wish it was green instead of white.

The first three stockings were made exactly four years ago, and I finished them just in the nick of time before Christmas. Jimmy was only a few months old at that time. We always planned to have four kids so I tucked the yarn, pattern, and charts away for future use.  

Aiden was born a couple years ago so I completed the final stocking. My greater experience and comfort with colorwork led me to add a few rows with three-color colorwork knitting to his stocking. I thought I would really like how it turned out, but the truth is, I don’t. The balance between the two contrast colors is just not quite right. I found a better deer chart for his stocking; I’m pretty sure it was also a cross stitch chart. I also knew about short row heels by this time so I debated doing his heel differently, but ultimately decided to make it the same as the others.

The stockings don’t have a loop for hanging because we don’t have a mantle. The kids just lay them in front of the tree on Christmas Eve for Santa to fill. I have considered adding a loop and hanging them from the kitchen island. Somehow that doesn’t seem quite right.

A close up of the section with the names.

The names were added in with duplicate stitch following a letter chart I found on the internet. It was probably meant for cross stich as well. The heavy application of duplicate stitch to that section makes the name part of the stocking flare out a bit. If I was doing it again now, I would put together a colorwork chart with their name in it.

All through this blogpost I’ve listed all the things I would change if I was doing it again, but my children don’t see all those things. They love their stockings and are deeply attached to them. If I tried to make new ones, I might end up with a mutiny! Children are so sweet, aren’t they? They don’t see imperfection; they only see beauty and love. It makes me feel good to know their stockings will be treasured forever.

Have you knit any Christmas stockings? Tell me all about them!