Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Christmas Stocking Knitting Patterns

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I’m not quite ready to think about Christmas knitting, but if you want to make stockings it’s a good time to start. Here are a few fun patterns to get you started thinking about fresh stockings for the holidays.

This knitting pattern collection of stranded knitting designs from Santa’s Sock Central reminds me of the stockings my grandma (and now my mom) knit for the kids in our family. There are lots of different options for making personalized stockings including snowflakes, santas, trees and more.

These cute striped stockings have an elf-like twist and a space for a name at the top. You can get the pattern from Fiddlestyx Studios.

Classic Santas and Fair Isle style motifs decorate these stockings from Annie’s Woolens. It’s worked in the round and uses charts so it’s perfect for intermediate knitters (as are most of these).

This Christmas stocking with a red truck carrying a Christmas tree is super cute for a country Christmas. The pattern is from Kathleens Keepsakes.

Jean Ann Designs has a great fisherman sweater-inspired stocking covered with cables. It’s worked in bulky yarn so it should be a pretty fast project, too.

Another great quick knit that’s even better for newer knitters is the Jumbo Christmas stocking from Prinku. It has options that are worked solid or in different stripe patterns depending on what yarn you have available or what style you prefer. And they are really big at 25 inches long for big drama on Christmas morning.

[Photos via Etsy.]

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Knits with Sheep

It felt like it had been a while since I’d done a roundup of knitting patterns involving sheep, and if search is any indication, that is true. I found a roundup of patterns for knit sheep from a few years ago, but the only one with v I could find is from 2015. So it’s definitely time to revisit this fun genre of knitting patterns.

This all started with a headband. Alyssa Kaat’s Icelandic Sheep Headband (free on Ravelry) to be specific. Ravelry showed it to me as a pattern highlight and I couldn’t resist taking a closer look. It’s worked with two colors of worsted weight yarn and alternates sheep with stars around your head.

Another great sheepy headband is this one from Loch Fyne Crafts on Etsy. These sweet little sheep are worked in bulky yarn and you can make the background look like field and sky or work it in a solid color.

Or make a headband (or a hat, cowl, or all three) covered with a flock of sheep with this set of patterns from New Age Knitting CA. These pieces also use the field/sky coloring, but you can use whatever colors of worsted weight yarn you like.

Speaking of hats, there’s also the sheep hat from Lynann Knits Designs. The sample was worked in Icelandic wool to make the sheep and the hat extra fuzzy and warm, but any worsted weight yarn will work.

There’s also the Wandering Sheep hat from Kat Hudon (on Ravelry), which features a fun collection of speckled sheep that can be worked in different yarn weights to make different sizes of hats for kids and adults.

And lest you think sheep need to be knit in traditional stranded colorwork, check out the Rebel Sheep Mob blanket by Deborah Moore. This one is worked in mosaic knitting using fingering weight yarn. In mosaic knitting you’re only working with one color per row so it’s pretty easy. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

I can’t possibly share sheep knitting patterns without mentioning the amazing Black Sheep Shadow Shawl by Mark Jamieson. Shadow knitting is a technique I want to do more of, but it involves working two rows alternating in two different colors and the pattern emerges when you look at the design from an angle. It’s so cool and the sheep on this one are amazing! It’s not a beginner project but well worth the work. You can find it on Ravelry or at the designer’s website.