Handmade Holidays Part 1 – Create Your Own Christmas Stocking

December 8, 2008 by Terrye

Knitting your own Christmas Stockings puts you in a happy place. Besides, look at the perks, they don’t really have to fit, there doesn’t have to be the dreaded “second sock syndrome”, you can make them with huge needles and yarn, and, if you knit them in the round, there’s practically no finishing.

There is some prep, however. Is it decoration? Is it to be useful? Will some “allergic to wool” little elf be sticking his paw inside to discover the contents?

Plan your stocking to suit you. Heirloom or modern. Plain stripes or color work. And what about the colors? Christmas doesn’t have to be all red, green and white. Knit with whatever colors you want. Brights, pastels, muted heathers, it’s your stocking, knit it the way you want it.

Choose from several types of tops. A common top would be a k1, p1 rib for however long you want it. The legs are basically an empty canvas. Fill them with anything from fair isle designs to snowflakes and santas. Go ethnic, or use cables or even lace. Even knit in your name, we wouldn’t want Santa getting all confused. Confused Santa’s are not a good thing, we like to keep them happy and on track.

For the heel, use a standard heel flap and you should be good to go. Think about a different color for the heel and toe. Shape the toe as you would the top of the mitten with decreases and a Kitchener stitch at the end. Now comes the fun part.

Sequins, bells, beads and bling, you name it, it has a place on your stocking. Have some fun fur yarn? Why not give Santa a real fur hat? Embroider fun things, use unique embellishments. It’s your stocking. Make it original, make it a work of art. Make it designer!

To finish it off, gently steam, knit up an icord for the loop and hang it by the fireplace. But, you’re still not done. Don’t forget the cookies and milk, it’s all about keeping Santa happy!

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.