Knit Vintage Look Christmas Stockings

I love a good throwback knitting pattern, and in particular I have a soft spot for knit and crocheted Christmas stockings. My grandma knit stockings for her kids, their spouses and their children back in the day, and my mom knit them for all the kids of the next generation. I was also once tasked by a friend to crochet a few stockings for kids to match ones their grandmother had made a long time ago.

Using vintage or vintage inspired patterns for stockings (and other holiday decor, for that matter) is nice because it makes the projects instantly look like they’ve always been there.

Jess Bandelin has a trio of designs to get you started with their Intarsia Christmas Stockings.

These worsted weight stockings are knit flat with a heel flap and are seamed after the knitting is done. This allows you to use the intarisa colorwork knitting technique, where you do each section of color with a separate ball of yarn rather than carrying the yarn across the row or round. These patterns use charts, but they’re pretty easy to read because the image on the chart looks just like what you’re knitting.

(If you’ve never done it before, check out my post on how to knit intarsia.)

The pattern options include an elf in a dress, an elf in trousers and a Christmas tree. I love this one in particular because it uses buttons as the ornaments on the tree, so it’s an easy way to add even more vintage flair. Alternatively you could add beads, embroider on the tree or just leave it plain if that’s more your style.

The elves are also super cute, and the one wearing trousers could easily be transformed into more of a Santa figure if you wanted. They’re done up in holiday colors here on a bright blue background, which is a lot of fun, but you can use any colors you like to make the vintage inspired stockings of your dreams.

Learn more and grab the patterns on Ravelry.

[Photo: Jess Bandelin]

If your family is the sort to do a turkey trot for Thanksgiving, or even just to take family pictures, you’ll want to get started knitting up some Turkey Sack Hats with this pattern from Underground Crafter.

The pattern uses super bulky yarn and is rated easy. It’s knit flat but there are a few skills in here around the shaping of the eyes, which includes changing colors, working bobbles and doing a wicked purl 3 together decrease. Twice.

But that’s all in one row, and the rest of it is pretty simple. The beak is worked separately and sewn on, and the side of the hat is stitched up to make it into a hat.

What’s great about this one is that it comes in 10 sizes, ranging from newborn to adult large, so you really can make one for everyone in the family. And because it uses super bulky yarn you can knit a bunch pretty quickly if that’s a thing you’d like to do.

It’s also fun because you could use this base pattern to make different animals or for different holidays. Make it all in orange and stitch on a jack o’lantern face for Halloween, or make a white one that’s a snowman, for example.

In any style this would also be a fun gag gift for that person in your life who has everything or doesn’t want gifts, or if you do a secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange at work or elsewhere.

And make sure whether you’re making it a turkey or some other character that you include the pom poms at the top! They’re just so cure and a great way to add a bit more color to the project, and they’re easy to make. (See also: ways to make a pompom with yarn.)

You can grab the free pattern at the Underground Crafter website.

[Photo: Underground Crafter]

Have you read?