More Fun, Colorful Christmas Stocking Patterns to Knit

I recently shared some super retro looking Christmas stocking knitting patterns, but I couldn’t resist sharing a few more. Whether you’re looking for something with a vintage look, something funny or classic, this set of Christmas stocking patterns to knit has got you covered.

Kathleen Horning has a whole set of kind of funny retro look Christmas stockings available on Ravelry. I couldn’t resist sharing two: Santa on a tractor and a golfing Mrs. Claus. These would be great for farmers and golf enthusiasts, of course, but I think they would be funny completely out of context, too. The patterns use worsted weight yarn and are knit flat using the intarsia technique for the colorwork.

Also on Ravelry is Stephanie Miller’s Home Alone inspired stocking, which says “Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal.” The project uses stranded knitting and is worked in the round from the top down in worsted weight yarn.

I love this stocking covered in Santa faces from The K4 Project. The pattern uses worsted weight yarn and includes instructions for knitting flat and in the round depending on your preference.

If you’re looking for something more classic, I love this design with trees, snowflakes and holly that also happens to be from The K4 Project (they’re a great group that helps animals find forever homes, so worth sharing twice!). This one is also worked in worsted weight yarn and gives you the option of knitting flat on straight needles or in the round.

Need to knit a bunch of stocking or just enjoy a variety of motifs to choose from? Santa’s Sock Central has a pattern that includes 16 different stocking motifs using stranded knitting. There’s everything from Santas and reindeer to snowflakes, gingerbread men, penguins and more. The designs are charted and you can mix and match designs on your stocking (knit in the round in worsted weight yarn).

Need even more Christmas stocking knitting pattern ideas? I’ve got a whole roundup of other Christmas stocking patterns, as well as one that’s all meant to be stockings for pets.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to instructional books about knitting. Either focus in one particular technique or kind of knitting (stranded knitting, say, or brioche) or try to cover a little bit of everything in a reference book that knitters will use throughout their careers.

The Knitting Book by Frederica Patmore and Dr. Vikki Haffenden aims to be the second kind. The subtitle is: a step-by-step guide to creating imaginative projects for the home and to wear. I’m not sure it does that, exactly, but it does include a quick look at a lot of different techniques and stitch patterns you might use in your projects.

A “guide to creating imaginative projects” sounds to me like it’s about design, but this book is not. There’s 1/3 of a page about altering patterns that only talks about how to add length to a sleeve and adjust where the increases go.

There’s nothing about measuring your body (the section on choosing a size in a pattern only suggests measuring a garment you already own), general garment construction, ease or stitch pattern multiples. The section on gauge (which is the last third of the page with choosing a garment size and altering patterns, discussed above) just says to knit a swatch, block and measure it to compare to a pattern, with no discussion on how you might use your swatch to design your own project or alter a pattern to meet your gauge.

If you ignore the subtitle, what you will find is a lot of information about different kinds of knitting and various techniques you might want to try on your projects. There are 20 cast ons and 15 bind off options, for instance, all discussed before you learn how to knit or purl. (Another quibble I have with this book is the order in which things are presented, but that’s relatively minor.)

You’ll find quick hits on increases and decreases, twists and cables, lace, colorwork, textured effects like fisherman’s rib and brioche, loops, mosaic knitting, double knitting, decorative stitches, shadow knitting, bias knitting, mitered squares, entrelac and more. There are tips for selvedge stitches, knitting with beads, adding buttonholes, picking up stitches and more.

A few patterns at the back give knitters a taste of some of the techniques included, but they’re not rated by skill level and the first one is a bias knit gradient scarf worked in six different colors of mohair, which isn’t a thing I’d wish on any beginner.

And I guess that’s maybe what my issue with the book is. I don’t know if it’s meant for beginners and it doesn’t seem to, either. I feel like this book would be overwhelming to new knitters and doesn’t really give you a place to start or all the information you might need to do projects well.

The variety of techniques included is fun, and there are also stitch patterns in the back you can use on your own projects, but again it doesn’t really provide any guidance for how to design your own projects so I don’t know how helpful all of that is.

I want to like books like this because having one reference that helps you with a lot of different things is great, I’m just not sure this is the one. If you can find it at your library or local book store and flip through it before buying, I think that would be a great idea to see if it’s a book that would be helpful for you.

And if you have this book and love it please let me know! I’m sure it’s good for someone I’m just not sure who.

About the book: 336 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by DK. Suggested retail price $40.

Have you read?