The World’s Biggest Stocking is Finished

I’ve been telling you for a while now about the attempt by Yarnspirations to create the world’s biggest knit and crochet Christmas stocking as a way to raise awareness and funds for the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, which gives money to children whose parents have died in military service.

The stocking is done, and will officially be unveiled at the Christmas in the Park at Arnette Park in Fayetteville, North Carolina, tomorrow, Dec. 12. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and is part of a Christmas celebration that includes lights and activities like pictures with Santa and a train ride. Mickey and Diva Dan from the Crochet Crowd will also be on hand with the stocking.

Stitchers from all 50 states, Canada and Ireland contributed 3 foot by 3 foot squares — more than 1,100 in all — to the project. It was assembled in Fayetteville this week and measures 139 feet tall, takes up 7,663 square feet and weighs 1,600 pounds.

Stitchers were encouraged to use Caron United for their squares, and the company donated 15 cents from the purchase of each yarn ball to the foundation. In all, donations collected through the stocking program amount to $100,000, according to the Fayetteville Observer.

After the event the stocking will be taken apart into individual blankets that will be donated to military hospitals. The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that it will be named the largest knit and crocheted stocking ever made.

[Photo by Raul R. Rubiera, via the Fayetteville Observer.]

Looking for more Christmas themed Knitting patterns? Check out some of our favorite Knitting patterns on Etsy and

These Christmas Knitting Pattern Books on Amazon

It’s kind of coincidental that I recently posted about patchwork blanket knitting patterns right before reviewing a book that makes a patchwork blanket, but this one would also be a great choice if you’re looking to bust some stash and learn a lot about colorwork knitting at the same time.

Knit an Heirloom Blanket by Annah O’Leary includes charted designs for 50 colorwork blocks worked flat that can be combined to make a blanket or used in other projects. The book calls for worsted weight yarn but also offers suggestions for using fingering, DK or even bulky yarn, which will give you blocks of different sizes.

It opens with a section on materials and tips for choosing colors and maintaining contrast among blocks across a large project. There’s also information on how to read charts and colorwork basics such as maintaining tension, measuring gauge, catching floats, holding yarn and yarn dominance, among other things.

There are 196 squares (14 by 14) in the blanket shown on the cover, which, including the edging, makes for a blanket that’s about 79 inches, or 200 cm square knit in worsted weight yarn. You can adjust the size as needed by working more or fewer blocks, especially if using a different weight of yarn.

The sample was worked in Cascade 220 and the book includes the amounts of yarn used in each color so you can knit a blanket exactly as shown. Or use stash and leftovers from other projects to make a possibly less harmonious but more meaningful project.

Colorwork patterns are arranged into 10 themes: flowers, tiles, diamonds, stripes, peaks, woven, sky, leaves, lovestruck and architecture. They’re also rated by skill level on a range of 1 to 3 balls of yarn. If you’re newer to knitting or colorwork in particular, you can start with the easier squares and move up as you build more skills.

Each pattern is shown as a large black and white chart with three or four possible color variations, though or course you can also go your own way on the colors. There’s also a knit sample of each block pictured at the beginning of each pattern section.

There’s also a section to help you finish your blanket, including tips for weaving in ends, blocking, joining squares and adding a border. She also suggests different project sizes and color palettes for smaller scale projects.

In addition to the big blanket there are five other project ideas including a baby blanket made of 6 by 8 squares, a hot water bottle cover, a couple of pillows and a wall hanging. These are sure to give you ideas of different ways to use the blocks in other projects.

Knit an Heirloom Blanket includes lots of fun colorwork blocks and ideas for using them that are sure to appeal to those new to colorwork as well as those with more experience. Even if you never knit a full blanket with them, you can add these motifs to your collection to work in other projects.

About the book: 144 pages, paperback, 50 charts and 6 patterns. Published 2026 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $25.99.

Have you read?