There are, if you count today and not Christmas day, 41 days left to knit each and every last stitch on each and every last gift you’re going to make your loved ones this year (thanks/blame to the Yarn Harlot for cluing me in to that one yesterday). One of my rules this year: all gifts must take fewer than 300 yards, bulky knits or small items preferred. In the spirit of giving, I present to you a free pattern. This is for my mother-in-law’s fiancé, a U of O Duck fan. The BMFA striped nicely on 32 stitches, a total fluke I assure you.

Use it, share it, gift what you make from it, play with gauge and use super-bulky yarn to make full-sized stockings for the whole family in a weekend or three, make wacky ones with the bits & bobs left over from a dozen projects, get together with the other knitters in your office & make a bunch for that Secret Santa exchange you’re all dreading (better than the construction paper ones the boss’s 6-year-old will make otherwise!), but most of all have fun with it and send me photos when you’re done! If you want to sell items made using this pattern, talk to me about Cottage Industry Licensing fees.

The Seriously Last-Minute Christmas Stocking

Estimated knitting time: 1.5-3 hours
gauge: 15 sts & 22 rnds=2″ in stockinette in the round, but gauge is not essential; fudge it if you have to, the whole thing’s the size of a good swatch!

materials: fingering weight yarn. Sample knit using Blue Moon Fiber Arts Lightweight Socks that Rock in Kryptonite (MC), which is no longer available on the BMFA website, and Dale of Norway Baby Ull in color 2016: Bright Yellow (CC). One skein of each will make many, many stockings. 2.5mm needles – I use 2 circular Addi Turbos, but it’s all a matter of personal preference.

finished size: approx. 4.25″ circumference and 6.25″ from top of cuff to tip of toe

skills: provisional cast-on, knit, purl, pick up stitches from waste yarn, slip/knit/pass slipped stitch over (sl1/k1/psso)

note: This pattern uses an afterthought heel. Feel free to substitute your favorite heel treatment in place of the afterthought heel.

cuff
provisional cast-on 32 sts with CC
join for working in the round, being careful to not twist sts
rounds 1-6: knit
round 7: purl
rounds 8-13: knit
round 14: knit together with cast-on sts, carefully removing crochet chain as you go
switch to MC
rounds 15-47: knit
round 48: knit 16 sts with waste yarn
re-knit those 16 & next 16 of round 48 with MC
rounds 49-76: knit

toe
switch to CC
round 1 & every odd round: knit
round 2: [k6, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (28 sts)
round 4: [k5, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (24 sts)
round 6: [k4, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (20 sts)
round 8: [k3, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (16 sts)
round 10: [k2, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (12 sts)
round 11: knit
break yarn & pull through remaining sts

heel
pick up sts through the right legs above and below waste yarn. Remove waste yarn. Work heel decreases the same as toe decreases.

weave in ends, make a loop for hanging from the tree, and pour yourself something tasty, because in the time it took to watch a movie or two, you have an F.O! For extra cheer, fill the stocking with small candies, money, lip balm, gift certificates, or portable electronic devices. Alternatively, fill with lavender, cloves, or other smelly stuff, stitch the top closed and bingo-bango, holiday-shaped sachet!