We’re showing you how to make a Rockin’ Stocking! Prepare for the big day with a knitted stocking worthy of holding all those festive goodies. We’ll show you how to work through the Rockin’ Stocking (in the two colour option) which is available to buy as a pattern here or get everything you need in the kit here.

Time to make: 4 hours

Finished Size: 18.5cm/7.5” x 29cm/11.5”

THE TOOL KIT

• 1 ball of our Crazy Sexy Wool in your main colour. We went for Lipstick Red.

• 1 ball of our Crazy Sexy Wool in your contrast colour. We went for Midnight Blue.

• 1 pair of 12mm (US17) knitting needles

• 1 Rockin’ Stocking pattern

• 1 knitter’s sewing needle

THE INSTRUCTIONS

For the full pattern details, grab your copy of the pattern here. We will run through the basics so you can follow along and make sure you’re on track. The stocking is knitted flat and then seamed together at the end.

1. STEP 1: Using your 12mm knitting needles and your contrast colour of yarn, cast on in your favorite way (we used a cable cast on).

2. 
   Work in 1×1 rib until you have finished the cuff of the stocking.

3. STEP 2: You will now start working in stocking stitch. The first row will be a decrease row to keep your stocking look nice and neat. We decreased by 2 stitches.

4. STEP 3: Work a few more rows in your contrast colour so that when you fold the cuff over, the main colour of the stocking doesn’t peep through.

5. STEP 4:
   Change to your main colour and work in stocking stitch until you reach the heel of the stocking.

6. STEP 5: 
   Use the short row technique to work the heel of the stocking. (There are step by step instructions on how to do this within the pattern).

7. STEP 6: Once the heel is finished, work in stocking stitch again until you reach the toe of the stocking.

8. STEP 7: 
   Now begins the decreasing! Shape the toe of your stocking by working a series of decrease rows. We decreased evenly by 2 stitches each row to make a nice rounded toe.

9. STEP 8: Once the shaping is all done, cast off your stitches and get ready to seam that stocking!

Assembly

If you’re at this stage of the instructions, you should have an almost finished stocking!

1. STEP 1:Turn that baby inside out and take a big long strand of your contrast colour. Use the vertical invisible seam technique to join the seam of the cuff of the stocking. We do this on the wrong side so that when the cuff is folded down, the seam is nicely tucked away.

2. STEP 2: 
   Flip the stocking back so the right side is facing outwards. Swap to the main colour of yarn and work in the same technique to join the rest of the stocking seam.

3. STEP 3: 
   Look at that handsome fella! You can stop here, hang, stuff and admire your brand new stocking orrrrr, if you are feeling like going that little extra mile, follow the next few steps to add a pom pom. That’s right, a pom pom.

POM POM

You can use a pom pom maker for this (which definitely speeds up the process) BUT it’s just as easy to use some scrap cardboard:

1. STEP 1: 
   Cut two cardboard circles, 7.5cm/3” in diameter, with a 2.5cm/1” hole in the centre.

2. STEP 2:
   Using the sewing needle threaded with a long strand of yarn, hold the circles together and wind the yarn around the circle until it runs out. Cut another length of yarn, and continue winding yarn around the cardboard circles until the card is covered and the hole closes up.

3. STEP 3: 
   Using a pair of scissors, cut the yarn between the two pieces of card around the edge of the circle.

4. STEP 4:Tie a strand of yarn between the two cardboard circles to secure the centre of the pom pom, and fasten with a tight knot. Now remove the cardboard.

5. STEP 5: Tidy up your pom pom by trimming the shape with scissors.

6. STEP 6: Sew the pom pom to the top of your stocking.

Finished? YEAH! You rock.

——————————————————————————————-

This is post #3 in our ‘12 Days of Making’ series which sees us posting a new how-to project every day for 12 days. To see what’s up next, what came earlier and to make sure you don’t miss anything, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live updates. Happy making!