Mary Lou’s Holiday Stocking | Purl Soho

This charming Holiday Stocking pattern was created for The Purl Bee by Mary Lou Risely, a longtime teacher at, and dear friend of, Purl. If all of these techniques are new to you, we’re offering a class to make this stocking at Purl. –Thank you Mary Lou!

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoMaryLousHolidayStocking. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

  • Main Color
    • A – White (Koigu Kersti 0000), 2 skeins
  • Contrast Colors, Mary Lou used (11 yards of any dk weight yarn to make two stripes per stocking):
    • B – lime green (Kersti K920)
    • C – lighter lime green (Kersti K1521)
    • D – Copper (Temple by Alchemy)
    • E – Joshua Tree (Temple by Alchemy)
    • F – burnt orange (Kersti K110)
    • G – orange (Kersti I133)
    • H – Rich Berry (Temple by Alchemy)
  • US 5 (3.75 mm), 20-inch length circular needles, or size required to get gauge.
  • US size 5 set of four double pointed needles (dpn), or size required o get gauge.
  • Large stitch holder
  • Stitch marker

Gauge

20 stitches and 28 rows = 4-inches in stockinette stitch

Finished Size

Approximately 5.5 inches wide (around “leg”) by 19 inches long

Notes

Ssk: slip two stitches to right-hand needle one at a time as if to knit; return them back to left-hand needle one at a time in their new orientation; knit them together through the back loops.  You can find our ssk tutorial at this link.

Although this pattern uses circular needles, it is not knit in the round.  This means it’ll be easier to make the color changes on the intstep. For a simple tutorial on switching colors in the middle of a row, please check out our intarsia tutorial here.

Pattern 

Leg

Beginning with color A and 20-inch circular needle, cast on 60 sts (do not join into a round). We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Work K2, P2 ribbing for 8 rows.

Continue with color A,

*Row 1 (Right side): Knit

Row 2: Purl

Repeat these two rows one more time. (Note, do not cut yarn for color A).

Switch to color B, repeat from *, cut yarn leaving a 6 inch tail.

Switch to color A, repeat from *, do not cut yarn.

Switch to color C, repeat from *, cut yarn leaving a 6 inch tail.

Continue in alphabetical order repeating color A between each of the other colors.

Once you’ve worked this whole section, switch one more time to color B, repeat from *, cut yarn leaving a 6 inch tail.

Set up for heel flap

Reposition stitches as follows, place first 15 sts on a dpn; place next 30 sts on large stitch holder; place last 15 sts on a dpn. Reposition the 15 sts from the dpns onto your circular needle so that they meet one another in the middle and work the 30 sts for heel flap.

Heel flap

Row 1 (Right side): *Sl 1 purlwise (pwise) with yarn in back (wyb), K1; rep from *.
Row 2: SL 1 pwise with yarn in front (wyf), purl to end.
Rep these two rows until 30 rows have been worked. There will be 15 chain selvage sts on each side.

Turn heel

Row 1: Knit across 17 sts, ssk, k1, turn work.
Row 2: Sl 1 pwise, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 3: Sl 1 pwise, knit to 1 st before gap, ssk (1 st from each side of gap) k1, turn.
Row 4: Sl 1 pwise, purl to 1 st before gap, p2 tog (1 st from each side of gap), p1, turn.
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until all heel sts have been worked, ending with a WS row and ending p2tog. There will remain 18 sts.

Heel gusset

Cut yarn and rejoin at right side by picking up 15 sts along right side of heel flap, working through each chain selvedge stitch; knit across 18 sts of turned heel and pick up 15 sts on left side of flap. Place a marker (PM) and retrieve the stitches on holder and work across 30 instep sts (you will now have 78 sts.) Turn work and purl back.

Row 1 (Right side): K 1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts before M, K2 tog, K1, continue across instep.

Row 2: Purl

Continue these 2 rows, decreasing on RS rows and changing color as needed (with colors C and D) for the instep portion only every 4 rows until there remain a total of 60 sts (this will coincide with the 4th row of main color).  For help with color change in the middle of the row, please check out our Intarsia Tutorial at this link.

Foot

Switch to Color E.

Row 1 (Right side): Knit, remove M as you come to it.

Row 2: purl

Repeat these two rows.

Resume color progression as above, ending with 4 rows of color H.

Toe

Reposition stitches onto dpns as follows: place first 15 sts on needle 1, then 15 sts on needle 2, and 30 sts on needle 3. Join into a round.  For help with Double Pointed Needles, check out our tutorial at this link.

Round 1:

  • On needle 1: K1, ssk, K to end of needle.
  • On needle 2: K to last 3 sts, K 2 tog, K1.
  • On needle 3: K1, ssk, K to last 3 sts, K2 tog, K1.

Round 2: Knit.

Repeat rounds 1 and 2 until there remain 32 sts total.
Repeat round 1 only until there remain 8 sts total.

Place sts on needles 1 and 2 and use Kitchener stitch to graft remaining sts together.   You can find our Kitchener Stitch Tutorial at this link.

Finishing

Beginning at bottom of foot seam, thread yarn through tapestry needle and use mattress stitch to sew the seam together. Pick up the colors as you get to them and carry a length of main color, carefully matching the stitches side to side so the seam is as invisible as possible. Use same technique on leg seam, working from heel up. Weave in all ends in the seam, if possible.  If you need help with Mattress Stitch, click here to find a great tutorial on Knitty.com.

Hanging loop

With color A and dpns, CO 3 sts and make an I-cord about 3 inches in length. Double over I-cord and sew to top on the inside of the leg seam so your stocking can be hung.  You can find our I-cord Tutorial at this link.

Block finished stocking as desired.

Happy Holidays!