Christmas in October

Some friends and I have knitted up a bunch of little stockings to fill and send to a helicopter unit in Iraq. It’s the unit my friends’ husbands are in. I had to come up with a simple and quick pattern. These would make great gifts for teachers, the mailman… whoever you need a little somethin’ somethin’ for. They are about the right size for a candy bar. Each one takes me about an hour and ten minutes to knit from start to finish. They really are cute in person. I used a deep cranberry red and cream colored yarns. My early Christmas gift to you:
I used a double strand of dk weight yarn on 4.0mm needles (I’m a loose knitter). Mine came out to 3×8”.
Gauge isn’t really important as long as you’re happy with your fabric.
Cast on 24 stitches with white. Divide on double points. I put six stitches each on four needles.
Join in a round and knit seed stitch for eight rows. Cut off white leaving tail to weave in later (about 3 inches)
Measure off a full arm length of red and start knitting from this point with the red yarn (you’ll use this tail later to crochet the hanging cord). Knit 14 rounds. On 15th round, knit first three needles.
Start Heel Flap: Slip 1st stitch on needle 4, Knit across. Knit across needle 1 with same needle (all 12 heel stitches will be on one needle now). Turn. Slip 1st stitch purl across.
Repeat these last two rows back and forth for a total of nine rows. You will have five “loops” going down each side of the heel flap.
Take another needle and pick up five stitches down the side of the heel flap. Slide these stitches you just knit back on to needle with heel stitches. Knit across instep stitches that have been holding on needles 2 and 3. With a new needle, pick up five stitches up other side of heel flap. Using this same needle, knit six stitches from heel needle. You now have 11 stitches on needles 4 and 1 and six stitches on needles 2 and 3.
Gussets: 1st Round: Knit to last three stitches on needle 1. K2tog, K1. Knit across instep needles. On needle 4, K1, SSK, Knit to end of needle.
2nd Round: K Repeat these two rounds until there are 8 stitches on the two heel needles.
Slip one stitch from needles 1 and 4 to needles 2 and 3 so there are seven sts on each needle.
Foot: Knit 8 rounds.
Toe: 1st Round: Needle 1: Knit to last three stitches K2tog, K1. Needle 2: Knit 1, SSK, Knit across Needle 3: Knit to last three stitches, K2tog, K1 Needle 4: Knit 1, SSK, Knit across 2nd Round: Knit
Repeat these two rounds until there are three stitches on each needle. Knit across needle one to bring the tail to the end. Put stitches on needles 1 and 4 on one needle and stitches on needles 2 and 3 on another needle. There are now 6 stitches on two needles. Cut yarn leaving a tail of about eight inches.
Hold the needles so that the tail is on the right and coming from the back needle. Thread the tail onto a tapestry needle.
Grafting set up: Go into the 1st stitch of the back needle as if to knit. Leave on needle. Go into the 1st stitch of the front needle as if to purl. Leave on needle.
Grafting: 1. Go into 1st stitch of back needle as if to purl while sliding it off needle. Go into 2nd stitch as if to knit. Leave on needle.
2. Come to front needle. Go into 1st stitch as if to knit while sliding it off needle. Go into 2nd stitch as if to purl. Leave it on the needle.
Repeat these last two steps until you’ve woven all stitches. Make sure to bring working yarn under knitting needles and not over them and snug the yarn up as you go so the toe closes up nicely.
Weave in tails. Starting from the end that’s attached to the sock, crochet the long cast on tail you left (I did about 18-20 chain sts). Hook the last chain stitch to the first to form a loop and finish off.