A hand-knit stocking gets pulled out every December for years, which makes it one of the most rewarding holiday projects. Every pattern below is free on its designer’s own site.
They are listed from simplest to most detailed. The first few use chunky yarn and plain stockinette, so you can finish one in a weekend or two. Further down you will find moss stitch, cables, a felted finish, a full Fair Isle design and three Nordic-patterned stockings from DROPS. Most need circular needles and some form of heel shaping.
Free knitted Christmas stocking patterns
1. How To Knit A Christmas Stocking
Designer Louise Bollanos at Handy Little Me. One skein of super bulky yarn is all this cream stocking needs. Louise uses Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick on 10 mm (US 15) circular needles, with a gauge of 10 stitches and 14 rounds to 4 inches. It is worked in the round with a k1, p1 cuff, a stockinette leg and a short-row heel, then the toe is closed with Kitchener stitch. Finished sizes run from 12.5 to 19 inches tall. The designer rates it easy and suited to advanced beginners. A paid ad-free PDF is optional.
2. Christmas Stocking Free Knitting Pattern
Designer Tara at Fox & Pine Stitches. Want a tall, classic red and cream stocking? This one finishes about 20 inches tall and 8 inches across the top. Tara uses one ball each of Cranberry and Fisherman in Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (super bulky), on 8 mm (US 11) circular and double-pointed needles. The heel is shaped with wrap-and-turn short rows, and an I-cord loop lets you hang it. If you have not tried short rows yet, expect a short learning curve at the heel. The full pattern is on the blog, with a paid PDF as an extra.
3. How to Knit a Christmas Stocking
Designer Susan at A Box of Twine. This plain white stocking uses about 100 yards of Lion Brand Hue + Me, a bulky (#5) yarn, so one skein covers a stocking with some left over. Susan works it on 9 mm (US 13) circular needles using the Magic Loop method. A ribbed cuff and stockinette leg lead into a classic heel flap, then the foot and toe are finished in rounds. It measures about 7 by 16 inches. The designer notes that gauge is not critical, and that beginners can give it a try even though it is written for intermediate knitters.
4. Christmas Stocking Knitting Pattern
Designer Originally Lovely at Originally Lovely. Here the heel comes last. You knit across 30 stitches with scrap yarn, carry on to the toe, then come back to shape an afterthought heel. An accent color marks the cuff, heel and toe. The stocking is worked top down in aran-weight wool on 5.5 mm (US 9) needles and is gently felted by hand at the end. It measures about 6.5 inches wide and 14.5 inches tall. A start-to-finish video helps, but note that this is an archived post, so the shop does not answer pattern questions on it.
5. Mossy Cable Christmas Stockings
Designer Eliza Prokopovits at Squigglidinks. Moss stitch covers the whole stocking, with a single cable running down the ankle. Eliza knit theirs in Lion Brand Hometown USA, a super bulky (#6) yarn, on 8 mm (US 11) circular needles, at 10.5 stitches to 4 inches. Each one uses about 120 to 140 yards and ends up roughly 14 to 15 inches long. You will need to be comfortable with a cable, knitting in the round and a wrapped short-row heel. The designer is honest that their yarn choice may fuzz and snag over time, so a smoother yarn could last longer.
6. Christmas Stocking Knitting Pattern
Designer Alnaar at Leelee Knits. A rippling cable pattern, worked with C4F and C4B crosses, runs around this stocking. Alnaar knits it from the cuff down in the round, with a French heel and a Kitchener-stitched toe. The designer uses two skeins (274 yards) of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash Bulky on 5.5 mm (US 9) needles, at 18 stitches and 22 rounds to 4 inches. The leg and cuff measure 14 inches. This is an intermediate project. The free version covers one size, and a paid PDF adds two more.
7. Free Knitted Christmas Stocking Pattern with Lining
Designer Agnes Freese at Freese-Works. This is the showpiece of the list. Hearts, trees, holly and sleighs fill the top in Fair Isle colorwork, with rows of red and green diamonds on the foot. Agnes adds French knots and gold beads for detail. It is knit flat on straight size 8 needles, top down, then seamed up the back. The designer uses Red Heart Super Saver (worsted) in white, green and red, and the stocking measures about 7 by 26 inches. An optional fabric lining is included. The pattern is free for personal use.
8. Christmas Flower Stocking (DROPS Extra 0-1573)
Designer DROPS Design, free on the DROPS website. A roomy stocking knit top down in DROPS Snow, a bulky wool, so it works up fast on 5.5 mm (US 9) and 5 mm (US 8) circular needles. Stripes and a Nordic band in light grey, off white and crimson red run around the leg. The top is about 39 cm (15½ in) around, the leg is about 20 cm (8 in) tall and the foot is 24 cm (9½ in) long. Gauge is 14 stitches and 18 rows to 10 cm (4 in).
9. Nick’s Sock (DROPS Extra 0-1393)
Designer DROPS Design, free on the DROPS website. A tall, slim stocking covered in a multicolored Norwegian pattern, worked in the round on 3 mm (US 2.5) double-pointed needles. It uses DROPS Karisma in wine red and light grey, about 100 g (3½ oz) and 50 g (2 oz). The finished stocking is about 41 cm (16 in) long. Gauge is 23 stitches and 32 rows to 10 cm (4 in), so it suits a knitter who already enjoys stranded colorwork.
10. Sweet Treasures (DROPS Extra 0-1192)
Designer DROPS Design, free on the DROPS website. A Nordic-patterned stocking in DROPS Nepal with pompoms on the cuff, knit on 5 mm (US 8) double-pointed needles. You need 100 g (3½ oz) of red, plus 50 g (2 oz) each of off white and grey. It stands about 37 cm (14½ in) tall with a foot about 15 cm (6 in) long. Gauge is 17 stitches and 22 rows to 10 cm (4 in) in pattern.
New to short rows, Kitchener stitch or knitting in the round? My Knitting Stitches Guide covers the basic stitches and abbreviations these patterns use.
You might also like: Christmas Knitting Patterns for Babies and Kids and Knitted Christmas Ornament Patterns