A step-by-step guide to knitting our Christmas Stocking
Ever gotten half way through a pattern and thought, hang on, am I even doing this right?! Don't stress, we've got you with these step-by-step instructions.
Even if you've never knitted before, we'll take you from zero to hero in no time 🦸♀️
When it comes to knitting, practice makes perfect
Before we get started on the pattern we suggest you spend a bit of time learning the basic techniques you’ll need to complete your stocking.
Our Christmas Stocking is knitted using a combination of knitting in the round and knitting flat. You'll want to be confident with both the knit and purl stitch as well as knitting in the round before you start 🧶 You'll also want to get a hang of tying a slip knot and casting on your stitches which is the first step in any knitting project.
You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice with. Once you've got these mastered you'll find the pattern a cinch!
Total beginner? 👩🏫
For a more comprehensive lesson on the basics of knitting visit our LEARN TO KNIT Page.
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⚡️What you'll need
Your kit comes with everything you'll need to make your masterpiece. In your kit you'll find;
- 12mm needles
- 1 ball of Limited Edition Cardigang Chunky Wool in Fairy Bread
- A darning needle
- Made by me tag
You also want to have a pair of scissors handy.
📏 Test your tension
While we're practising and before you start your project, you'll want to make sure your tension (how tightly or loosely your knitting is) is juuuust right 🥣 We do this by making a “tension swatch”. It's a bit like Goldilocks, if the tension is too tight, your piece will be too small, and if it's too loose it may not hold its shape and might be too big.
Gauge: If done correctly, your 10x10cm swatch should be 8 stitches wide and 12.5 rows high when made in garter stitch on 12mm needles.
To test this, jump on your needles - use the yarn and needles that came in your kit. Cast on 10 stitches, then knit in garter stitch for 14 rows. 💭 We make garter stitch by knitting every stitch in every row.
Then measure a 10x10cm square and count your stitches and rows within that space to make sure you're knitting at the correct tension.
If you've got more stitches or rows than the instructions say you should have, your knitting is a little too tight, and if you've got less, your knitting is too loose. Adjust your tension by holding the yarn a little more tightly/loosely as you knit.
TIME TO SWITCH OFF. STITCH ON. AND WHIP UP YOUR FESTIVE CHRISTMAS STOCKING.
Remember learning a new skill can be a little challenging at first, and you’re bound to find yourself making some mistakes along the way. But as with learning anything, your brain and your hands slowly start to get the hang of it, muscle memory is created, and soon the thing you found tricky/daunting/scary is like second nature! 💪🤸♀️
STEP 1: Cast on
First thing first, cast on your stitches. Make a slip knot to get started. Then you'll cast on your stitches until you've got 27 stitches on your left needle.
STEP 2: Knitting in the round
We start by knitting in the round. Knitting in the round is where we use our circular needles and knit continuously in loops, rather than back and forth in rows (like a lot of beginner patterns do). Now don't worry! It's not anywhere near as hard as it sounds. When knitting in the round, you're always knitting on the "front" side of your work so you don't need to turn the piece to knit on the "back" side. Plus, you don't need to sew your piece together at the end!
So once you've cast on the right number of stitches, join your work and knit for 17 rounds. Use your stitch marker to keep track of the first stitch in each round.
STEP 3 to 5: Heel
Now for this section you're just going to knit the stitches which make up the heel and you're knitting back and forth.
STEP 6 to 11: Decreasing stitches
We start to shape the heel now by decreasing stitches. You'll use two techniques for this. Slip, slip purl two together and knitting two together.
🎬 How to slip, slip purl together
STEP 12: Picking up stitches
Okay, let's join our work back together. Pick up 5 stitches along the edge you’ve just made for your heel. Then continue to knit stitch until you’ve made your way back around to the other edge of the heel. Pick up 5 stitches, then knit your last 3 stitches. Well done. Your work is now joined back together and we're on the home straight! 🔥
STEP 13 to 17: CONTINUE KNIT STITCH
We're going to shape the tow of our stocking now. Because we're back to knitting in the round you'll only use knit stitches for this section.
STEP 18: CINCH THE TOE
Use your darning needle to collect the last of your stitches and secure with a knot on the inside of your stocking.
STEP 19: TASSEL TIME!
The final step is to make a tassel for your stocking. You'll use your left over yarn for this part.
Cut a piece of card to shape and then wrap your yarn around the cardboard. The more you wrap, the ticker your tassel will be. Once you've wrapped enough yarn, use another length of approximately 40cm and thread it between the wrapped yarn and the cardboard. Tie a knot to secure - this is the top of your tassel. Then use your scissors to cut through the opposite end (the bottom of your tassel) to release the yarn from the cardboard.
Finally, use one more length of yarn to tie a knot about 3cm from the top of the tassel to create the tassels head. Then trim the tassel ends to make it neat!
D.O.N.E! You've finished your stocking, well done! Epic work 🤩 If this was your first-ever knitting project or one of many, we hope you had a blast click-clacking and making your masterpiece💥❤️
In a bind and need a little more help?
Email us at stitchup@cardigang.com.au and we'll be able to help! Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.
READY FOR YOUR NEXT KIT?
Now that you know the basics, you've got all the skills you need to knit any of our kits. Cozy cardi? Bangin' blanket? Explore your next kit.
