Baby’s First Christmas Stockings – Free Knitting Pattern

Knit a Baby’s First Christmas Stocking for your little one with their name and birthdate on it! In this post I show how I made Christmas stockings for new babies in the family. I made the color-work pattern for the top and foot of the stocking using the Grid Designer! The stocking is large and roomy with an optional lining that can be sewn in. The free colorwork pattern is shared here (free for personal use), as well as all the instructions to make your own stocking from start to finish.

What is Grid Designer?

The Grid Designer is a new, free, on-line tool for drawing and creating colored craft charts for your own patterns. Create your own designs for knitting, crochet graphghans, C2C, diamond painting, latch hook, cross-stitch and more, using the Grid Designer. Read more about the Grid Designer.

The Stocking

This large, roomy Christmas stocking measures about 7 inches by 22 inches when complete. It is knit on straight knitting needles and has a seam in the center back.

It is knit from the top down starting with a few rows of k1/p1 ribbing. There are two colorwork patterns, one for the top of the stocking and one for the bottom. The heel and toe are knit using short-row technique and a seam is sewn to attach the top of the toe to the top of the foot.

An optional lining can be made from jersey knit fabric. The lining is attached at the top inside of the stocking and tacked to the back of the heel and toe to keep its placement in the stocking secure.

The Colorwork

The top section of the stocking contains the name, birthdate and a pair of baby footprints. I knitted the footprints with intarsia and duplicate stitched the name and birthdate on. The bottom section (foot) has rows of hearts. I chose to duplicate stitch them on, but you can also knit them in.

On the girl’s stocking the pattern is flipped right-to-left from the pattern given below.

The Pattern

Now for the important part, the pattern!

Materials

The stocking is worked with Red Heart Super Saver yarn, medium/worsted weight. Colors used are Light Blue and White for the boy’s stocking and Perfect Pink and White for the girl’s stocking. Choose whatever colors you would like, including going more with a Christmas color theme of red/white or green/white.

I used size 8 needles, gauge was 17 sts and 23 rows in a 4 inch square. Keep in mind that the gauge of the stocking does not matter that much as you are not needing to make it a specific size, as you would do for something that is going to be worn. My stockings were 7 inches across and 22 inches long at that gauge.

You will also need a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and yarn bobbins.

Knitting Directions

These knitting directions are also available in the form of a pdf file. Click here to open a pdf with the directions. You should be able to download the pdf file once it opens in your browser, by using the download button in your pdf plug-in. If that is not working for you, right-click on the link above, for the pdf, and select “Save link as…” from the context menu that pops up. That should start the download.

Ribbing

Cast on 62 stitches with the background color (Light Blue or Perfect Pink).

k1, p1 across for 6 rows.

Stocking Top Pattern

Knit in stockinette stitch for the length of the “stocking top” pattern (below) with the first row being a knit row. When you are looking at the pattern, know that only the center 30 stitches will appear on the front of the stocking, the sides of the stocking will wrap around and will be seamed on the center back.

To get a print-out of the pattern, you can print this page from your browser, or open this pdf file with a copy of the pattern you can print out: https://www.freese-works.com/griddesigner/shared/permanent/agnes-freese/UoRue6.pdf

Be sure and turn the pattern upside-down, as you will be working it from the top down.

You can open and edit this pattern in the Grid Designer to change the name and birthdate, or you can make your own design for the name on graph paper. Grid Designer is a free, on-line tool that opens in your browser. No login or email address is required. It is completely free and it’s very easy to use. To see how to edit the name and birthdate in Grid Designer, watch this youTube video. Here is the link to the top pattern that can be loaded in Grid Designer.

Heel

This section is used both for knitting the heel and knitting the toe.

With the background color:

Row 1 – sl1, k30, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 2 – sl1, p29, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 3 – sl1, k28, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 4 – sl1, p27, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 5 – sl1, k26, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 6 – sl1, p25, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 7 – sl1, k24, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 8 – sl1, p23, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 9 – sl1, k22, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 10 – sl1, p21, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 11 – sl1, k20, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 12 – sl1, p19, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 13 – sl1, k18, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 14 – sl1, p17, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 15 – sl1, k16, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 16 – sl1, p15, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 17 – sl1, k14, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 18 – sl1, p13, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 19 – sl1, k12, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 20 – sl1, p12, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 21 – sl1, k13, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 22 – sl1, p14, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 23 – sl1, k15, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 24 – sl1, p16, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 25 – sl1, k17, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 26 – sl1, p18, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 27 – sl1, k19, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 28 – sl1, p20, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 29 – sl1, k21, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 30 – sl1, p22, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 31 – sl1, k23, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 32 – sl1, p24, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 33 – sl1, k25, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 34 – sl1, p26, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 35 – sl1, k27, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 36 – sl1, p28, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Row 37 – sl1, k29, YTF, sl1, YTB, turn

Row 38 – sl1, p30, YTB, sl1, YTF, turn

Stocking Bottom Pattern

Knit in stockinette stitch for the length of the “stocking bottom” pattern for the foot (below), with the first row being a knit row.

To get a print-out of the pattern, you can print this page from your browser, or open this pdf file with a copy of the pattern you can print out: https://www.freese-works.com/griddesigner/shared/permanent/agnes-freese/fVwLVC.pdf

When I made my stockings, I knitted blue where the hearts are and then later put the hearts in with duplicate stitch.

Be sure to turn the pattern upside-down as you will be working it from the top down.

You can open and edit this pattern in the Grid Designer and make your own design for the foot. No login or email address is required. It is completely free and it’s very easy to use. To see how to open the pattern and edit it in Grid Designer, watch this youTube video. Here is the link to the bottom pattern that can be loaded in Grid Designer.

Alternate Bottom Patterns

Here are a few alternate/optional patterns for the bottom of the stocking if you prefer Christmas motifs to the hearts:

https://www.freese-works.com/griddesigner/shared/permanent/agnes-freese/pkVEGd.html — Tree Stocking Bottom (above)

https://www.freese-works.com/griddesigner/shared/permanent/agnes-freese/0d6tUO.html — Sleigh Stocking Bottom

https://www.freese-works.com/griddesigner/shared/permanent/agnes-freese/0bfki4.html — Present Stocking Bottom

Toe

The toe is knitted in exactly the same way as the heel. The top of the toe is then stitched to the top of the foot.

To knit the toe, follow exactly the same instructions used for the heel in the Heel section above.

After Row 38, knit and cast off all 62 stitches, leaving a tail long enough to stitch the top of the toe to the foot. Your stocking will look like the picture on the left (this is a different stocking, but the same type of toe).

Half of the cast-off stitches will make the end of the foot section, the other half will make the top of the toe. These two sections now need to be stitched together to make a seam across the top of the toe/foot.

Toe Seam

Stitch this seam by weaving the knitting together as in this YouTube video: Shoulder Seam – Bind off Edge Knit Seam.

As you stitch, the cast-off edges will turn under and the toe and foot will look like they were knitted all-together. See the picture on the left. This is a different stocking, but the same type of toe being stitched to the foot.

Add Decorations/Embroidery

At this point, before you stitch the back seam, it is time to add the duplicate stitching. For my stocking, I did the following:

I duplicate-stitched the name, birth month, day and year. I duplicate stitched the hearts on the bottom of the stocking.

To aid in placing the text, I stitched a temporary thread down the center of the stocking that I could count stitches from in placing the name and birthdate. This was placed between the 31st and 32nd stitches. I then marked the same position on my pattern and could count stitches from there.

Weave In Ends

Even if you add the lining described below, you will still need to weave in ends to make sure that nothing comes loose. Weave in any ends you need to at this time.

Here are some videos on weaving in tails for reference.

• Reverse Duplicate Stitch // Technique Tuesday by Roxanne Richardson
• Knitting Help – Weaving in Ends by VeryPink Knits

In the duplicate stitch areas, I generally weave in the yarn by stitching it around the back loops of the duplicate stitches, rather than trying to weave it through the knitting. 

Sew Back Seam

Once all decoration or embroidery is done, stitch up the back seam. The stocking is knit so that there is a full stitch on each side that can be enclosed in the seam. You can do either the half-stitch or full-stitch weave to sew the seam. See this video if you are new to stitching seams: Sweater Finishing: Perfect Sweater Seams. Weave in the ends of the yarn you are stitching with.

Add Hanging Loop

Create 3-stitch I cord that is 30 rows or so long (Here is a YouTube video showing how to make a 3-stitch I-cord with circular needles. Here is a YouTube video showing how to make I-cord with straight needles). Since I also crochet, I sometimes make a simple loop made from chaining, this will also work for the loop.

Knit and cast off the last row leaving a tail long enough to use to stitch the loop to the stocking.

Fold the I-cord to make a loop and sew the bottom edges inside the top left edge of the stocking just below the ribbing. The picture on the left is a different stocking, but same process for making and attaching the loop.

Lining Instructions (optional)

I personally like to add a lining to knitted stockings, especially if they are intended to really be used to hold small presents on Christmas Eve. Linings are particularly good in stockings made for children, as the presents can’t get caught on any of the knitting floats on the back side of the stocking.

Here are my directions for making the lining. I have placed these into a separate page that I can reference for all my stockings in the future.

To create the lining follow the instructions here.

Have a question? Leave a comment below.

More Info

See the Overview playlist on youTube for more information on the Grid Designer.

If you are ready to start the Grid Designer to create your own project, click here.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, leave me a message below or go to my contact page to email me.

See my other Christmas stocking patterns by clicking here.