Chubby Little Stocking Pattern

No time?  No problem!  If you’ve got a few hours to spare, you can knit this cute  holiday keepsake that’s just a little smaller than the traditional size.  A chunky-weight Noro yarn does all the work by striping on its own and the bright colors are a funky take on a heirloom knit.  This would be a great gift for knitters, too–stuff a Wool & Honey gift certificate inside if you’re feeling extra jolly!

Yarn: Noro Iro, (110 yds/100g), chunky weight, 1 skein.

Gauge: 3.5 sts per inch on US 10.5 needle

Leg

Cast on 32 sts.  Join to begin knitting in the round, being careful not to twist sts.  Work 6 rows in st st (knitting every row).

Eyelet Row: *K2, yo, K2tog; repeat across row.

Continue working in st st until piece measures 6 inches from eyelet row.

Heel Flap

Setup Row:
Knit 8 sts, turn and p across 16 sts.  Redistribute your sts so that there are 16 each on two needles.  (The 16 sts you just purled are the heel sts, the other 16 are the instep sts–you’ll come back to these later.)

Row 1: *sl 1, K1; repeat from * across row.
Row 2: *sl 1, p across row.

Repeat these 2 rows 7 more times.  (There will be a total of 16 heel flap rows.)

Heel Turn

Next row: K10, ssk, K1, turn.
Next row: sl 1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.
Next row: sl 1, k6, ssk, k1, turn.
Next row: sl 1, p7, p2tog, p1, turn.
Next row: sl 1, k8, k2tog, k1, turn.
Next row: sl 1, p8, p2tog, p1, turn.  (10 sts)

Gusset

With needle 1, knit across the 10 heel flap sts, pick up and knit 8 sts along the side of the heel flap.
With needle 2, knit across held instep sts.
With needle 3, pick up and knit 8 sts along the other side of the heel flap and half the heel sts.

Your beginning and end of round is now at the center back of the heel.