Wow! How is it that it’s almost December already!? This year has flown by! And yes, it has been pretty awful for so many reasons, not least a global pandemic (what!? It still feels weird saying that!).

But it also has been great and I can personally say that this has been one of my favorite years ever! I can’t help but be thankful for all I have learned and discovered this year, professionally and personally. I am thankful to all of you, my readers, subscribers, and friends, for your unwavering support and love. This year I grew so much as a business person and creator and it’s all because of you. That’s why I have planned an awesome gift for you guys to prepare for the Holidays. It’s the NOMADvent Calendar!

All you have to do is sign up for this specific Newsletter and you will receive a daily email with exclusive discounts to my shop (and some freebies too!). But that’s not all! I have 15 other incredibly talented makers as guests and they also have very nice crafty treats for you! Get ready to save on yarn, patterns, ribbons, and more!

Learn more and sign up HERE!

These are my Holiday Cheer Stockings and you can find the pattern in my shop HERE.

In my personal life, I am mostly fulfilled by seeing my daughter grow. This year we moved to the UK, which means that it’s the first time ever when both my husband and I speak the local language! Another plus is being close to family. So this year, I am extra excited about Christmas and I am going all out. We’re putting up a tree for the first time, and I will have an advent calendar for us three to enjoy. Magnolia is smitten by fairly lights so those will be going up this weekend. The only thing I was missing were stockings! I made Calum’s and mine a couple of years ago, but it was about time Maggie got hers.

The Candy Cane Christmas Stockings will brighten your home this season. With a simple construction and a very easy to follow motif, they will keep you very entertained and are the perfect opportunity to get started with Mosaic crochet. The pattern is highly adaptable and you can modify it to make it any size you want and use whatever yarn you have at hand. #CandyCaneStockings

Purchase the ad-free printable PDF HERE or keep reading for the Free Pattern!

I made two different stocking. The little one used Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran, 100% Cotton in (CA - Main color) Lipstick Pink, (CB) Blush Pink, and (CC) Slate Green.

HOOKS: Whatever works with your yarn. Sample used 4.5 mm hook.

NOTIONS: tapestry needle

GAUGE: because the pattern is so adaptable to any yarn and size, gauge is not really important.

*Remember that thicker yarn will make for thicker fabric. In the same way that thinner yarn will make for thinner fabric.

Sizes + measurements

This pattern is more of a guideline to complete the stockings. They can be as big or as small as desired.

Here are two samples, both using aran weight yarn, but different amount of stitches around.

Abbreviations (US)

BLO: back loop only
CA, CB, CC: Color A, B, C
Ch: chain
dc: double crochet
Dec: decrease
Hdc: half double crochet
Inc: increase
Ldc: Long double crochet (see Special Techniques)
RS: Right side
rep from *: work from the first asterisk (*) as many times as indicated.
sc: single crochet
Sc2tog: single crochet two together
st: stitch
sk: skip stitches or spaces
Sp: space
WS: Wrong side
YO: Yarn over

Important Techniques

Standard Mosaic Crochet

Chart instructions for this technique are ahead in the Charts section. You can find a complete video tutorial HERE and the blog post tutorial HERE.

Ldc - Long double crochet

This stitch is used in Mosaic Crochet, it’s sometimes called Mosaic dc. It is a normal dc (double crochet) but worked on the previous to last row, not on the previous row, on the corresponding stitch. In Mosaic crochet, this row is always of the same color as the current row. The stitch (ch) from the previous row will be left behind the Ldc and should be skipped and left unworked so as to NOT add another stitch.

Change of color at the end of a row:

When working the last st, start it with the first color, drop the first color and finish the st with the second color.

For example, for a sc on the last st, insert hook through stitch, YO and pass through, drop first color and with new color YO and pass through 2 loops on hook. Continue the next row with this color.

In order to keep the edge where all the color changes happen neater, twist the different color strands before you make your ch1 turning chain.

Working in the round: Invisible join

You will join your round by making a slst in the 1st st of the round. To keep it as invisible as possible, you should pull and tighten the slst and the following turning ch1 - ch1 NEVER counts as a stitch.

For extra help, find the video tutorial HERE.

Construction + Pattern Notes

The Stocking is made top to toe, starting with the ribbed cuff. After joining the ribbing, the leg is worked in circles following the mosaic crochet chart around and turning at the end of every row. When the heel location is reached, the heel is worked in a single color to then finish the rest of the foot and close the toes.

The Pattern

Purchase the ad-free printable PDF HERE.

Cuff

With CA, make a chain as long as the desired width of the cuff. The sample made 10 chains. Depending on what size the stocking will be, the cuff can be between 1 inch (2.5 cm) and 5 inches (12.5 cm) if it is to be folded.

ROW 1: Ch1, hdc1 in each ch, turn.

ROW 2: Ch1, hdcBLO to the end of the row, turn.

Repeat the prev row until the ribbing is twice as long as the width of your stocking leg - making sure that you have a total number of rows that is a multiple of 4.

Join the last row of the ribbing to the starting chain with slst on the WS.

With RS facing out, work on the side of the ribbing and make 3 sc on the side of every two rows of ribbing. The total number of sts needs to be a multiple of 6.

Stocking Leg

Follow the Chart until the leg is as long as desired before turning the heel, FINISHING ON A CB ROW.

Chart and chart instructions are at the end of the pattern.

Heel

Use this video to guide yourself on how to turn the heel.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85pCN8uvUi4&w=854&h=480]

When the leg is as long as desired, identify the first and second half of sts. For example, if the stocking is 30 sts around, the first 15 sts are the first half.

Work the next RS row of chart with CA around, but replace all chsps with sc on the second half only.

Leave the CA live yarn after joining the round to come back to it later and pick up CC.

You will now turn the heel by working short rows.

Attach CC to the 1st st of the second half of the leg on the RS.

ROW 1: Ch1, sc to the last st of the second half (ie. If the total number of sts is 30, you should have 15 sts worked in CC), turn.

ROW 2: Ch1, sk 1st st, sc to 1 st before the end of the row, turn. [dec 2 sts]

Repeat Row 2 until you have reduced the number of sts to approximately a third and have worked an even number of rows on the heel (ie. If the heel started with 15 sts, you will have 5 sts now after row 6).

Turning row 1: Ch1, sk 1st st, sc to the end of the row, sc1 on the side of the first step made by the short rows and sc1 on the following empty st, turn. [inc 1 st]

Repeat the prev row once more.

Next Row: Ch1, sk 1st st, sc to the end of the row, sc1 on the side of the next TWO steps made by the short rows and sc1 on the following empty st, turn. [inc 2 sts]

Continue repeating the previous row until the point when there are no more empty sts before the end of the heel sts. Then simply sc1 on the side of the last two steps, turn and repeat the row one more time.

At the end, you will have the same amount of sts as half of the stocking leg, minus 1, from the last “short row step” - this step will be considered like a st on the following row.

Fasten off and cut.

Foot

Continue with CA where you left it working on the WS. Sc on the heel sts, making sure to work on the side of the last step so that your stitch count matches half of your total sts. You may need to add a sc2tog on one of the corners to close any extra gaps.

Then continue on the other half by making sc1 in every sc or Ldc st; and (ch1, sk chsp), over every chsp. Slst in 1st st to join round, turn.

On the next round, follow the chart on the next corresponding row of CB but replace all Ldc with a sc on the second half sts.

Continue following the chart around until the foot is as long as desired (a little over half of the leg), finishing on a CB round on the WS.

Toe

To close up the chart, on the following row with CA, replace all ch1, sk1 sts with sc.

ROW 1: Change to CC, sc around on the RS, sl st in 1st st to close the round - PM on the last st of the 1st half.

You will stop turning at the end of the round now.

ROW 2: sc2tog, sc to 1 st before mkr, sc2tog twice, PM on 1st dec, sc to 2 sts before the end of the round, sc2tog, slst in 1st st to join round. [dec 4 sts]

Cont to move the mkr on every round.

Repeat the prev two rows until about half of the total number of sts remain.

Last Row: sc2tog around. [dec half of the sts]

Rep last row once or twice more until there are between 5 and 8 sts.

Fasten off and place the tail in a tapestry needle. Weave the needle through every stitch around. Pull to close the hole in the middle and fasten on the WS.

Finishing touches

Weave in all ends.
Block your work.
Add a loop to hang the stocking by attaching yarn to the top of the stocking, making a chain that is about 10 cm long and sl st back to the top of the stocking. Alternatively, you can sew a piece of ribbon on.

Chart Instructions

Find the video tutorial on how to read and work mosaic charts HERE and the blog post tutorial HERE.

● Charts are read bottom-up from right to left on ODD numbered rows (RS) and left to right on EVEN numbered rows (WS).

● Each row of the chart will be worked with a single color. The color for each row is indicated next to each row number.

● Ch1 at the beginning of every row - this chain NEVER counts as a st. Use the invisible join technique explained in the Special Techniques Section of the pattern to keep the seam invisible.

● TURN AT THE END OF EVERY ROW.

● All empty squares (no “X” or “O”) are sc. All sc sts are to be worked in the previous row as normal. This row will be of a different color from the current one.

● All squares with an “O” are (ch1, sk1 st).

● All squares with an “X” are Ldc.

● All Ldc are to be worked on the row that is 2 rows down. This row will be of the same color as the current one. That is to say that a Color A Ldc will be made on the previous Color A row. Same goes with CB Ldc.

● When you make a Ldc on the row 2 rows below, you should find the stitch that corresponds to the next st on that row and leave the ch from the previous 2 rows behind the Ldc and empty.

● On ALL EVEN NUMBERED ROWS (WS) you will: sc in all sc or dc sts and (ch1, sk1) above all chsps.

'Tis the season - Free Stockings Pattern!