Fairisle and Plain Miniature Christmas Stockings

MATERIALS
2.5 mm double point needles
Jamieson’s Spindrift yarn – 2 to 5 colours as you wish
Or any other fine (fingering weight yarn)
Fine mohair (the samples used Sandnes Silk Mohair in ivory.)

Some notes on the patterns and knitting:
The finished plain stocking is 5 ½ inches long from cuff to toe, the fairisle stockings are 4 ½ inches long.
I made no attempt to sew in the ends of the different colours of yarn used, simply cut the ends, tied a knot in them and trimmed them about ½ inch long.
Ssk: slip as if to knit, slip as if to knit, insert left needle into the front of the 2 slipped sts and knit them off together.
Plain 2 Coloured Stocking:
Cast on 32 sts with the Mohair, work garter stitch for ¼ to ½ inch. You can achieve garter stitch when working in the round by knitting one round, purling 1 round. Alternately you may wish to work the cuff flat and then join into the round when the cuff is done, using the end of the yarn to close the gap that is left.
Change to yarn and work in stocking stitch for approx 2 inches. Join contrasting colour for the heel, the heel is 16 sts wide, knit flat, the other 16 sts are not worked while you knit this.
Right side of heel: slip first stitch, knit to end of row (16 sts)
Wrong side: slip first stitch, purl to end of row
Repeat these 2 rows until heel is 1 inch long.
Turn heel: on right side row; k 10, ssk, turn. Sl 1, p 4, p2tog, turn.
*sl 1 knit to 1 st before the gap where you last turned and ssk turn
sl 1, purl to 1 st before the gap where you last turned and p2tog.
Repeat until all sts are used up. 6 sts remain. Divide these onto 2 needles and using main colour again pick up sts down the heel flap edge, knit across the instep sts and then pick up the sts on the other side of the heel flap and across the other half of the heel.
Rounds now begin in the middle of the heel, at the end of the first needle k2tog. Knit across the 16 sts for instep and at the beginning of the last needle, ssk knit to end of needle. Knit 1 round plain. Repeat these 2 rounds until you have 32 sts again. Knit on these sts until the foot is 2 inches long from the edge of the heel (where the colour changed). Change to contrasting colour and at the end of every other round k2tog until only 2 sts left on each needle. Break yarn, thread through darning needle and pass this through remaining sts and sew securely on the wrong side of sock. Make a crocheted loop to hang your sock.
Fairisle Stockings:
Following the same method as the plain stocking, cast on with the mohair, but only cast on 24 sts (arrange them 6 to each needle). After knitting the mohair cuff follow the **chart for pattern (bottom of the page). You can choose which colours you wish to use for the different symbols. For example in the green sock I used 365 chartreuse for the main colour, and 147 moss, 183 sand and 230 yellow ochre for the contrasts. After the chart is completed once, put 12 sts all on one needle and knit the heel.
RS sl 1, knit to end
WS sl 1, purl to end.
Do approx 8 rows for heel and then turn:
Sl 1, knit 8, ssk turn
Sl 1 purl 4 p2tog turn
*sl 1, knit to 1 st before gap (where you did your last p2tog & turned), ssk turn
p1, purl to 1 st before gap, p2tog, turn*
repeat from * to * until all the sts are used up.
Divide the remaining 6 sts onto 2 needles. Knit across these sts and pick up & knit the stitches down the side of the heel flap. Knit across the 2 needles each having 6 sts for the instep, pick up the stitches on the other side of the heel and add the other half of the heel stitches (3) remaining to this needle. You should now have 1 needle with approx 8 to 10 sts on it, 2 needles ea with 6 sts and another needle with 8 to 10 sts on it. * Beginning with the first needle (that has 8 to 10 sts) knit to the last 2 sts, k2tog. Knit across the 2 needles with 6 sts ea and at the beginning of the next needle, ssk knit to the end of the needle. Work 1 round with no decreases. The next round and every alternate one work the 2 decreases as set (beginning at *) and repeat these 2 rounds until there are 6 sts on each needle again.
Work the 2nd repeat of the fairisle patterns, changing the colours if you wish. When the pattern is finished, knit one plain round then on every other round k2tog at the end of each needle, until there are only 2 sts on ea needle. Break yarn, thread through a tapestry needle and through the stitches and sew in the wrong side.
Make a short crocheted chain to hang the stocking from. --Heather Tunnah
**CHART FOR FAIRISLE STOCKINGS**