Festive Fair Isle Stocking

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• RED HEART® With Love®, 1 skein each color: Eggshell A, Pewter B, Holly Berry C
• RED HEART® Fur™: 1 ball Polar D
• Susan Bates® Knitting Needles:
• 5mm [US 8] 16" [40 cm] circular needle
• 5mm [US 8] double pointed needles (set of 5)
• 8mm [US 11] straight needles
• Stitch marker
• Waste yarn
• Yarn needle

GAUGE: 18 sts = 4" [10 cm]; 22 rounds = 4" [10 cm] in Stockinette stitch (knit on right side, purl on wrong side) with smaller needles.
CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size needles to obtain the gauge.

Special Stitches
kfbf (Knit into front, back, then front again of same st) = Knit into front of next stitch without removing stitch from needle, then knit into back of same stitch and then into front again, remove stitch from needle - 2 sts increased.
ssk (slip, slip, knit) = Slip next 2 stitches, one at a time, as if to knit to right needle, insert point of left needle through front of stitches, knit these sts together through back loop - 1 st decreased.

DIRECTIONS:

Notes:
Stocking is worked in rounds from the cuff downwards.
This design includes an "after thought" heel. After cuff and leg are complete, half a round is knit with waste yarn to allow heel to be worked later. Make sure to cut yarn and rejoin on either side of heel waste yarn, as instructed.
When foot and toe are complete, waste yarn is carefully removed and the released stitches placed on needles to begin working heel.
To make it easy to see and remove the waste yarn, we recommend using a smooth yarn of the same weight but different color from the working yarn.
The colorwork patterns are worked following charts. Read all rows of charts from right to left. To print the charts, click on the "Download Project PDF" button (above).
A braided hanging loop is made separately and ends sewn to inside of cuff.

Stocking measures about 21" [53 cm] long (measured cuff to toe) and 15" [38 cm] circumference (measured at cuff).

STOCKING
Cuff:
With larger needles and D, cast on 20 sts.
Knit 3 rows.

Leg:
Change to circular or double pointed needle(s) and A.
Next Row: Kfbf in each st across—60 sts.
Place marker for beginning of round. Taking care not to twist sts, prepare to work in rounds.
Knit 4 rounds.
Leg Colorwork
Rounds 1-68: Beginning with B, work Rows 1-68 of Leg Chart.
Cut A and C, leaving tails long enough to weave in.
Place Heel: With B, k45; with waste yarn, k30, slide last 30 sts back to left needle; with B, k15.
Foot Colorwork:
Rounds 1-31: Rejoining A and C, work Rows 1-31 of Foot Chart.
Cut A and B.

Toe:
With double pointed needles and C, knit 1 round, placing 15 sts on each of 4 needles.
Knit 1 round.
Shape Toe
Round 1:
needle #1: Knit to last 2 sts, k2tog.
needle #2: Ssk, knit to end.
needle #3: Knit to last 2 sts, k2tog.
needle #4: Ssk, knit to end—14 sts on each needle (56 sts total).
Round 2: Knit all sts on all 4 needles.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 for 3 more times—11 sts on each needle (44 sts total).
Repeat Round 1 only 4 times—7 sts on each needle (28 sts total).
Graft Toe
With needle #4, knit across all sts of needle #1. Combine sts on needles #2 and #3 onto one needle—14 sts on each of 2 needles.
Cut the working yarn, leaving a 24" [61 cm] tail for grafting.
Thread yarn needle with the long tail. Hold the 2 needles in the left hand with wrong sides together. Keeping the yarn needle and yarn under the points of the knitting needles, graft the stitches together as follows:
*1. Insert yarn needle through first st of front needle as if to knit and slip the st off.
2. Insert needle through 2nd st of front needle as if to purl, but leave the st on the needle.
3. Insert yarn through first st on back needle as if to purl and slip the st off.
4. Insert yarn through 2nd stitch on back needle as if to knit, but leave st on needle. Repeat from * until all the sts are joined. Take care to draw yarn up so that gauge of grafting equals gauge of knitting. Fasten off. Weave in ends on wrong side.

Afterthought Heel:
With 2 double pointed needles, insert one needle through the right leg of the first 15 working yarn sts immediately below the waste yarn. Insert a second needle through the right leg of the remaining 15 working yarn sts immediately below the waste yarn. Rotate the sock so that the needles you just inserted are now above the waste yarn. With 2 more double pointed needles, repeat the process of inserting needles below the waste yarn. Carefully remove the waste yarn.
Next Round: Join C at either side of the sts you have just placed on needles and knit around, picking up 2 sts in each side gap—64 sts.
Next Round: Knit.
Shape Heel
Round 1:
needle #1: K1, ssk, knit to end of needle.
needle #2: Knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
needle #3: K1, ssk, knit to end of needle.
needle #4: Knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1—60 sts total.
Round 2: Knit all sts on all 4 needles.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 for 4 more times—44 sts total.
Repeat Round 1 only 6 times—20 sts total.
Combine sts on needles #1 and #2 onto one needle and combine sts on needles #3 and #4 onto one needle, so that there are 10 sts on each of 2 needles.
Graft Heel
Cut the working yarn, leaving a 24" [61 cm] tail for grafting. Graft stitches together (use same grafting steps as when grafting toe).

HANGING LOOP
Cut six 30" [76 cm] strands of A (or color of your choice). Knot top of strands together, leaving a 2" [5 cm] tail. Divide strands into 3 sections of 2 strands each and braid together to desired loop length. Knot end to secure.
Fold piece in half and sew ends to inside of cuff.

FINISHING: Sew edges of cuff together. Weave in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS:
A, B, C - Color A, Color B, Color C etc
k - knit
k2tog - knit next 2 sts together
st(s) - stitch(es)
* - repeat whatever follows the * as indicated.