Crochet Christmas Stockings | a Handmade Holiday tradition!

“The [crochet] stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.” – A Visit From Saint Nicholas“The [crochet] stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.” – A Visit From Saint Nicholas

Christmas stockings have been a family Holiday tradition for centuries and are immortalized in the poem ‘A Visit From Saint Nicholas’ by Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863).  Growing up I loved my childhood Christmas stocking, but only the only thing ‘handmade’ about it was the hand-drawn glitter name at the top. My introduction to crochet stockings…

When I was twelve, my mother divorced and remarried into the Abel family.  The Abel’s were big on Christmas; holding a very large family Christmas party every year.  I will never forget our first Abel family Christmas; which was also my first exposure to crochet stockings.  My Aunt Dixie handmade a vintage style crochet stocking for all of the children and filled it with christmas goodies. I loved it and have kept it for more thank 20 years; it remains a treasured Christmas memento. Made of basic granny squares, the completed design is unique and I’ve not seen this pattern anywhere else in my own pattern searches.Ten years later, I was fortunate to receive my second handcrafted stocking from my Mother In Law.  A combination of granny squares, double crochet at chain spaces; it was made to match my husband’s childhood stocking. I love the pair, and these were the stockings we used until we had children of our own.

My own crochet stocking adventures…

Once our boys joined the family, I knew I wanted to make our own matching set of crochet stockings.  There are so many beautiful stocking patterns to be found; I had to search for a while before settling on the Cross Stitch Christmas Stocking by Bernat Design Studio on Ravelry.com.

(Picture and Pattern by Bernat Design Studio)

I loved the design of this stocking, but being a slow crocheter, I quickly lost motivation with the single crochet body, making it my first stocking ‘fail’.

My second choice, was this Caron on the Dot Stocking found on Yarnspirations.com.  I loved how quickly it worked up and changed the colors to match another similar design I found on Pinterest.

(Photo and Pattern by Yarnspirations.com)

Sadly this stocking ‘flopped’ after I finished sewing it together. I never did figure out where I went wrong while sewing these but still laugh when I think about my Husband’s attempt to console me by insisting it looked like a stocking. I did attempt to salvage the project by pulling it apart but had sewn it together too tightly, making it my second ‘flop’.

A Crochet Stocking win….finally….

Frustrated by my initial attempts, I nearly gave up before finding the beginner-friendly Granny Square Christmas Stocking by Maggie Weldon at Bestfreecrochet.com. I customized the colors and made the cuff longer to allow me to add names; and finally had a Christmas crochet win!

We’ve used these for the last three Christmas seasons and I still love them.  The classic design is timeless, and their large size makes them perfect for stuffing your favorite Christmas goodies and gifts.

There are so many amazing stocking patterns and designs to be found online and make the perfect handmade Holiday tradition; which your family is sure to treasure for many years to come! Have your own favorite crochet stocking pattern or story you want to share? Leave a comment or link below.  Merry Christmas and Happy Hooking!