This worsted weight fair isle stocking pattern will bring holiday cheer to your decor!

Design Story and Inspiration for This Holiday Stocking Knitting Pattern

It’s that time of year again where I design for my annual Holiday Maker’s Challenge!! This is the 7th year that I have done the challenge, and I’m excited to be doing it again!

I designed this pattern as part of the 2025 Holiday Maker’s Challenge, where we encourage each other to work to our holiday deadline. There are a few criteria for our patterns in the challenge, which are:

1. Uses stash yarn

2. Is easy to intermediate

3. Is small so it doesn’t take a long time to make (okay, so I kinda broke my rules with this one…)

4. Is well received by gift recipients

This stocking is a bit unusual for my challenge because it’s not a small project…. in fact, it’s quite large! But it works up quickly in worsted weight yarn and uses up stash yarn. Plus it makes a great gift!

Yarn Options for Knitted Stockings

For this pattern, I used Lion Brand Wool Easy Recycled, which is a category #4 worsted weight yarn. This is the most common weight of yarn, so you probably already have this weight of yarn in your stash!

This pattern calls for a single skein of the main color (blue, in my case) and less than a skein of each of the contrasting colors, so grab some stash yarn and get busting!

Pattern Details for this Fair Isle Stocking Knitting Pattern

This pattern is worked from the cuff to the toe with an afterthought heel. It features a double thick cuff and fair isle patterning on the body of the stocking.

Fair Isle Holiday Stocking

What You’ll Need

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Recycled, 2 skeins Royal Blue (A), 1 skein each Cream (B), Red (C) 

Needles: US Size 8 (5.00mm) circular needle

Notions: Yarn needle, stitch markers, scissors

Gauge: 18 sts and 24 rows = 4” in Stockinette st

Finished Size: Approximately 21” long

Pattern Abbreviations
Knit (k)
Purl (p)
Knit 2 Together (k2tog)
Beginning of Round (BOR)

Fair Isle Knitted Stocking Pattern

Cuff

With color A, cast on 96 stitches loosely, join to knit in the round.

Knit even in Stockinette st until cuff measures 9” from cast on edge.  Fold cast on edge up inside working yarn, k2tog with one live st and one st from cast on edge (96 sts).

End at BOR.

Leg

NOTE: Find the charts in our main resource library, or in the PDF in the Holiday Challenge library!

Work Chart A for 18 rnds

Work Chart B for 12 rnds

Knit one round in color B.

Knit one round in color A.

Work Chart C four times for a total of 24 rnds

Knit one round in color A.

Knit one round in color B.

Work Chart B for 12 rounds.

Work Chart A for 18 rounds.

Knit one round in color A.

Knit one round in color C.

Knit one round in color A.

Knit one round in color B.

Knit one round in color A.

End at BOR. Stop. 

Heel Preparation

With waste yarn, knit across next 48 sts.  Break waste yarn.

Slip waste yarn stitches back on the left needle.  Knit with working yarn. 

Complete round.

Foot

Work chart A for 18 rounds.

Work chart B for 12 rounds.

Knit one round in color B.

Knit one round in color A.

Knit one round in color B.

Knit one round in color C.

Knit one round in color A, placing a stitch marker after 48 sts to mark toe shaping.

Shape Toe 

Change to Color A.

Rnd 1:

Heel: K1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1. 

Instep: K1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1.

Rnd 2: Knit.

Repeat Rnds 1 and 2 until 56 total sts remain. [20 rnds]

Work decrease rnd only until 12 sts remain. [6 instep sts, 6 sole sts]

Finishing

Slide sts from cable to needle shaft. Holding shafts together, graft sts using Kitchener Stitch.

Weave in ends.

Afterthought Heel

Remove sts from waste yarn as follows:
Gently pull the waste yarn from the stitches. Sts will separate. There will be a total of 96 sts.

Starting at one side of the heel opening, slide 48 sts onto the front needle (heel). Rotate the work and slide the remaining 48 sts onto the back needle (instep). (96 sts total.)

With Color A, and starting at the right edge of the heel opening:
Pick up 1 st in the gap between the front and back sections.
Knit across heel sts.
Pick up 1 st in the second gap.
Knit across instep sts.
(98 sts total – 49 sts on each side. Place marker to mark heel and instep sts)
Mark beginning of round (BOR).

Dec Rounds:

Round 1 (Decrease):
Front (heel) needle – K1, ssk, knit to 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1.
Back (instep) needle – K1, ssk, knit to 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1.

Round 2:
Knit all sts.

Repeat Rounds 1–2 a total of 4 times (8 rounds worked).

Then repeat Rounds 1–2 a total of 3 more times (6 rounds worked).
— You should now have 70 sts total (35 sts per needle).

Work Round 1 only (decrease every round) 11 times, or until 26 sts remain total (13 per needle).

Break yarn, leaving a 12″ (30 cm) tail.  Graft remaining sts together using Kitchener Stitch.

Finishing

Weave in ends.  Block flat.

Final Thoughts on the Fair Isle Stocking Knitting Pattern

I hope you enjoy this pattern as much as I enjoyed designing it!!

Join me for our seventh annual holiday challenge – but only until December 25!

Happy Knitting!
Amanda