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Every Christmas Eve, when our children were small, fresh from the bath and shiny clean in their new pyjamas, they would leave out the milk and mince pie for Santa, a carrot for Ruldoph, then settle to read “My Christmas Stocking” by Crystal Bowman before placing our Christmas Stockings and they would head to bed.

As this new Christmas Stocking design, flowed off my needles, I tried to think what would it be called. It was only later after blocking and the stocking was hanging, that the hearts really stood out and I was reminded of the “very kind heart” of Saint Nicholas and the reason why Christmas Stockings are hung at all.

The Very King Heart Christmas Stocking is knit using the traditional stranded colourwork method. The pattern has written instructions, but uses charts for the colourwork. There are both black and white charts and coloured. There are also “plot your own” charts, you can use these to personalise the stocking with a name or the year.

The stocking is knit in aran weight yarn, from the top down, ending with a rounded toe. There are instructions for a Wrap and Turn short row heel, however this can be changed to your own choice of short row or FLK heel. It is knit using a short circular but can be adapted to the magic loop method or double pointed needles.

Needles:
5 mm (US 8) 16” circular needles/dpns for colourwork
4 mm (US 6) 16” circular needles/dpns for toe and heel
If using a short circular you will need either a longer cable for magic loop or dpns when the circumference gets too small nearing the end of the toe.

Yarn:
Aran weight yarn - 100g (175yds/160m) x two contrasting colours
Yarn used: Folklore Yarns Traditions - Donegal Yarns Aran Tweed
(Colours used: Raphoe 4754 & Buncrana 4585) available at Folklore Yarns, Belfast
https://folkloreyarns.com/collections/traditions- a-donegal-aran-tweed/products/traditions-aran-donegal-tweed

Gauge:
20 sts x 21 rows per 4 inches using 5 mm (US 8) needle in colourwork. Although gauge is not essential it will impact the amount of yarn required.