Spiral Crochet Christmas Stocking

video tutorial

Start at the toe working in continuously spiraling rounds

Toe

with toe color begin with a magic ring

Round 1: sc, hdc, 10 dc into the magic ring working over the ring and the short tail. Pull the short tail pulling your work into a round, do not pull all the way so that you can still see your stitches (12 st)

Round 2: begin crocheting up over the first stitches, 2dc in each stitch around (stitch markers are helpful) (24 st) note: now is a good time to pull the magic ring tightly closed

to make a larger stocking you will add more rounds to the toe, add 12 extra stitches to each round to allow the toe to grow out into a flat disc until it is as large as you want. Experiment to see what size works best for you.

Round 3: dc in each stitch around until the last 2 stitches. Hdc in next st, sc in next st, fasten off toe color.

Foot

With main color (MC), attach in any stitch around on the toe.

Round 1: sc in st where you joined on, hdc in next st, dc in each stitch around.

Note: Once you come back around to the first stitches of round 1 you will no longer work into the toe but into foot (MC) stitches

Round 2: work a modified dc in the first MC st (the sc), dc in next stitch (the hdc), dc in each st around

Note: Modified dc – yo, insert hook into the space between your last stitch and the sc you will work into next, this space is an occupied stitch, the stitch that the sc was worked into at the beginning of the foot, yo pull up a loop, insert your hook into the first sc of the MC, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull through 3 loops, yo, pull through 2 loops. The modified dc will act just like a normal dc

Round 3 to the end: dc in each st around. Work rounds of the MC making the tube part of the foot, continue until its as long as you like. Mine was a total of 6 inched measuring from the tip of the toe. Pull up a long loop on the MC but do not fasten off or cut the yarn. Look over your project and see if there is any imperfection at the junction between the toe and the foot that you would like to hide, this will become the bottom. If there is no imperfection then just choose whichever side to be the bottom. Flatten the tube, putting any imperfection at the bottom (the sole of the foot).

To make striped foot you will need to attach 2 or more colors.  Attach the colors evenly around onto the toe.  Each color will remain attached for the entire construction of the foot.  Start each color with sc, hdc, dc to ramp the colors up.  As each color moves up over the other color you may want to do a modified dc as previously explained.  Once your stripe colors are attached you will work several stitches in one color, then drop that color and begin working in the other color.  The stitches will chase each other around.  It may be helpful to refer to my spiral mitten pattern or spiral baby mitten pattern and tutorial which is done in a similar way.  If you have trouble understanding I can make a second video tutorial for the striped version, just leave a comment.

Heel

Heel color can match the foot, match the toe, or be a new color.

The heel is attached, worked in rows, turning at the end of each row. The rows will decrease, then increase making an hourglass shape. Once the heel is stitched we will sew 2 small seams to shape the heel. You can make the heel any width but my suggestion is half the total number of stitches in the round. The example shown in 24 stitches in each round, so the heel begins with 12 stitches. You want to place the 12 stitches evenly along the bottom edge so that half are on the front side of the stocking and half are on the back side. For larger stockings you will divide your total stitches in each round of the foot in half.

Row 1: attach the yarn in the stitch that is 6 stitches before the bottom most stitch. Sc in the st you joined on the yarn, hdc in the next st, dc in the next 8 stitches, hdc in the next st, sc in the next st. ch 2 turn (12 st)

Row 2: dc2tog, then another dc2tog, dc in each st across to the last 4 st, dc2tog then another dc2tog. Ch 2 turn (8 st)

Row 3: 4 dc2tog across, ch 2 turn (4 st)

Note: for larger stockings you may have to do another row with 2 decreases at the beginning and 2 decreases at the end

Row 4: 1 dc in each st across, ch 2 turn (4 st)

Row 5: 2dc in the first 2 st, 2 dc in last 2 st, ch 2 turn (8 st)

Row 6: 2dc in first 2 st, dc across to last 2 st, 2dc in the last two st. fasten off leaving a long tail to seam the heel (12 st)

the rows you made should resemble an hourglass. Fold the hourglass in half, right sides together, match row 6 to row 1, row 5 to row 2 and so on. Using the tail and a yarn needle, sew up the sides of the rows. Work the yarn across to the opposite side and sew the seam on the other side in the same way. Once the seams are sown the rest of that tail will be woven in to hide it. The heel is complete. Make sure you have 12 stitches across the top of the heel.

Leg 

Continue with the foot color(s)

Round 1: work 1 dc in each st around. At the point in which the stitches move up onto the heel you may want to do the modified dc as you did earlier to avoid a gap as your stitches bump up onto the heel

Round 2 1 dc in each st around

Continue with round 2 until the leg is as long as you want

Periodically count stitches to make sure you still have the same number of stitches as you had in the foot. Once the foot is as long as you like you will ease down by making a hdc in the second to last st, and then a sc in the last st. You will want your last stitches to be near the back side of the stocking, where the hanging loop will be. 

 Ch 21 for the hanging loop. You can fasten the chain back down to the stocking for the loop or you can make the chain a bit more sturdy by sl st back down the length of the chain then attaching the far end of your chain back down onto the stocking forming a loop. Leave a tail which you can use to reinforce the hanging loop onto the stocking once you are finished with the stocking.

Cuff  (optional)

(use the heel/toe color or a new color)

Foundation: working from the inside of the stocking, attach the cuff color in the st after the st you made the hanging loop in. sc around putting 4 increases evenly around. Sl st into the first st to join the round (28 st) adding these 4 extra stitches will make your cuff just slightly wider than the stocking so once it is folded down it will lay nicely instead of bunching up.

Ribbing row 1: ch 11, turn

Ribbing row 2: in second ch from the hook sc in back loop of each st down the chain (10 st) sc into next 2 sc on the foundation round, turn

Ribbing row 3: working back up the previous row, sc in the back loop of each sc up the ribbing, ch 1 turn

Ribbing Row 4: sc in the back loop of each sc down the ribbing, sc in next 2 sc on the foundation round, turn.

Repeat rows 3-4 around. Once you have come all the way back around you will work into the last row as well as the first row at the same time. This will close up the back seam of the ribbing. To do this you will insert your hook into the back loop of the sc of the previous row as you had been doing and also the corresponding loop on the first row of the ribbing, sc, repeat until your last row is complete and the seam is closed up. Fasten off

Finishing

Hide ends, fold down cuff, fill with goodies.