Holiday Stocking in Plymouth Galway Worsted - F474

Holiday Stocking in Plymouth Yarn Galway Worsted – Pattern F474

This free downloadable knitting pattern from Plymouth Yarn Design Studio guides knitters through the construction of a festive Holiday Stocking worked in Plymouth Yarn Galway Worsted. Designated as pattern F474, this project is offered free with yarn purchase and produces a generously sized finished stocking measuring approximately 10 inches wide by 24 inches long — large enough to be a true holiday showpiece. The stocking is knitted in a single size and features a decorative pointed cuff, a colorwork-striped body, and a shaped heel, making it a satisfying intermediate knitting project with a classic holiday aesthetic.

Materials and Gauge

The pattern calls for Plymouth Yarn Galway Worsted in three colors, with one 100g ball required of each. The sample shown uses:

• Color A – Galway Worsted shade #185
• Color B – Galway Worsted shade #163
• Color C – Galway Worsted shade #145

Galway Worsted is a well-known worsted-weight yarn from Plymouth Yarn, prized for its smooth stitch definition and durability — qualities that make it particularly well suited to colorwork and textured stitch patterns like those featured in this stocking design.

The required needles are US size 9 (5.5mm) in two configurations:

• A 16-inch circular needle for working the body of the stocking in the round
• Double-pointed needles (DPNs) in the same size for the heel shaping

One stitch marker is also needed. The gauge is 20 stitches to 4 inches in stockinette stitch on size 9 needles, so swatching is recommended to ensure the finished dimensions are accurate.

Construction Overview

The stocking is worked in three distinct sections: the decorative cuff, the striped body, and the shaped heel. Each section uses different techniques and stitch patterns, giving knitters a well-rounded project that builds a variety of skills.

The Decorative Pointed Cuff

The cuff is one of the most distinctive elements of this pattern. It is worked flat using Color A and begins with a cast-on of 144 stitches. A series of decrease rows rapidly reduces the stitch count while creating a series of elegant pointed peaks along the top edge of the stocking — a classic holiday stocking design detail.

The decreases are achieved using a double decrease technique: slip 2, knit 1, pass 2 slipped stitches over (sl2, k1, psso2). This is worked across multiple rows, each time reducing the stitch count significantly:

• Row 2 reduces from 144 to 120 stitches
• Row 4 reduces to 96 stitches
• Row 6 reduces to 72 stitches

Purl stitches are placed between the decrease columns on alternate rows to accentuate the ridgeline of each point. After the points are formed, the cuff continues in garter stitch (knitting every row) until the piece measures 4 inches from the tips of the points. A purl row is then worked to create a clean folding ridge, and garter stitch continues for a further 2 inches to complete the cuff lining. Color A is then cut.

The Striped Body

With the wrong side facing, the work is joined to begin knitting in the round on the circular needle, transitioning the stocking from flat to circular construction. The body is worked entirely in stockinette stitch in the round (knitting every round) and features a two-color striped pattern using Color B and Color C.

Two stripe sequences alternate throughout the body:

• Stripe #1