The deer pattern is intarsia and intarsia is a pita do in the round because of having to strand the non working yarns all the way around till you get back to the deer.
Last time I did a similar Rudolph stocking I did the everything but the intarsia section in the round and only had to seam up that section.
I’ve also just cut the yarn at the end of each row in the intarsia section and then knotted them on the backside because it’s a Christmas stocking and nobody is going to wear it.
Thanks so much for the stocking tips!!
I hate seaming with a passion. I’ve never been good at it & I do not want to have a beautiful stocking with an ugly seam. That being said, the ‘in the round’ stocking I’m working on may or may not be “it” .... I have enough yarn for at least 2 so this first one may be a “practice” stocking. I’ve never worked a heel before or done stranded color work so it’s all new. Working in the round (magic loop) is ‘old hat’ which is why I prefer it & I have converted some flat patterns to ‘in the round’ with good success.
All that being said, I am going to try to ‘embroider’ the deer head(s) using the duplicate stitch. I have done a lot of cross stitch so this is just like counted cross stitch - the issue will be how good the stitches look. Part of the antlers & other highlight stitches are ‘single’ stitches which is not a good thing in intarsia. The pattern directions suggested using duplicate stitch for those spots so I’d have some stitches sitting ‘on top’ of the stocking stitches & the main deer head in intarsia. So why not just do it all in duplicate stitch like embroidery .... I’m giving it a try! If it works, great, if not - well, I’ll be trying intarsia in the flat. I do plan on lining the stocking with fabric so the inside ‘mess’ will be hidden.
What I’ve done so far (cuff, main stocking body, a few rows of one of the color work graph patterns) looks really good! I am happy so far with my yarn color choices, too. If I can get all the ‘parts’ figured out (stranded color work, heel, toe, getting the deer heads on), I think I’m going to like stockings. They are a bigger project than the fingerless mittens I make, but not as long (weeks) as a lace knit baby blanket. The stocking recipient, my little great-nephew is a special baby - he’s having his lip fixed this coming week - cleft palate. His actual palate issue is not bad - there’s an 80% chance he won’t need surgery. He’ll be 7 mos. at Christmas so his deer hunting parents will enjoy the stocking first & hopefully, it will be something he grows up with at Christmas. Thanks again!