Football and Boot Gift Bag and Choc Cover

Football and Boot Gift Bag and Chocolate Cover by Andrew Lucas

Project Overview

This downloadable knitting pattern from designer Andrew Lucas provides instructions for creating a charming 15 cm Football Boot Stocking and coordinating Football chocolate cover. These small gift items are ideal for festive occasions, stocking fillers, or chocolate packaging. The projects combine basic knitting techniques with simple shaping to create recognizable football-themed pieces suitable for beginners.

What Is Being Made

The pattern includes two coordinated items:

• Football Boot Stocking: A small decorative stocking shaped like a football boot, measuring approximately 15 centimeters in length. This piece features color blocking in multiple yarn shades to create the distinctive boot silhouette and can be filled with small gifts or treats.
• Football Chocolate Cover: A complementary piece designed to wrap around or cover a chocolate bar or similar small gift, continuing the football theme.

Knitting Techniques Used

The pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques appropriate for beginners, including:

• Casting on: Creating the initial stitches on the needle to begin the project
• Increases (inc): Adding stitches to expand the fabric width, used in the opening rows to create fullness
• Decreases (k2tog): Knitting two stitches together to reduce stitch count and shape the foot section of the boot
• Color changes: Switching between different yarn colors to create the multi-colored design elements
• Binding off (B and T): Securing stitches at the end by threading the yarn end through remaining stitches using a tapestry needle and tying off securely
• Stuffing: Filling the completed boot with fiberfill to create dimension and structure

Stitches Used

The pattern utilizes two primary stitch patterns:

• Stocking stitch (st st): The main fabric stitch created by alternating knit rows and purl rows. This produces the smooth, classic knitted appearance with a neat V-pattern on the right side, ideal for creating a polished finished look on the boot.
• Garter stitch (gs): Created by knitting every row, producing a textured, ridged fabric. This stitch provides structure and is used in specific sections of the pattern.

Materials and Tools

The pattern requires minimal materials, making it economical and accessible:

• Needles: 3.25mm knitting needles, a standard size suitable for double knitting weight yarn
• Yarn: Double knitting wool in four colors—black, white, burgundy, and blue. The pattern uses oddments (small leftover pieces) of each color, making this an excellent project for yarn stash utilization
• Notions: A small amount of polyester fiberfill stuffing to fill the completed boot, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and binding off stitches

Pattern Structure

The Football Boot Stocking begins with casting on 36 stitches in white wool and includes an increase row that expands the stitch count to 54 stitches. The pattern then transitions to black wool and works in stocking stitch before entering the foot-shaping section. The shaping is accomplished through a series of decrease rows using the k2tog technique, progressively reducing the stitch count from 50 stitches down to 34 stitches over nine rows. This graduated reduction creates the tapered foot shape characteristic of a boot.

Skill Level

Classified as a beginner project, this pattern is suitable for knitters new to the craft or those seeking a quick, satisfying make. The techniques required—casting on, basic increases and decreases, color changes, and binding off—form the foundation of knitting skills. The small finished size means the project can be completed relatively quickly, making it ideal for building confidence and practicing fundamental techniques.