Santa and Snowman · C593
Christmas Stocking Cross Stitch Kit
Everything you need to stitch a keepsake stocking: dense cotton fabric, pre-sorted threads, needle and chart. Pick your design, then choose printed fabric that skips the counting or blank fabric for classic counted stitching.
1. Choose your design
Designs marked personalizable have a name band: you stitch the name yourself, and the photos show example names only.
2. Choose your fabric
🧵 A stocking takes months, not days. Summer orders finish in time for December.
Secure checkout. Ordering several designs? Add your quantity, then reply to your order confirmation with the design codes you want.
A stocking that outlives the wrapping paper
Store-bought stockings get replaced every few years. A stitched one becomes the thing a family looks for on the mantel. That is why stocking charts are the classic multi-month project in cross stitch: large enough to feel meaningful, familiar enough in shape that every design still reads as a stocking from across the room.
The 23 designs in this kit cover the full range of Christmas imagery: Santa portraits like Hush Santa and Joy Snow Globe, snowmen from the simple Jolly Snowman to the detailed Snowman Family, woodland animals such as Winter Deer and Caroling Kittens, and full scenes like Silent Night Village. Five designs add a name band for personalization, which we cover below. If you are still comparing kit types before you commit, our guide to where to buy cross stitch kits explains what separates a complete kit from a chart-only pattern.
of US adults celebrate winter holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa
Order in summer, hang it in December
We are honest about this because it is the single most common regret we hear from stitchers: buying a stocking kit in November for that same Christmas. The math rarely works. Here is what finishing by December 24 actually requires, using our 60 and 100 hour estimates for a light and a dense design:
| When you start | Weeks until Dec 24 | Hours per week (60 h design) | Hours per week (100 h design) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late July | About 21 | About 3 | About 5 |
| Mid September | About 14 | About 4.5 | About 7 |
| November 1 | About 7.5 | About 8 | Over 13 |
These are working estimates, not lab measurements: your pace depends on the design's coverage, your fabric choice and your experience. Open designs with plenty of blank fabric, like Jolly Snowman, sit near or below the low end. Full-coverage scenes like Silent Night Village sit at the high end. If you are new and want to build speed first, our guide on how to cross stitch and our list of beginner mistakes to avoid will save you hours of unpicking.
There is a quieter reason to start early, too. Stitching is one of the best-documented calming hobbies there is, and a long project you are not rushing is exactly how it delivers that benefit.
stitchers and knitters surveyed: more frequent crafting was significantly linked to feeling calm and happy
— Riley et al., British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2013
HD Printed or Unprinted: which fabric should you pick?
| Fabric option | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 14CT HD Printed | Stamped (printed on fabric) | Beginners and anyone who wants the fastest, most relaxing route |
| 16CT HD Printed | Stamped (printed on fabric) | Stitchers who want finer detail in a slightly smaller finished stocking |
| 14CT Unprinted | Counted (blank fabric) | Stitchers who enjoy working from a chart, the classic method |
| 11CT Unprinted | Counted (blank fabric) | Counted stitchers who prefer the largest, easiest-to-see squares |
The count number is the number of squares per inch of fabric: 11CT squares are the biggest, 16CT the finest. On the printed options, the printed guide is designed to wash out of the cotton once you finish, so the completed stocking shows only your stitching. One verified buyer of the Children's Paradise design in 16CT described high-quality printing, many threads and a glossy paper pattern in the same box.
If you want the deeper comparison, our stamped vs counted guide walks through both methods stitch by stitch. Browse our full stamped cross stitch kits page for the printed route, or our counted cross stitch kits if blank fabric is your style. And if you choose counted, learning how to read a cross stitch pattern is the one skill to nail first.
What arrives in the box, measured
Our check, not the catalog's. We ordered this kit ourselves before listing it. The label on our Children's Paradise 16CT kit reads 37 x 53 cm with 2 strands, and the pouch checklist marks cotton fabric, cotton thread, needle and instructions, all present in our box. A buyer of the Caroling Kittens design counted 22 thread colors in theirs. The fabric is NKF's thickened cotton, and buyer photos consistently show cleanly finished, dense fabric. The same design stitches up larger on 14CT and larger again on 11CT, since bigger squares make a bigger stocking.
You supply only scissors and an optional hoop or frame. Read exactly how we vet contents on our how we test page, and see more buyer photos on the reviews page.
Five designs you can personalize with a name
A named stocking is what turns this project from a decoration into an heirloom. Because the lettering is stitched by you rather than pre-printed, grandparents stitch one per grandchild from the same kit design, and the set still matches on the mantel. The name band area is modest, so the lettering adds an evening or two of work, not weeks. If lettering is new to you, it uses the same skills covered in our pattern reading guide: find the center, count once, stitch once.
Cross stitch remains one of the largest quiet hobbies in America, and personalized pieces are a big part of why it endures.
of US households took part in at least one creative activity in the past 12 months, in a $43 billion US creative products market
Christmas stocking kit questions, answered
Is this a stamped or a counted cross stitch kit?
Both, you choose at checkout. The 14CT and 16CT HD Printed options are stamped: the pattern is printed in color on the fabric and you stitch over it. The 14CT and 11CT Unprinted options are classic counted cross stitch on blank fabric, worked from the paper chart. All four options cost the same $39.99.
What comes in the box?
Each kit includes the cotton stocking fabric in your chosen count, pre-sorted cotton embroidery threads, a needle, printed instructions and a paper chart. One verified buyer counted 22 thread colors in the Caroling Kittens kit. You only need scissors and, if you like, an embroidery hoop.
How long does a stocking take to stitch?
Plan for roughly 60 to 100 hours for a densely covered design, less for open designs like Jolly Snowman. That is why we suggest ordering in summer or early fall: at three to five hours of stitching per week, a July or August start finishes comfortably before December.
What size is the finished stocking?
The 16CT fabric for the Children’s Paradise design measures 37 by 53 centimeters, about 14.5 by 21 inches, as printed on the kit label we photographed. The same design stitches up larger on 14CT fabric and larger again on 11CT, because bigger squares produce a bigger finished piece.
Can I stitch a name on the stocking?
Five designs include a name band: Puppy Tree, Around the Tree, Sweet Dreams, Polar Pals and Victorian Skaters. They are personalizable, meaning you stitch the name yourself. Puppy Tree includes a full alphabet chart, so any name fits. The product photos show example names to illustrate the idea.
Is a stocking a good first cross stitch project?
It is ambitious for a complete beginner. The 14CT HD Printed option removes the counting, which helps a lot, but the piece is still large. If you have never stitched before, many people start with a smaller kit from our beginner collection and move to a stocking as their second project.
Does the printed pattern wash out?
Yes. On the HD Printed options the printed guide is designed to wash out of the cotton fabric once your stitching is finished, following the care instructions included in the kit. Your finished stocking shows only your stitches, not the printed guide underneath.
How fast will my kit arrive?
Orders are dispatched in 1-2 business days and arrive in 8-10 business days with tracking. Shipping is free in the United States, and every order is covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee. Full details are in our shipping and refund policies.
Reviewed and updated July 2026. New to the craft? Start with our beginner cross stitch kits or the full range on our homepage. Shipping and returns are covered in our shipping policy and refund policy.
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