Bob's Christmas Stocking Redux

 When last we saw the Christmas Stocking for my sister's Significant Other, Bob, it looked like this:

In time for Christmas last year, it was gifted with all the knitting done, including all the stranded colorwork bands.  The stocking is completely functional, with the ends woven in and even the hanger loop added.  But there is a ton of  'blank canvas' in the center and the top of the foot.  Bob has been introduced to the 'promissory note for Christmas' that is pretty common in my family LOL.

Kimi handed both stockings back to me when she was in town recently with the request that I finish the embroidery on Bob's stocking in time for Christmas this year.

I'm sticking this into the "not counted thread' slot on my needlework rotation.  The embroidery will be in the "Swiss Darning" technique, which is basically working from a chart like counted cross stitch, but using yarn instead of embroidery thread and duplicate stitching over a knitted ground.  

It's often used in conjunction with intarsia since it allows for single stitches which are difficult with the intarsia technique of colorwork. 

The plan for the leg area is a "leaping deer" chart from Mary Corbet's excellent needlework blog "NeedlenThread.com.  My area to fill is narrower than the chart, so I'll drop out the tree and just do the two facing deer.

With Kim's stocking underneath to show that my gauge hasn't changed much since the 1970s!