The Vampire Knitting Club decide to take part in Oxford's Holiday Market, selling exquisite hand knit scarves, sweaters, and gift items. Their most popular item is the hand knit Christmas stocking, brightly colored and extra-long to squeeze in a few extra small gifts.

But when a sales clerk in another booth is found strangled with one of the stockings, Lucy Swift and her undead detectives are on the case, determined to find out who would do such a terrible thing. And why.

In the meantime, Lucy's working hard at her spell book, learning to be a witch, with the help of her black cat familiar and her new assistant. Meritanum is a three-thousand-year-old Egyptian witch and she's having trouble with some of the concepts of modern life, such as traffic, smart phones, and anything powered by electricity.

Life at Cardinal Woolsey's knitting shop, in Oxford, England, is as colorful as the most garish Christmas sweater.