theraineysisters knitting and so much more

…and to all a good night!

This is my “Santa Mantel.”  All my Santa stuff decked out over the fireplace.  Enjoy your holiday with family and friends! 🙂

Pam shared her delightful Christmas stockings and Mittens on her blog so I thought I would do the same.

The stocking on the left is the original made for me, the others are the ones I knitted for my family over the years, with a smaller one for dog, Molly.

Our family stockings are more than just a family tradition.  Receiving a stocking — hand knit with your name on it — symbolizes that you are part of the family.  It is a time-honored ritual, highly anticipated when a new baby or spouse joins the fold.  The stockings are identical, with angora-bearded Santas and red candy canes, and we wouldn’t want them any other way.

My dad’s mother, Jeannette, hand-knit the stockings for all of us one Christmas in the early 60s from an old Bernat kit.  For me, the stockings meant Christmas.  Jeannette is the person who taught me to knit (or so I am told), so I was able to carry on the tradition.

As family members are added, I knit stockings for the brother- and sister- in -laws, nieces and nephews.  The family was shocked, however, the Christmas I made a stocking for my long-time boyfriend, John.  He wasn’t “official” — how did he warrant a stocking?  Don’t we have criteria?  Well, he had already planned to propose on Christmas Day, so I guess we were on the same wavelength!  And, as you know, we just celebrated our anniversary.

I did not realize until many years had passed that Jeannette had not made a stocking for herself, so I knitted one for her.  Darn that long name!  Very tough to fit it on a stocking!  I made it in time for her last Christmas.

I’m not sure who will carry on the tradition, but I hope someone picks up the needles.  It is something that truly knits us together.

LINK TO THE PATTERN
Here is the pattern for those who wish to begin or continue this tradition!  Bernat Santa Stocking Pattern

Every year at this time I fantasize about being a different person: the person I imagine has all her shopping done, house (both inside and out) decorated in splendor, gorgeous Christmas cards in the mail, fun family gatherings arranged (with menus and themes, of course), and is now sitting in front of a lovely fire with a cup of spiced apple cider enjoying the festive lights on the mantel.

Then reality strikes: I have bought NOTHING.  Not one gift. Na da.  I have a measley string of lighted bells on one window.  THAT is the extent of my decorating.  Cards?  We haven’t sent out cards in three years (good news: our card list has dwindled greatly).  Am I the only person who gets more and more overwhelmed by the holidays every year?  I’m starting to feel like the Grinch who sucks all the fun out of Christmas. 

In an effort to stem the tide, I am posting a cute calendar that Michelle has on her blog.  It is cute and festive, unlike my home at the moment.

I feel better already!  Somehow every year I manage to get it all done — jingle bells, here I come! 😉

 

Michelle asked, “Now, how did you get so good at gauging your size?”  This is always an issue, Michelle!  It is art, science, trial and error.  I have it down a bit better after decades of knitting.  For years, Sally was the recipient of Trial #1 — my sweaters were always too small/short etc.  She is 7″ shorter than me so anything too small would usually fit her.  When I’d make it again, I would figure what went wrong and fix it.  I do not recommend knitting everything twice to get it to fit!  I can barely finish things the first time around. 

Over the years I’ve learned a few things:

Do a gauge swatch — it really does help to at least get in the ball park.  AND check it again once you actually start the project — gauge can change.  You can block something a tad bigger, but not smaller.

Take your initial measurements from a sweater that fits the way you want the new one to fit (similar styling and weight of yarn)

Learn how to adjust after the fact — don’t be afraid to rip it out and reknit.  If the sleeve is too long/short, fix it.  It takes some time to get it right, but you’ll enjoy it for a lifetime.  Baste the sweater together first so the adjustments can be done before it is totally finished.

I had a friend years ago who was knitting a sweater in the round.  It looked awfully small, so I measured it: 36″ total circumference for a worsted weight sweater.  I told her it was way too small, but she thought since she wore a size 36 bra, it would fit.  I was wearing a sweater that was 40″ around (as I said, this was years ago!) so I let her try it on — it was skin tight.  I told her she had two options: rip it out and start over or finish it as is and never wear it.  Would you rather spend all that time and have something or spend the time and not have anything to show for it?

Don’t be afraid of cutting and grafting — yes it is scary at first, but I have saved many projects this way (right, Surly?). — some styles need to be shorter and you don’t know it until it is finished.

I made Sally’s husband a sweater a few years ago.  Sally measured multiple sweaters that he wore often to estimate the size.  It was my design and I made it exactly to her specifications.  It was 3″ too long.  It just didn’t look right.  So, I performed one of my surgical procedures and removed the excess.  I don’t think the the length problem could have been avoided.

I have had my share of disasters along the way, but fewer and fewer as I have come to know the fit and style that work for me — though there are some sweaters I made for the sheer joy of the knitting [the thrill of the hunt, so to speak], knowing that I would never wear them because the style is not “me.” 

It’s tough to spend so much time, effort and money on something and not have it turn out as expected — anyone else have tips or stories to share?

I had a great holiday: no cooking to speak of and certainly no cleaning, though yesterday I had to shovel out my yarn “room” (large closet) out of necessity!!  My oldest daughter, Laura, got a job on Wednesday and started Saturday, so she is on Cloud Nine, which puts all of us right up there with her – if you know what I mean (no teen angst for miles :)). 

Laura is coming to my work in another couple of weeks to do the Annual Employee Craft show.  We did it last year and had a blast.  She makes beautiful jewelry, and this year we are making scarves.  She went to work yesterday and her new boss bought two scarves and two full sets of jewelry (necklace, bracelet, and earrings!) — see Paragraph I, subsection B to ascertain reaction of said daughter.  Woo Hoo!!  This is money coming from a source other than moi!!!!   Je suis sur le Nuage Neuf, aussi.

Because of all of the above activities, I have not been working too much on my regular knitting.  I am hoping to get back to it very soon.  I want/need to finish Red Anya — I am on the front raglan shaping, so just have the sleeves.  I have finished both sleeves up to the raglan shaping on the Woman’s Continental, so just have the finishing on that — the finishing is significant, but it is “where the fun resides” on that project. 

PS — Teen Knit Night: the newbiest knitter of the group finished her first scarf and is starting another.  Ain’t life grand!?!

My Teen Knit Night was a total success.  We ate popcorn, knitted on scarves and watched increasingly “scary” movies (John Tucker Must Die –> Practical Magic –> Silent Hill).  It was a ton of fun.   

Michelle would like an update on knitting on planes.  Have any of you travelled by plane real recently?  The last time I flew, they were absolute stinkers about knitting.