A couple of you wrote to say that you grew up with the same Santa Stockings as Sally and I. Martha shared a photo of her beloved stocking and said I could post it.
 
I don’t know why it touched me so much seeing your stocking, but it really did. Thank you for sharing, Martha!Â
It’s finished! I wore it on Christmas to a brunch and received a lot of compliments. This is a very flattering sweater and it fits me perfectly. I love success stories because they’re not all success stories. Here are some photos.
First, I wanted to show how I decided on the button placement. Because my sister was visiting me when it was just about finished, I put it on and she basted a line to show how the fronts should overlap to get the fit I wanted. She also marked with a thread where I DIDN’T want a button — right at the nipple.
Here is another photo showing the button placement in progress.
And, finally, the finished project:
Now that I’ve actually finished something, I’m still inching along on my Feather and Fan shawl. But I have also gone back to another “head start” project. It’s a Bohus sweater from the book Poems of Color. It’s knit from the neck down with no seams. The beauty of this kind of knitting is that you can keep trying it on as you go to see if the body and sleeves are the right length. There is also very minimal finishing. I loved trying it on when I only had the yoke finished — it looked like a Pharaoh’s necklace.
I started this a long time ago and then set it down when I was lured away by God knows what. But I’ve wanted to come back to it for a long time. It’s the “Blue Shimmer.” One reason I set it down is that the cream yarn I was using for the body and the sleeves was fairly uneven in its spinning and in its color. I wasn’t sure if I should unravel back to the yoke and substitute a more consistent yarn. I’ve decided not to — I’ll live with the imperfections in the yarn and hope that by doing so I don’t let the sweater cross from looking handmade to home made — a fine line. Here is a photo of where I am. As you can see, I really do have a good head start with this one.
…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! 🙂
What went wrong with this hat? It’s ruined! It is WAY too fuzzy. Oh, well, back to the drawing board. Looks like money for Ian.
Laura said (before felting) that no guys she knew would wear a hat with purple in it anyway. So, I got motivated to start the Moebius Lace Scarf and this time it is working. Pics to follow.
My Sock Monkey Ornament acquired a girlfriend — and look what she is doing. That little monkey girl is KNITTING!!!!!
A couple of friends found this lil gem for me — I could not believe my eyes. She has a little felt (-ed) knitting bag with balls of yarn and another scarf she already finished up. She’s more ahead on her Christmas knitting than I am! She is a knitting diva.
I did finish the Tychus Hat. It looks just like the picture when it’s on — a little too long and a bit bell shaped. So, I may try to felt it slightly.
This picture shows the grafted edge (the longest purple stripe up the middle). I like it for some reason and it was fun to make. Might be even more fun to change a bit…
Wendy of Wendyknits has been in a bit of a controversy lately because she talked about the “Knit from Your Stash 2007” concept which is floating around the knitting blogs. Some people accused her of trying to put knitting stores out of business. Absurd. It is far more likely that on-line yarn shopping will put stores out of business or the fact that too many stores opened up hoping to jump on the knitting band wagon. People can say they are going to knit from their stash, but if they want yarn, they will buy it. I try to shop my stash, but what I want is rarely there. If it is, great, but if not I’m shopping.
I’m feeling more ready for the holidays and certainly in a great mood now that I have my girl sock monkey. She completes me!Â
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I’m knitting a hat for my husband for Christmas. He wants a plain black stocking cap with the letters NCVC (the name of this bicycling team) going around in red. Exciting, eh? I started it last night so I could knit while watching the Vikings lose. All I have at the moment is the three-inch hem and the turning row, so there is no point in posting a photograph.
He asked me to use a blend of wool and alpaca I already had in my stash — how festive. I tried to suggest that I could go and find him a softer yarn, but he said he likes “scratchy hats. The scratchier the better.” Alrighty then. One scratchy, black hat coming up just in time for the holidays.
My Sunrise Circle is almost finished. All I have left is the button loops. I’ll finish it off as soon as I get some traction on this hat. My camera is back from the shop, so I’ll be able to post pictures.
Me — wait until the last minute? Mais non!! Ce n’est pas possible. Au contraire!
I started the Tychus Hat because of two reasons: 1) someone showed it on their blog and it looked cute (cuter than on the Knitty.com site) and, 2) Laura (eldest daughter) promised to knit 2-color hats for a few of her male friends and I thought it would be a good idea to test drive the pattern. I am making this for a nephew and if it turns out I may knit another. I’m using 2 colors of Pastaza — purple and charcoal — on Size 9’s. It is mindless knitting and very portable.Â
As you can see, I used a provisional cast on so I can graft the last row to the first — that way there won’t be a front or back. I’ll be finished tomorrow and will have an update. I’M HO-HO-HO-PING IT FITS!!
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
Nothing says Christmas like a sock monkey on the tree!Â
How cute is he? I found these at a local gift boutique and got one for Sally, too.Â
And what can you say about a guy who would pick out THIS card for your anniversary?
Yes, a match made in heaven (or something like that!). True SOLE mates — could not resist! 😉
Happy Holidays everyone!
As Susan explained, she and I were in New York. I had tickets to two Clay Aiken Christmas concerts: one in Long Island and one at West Point. I had planned on a girlfriend trip: staying up late and talking and knitting. Alas, my friend (she of the red cashmere glovelets) could not attend at the last minute and my dear sister didn’t want me to have to cancel. So, I met another friend in Long Island and went to West Point with Susan.
After the Long Island concert, my friend Mary and I went back to our hotel, which had a lovely lobby. There were comfortable, overstuffed chairs and a fire in the fireplace. We decided to sit there and have a drink. I ran upstairs to get my laptop, some wine glasses, and my knitting. This particular hotel has especially long hallways because it is built around a central, open courtyard. I grabbed what I needed in record time and hurried down two long corridors to get back to the elevator. Then I glanced down. Hmmm. I had dropped my ball of laceweight grey Shetland wool. I peeked around the corner. I couldn’t see it. Uh oh. I started to walk back down the first of the two hallways. No skein in sight. I set down the wine glasses and laptop and started gathering wool (so to speak). I rounded the next corner. No ball of yarn.
Well, it was wedged in the door of my room. I had HUNDREDS of feet of grey yarn winding through the corridors of this hotel. So I started winding. And winding. And winding my way back to the elevator.
It took a long time. I think Mary had just about given up on me. At least she had the wine.
As for my knitting, I am almost finished with my Sunrise Circle Jacket; I’m finishing up the facing and hope to have all of the finishing done in the next few days. I’ll definitely post pictures.
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