Saori Christmas Stocking

On New Years Eve I warped my loom in red and white as part of a guild year end challenge to make something in the colours of the flag of our origin.

I'm Canadian as were my parents and 3 of my grandparents, so red and white for the Canada Flag was my choice.

I found working with such a limited colour palette was quite challenging!

But red and white does make a great colour scheme for Christmas stockings!

This stocking, and hopefully two more, will all be for sale at the guild's booth at the Christmas Craft Market in November. 

They will all be fully lined with red broadcloth. 

And Baby's Makes Three

With the end of November fast approaching the crunch was on and I had to concentrate on getting our granddaughter's stocking completed in time for her family's December 1 st decorating spree.

Kaylen's stocking will join those that I made for her Mommy and Daddy last year.

I still have a liner to do for Kaylen's stocking, but that won't be needed until Christmas Eve. The liners are something I make up myself to protect the more labour intensive and easily damaged appliqued stocking. They are not part of the Mary Maxim kits.

Last Photo Opportunity

I made this stocking many months ago, but the middle of the summer did not seem an appropriate time for a blog post about a Christmas stocking. Today is the last chance I have to photograph it though. I've donated it to the Chilliwack Spinners and Weavers guild for the annual Chilliwack Christmas Craft Fair which will be held on November 15 and 16.

So....what do you think something like this should sell for? I just know they are going to ask what I want to price it at, and I have no idea what to say. You have until Wednesday, November 14th to chime in with your thoughts.

It's hand knit from some of my earlier handspun, which was originally natural in colour. After the stocking was knit I dyed it forest green.

I made up the pattern as I went. Believe me, it is an original, never to be repeated exactly the same ever again. At one point, when I realized the toe section (the stocking was knit toe-up) was way too long and out of proportion with the rest of the stocking.....I CUT it off, picked up the stitches, and knit the toe shaping downward. Tricker than you might think considering that the lace pattern is one of those undulating ones that make wavy edges.

The stocking has also been lined in a shimmery red fabric. My children have informed me that the only way a knit stocking is acceptable is if it is lined. No fuzz on the candy please! Of course the lining also peeks out nicely from the holes in the lace --- and prevents the candy from falling out those same holes.

I found shimmery, wire edged ribbon and little berry-like beads to finish off the look.

Please comment with your pricing thoughts. Thanks!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Toe

With the application of numerous sparkly little beads and sequins, the toe to Kaylen's Christmas stocking is now complete.



Next step is several rather intricate snowflakes --- embroidered, beaded, sequined, backed, stuffed and dangling!

But not tonight. I haven't met my self imposed daily knitting deadline yet. I'm trying to stick to knitting 20 rows of the Honeybee Stole every day.

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Well Heeled

The sparkly, beaded, stocking heel is complete.

Frosty Smile

It might seem like I am just flying along and this project is taking no time at all ---



--- that would be an illusion. I have actually spent hours and hours on this, both last night, and most of today. I have accomplished quite a bit though. Among other things, check out the satin stitch nose and cheeks (VERY hard to do such long satin stitches and still have them come out looking neat), and that cool fringe on Frosty's scarf. The tail ends of the scarf hang free, they are not stitched down.

I think I've earned a bit of a knitting break, for this evening anyway.

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Top to Toe

Unlike the first two stockings, the instructions for this kit have you hopping all over the place. A little work on the top,



--- then down to the foot section for a few pieces there. I guess it doesn't really matter, as long as I can get it finished before the first of December. It just feels more satisfying when entire sections are completed before moving on to the next.



My daughter and I both like to decorate our homes for the festive season on the first of December (or thereabouts), and when there are fancy stockings amongst the decorations they get pinned to the mantle long before the traditional Christmas Eve ritual.

My grandmother once told me that one year when she was a child, she and her siblings got excited about Christmas and put their stockings up early. Come Christmas Day, all they found was coal. A rather harsh lesson about greed if you ask me.

Starting the Third

I've started on our granddaughter Kaylen's Christmas stocking. What you see is already several evenings' work. Each of the little sequins in the background are sewn on individually, starting and stopping the thread at each location rather than travelling along the back from one spot to the next. I like to keep the back of my work as neat as possible.



If you are interested, her Mommy and Daddy's stockings, done last year, can be seen here.

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