2011 Christmas Stocking Round-up Part 1

Three of the five stockings I knit in 2011 were for my step-sister's family. I made stockings for her immediate family some time ago, but her mother and in-laws always spend Christmas with them and she asked me to make some stockings for them too. I had all year to do it, but of course I ended up knitting two of them in December. But I now know that I can make one of these stockings in a week. I'm not too sure how, but it all worked out.

The first one was all but done in August. These are all Mary Maxim stocking patterns. This one is a mash-up of the Gingerbread Girl and Gingerbread Boy patterns. I took the main image from the Girl stocking and used the coloring and candy cane border from the Boy pattern. These are in the "Christmas Stockings 2" booklet. I believe I have their full collection of Christmas stocking booklets plus a few single patterns.

Knit during December 1-6 is the Snowflake pattern, and then December 7-12 I made the co-ordinating Wreath pattern, both from "Christmas Stockings 3." This was my first time making all three of these patterns, and I quite liked them. I used stranded knitting for the Wreath and Snowflake patterns because that made so much more sense to me than strictly intarsia.

I use Red Heart or a similar yarn for all the Christmas stockings I make. I know a lot of people will cringe at that, but to me it seems like a good use for the yarn. As I see it, the main requirements of a stocking are that it be durable and colorful, which are really Red Heart's strong suits. I don't mind the knitting experience, and with the number of these stockings I've made over the years, affordability plays a sizable role, too.

I had thought I was going easy on the Christmas knitting this year, but as I look at it now, I did quite a bit. I intend to do the rest of the updates soon. Happy New Year!

Yarn Along - Stocking 2/4

I am almost finished with the second of four Christmas stockings for this year. All it needs is a name, to be added in duplicate stitch.

I churned this out between December 1st and 6th, so I remain optimistic about my chances of finishing two more stockings and two more projects I have yet to start but am planning for Christmas presents. I even have the yarn and pattern picked out for one of those two projects.

I was trying to decide which book to photograph for this week's Yarn Along, and feeling like I haven't been doing any reading. In all of "my" books I'm not any further along than last week. But then I realized that I read a lot every day. My kiddo loves to have me read to her. She'll bring me book after book, plop down in my lap and help me turn the pages.

This week's picture is a small sampling of the books Lil One had me read before 9:00am this morning.

Visit Ginny's blog for more Yarn Along fun.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm being summoned to read "Tiny Turtles." Again.

Yarn Along - 2011 Washcloths November Edition

Once again joining in Ginny's Yarn Along. Check out her blog for great projects and book ideas.

Here we are on the very last day of November. So I knit a washcloth today. Simple pattern of stockinette/reverse stockinette ridges knit from corner to corner. The pattern was on the back of a Sugar 'n Cream ball band from quite some time ago. I've lost the ball band for this particular skein of S'nC, so I don't know the color name.

The book is Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford. I'm not very far into this book, because it's my nursing reading, and nursing is happening less and less. The book is about the importance of skilled manual labor and how it really takes much more mental work than our culture usually gives it credit for needing.

I almost finished the big blanket in time for Nephew O's first birthday. There are just more ends to weave in. I gave myself a whole week to weave in ends and I still couldn't make it. So I'll be finishing that up and posting about it soon, then I must dive headfirst into the Christmas stockings. December starts tomorrow, and I have three more stockings to make!

Yarn Along

This week, a finished hat and a new book.

I finished the leftover sock yarn hat for Lil One. It actually stays on her head! She sometimes even puts it on herself. Major win. It's a simple roll-brim stockinette hat. After decreasing down to four stitches around I did a few inches of i-cord and tied it in a knot. I might still have enough of this yarn left for Lil One socks.

On the husband's recommendation, I have started a new book, Insomnia by Stephen King. He claims it won't make me afraid of any more previously innocuous objects (like mirrors at night, thanks Lisey's Story). So far so good.

For more Yarn Alongs check out Ginny's blog and all the great links there.

Yarn Along - 2011 Washcloths October Edition

For this week's Yarn Along I have two recently finished items.

The October washcloth was finished way ahead of time. The pattern uses the October 19 stitch from the "365 Knitting Stitches A Year Perpetual Calendar," (the day I started it) and is called Diamond Drops. This is the last of the ball of Buttercream Sugar 'n Cream cotton, which comfortably made three full washcloths.

The book is Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende. It's the story of the year and a half he and his wife spent living in an Amish-type community, trying to find the level of technology use that is "enough." It was quite an interesting read, and has gotten me thinking about simplifying my life, too.

Ten successful months of my washcloth project! Also, check out other people's yarn along projects at Ginny's website.

Blanket Update

Assembly has begun!

Still on schedule.

Yarn Along

Climbing back on Ginny's Yarn Along wagon this week with a picture of two things I work on in little bits.

The knitting is a hat for the Lil One. If you think you recognize the yarn from an earlier post, you're right. I'm using the yarn left over from the pair of socks I just made for myself. At first I thought I'd make some little toddler socks, but then I realized that we have many more socks than cute warm hats, and there was a lot of yarn left over. I'm using the Yarn Harlot's steps for a basic hat.

This is my diaper bag project. It lives in its own little pocket in the diaper bag and I work on it whenever we're out and about and my hands are free for a few moments.

The book is a collection put together by Harold Bloom called Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages, which seemed like something I should read in preparation for picking out books for the Lil One. It's divided into seasons, and I'm currently in Autumn. Spring seemed much darker somehow.

This is the book I read while brushing my teeth. I don't know how much I've learned in the first year of being a parent, but I have learned this: If I don't work books into distinct little corners of down time in my life, I won't get anything read. So I read a little snippet of this book every time I brush my teeth. Just like diaper bag or purse knitting projects, little snippets add up.