Friday, December 23, 2005

Finished in the (Saint) Nick of Time


My 3rd and final stocking is complete. Stuffed and ready for opening on Christmas morning.

All three were knit using Cascade 220 double stranded. The stockings on either end had novelty yarn as well. The middle stocking was strictly pattern stitches with the Cascade 220.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Little Felted Stockings



Hi everyone! I just joined the knitalong, but I've been reading your posts for a while. I designed a little felted stocking this month and have photos of the finished stockings. I really enjoyed doing these. They are really quick to make and can be adjusted to many different sizes. I needle felted initials on some of them to give as gifts. I am now working on a stocking for our puppy. I hope to get it done in time for Christmas eve! Check out the details on my blog.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Stockings are in the mail

I sent my Christmas presents out via priority mail this morning and they should arrive on Friday.

Striped Christmas Stocking



Yippee! I finished the stocking. Come check out the details at my Blog.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Angel Stocking Completed


Here's the second finished stocking for my mom.

Friday, December 16, 2005

finished DH's stocking!



details on my blog
Stephanie

Angel Stocking Progress

No photos for now but I wanted to post that the angel stocking for my mother is coming along well. I turned the heel last night and I'm working on the gusset now.

What I learned from the sailboat stocking is that I need to make the foot longer. I'll probably open up the middle of the plain stockinette rows in the sailboat one to add in a couple more inches -- you know, if you are going to knit it you might as well knit it right.

I hope to have photos to share with you tomorrow.

FO: Ragg Christmas Stockings

Ragg Stockings - Done! The names have been duplicate stitched on. Both stockings were given a quick bath (amazing how much nicer the yarn is after a dunk!) and reblocked. Then linings were sewn and added. It took 3 months and 1 week, but they're done, done, done!

Pattern: Ragg Christmas Stockings by Annie's Woolens
Yarn: Kit yarn. Probably Bartlett Yarns Acadian Tweed in gray/natural (6 oz. used) and Rangeley in Mountain Berry and Mountain Green (4 oz. each for both stockings)
Needles: Clover 16" circulars, sizes 6 and 8
Began: 9/5/05
Finished: (after much procrastination) 12/12/05
Recipient(s): My college best friend and her husband (wedding gift)

Techniques Learned: stranding/Fair Isle, hems, short row heel & toe, duplicate stitch, steam blocking, wet blocking, washing wool, lining knitted items, and a lot of sewing basics

More details and photos available at my blog.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Completed Stocking



It is really hard to see the texture pattern in the photo, but in person it looks really cool. I made if for my godson and finished just in the nick of time :)

Jen

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Sailboat Stocking

Knit in Cascade 220 on #8 needles (straight/circs and dps)

Cast on 58 stitches using green, start the top of the stocking as a flat knit, back and forth
K2P2 rib for 9 rows
Stockinette (SK) for 3 rows
SK red for 2 rows
SK green for 2 rows and then fairisle in the name of the person in black (11 row height to letters) - or - SK 15 rows in green and then go back later and duplicate stitch in name later in black
SK red for 2 rows
SK one row in light blue
[Pattern as per chart]

switch over to knitting in the round at this point

SK 8-10 rows in medium blue for water
SK red for 2 rows
SK green for 4 rows
SK red for 2 rows
continue knitting until desired length (mine is around another 16 rows of green)

Divide for instep and heel; connect red and knit the heel and instep as per standard socks.
Knit to two inches short of desired length in green
Switch to red and finish the toe
(need more info than that?)

Sailboat chart


Each side of the stocking is 29 stitches, so for the back side I would just knit across the 29 stitches and then count out the stitches on the chart until I needed to do the color changes (or vice versa). The color changes I did using the intarsia technique primarily where you wrap the yarns around each other (always pick up the new color strand from underneath the color in use is the rule) and have multiple balls of color, on for each color block.

One down, one to go


I'm not posting on my blog since my mother might see there, I'm making stockings for her and my dad as gifts this year. This is the first one I finished, I designed it myself.

My dad loves sailing so that's where the motif came from. I hope they like them. My mother is getting an angel on a burgundy background.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Making small Progress


I have made a small bit of progress on my stocking. A little bit is better than nothing. I have so very many projects going on!

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Fa La La La La

Hi
I started up the lovely stocking from the book Holiday Knits.


I am knitting it with a #3 – 12” circular. It is coming out real nice and much easier since I need to switch out the colors for the striping. I am running all three colors along inside and just pull forward the color I need.


I discovered a good use for this beverage carrier from Starbucks. It works great for holding the three balls of yarn, especially when riding in the car and trying to knit a few rows on the go. Have you tried Starbucks Holiday Peppermint Mocha? It is Yummy!

For More Details check out the whole post at Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Day!
Happy Holidays
Tami

Lining a Stocking

Tell me: Am I a complete fool to want to add a lining to my Fair Isle stockings? I've Googled and Googled, and I've yet to find mention of anyone lining a knitted stocking. As a further complication, this is my first time sewing anything, and it's by hand as well. Thankfully my aunt helped pick out the material (strong and substantial and slightly stretchy), but I'm on my own from there. Using HelloKnitty's instructions for lining a felted purse [pdf] as a rough guide, I'm almost ready to attach the first, but I'm worried that I made it too big. The top fits nice and snuggly, but I left about a half-inch extra fabric in the leg section so it could stretch to hold the goodies. At the time it seemed a good idea since the lining material isn't as stretchy as the knit exterior, but now that I've pinned it in to check the fit, it makes the stocking look a little sloppy. Then again, maybe I got overly attached to the neat, flat post-blocking look. Lastly, should I anchor down the lining at the toe or heel or just let it hang from top?

Thanks in advance for any help. These stockings have to be mailed to Georgia, so I'd like them done ASAP.

--Manda

Sunday, December 04, 2005

finished, hurrah!


Here is my son Henry's finished Christmas stocking! I'm pretty pleased with it.
yarn: Cascade 220
needles: US 7 dpns
pattern: 64 sts, basic sock with picot hem at the top. Fair isle patterns taken from various books/patterns.

Stephanie