Christmas Stockings

Once a year there occurs at my house the Frenzy of the Knitted Christmas Stockings. Despite my resolutions at the beginning of each new year to get ahead of the game, I still end up doing the last minute dash for the deadline.

Back in about 2002, I found in an old magazine a giant knitted Christmas stocking. Well, what better way to use nice chunky homespun and dyed yarns. I made a stocking and then made some more. My sister (of teatowel fame) in Calgary wanted one for her partner. But please, no Christmas trees. Remember the Mexican themed kitchen?  Well, outside their house there are no decorated Christmas trees, but decorated cacti. So could I please put a knitted cactus with decorations on Ryan's stocking? That was the beginning of the 'personal to you' Christmas stockings.

Over the years I have made stockings with cowboy boots, flying salmon, paintbrushes, bears, and mooseheads. This year's request was for a spooky tree with star and crescent moon. Each one has a story behind it and is a one of a kind stocking never to be quite repeated again.

Of course there are the standard stockings in variation that are available for those who have no special requests. Apart from the odd exception all the stockings are made with handspun, hand-dyed wool. Sometimes I use felted sweaters for the appliqué. All the stockings are lined so that their shape is maintained when they are filled with all kinds of Christmas goodies!

We are currently a family of 12 with another little member on the way. You can imagine the array of stockings hung by the chimney with care!

Here is this year's special order stocking.

Going Green and Recycling

The year I turned 8, my family was living in Edinburgh, Scotland where my dad was doing post-graduate work at New College at the University of Edinburgh. Imagine my surprise when my Oma in Holland sent me the North American pioneer book, Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. (That covers 4 countries: Canada, Scotland, Holland, USA)!

I devoured the book and fell in love with the pioneers of the old west. I recently came across my old tattered copy in my keep-sake box. The inscription from my Oma is still there along with the tally marks of how many times I read the book: 16 times. And that doesn't include the times that I read it outloud as a parent to my children.

So what's the pull? I think the idea of close family-ness is one  things that keeps me coming back to the Little House series. But a close second to this theme is the one of using the things of the land. Now, I have never milked a cow, made cheese, or woven hats from straw, but I do take great pleasure in making something of what intially looks like nothing (dirty fleece into yarn), or making something new from something old.

Back in about 1994 my mom and I made a winter coat for Angelina, my oldest daughter. The coat was in turn worn by some of her younger sisters, but had recently been hanging in the cupboard not earning its keep.

Last winter I cut it apart and made winter coat for our grand daughter, Katie. Of course, I turned the fabric the inside out just like Almanzo's sisters did in Farmer Boy. Katie looked just fabulous in her made-over coat, and I was satisfied that I could recycle the material.

A few weeks ago, I found some of the left over scraps was inspired to make a bag-ette. The pattern is by Among Brenda's Quilts, and is suppose to be made with quilting fabrics with batting sandwiched inbetween. I ignored those instructions and did my own thing.

The bag is proudly owned my little friend Kara Luth. She has put the appropriate articles in it and proudly brings it to church with her every Sunday.

 I bought this pattern at the Marsh Store in Coldstream, Ontario. You can also look at:
www.amongbrendasquilts.com

The bag below is my own design, made from the same material as above, but that had not been used before. I found it in the bottom of one of my fabric trunks in the attic.  But the sheep are made from felted sweaters that I found in my mother-in-laws closet after she passed away. My mother-in-law had a habit of washing things too hot, but she had not thrown the sweaters away. This is a great way to carry a memory of her with me.

Shopping anyone?