Saturday, November 26, 2011

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.

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