stockings

my own stocking growing up was handmade. not the sock itself, but the red felt that spelled out 'KENDRA', and i think the santa face (mom?). maybe it's the associated wonderful christmas memories, but i LOVE LOVE LOVE that stocking. and when my mom bought me a new one, i protested.

so, of course, i had to make stockings for our family. (the first two before the third had joined us.)

and, yes, they are wool sweaters! blanket stitched up with yarn and appliqued/embroidered with yarn and wool pieces. papa's is green with a burning fire on it, mine white with snowflakes, and then there is our little one with the night sky and stars.

this year i was asked to make stockings for our dear dear friends' children. of course i wanted them to be as special as could be, and i am still so honored to be their stocking-maker, i can't even say. i know what kinds of memories they are creating together, and to be a small part of that? well, it is truly a gift. so thank you, thank you, thank you. i loved making these, and they are full of warm and wonderful imaginings of loving family times. you know i will be thinking of you happily every christmas too.

they are similar to my childhood sock, red with white trim and the name on top. only these are sweater pieces, of course. the white part is from an alpaca sweater, making it extra furry on top, and then i embroidered owen and josephine in red cotton floss. i double-stitched them too - you never know how heavy your stocking may get.

see, i've been busy! more handmade goodness to share too, post-giving. lots of mistletoe and mice were presents for our family members, but some other little somethings too. i may be begging for pictures though, because down to the wire knitting jumped in the mail without a photo! have you used the u.s. postal online services? i have to give them a big thank you. these stockings were sent from portland on a thursday at 4 pm and arrived in seattle the next morning. wow!

hope you're reveling in handmade love! blessings!

sweet alpaca stockings

marc made another trip to the bins (aka goodwill outlet), and scored big time! tons of beautiful wool sweaters for me to craft into, and some other fun finds too. including these gorgeous slipper/socks that fit him perfectly. lucky man, heh? they also look really cute, especially in favorite warm thermals cozied up in the evening. probably even better fireside, or log cabin-side! aww! but i digress. they had some mending in order:

please forgive the photo quality around here. we've lost our camera battery again and our other one does weird things with color. or we just haven't figured out how it works.

now, i've tried to mend socks before, but i don't actually know how it is done. surely i will learn someday, but here's what i did in the mean time. after picking up all of the stitches i could, there was really only one row with breakage. huzzah! i remember overhearing someone say you must sew around the hole to ensure no further unraveling, so i secured the loose ends and knitted a row, then sewed all the way around. it doesn't look as neat as it could, i'm sure. but it is certainly serviceable, and on the inside of the leg so not noticeable either. marc says it is just as comfy as the rest of the sock. and yes, it was done with a bit of that gorgeous knittn' kitten alpaca yarn from an earlier post, doubled up.

that's leather stitched on the bottom too. tag says made in bolivia. 100% alpaca wool. so sweet slipper socks.

knittn' kitten finds

so, i finally made it out to knittn' kitten (no, i hadn't been - i know! i know!), and since i've heard that they are in need of customers, well, i went ahead and splurged a bit. i think you can see all the price tags and figure out that my splurge was still quite the bargain! i don't know what i will do with the yarn yet (except maybe go back for more), but i have something in mind for that suede cord. yep, mouse tails! maybe i ought to knit a cat with the yarn. you know, just so the kitten receives due respect.

my owl is almost done, i just need to finish the beak and eyes. that's what i had in mind for the buttons. even though they're recycled, i'm not sure i want plastic on my owl. i definitely don't want it going in you-know-who's mouth. so maybe the buttons will go on to something else...

as for the ribbon, well, it was too gorgeous to pass up! i don't know how i made it out of the vintage linens room without even a handkerchief! once i find my swap partner out, i'll definitely have to return!