No Stockings Today

I'm working on a commission sweater which will be a Christmas gift, so can't say much about it (not that this blog gets much traffic -- but better safe than sorry, you know?).

I'm about a third of the way up the back. See?

I've also knitted some more on my entrelac throw in K1C2 TyDy Wool.

Those modules are all the same size (though you certainly can work shaping in entrelac by varying the stitch/row count of the modules); the lower half of the throw has been steam-blocked, and the upper half hasn't. I've got 10 balls in all of this yarn, 8 from the shop and 2 (in the same dye lot!! huzzah!) from an online seller, so it should be a nice size to use on the sofa. I love working with this yarn.

Stocking #5

Fresh from steam-blocking, I present Christmas stocking #5. Apparently, it's from Knit O Graph pattern #105.

The client didn't have the pattern for this family stocking, but provided me with two existing stockings to work from.

So I counted stitches and drew my own chart. Sometimes that's almost easier than working from the vintage pattern.

This stocking is unusual, at least in my experience, in a couple of ways:

[1] The intarsia (color patterning) goes all the way down the foot. Most of the vintage stockings I've reproduced for people have a plain foot, making it possible (and sensible) to work the foot in the round, as you would for a normal sock. Still, the instructions usually direct you to work the entire stocking flat and sew a seam up the bottom of the foot/back of the leg -- which turns out to be the fold line as the stocking is hung. This time, I actually had to do that, though I did work the toe in the round with double-pointed needles.

[2] It has a "peasant" heel. All of the vintage Christmas stockings I've made for clients to date have had a standard heel flap/turned heel construction -- like the typical socks folks would be wearing at the time. I've yet to see a short row heel on a vintage Christmas stocking, and this is the first peasant heel I've encountered on a vintage Christmas stocking. It's also the first time I've worked such a heel in two halves and seamed together, which sort of defeats the purpose of the peasant heel in general, but I didn't have any other choice.

Next up, a batch of three stockings for a repeat client -- from the Knit O Graph pattern referenced above! Derp derp.

What a coinkidink! I may just work the Santa from my own chart again.

Stocking #4

#4 is the pattern from the Bucilla Christmas Stocking Kit 7621. I've knitted this pattern previously, for other clients, and had the pattern in my files. This stocking was started Monday morning, and finished Tuesday evening.

     

That Christmas tree Santa is toting is covered in sequins. It takes a long time to sew on those sequins.