Merry Christmas!

When my cousin was small, I knit him a Christmas stocking. When he married, I knit a stocking for his wife. Last year, when their third child was born, I knit a Christmas stocking for my newest cousin. Since then my uncle (the grandfather) has been after me to knit stockings for the older children. He gave me very dramatic sob stories about these poor, sad, stocking-less children. Actually, the children were not stocking-less; they just did not have stockings from me. So, with a sigh, I set off on more stockings.

Both stockings are made from Cascade 220, in green (8894), red (9404), blue (7818), and white (8505). Kate’s stocking also has some sparkly pink yarn from somewhere. I used US4 needles for the plain rounds and US5 for the pattern rounds because I tend to knit more tightly with two colors (probably because I do not do it that often and cannot manage my tension as well as with plain knitting). I prefer that the gauge on stockings to be a little tighter than on other knitting.

The designs I chose are from a variety of sources: a free Cascade stocking pattern; Eli’s Christmas Stocking by Meg Swansen, Schoolhouse Press Pattern #10; and Complete Book of Traditional Fair Isle Knitting by Sheila McGregor.

And here are all five stockings.

Fortunately, I was not asked to knit a stocking for the dog.

A Tradition Continues

In my family, new members are welcomed with a Christmas stocking, usually knit by me or my mother. The newest member is Baby Ford, third child of my cousin and his wife.

For this stocking I chose the Cascade Yarns Christmas Stockings pattern, with changes, of course.

I did use Cascade 220: 8505 white, 8894 green, 7818 blue, and 9404 red. I knit it on US 4 needles because I am a “relaxed” (that is, loose) knitter and I like the stocking fabric to be a little tighter than usual. One change I made was a short-row heel; the specified heel looked out of proportion to my eye.

Some of the designs came from the Cascade pattern; others came from other sources. I especially like the blue and white section, which is from Annemore #7, a design in Selbuvotter by Terri Shea. It looks very Christmas-y to me.

I used duplicate stitch for the name because I finished the stocking before is name was revealed.

I was lucky to get Baby Ford as my assignment. My mother will knit stockings for this cousin’s sister, who had twins a few weeks before Ford was born. She decided to aim for Christmas 2013 for her stockings. I did advise my uncle — grandfather to all of these babies — that someone in the next generation needs to learn how to knit stockings if he wants the tradition to continue.

So happy holidays to the newest members of the family, their parents, grandparents, godparents, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, and cousins of all degrees of separation.