Tag Archives: Christmas stockings

Introducing: Piano Christmas stocking!

Posted on September 17, 2020 | 8 comments

Busy busy over here! I guess being confined to quarters (wildfire smoke creating beyond hazardous air quality, plus pandemic) makes me pretty productive.

I‘ve had requests for a pattern for my piano Christmas stocking from knitters who have seen it on my blog and my project page on Ravelry. I’m finally getting to it! This is one I made for myself about 20 years ago, before I started designing.

I wrote a Snowflake Christmas Stocking pattern based on the other stockings I had knit for the family. I’ve updated it with additional cuff treatments over the years. It was pretty easy for me to look at my piano stocking and chart it. It did require a little adjustment to the stitch count, but that was easy to figure out, too. I’ve just added the new chart to the Snowflake Christmas Stocking pattern. These knit up quickly in heavy worsted/aran weight yarn. (I used Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted for mine.)

We have quite an assortment! These are the family stockings. All these designs, plus birds, are in the updated Snowflake Christmas Stocking pattern. (I made the new piano keys chart just a bit taller, to match the other stockings.) If you previously purchased this pattern, you will find this update in your Ravelry library.

If you’d like to purchase this pattern, it’s available on Ravelry and Payhip. Both are on sale for 15% off through September 23. Newsletter with subscriber discount coming soon, too. (I’m trying to consolidate some newsletter items so I don’t send a raft of newsletters this month. One more item tomorrow!)

Here’s a classic assortment at our house. The Super Cabled Christmas Stockings are another pattern of mine, in super bulky yarn. The cat pawprint stocking is from a book, not mine, somewhere.

Between these stockings and the Tidal Wave Mitts and Hat, I think it might be time to start knitting for the holidays! Looking forward to having 2020 in the rearview mirror.

It’s still really smoky here, and the Air Quality Index is still listed as Hazardous. A sunbeam broke through the smoke yesterday to grace my sunroom floor. The air is supposed to improve this weekend. Hoping it does!

8 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged Christmas stockings, piano, piano christmas stocking

In the kitchen for Christmas gifts

Posted on December 23, 2019 | 2 comments

I’m back from vacation, so I’m in the kitchen today, making some quick gifts. I last posted this recipe in 2017, but it’s still just as quick, easy, and delicious.

DIY Irish Cream, adapted from Smitten Kitchen. This comes together in 5 minutes, and makes three of these cute 8 ounce bottles. (You get 30 oz of liquid, but I barely filled three of these 1/4 liter (8 oz) bottles the first time I made this. No worries; just adjust your expectations accordingly.)

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream
1 (14-ounce or 415 ml) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 oz Jameson’s Irish whiskey (original recipe calls for a cup, but 9 oz fills the bottles just a little better, and yum)

In a small bowl, whisk cocoa powder and a spoonful of cream into a paste. Add more cream a splash at a time until the paste is liquid enough that you can whisk in the rest of the cream. Transfer to a pitcher, and whisk in condensed milk, whiskey and vanilla. Bottle for gifts. Keep refrigerated for up to two weeks. Seriously, how long do you think this will last? Give it a good shake before using; the cocoa wants to sink, and the cream wants to rise to the top. Of course!

A little more work, but I’m also making Pear Vanilla Caramel Sauce, from Marisa at Food in Jars. I made some last year, and it was fabulous. I’ll add a bit of bourbon to give it some warmth and depth. I like this recipe because it’s canned, so I can ship some back to my aunt and uncle! They send me a box of beautiful pears every Christmas, and I love finding new things to do with them. Previously, I’ve done cranberry pear jam, and lots of pear tarts with puff pastry.

I got brave and put up our tiny tree and menorah, but I hedged my bets with Calvin. I wasn’t sure if he could be trusted with decorations.

Apparently not. So the truly fragile ornaments will stay in their boxes!

Our Christmas stockings are up and waiting to be filled.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to you!

2 Comments

Posted in recipe

Tagged christmas, Christmas stockings, Hanukkah, irish cream

Merry Knitmas! New holiday knitting patterns

Posted on October 12, 2017 | 17 comments

I have a pattern (or two, depending on how you look at it) in the new Knit Picks book, Merry Knitmas.

Aren’t they sweet? It’s a choose your own adventure pattern. I wanted to offer a choice of cuff motifs that looked fairly traditional. Three hanks of Wool of the Andes Superwash Bulky can be knit up into two coordinating stockings.

I love how they styled these. Very homespun Americana. I love everything about these stockings. Christmas stockings are great first socks, because big yarn means that they knit up quickly. And you only have to knit one, so there’s no Second Sock Syndrome. The stubby toe on the short leg makes me smile. And you can’t even see where I snipped the yarn, frogged half the leg, and grafted it back together.

This is what they looked like when they came back from the test knitter, oops! I couldn’t show you yet when I posted about my grafting adventure this summer.) Not the proportions I intended.

And look: They’re on the cover!

The Merry Knitmas Collection has patterns for these stockings and a lot more holiday home fun! You can order it as a hard copy book, or as a pdf download from the Knit Picks site.

I’m having a little giveaway. Leave a comment on this blog post and tell me who you want to knit these stockings for. I’ll do a random drawing on October 18, and the winner will receive the Merry Knitmas e-book. Ready? Go!

17 Comments

Posted in book review, Knit, pattern design

Tagged Christmas stockings, knit picks, Merry Knitmas

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2014 | 6 comments

My last Christmas stocking made it home in time for the holiday. The red one is the Super Cabled Christmas Stocking in Knit Picks The Big Cozy.

We started the day with the (adult) kids, serving up a mimosa brunch with waffle iron hash browns and brisket scrambled eggs (leftover brisket from Tuesday’s end of Hanukkah celebration).

Prime rib is in the oven, and extended family is due at 5 p.m. Hope you’re having a peaceful day, whether or not you celebrate Christmas! Did you receive any crafty gifts? My friend Carole gave me an Ott light, which will be very helpful for beadwork. It’s going to Crafty Moms weekend with me, for sure.

Merry merry!

6 Comments

Posted in foodies!, Knit

Tagged christmas, Christmas stockings, waffle iron hash browns

More Christmas stockings

Posted on December 21, 2014 | 5 comments

Thanks for sharing your Christmas stocking traditions with me! It sounds like many people use the Christmas stocking to hold off the main event gift opening until after coffee and mimosas civilize us. Very wise.

This is Anne‘s Christmas stocking that she knit for her granddaughter Sophie. Gorgeous! This is Sophie of Sophie’s Rose, the shawl Anne commissioned me to design in her honor. Thanks for sharing your picture, Anne!

I forgot about my other set of Christmas stockings. I wrote this pattern for a class I taught at church. It’s a perfect tiny stocking, complete with heel turn. If you want to learn to knit a sock on dpns, this is a good learning tool. And you only have to make one.

But they’re like potato chips, you just want more. The pattern is free, here: Christmas mini-stockings

Speaking of cute and free, I’ve been making more of these.

I gave away last year’s batch, and felt that I needed some more. Free pattern here, Korknisse by Manne. A nice little diversion from some gift knitting…

Are you ready for Christmas, those of you who celebrate? We’re also gearing up for our annual Hanukkah dinner party, which will be on Tuesday. We’ll be lighting ALL the candles. Happy merry GO!

5 Comments

Posted in Knit

Tagged christmas, christmas knitting, Christmas stockings, Hanukkah

The stockings were hung…

Posted on December 18, 2014 | 14 comments

Does this look like the home of a knitter?

I knit Christmas stockings for our family about 15 years ago. The snowflake stockings came first.

After that? Variations on the theme. I knit the piano stocking next. (I was playing a lot as an adult student back then.)

My younger son wanted dancing people.

Of course, we needed a stocking for the cat.

This year, I designed the super bulky Super Cabled Christmas Stocking.

We’re not a family of six, even though our fireplace gives that impression!

Our tradition is to open stocking gifts before Christmas breakfast. It was a way of holding off the wrapping paper frenzy until I was ready to face the day. It still works, even with grown kids! Now we add mimosas to that breakfast.

Do you have a Christmas stocking tradition at your house?

14 Comments

Posted in Knit

Tagged christmas stocking, Christmas stockings, traditions