Christmas and ChristmaHanukkah Stockings

For several years now, I've been saying I want to knit stockings for Alex and me. This year, I had zero excuses for not knitting them, and I even started on them back in the summer.

The stocking was always one of my favorite parts of Christmas as a kid. My brother and I had red and white stockings, and Mom added our names with felt letters at the top. They were filled with our favorite candy (Reese's was our #1), and lots of fun little gifts like card games, a CD, and a movie. It was so fun to dump all the contents on the floor and dig through it.

These are going to look so pretty hanging by our fireplace!

Pattern: KAB Christmas Stocking by ChemKnits

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore D.K. in Red, Christmas Green, Blue, and White

Alex loves dinosaurs and bass, so this one was perfect for him. He asked for a blue and white color scheme for Hanukkah colors. This pattern is awesome because it mixes so many different things: stars, Space Invaders, dinosaurs, music.

Pattern: Arlo's Christmas Stocking by Antje Karl (Free pattern!)

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted in Christmas Green and White

I wanted something more Scandinavian inspired for my stocking. I'm not a big fan of Christmas red, so I went with a green and white color combo. I really love the back of this pattern. It looks like pretty little icicles.

Folk Holiday Embroidery

Yeah, this is a holiday embroidery that I completed a few months ago. But everything's turned upside down now, so who cares?

During the pandemic, I've devoted a lot of time to completing kits that I'd stashed in my craft room. I've completed quite a few embroidery kits, mostly because they're so much quicker than knitting an entire sweater--something I had pretty much abandoned around July or August but am now picking up again as the weather gets colder.

Folk Holiday by cozyblue

What I love about this pattern is that I can display it year round without it looking too Christmasy. I put it on the wall with all the other embroidery hoops, and it fits right in!

Zigzagular Knit Socks

 As an Election Day distraction, let's look at purty socks. (I already voted, so all I can do right now is check in with other people and wait.)

Pattern: Zigzagular Socks by Susie White (free pattern!)

Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Bubble

This is a great pattern if you want to mostly knit without interruption. The cabling is every other round for the most part, and I didn't have to consult the chart once I got going. These were supposed to be back-to-school socks for Alex, but I got a little bogged down with my knitting and didn't finish them until last week.

Winterberry Knit Shawl (or Blanket)

Since there's nowhere to go, I've been hanging outside more with a craft project or a book. I treat most of the shawls I knit delicately, but that means I almost never wear them. I'm scared of catching them on something and damaging them, or I worry that I will lose the shawl.

At the same time, I was also trying to use up my stash. I didn't have enough yarn to make one, so I took two different shades of gray and alternated them. I was worried it would look too stripey, but I really like how it turned out.

Pattern: Winterberry by Tincanknits

Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Worsted Primo in Medieval and High Cotton

Farewell, Aureus. I'm Froggin' Ya

It pains me to show you this sweater because I'm about to frog it.

This pattern is lovely. The cables and the lace pattern are beautiful, the yarn is soft and an amazing color, and I love the overall look of the sweater.

But when I put the sweater on, I felt frumpy. I tried a belt to cinch it, like the model, but it still looked weird on me. I looked like the Abominable Snowman dressing up for a day of apple picking.

Pattern: Aureus by Michele Wang

Yarn: Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio DK in Oliver

I'm in search of another cable cardigan I can knit using this same yarn. While I think Aureus is gorgeous, it's just not for me.

I bought this yarn at Rhinebeck last year. It was my first time using any shade of yellow, and I felt very brave. I'm still willing to go for the yellow, and it doesn't factor into my decision to frog at all.

My friend and fellow knitter Sami said that the best part of knitting is the knitting itself. She, too, isn't scared of a little frogging. Many other knitters gasp when I tell them I'm going to unravel this. But why keep a sweater in the closet that you're never going to wear? Especially when it's knit with such a beautiful yarn that you can use for another project.

V-Back Speckled Knit Tee

I have soooo many sock yarn scraps, so I've been trying to knit socks with the full skeins and use the other scraps for stripey projects--like this one!

Pattern: The V-Back Tee by Jamie Hoffman

Yarn: (from top to bottom) 

Junkyarn Smooth Sock in Fleur and Candace

Nice & Knit Fingering in Shoal and Driftwood

Rock and String Creations Super Sock in A True Rarity

Rhinebeck-Inspired Noelle Knit Sweater

 I saw a sweater sample hanging in the booth of Birch Dyeworks last year at Rhinebeck Yarn Bazaar. Overwhelmed by all the choices there, I passed up the opportunity to buy the yarn for the sweater.

It was so crowded that I couldn't even get near the sweater, but my knitting BFF, Sami, got close enough to see the pattern name and colorway on the sample. (She's the best.)

I kept thinking about this sweater, as one does, and I had some major regret about not buying it. So when the pandemic started, I ordered the colorway from the sample, and then I paired it with yarn from one of my local LYSs, Echoview Fiber Mill.

Pattern: 

Noelle Pullover by Handmade Closet

Yarn: Echoview Fiber Mill Lapidary in Selenite and Birch Dyeworks 80/20 Sock in Mango

Llama Embroidery

Back in January or February, Alex managed to score a Challenger rental car. (This happened after we joked about him getting this car. Long story, but how it went down was really weird.) 

We decided to take advantage of it, and we took a day trip out to Highlands and Cashiers, North Carolina. We stopped at Tia Dana's Highlands location on our drive, and I picked up this cute little kit.

Kit by Un Chat dans l'aiguille

Though I was a French minor in college, I am not fluent in French embroidery terms, so I struggled a little with the instructions. I don't think I quite got the tassels right, and I ended up googling a lot of the stitches. Everything except the tassels turned out pretty well, though, and even the tassels don't look terrible.

Vintage Fablique Hanging for Sewing

This was one of the gems found in my great aunt Maude's sewing stash. The kit was made by Coats, and the copyright on it is 1978.

It's intended to store sewing supplies, but I'm just using it as a decoration. It seemed easy enough at first, but it had a lot of little details that made it take longer than I thought.

Terrarium Embroidery

I'm still on an embroidery kick, and I finished this one really quickly over just a week or so.

The moss on the bottom was intimidating, but once I got a feel for it, it was the best part. I also love the colors in this one. All the little extra lines and knots make it even more fun.

Pattern: Terrarium by cozyblue

Sunny Bunnies Embroidery

I usually get an itch to embroider at this time of year. Embroidery is portable (though I'm not going anywhere these days), and it doesn't make your legs all sweaty like knitting does.

I started working on Sunny Bunnies last year but never finished it. I'm finding a lot of gratification in completing quicker projects, and it's even better if they have been hanging around unfinished for a while. I'm so happy to add this one to my wall.

Pattern: Sunny Bunnies by cozyblue

Prism Knit Socks

I'm getting so much sock knitting accomplished during stay-at-home orders. Alex and I have been watching The Wire (neither of us had seen it), so socks are perfect for knitting while also paying enough attention to remember the names of the bazillion characters.

I wanted to support small businesses during this time, and this yarn was one I purchased for that reason.

Pattern: Cuff-down, my own pattern; the stitch is garter

Yarn: Birch Dyeworks 80/20 Sock in Prismatic Indigo

Alex's Birthday Cake Socks

This month is Alex's birthday. I don't have to tell you why that sucks. We usually have a party at our house for his birthday, but this year his band Modern Strangers was going to play a show for his birthday. We were all looking forward to it.

With the show cancelled, we're still figuring out a fun way to celebrate. I started working on these socks with yarn from my stash that Alex had picked out a long time ago. I finished them way earlier than I thought I would. With staying home during the pandemic, I've been able to work through a lot of my old yarn. That feels nice.

Pattern: My own cuff down using hurdle stitch
Yarn: Araucania Huasco Sock in Guacamayo

GIVEAWAY: Ombre Purple Knit Socks from PaintBox

Before Christmas, Love Crafts.com sent me a ball of ombre sock yarn to try out. After I finally finished all the handmade holiday gifts (some in January *cough*), I started working on these.

Now that COVID 19 is taking over our lives, I'm finding time to photograph projects I finished earlier in the year. It's also a great time to host a giveaway for a lucky stitcher!

Love Crafts.com is kindly giving away one ball of their Paintbox Yarn Socks in the color of your choice. I'm hosting the giveaway on Instagram, so hop over there to enter.

Pattern: My own. Basically a cuff-down sock using Hurdle Stitch

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Socks in Wisteria

This yarn was really fun to knit with. I couldn't see the color changes as they were happening, but then I'd knit several rows and look back to see that gradual shift.

Hurdle Stitch 

When I'm knitting socks, I go for stitches that have a lot of texture but are easy to memorize. (That's probably also why socks are one of my go-to projects for stitch group.)

Rnd 1: Knit.
Rnd 2: Purl.
Rnds 3-4: k1, p1; repeat from across.

If I made another pair of these, I would probably do an afterthought heel. The Hurdle Stitch works really well with this yarn, and it makes it extra squishy and cozy.

Knit Soothing Shawl

I've been diligently working through my stash lately, and I finally used yarn I bought two years ago in New Mexico. It's squishy and great for a textured stitch like the seed stitch used in this shawl.

It finally snowed in Asheville, and I thought the color was perfect against the snow. (It melted around noon, so it didn't last nearly long enough.)

Pattern: Soothing Shawl by Rachel Brockman (free pattern)
Yarn: Abiquiu Dye Studio Squishy Spring "Halleluiah" purchased at Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center

The border is applied lace, so you have to work it sideways and knit the edge stitches together with the border. I couldn't wrap my head around it at first, but then I watched a couple of videos and it clicked. I've tried this kind of border before, but it's been a while.

Even More Waffle Rib Socks

This is my go-to sock pattern. When I make a pair of socks for someone for the first time, this is always the pattern I choose. They have squishy texture, and they're pretty fun to make.

I made these socks for two friends who had a heck of a year last year. I love making socks for people because I'm thinking of them the entire time I'm knitting. I just hope they bring a little extra coziness into their lives.

I'm so proud of myself because I haven't bought yarn in a while. My most recent projects, including these, have all been straight from my stash. Woohoo!

Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Hurricane

Pattern: Waffle Rib Socks by Carolyn (Jill) Ferneau (Free on Ravelry!)

This yarn was left over from my Sunset Highway sweater. I was surprised (and relieved) that I had enough to make a pair of socks. Hooray for destashing!

Yarn: Cape May Fiber Co. Yak Sock in Marina

Pattern: Waffle Rib Socks by Carolyn (Jill) Ferneau (Free on Ravelry!)

This was my first time knitting with yak. It's amaaaaaazing. And the color? Mmhm.

Cozy Ranunculus Knit Sweater

I started this sweater before Christmas, but quickly abandoned it to work on gifts. This was the first project I picked up after all the gifts were finished.

Pattern: Ranunculus by Midori Hirose
Yarn: Fig & Posy Alpaca Cloud and Fig & Posy Tweed Sock, both in color Sarcelle (held together)

Regan from The Exorcist Crochet Doll

Using the word doll to describe this is kind of hilarious. Around the holidays, my friends Charles and David sent me a link to The Exorcist playset that someone crocheted. They wanted one bad. It was pretty detailed, with a bed and even a crocheted pillow and blanket.

I wasn't ready to commit to that, but I was ready to commit to just Regan. Now she's living happily with Charles and David.

Pattern: Regan from The Exorcist by Greybriar Hollow on Ravelry
Yarn: Random scraps from my stash

Hello Bargello Landslide Clutch

I tried something new this year! I'd been eyeing the Hello Bargello! Landslide Clutch (and well, really, all their stuff), and Alex bought me the kit for Christmas.

Boston Terrier Socks and Hat for Lynn and Henry

It's no surprise that I'm behind on baby gifts and may never catch up. But I did manage to send this one right after Christmas, so can we count that as a Christmas present?

Lynn and I worked together at Martha Stewart, and though we've both since moved away from NYC, we still keep in touch. Lynn has an adorable Boston terrier, so I thought it would be fun to send her a pair of Boston terrier socks along with a matching hat for her lil Henry.

Hat
Pattern: I used the Mohawk Hat from Wacky Baby Knits as my foundation, and I added in the chart from the Boston Terrier Socks. I also added a 14-stitch ear, folded over and sewed in half, on each side.
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sock White and acrylic black from my stash

Socks
Pattern: Boston Terrier Socks
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sock in Black and White