Christmas Stocking

Everybody in my family has a knit or crocheted stocking.  My mom originally crocheted a smallish one for me, my dad and herself.  She even crocheted our names across the top.  My stocking also had a crocheted snowman.  The stitch is quite tight and the stocking holds it's shape really well when it's hanging or stuffed.  Over the years, my mom misplaced the pattern for the stocking.  I found another pattern and made a stocking for my sister and husband.  I also stitched their names into the tops and made a snowman for my sister and a train for my husband (he likely will kill me if he ever finds out that I revealed that little secret!)
The pattern that I used was ok, I wasn't ultimately happy with the end product.  The stockings were quite short and the stitching was loose so they got all stretched out and never held their shape.
Since this time, I've learned to knit and I decided that I would knit a stocking for my girls.  I knit my eldest daughter's stocking 4 years ago, using this pattern from Canadian Living.  I free-stitched the lettering on the top and we used felt to make the penguin for the front.  The penguin was stuffed with some polyfil to give him a little body.  I didn't fully stitch the beak and feet so they stick out a bit.

I love this pattern.  The stocking is a great size and can hold a lot of little gifts, it really holds it's shape and really easy to put together.  I love the detailing with around the heel and toe as well as the ribbing at the top of the stocking.  

I decided to use this pattern for my second daughter's Christmas stocking.  We chose a nice teal colour and an off-white for the contrasting colour.    

 I chose to do a reindeer for the front design.  My husband cut out my design (I added the eyelashes!)  I stitched this on as well as adding her name and the stocking was perfect.

  

I love these two stockings, they are so cute and I feel inspired to redo the whole set!

Tree of Life Blanket

Three years ago, my little sister got married.  I wanted to give her something special for her wedding that she would remember and be able to keep for a long time.  I found the tree of life pattern after doing some online searches.  It was perfect.  I loved how the trees intertwined and I loved the leaves around the edges of the blanket.  It was the perfect gift for my sister's wedding.  I chose a tan lion brand wool-ease wool, as I didn't want something that would be too bulky or scratchy.  The recommended wool was great, not too chunky and soft.  The blanket did require a bit of concentration, there was a lot of cabling, which I hadn't done before this blanket!  The edging was the most intricate work and it was frustrating trying to get everything to line up.

I really liked how this blanket turned out.  It was a bit more narrow then I actually wanted it to be, definitely a lap afghan.  But the intertwining the trees was exactly what I was looking for as a wedding gift for my sister and her hubby!