Christmas Stocking Mash-Up

I am working on a couple of Christmas Stockings for gifts this upcoming holiday season. They are for siblings so I want them to go together since they will hang in the same place for the next umpteen years. I wanted to have the knitting be easy because I would be working on them at the Farmers Market between customers. I looked over my two different Christmas Stocking Designs shown below. 

Kristin's Creative Christmas Stockings - Order for $12.00 on my website here or on Ravelry here. 

Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings - Order for $12.00 on my website here or on Ravelry here. 

I decided to make a "mash-up" as Julia calls it of the two patterns. Here is my progress so far. 

This section is from the pattern called "Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings" and features 5 designs that are easy - only using one color per row or round. I chose the version with a striped garter stitch leg. You knit the striped garter stitch section first and then pick up the rows along one side and work the heel and foot down. 

My plan is to add a traditional Fair Isle Border to the top of the striped section using the charts found in the Creative Christmas Stocking Pattern. 

Do you notice my toe? I like to do the grafting when I am in the mood. What I do to hold the stitches safely is knit a couple rounds on the final number of toe stitches. Then I bind off. Later on, I will rip the scrap yarn and pick up the toe stitches to graft them. 

Thank you to all of you who support me, my work and my family and farm! We are very grateful. Pop in on Sunday morning because I have a surprise for all of you.

You can order my Christmas Stocking Patterns on my website or on Ravelry. Information below.

Kristin's Creative Christmas Stockings - Order for $12.00 on my website here or on Ravelry here. 

Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings - Order for $12.00 on my website here or on Ravelry here. 

Mohair and Fair Isle - Oh How I Love You

I've always been a huge fan of mohair. It began when my mom made me a beautiful cabled cardigan when I was a little girl. You can see Julia wearing that sweater here. She was so tiny and so sweet and holding her favorite kitty Zoe Sophia.

When I began working for Classic Elite, their main yarn was La Gran Mohair. It was spun in the mill that was just outside my office door. It began as a looped boucle mohair and then was brushed on a giant carding machine, 80 ends at a time, to become La Gran. La Gran is still around, although it is now sourced from overseas. It is a gorgeous fluffy mohair yarn with a core of wool and nylon. La Gran takes dye incredibly and the result is a lustrous yarn which is great for quick knits. 

The other day I received the CEY web letter only to see a sweater that looked really familiar. I'm not sure if I designed it but I know I had a hand in it somewhere because I was the Creative Director at that point. Love the lacy drop stitch re-sized for the current silhouette. The pattern is free as a PDF Download and you can find it on Ravelry here. The lovely model is Mackenzie, daughter of Susan Mills, the CEY Design Director. I remember when Mackenzie was born on Valentine's Day 18 years ago! 

Check out the current colors of La Gran Mohair here.  Gorgeous. I hope I can make Julia a La Gran sweater soon because she loves my old Parisian Brown La Gran cardigan that I still wear that is over 20 years old.

It is my LOVE of mohair and all fine fibers that led me to design Color By Kristin, my 50% wool, 25% alpaca, 25% mohair yarn which is distributed by Classic Elite Yarns.  This blend is so luxurious. Trouble is ----- it doesn't really look spectacular in the skein put-up. It looks rather ordinary. But try knitting with it and you will be hooked. First of all - it is the color that grabs you. And then the way the yarn glides over the needles. The alpaca adds a beautiful softness and drape to the yarn. The mohair adds a gorgeous sheen. The wool adds stability to tame down some of the exotic qualities of the alpaca and mohair (i.e. stretchiness and lack of shape keeping qualities). 
  
Color By Kristin is of course, my current favorite yarn. Maybe your yarn shop carries it? Perhaps you can talk someone into gifting it to you! Amazing colors and so nice to knit. All of the patterns In my PDF Download Collection are made of this yarn. 

Here's another new Color By Kristin design called Basilica. This is in the new Cathedral Book published by Classic Elite Yarns.

I designed this sweater with beginning Fair-Islers in mind. (Thanks Meg of CEY for the tip that even some very proficient knitters are still afraid of Fair Isle.) The colorwork is done at the edges of the sweater where there is no shaping. It doesn't take long to work the colorful bands and then it is all smooth sailing with solid stockinette stitch. Here's a back view.

The edges are worked in my favorite Reverse Stockinette Stitch Ridges. I love how they curl backwards into the fabric. You could change the colors up easily. I used Deep Forest 3212, Julia's Pink 3289, Sunflower 3250, Rock Henna 3255, and Coleus 3260 for my version.

There are plenty of other incredibly gorgeous Fair Isle Designs in the Cathedral Book just published by CEY. Most of them are designed by the incredibly talented Susan Mills, the current Creative Director at CEY and Mom to Mackenzie. Check it out here. 

I know it is gift knitting season and you probably aren't thinking about learning Fair Isle at the moment. If you want to combine learning Fair Isle with a Christmas Stocking, check out my Kristin's Creative Christmas Stocking Collection. Here's one of the pretty designs - a Christmas tree border with a circle motif. Here it is plain, without embroidery. 

Here it is with the Fair Isle border decorated with simple embroidery stitches.

  
All part of my PDF Download - 6 designs, 4 sizes for $12. Check it out here and order on my website. Or order through Ravelry here. You do not need to be a Ravelry member.

Happy Fair Isle and gift knitting everyone!

Day Five - It's Here - Launch Day of Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings - My New PDF Pattern

Thanks everyone for putting up with the Colorful Christmas Stockings Previews this week. I've had a busy week working on my manuscript re-writes and getting this Christmas Stocking Pattern in order for you all. 

Here is the last stocking in the Collection ------ it is called Stripes Both Ways. It features a two color garter stitch border. You sew the cast on and bind off edges together and then pick up and work it down traditionally.

As with all the other stockings in the new collection - you'll only need one color in a round. That's the beauty of all the designs - you'll end up with a very colorful Christmas Stocking but there is no need for stranding and following charts. 

The pattern is ready for sale NOW. Here are the specifics.... Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings includes five different designs. Each is a colorful design but is knit with only color in a row or round. Two of the stockings combine back and forth and circular knitting. There is one very simple cable pattern and one more advanced cable pattern. There is also one very easy striped version. Here's the cover of the pattern.

If you are new to knitting stockings, Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings is a great choice for you. You'll be able to increase your knitting skills as you work your way through the collection. My friend Cathy Payson, who helped me with the tech proofing, told me this is going to be her "go-to" stocking pattern now. Stockings make a great wedding or shower gift. They make nice baby gifts too. Or a housewarming gift. It's nice to build up a stock-pile to have as gifts. 

The beautiful yarn I used in the lovely color range is my Color By Kristin distributed by Classic Elite Yarns.  Here they all are hanging on our barn.

The price is $12.00 for 5 designs.

Here's some more great news - I've started a Kristin Nicholas Knitalong over on Ravelry. Come join in the fun during this Gift Knitting Season. 

You can purchase the pattern from my website HERE or over on Ravelry HERE. As always, thanks for your support of my work, my family, and our farm. 

If you are a customer in Canada or Overseas, use the Ravelry link as my website doesn't handle orders from other countries. Thanks.

Day Four - Five Days of Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings - New PDF Pattern

It's Thursday everyone. Only one more day to go and the weekend will be here. I hope you have enjoyed my preview week of the new Collection of Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings. 

I know there are lots of you out there who love a good cable. I was thinking of you, for sure. Stocking No. 4 is called Diamond Cable. Here it is.

As with all the other stockings in the new collection - you'll only need one color in a round. That's the beauty of the designs - you'll end up with a very colorful Christmas Stocking but there is no need for stranding and following charts.

Stop back tomorrow for the final preview of the new Stocking Collection. You'll be able to buy all five designs then. 

And from Fair Isle, check this out. It is pretty amazing.

Day Three - Five Days of Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings - a New PDF Pattern

It's the middle of the work week. Are you looking forward to Saturday? I am - we'll be at the Amherst Farmer's Market - hopefully it will be a nice day and I will see some of you there. I'll be sampling some kind of lamb recipe. Stop by and say hi. 

Have you checked out the Annual Wovember site? All things wool, sheep, and wool related. Lots of very good posts happening the month of November. 

Were you captivated by the Norwegian Slow-TV Knitting Program which was streamed last Friday evening? I was able to catch some bits on my phone. I think it is available for streaming now. Here is the link although I can't seem to get it to work. If you know the proper link for watching after the fact, could you leave it in the Comments Section for everyone? You are never going to believe this one..... via "The Hollywood Reporter"..... a production company in the US has licensed the Slow TV idea. Read all about it here. Do you think Slow Knitting would fly here in the States? 

So, just what you have all been waiting for..... The third stocking in the new Christmas Stocking Collection...... This one is called Skinny Stripes. I love this stocking. It reminds me of the Whos from Whoville. It's easy to knit too.

As with all the other stockings in the new collection - you'll only need one color in a round. That's the beauty of the designs - you'll end up with a very colorful Christmas Stocking but there is no need for stranding and following charts. 

Stop back on Friday when the pattern will be ready to purchase. Have a great day everyone!

Day Two - Five Days of Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings - New PDF Pattern

It's Tuesday - Day Two of the work week. Hope you all are having a great week - staying busy and settling into the new time change. My biological clock still hasn't gotten used to it. I'm hungry for lunch at 11 a.m. What about you?

As promised, here is Design No. Two of my new PDF Pattern - Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings. This design is called Easy Cable.

As with all the other stockings in the new collection - you'll only need one color in a round. That's the beauty of the designs - you'll end up with a very colorful Christmas Stocking but there is no need for stranding and following charts.

Stop back on Friday when the pattern will launch and you will be able to buy the new collection. As always, I thank you for your support of my blog, my work and my family.

Here's something some of you might like. It isn't exactly anatomically correct but it is quite something - a Ram's head with Golden Horns. Looks like a cross between a Big Horned Sheep and a delicate ewe.  Via Apartment Therapy. You never know where the sheep will pop up next.

Day One - Five Days of Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stockings - New PDF Pattern

Happy Monday everyone. This week, each day, I am previewing one design from my new Christmas Stocking Collection. Hope you all don't mind that I am jumping the season but I know that many of you like to make stockings for friends and family. 

I've been working on this project forever. Can't believe it is almost done. I know it doesn't seem like much work, but it is. First I have to envision the stockings, then knit them, then photograph them (that always takes me awhile because I am no pro), write the instructions, drop them into my desktop publishing program, read, proof, ask a friend to help read and proof, upload the photos to my blog and website, and then hope someone buys them. Now that I have written this, I'm surprised I've gotten it all almost done!

For all of you interested in purchasing the Kristin's Colorful Christmas Stocking Collection, the pattern will be available on Friday, November 8th - just in time for your weekend knitting.

Here's Stocking No. 1 - Pom Poms and Stripes! Knit in my Color By Kristin. This is the easiest stocking in the bunch.

Stop back tomorrow to see the second stocking.