This fall, I was itching to get to work on a new project. Once it gets a little cold in the Mid-Atlantic, I start hankering for something I can do inside (maybe… by the fireplace with a cup of tea?).
After a lot of lolling about on Pinterest, I decided that I’d attempt a Fair Isle knitting project for my housemates and myself. Maybe, if I started immediately, we’d be done before Christmas. And with the help of my lovely friend Miriam (our resident graphic designer), we adjusted a pattern we found online (info below!) to make personalized stockings for every person and animal in our house. I started watching YouTube tutorials on Fair Isle knitting every free second.
Several weeks (and several skeins of wool) later, the results were in… stockings are SO MUCH FUN to make! I shared a picture on my Facebook/Instagram when I was done with my first set, and suddenly, I was working on a few sets more for my sisters and their households. I started making my own specifics for patterns, too, which is how we came up with the two tiny foxes in the snow.
Definitely recommend stockings to any first-time sock knitters, as they don’t have to be fitted to a foot.
Next step will be to line these bad boys with fleece. May take me a few months… after Christmas, we won’t be in any rush! (:
All yarn from KnitPicks, which had fast shipping, delightful customer service, and gorgeous yarn colors at affordable prices. Each stocking cost about $10 worth of yarn, and took about 12 straight hours to make. (The smaller stockings — the pet size — cost about $8 worth of yarn, and took about 6.5 hours of straight work.)
Major props to blogger Jennifer Hoel, whose pattern I worked from, after finding it and falling in love with it on Ravelry.
Anyone need any stockings for next Christmas?
Kelsey Ryan 