Eva’s stocking (and contents)

Posted on 12/28/2009 by Barb | Comments (1)
Filed under : Felting, Finished Objects, Gifts & Holidays, Knitting

Here's the stocking, and the projects alluded to earlier as getting finished up like crazy.

Felted stocking for Eva, with Harry Bear (pattern free from Berroco) and earflap cap with matching mittens (photos of both below).

First the stocking. Felted, a little fair isle, a little intarsia, nothing too ambitious but I’m pleased with the result.

I knitted the stocking using Cascade 220 (single strand) and size 11 needles, using just a basic sock pattern for proportions.

(A note about the intarsia section: When I came to the tree section, I put the stitches involved in the intarsia on a straight needle, leaving the rest on a circular. I worked the tree rows, left them on a holder, worked back and forth on the stitches on the circular needle until I had the same length as the tree panel, then put all the stitches back on the circular needle and continued in the round. When I was all done, I just stitched the panel in place and the seams disappear completely in the felting.)

(Oh, and just for the sake of documentation in case I ever want to make another, I did an afterthought heel.)

I took some photos along the way because the shrinkage during felting always seems like such a guessing game. So I wanted to record just exactly what happened.

Measurements before felting: 28" long x 10" wide at ankle
Measurements after felting: 20" long x 7.25" wide at ankle

And stuffed inside a fluffy white Harry Bear, about 7 inches or so long,

and snowflake cap and mittens set.

Whew! Best Christmas ever!

Eva's stocking - finally completely finished

Posted on 12/14/2009 by Andrea | Comments (0)
Filed under : Felting, Gifts & Holidays

Okay, this is the last post about Eva's Christmas stocking... I promise.

I just had to show off my first try at needle felting. I took some tufts of pink and white roving and added Eva's name to the stocking.

Needle felting is fun. You should try it.

I finally felt like felting

Posted on 12/12/2009 by Andrea | Comments (0)
Filed under : Felting, Knitting

Eva's Christmas stocking, before and after (click them for bigger versions):

Bad lighting on the "before" shot notwithstanding, I'm very pleased with how this turned out! I was worried the stocking would be way too ludicrously huge, but it became appropriately huge after felting. And here's a little closeup on this gorgeous yarn (Plymouth Boku):

And, wait a minute, what's this under the tree?

A present for me. This is one of the Fiber Trends felted clogs that I finished knitting almost two years ago and never got around to felting. After I pulled Eva's stocking out of the washer, I was so high on felting I threw the clogs in the washer immediately. And now that they're all felted, my very warm and happy feet are mad at me for not doing it much earlier. These slippers would have made maternity leave a little more cozy.

Felting is fun! I have two more Christmas stockings to knit and felt (though that probably won't happen until after the holidays) so I have something to look forward to.