Sheep Shots: Countdown to X-Moose

Monday, November 26, 2007

Countdown to X-Moose

Well, the one absolutely positively must-finish is done! Yes!!

Here you see it in the obligatory "bed shot" since the bedspread on the bed the Other Half, Sparky, and I share is pretty much the only flat surface (that isn't covered with other stuff) that happens to be a solid color in this entire house!

Actually, I think the denim shows off the Christmas colors well.

This is (I may have mentioned) the 6th incarnation of this particular pattern.

I have played around with the placement of the motifs, and this time, I took a gigantic leap of faith and converted the pattern to in-the-round. (It worked!)

The original was knit flat to the heel. Heel stitches were moved to a holder (piece of yarn), then the instep was knit flat.

Next, a pretty standard heel flap was knit (in suitable contrasting color) the heel was turned, then the sole was knit (flat again) . A quick look at the finished stocking explains that part--only the instep is patterned on the foot.

So, okay, once the sole is the same length as the instep, the pattern calls for a switch to dpns and toe knit in the round.

Then seaming the back and the two sides of the foot. Three seams!

Let's be fair. One of the choices of patterning for the leg portion is an intarsia deer. No way that's going to be stranded and knit in the round. Ain't happening.

(Okay, the very first one, I knit in the deer. Confession time: I stranded the legs. And the antlers.)

This time around, I knit the leg part in the round (so much easier than trying to purl stranded!) and the foot flat.

Two mattress stitched seams, not three.

Then I chain stitched the little guy's name on the toe, just like the one I made for his daddy 30 years ago and the one I made for his mom a lot more recently.

All finished and ready to hang on the china cabinet, stair rail, or kitchen chair with care. Because, folks, there ain't no mantle. Not in this house or the one the little guy lives in.

::sigh::

And in case anyone was wondering what happened to the hat from hell, here's how I rescued it.

Stripes.

It looks better than it did.

Labels: baby things, Christmas, ship support

// posted by Ann @ 11/26/2007 08:02:00 PM

Comments:

That's a lovely stocking!

# posted by

Rabbitch : 8:41 PM

That is a Christmas sock for the ages -- an heirloom. Many, many moons ago I made an argyle Christmas stocking for my husband. It had the same seaming construction as your first ones because (of course) the argyle was intarsia. I didn't know from intarsia back then, I just followed the instructions and did it. Plus I charted his name and knit it into the sole.

Yeah, what was I thinking?

# posted by