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Knitting for the Folks in Switzerland

Back when I had fewer nieces and nephews, I would make lots of stuff for them.  But now there are too many to keep up with.  Anyway, my hubby's sister's family got a lot of handmade stuff because they started having kids first (on my husband's side).  They sent me these pictures from Switzerland (that's where they live) about five or six years ago.  I rarely get to see people wear or use the stuff I send them because I don't usually live near them, so it was nice to get these pictures.

Here are the stockings I've made for them over the years, minus one for Alexandra.  I think that Amy has bequeathed her snowflake stocking to Alexandra.  Isn't that just like a mom?

Here's cute little Noah sporting a chunky gauge sweater from Sirdar's Babies in Denim pattern book.  I'm pretty sure he thought this picture wasn't going to happen if he could just keep his eyes closed.

Here he is again with his Christmas stocking.  After I made all these elaborate stockings, I realized they probably weren't very kid friendly - lots of little pieces that can fall off and not very easy to wash because of all the doodads and the wool yarn.  What was I thinking!?

Here's Sophie happily modeling her sweater and stocking.  Don't you just love her cute little smirk?

Here's Sarah in her sweater.  A lot of the things I knit hold memories for me.  I knit Sarah's sweater while I was visiting them in Switzerland.  Hubby was off in Slovakia meeting up with his parents and I stayed with Amy's family in Zurich.  I was a knitting fiend trying to finish this before we left their house.

I also remember doing lots of fun things with them while I was there.  I loved going to their big community pool with them.  We also went to some fun historic sites.  Probably the most lasting impression was the trip to Walmart in Germany.  It was an hour's drive each way.  We filled up two overflowing carts, paid for the stuff, loaded the van, and then went back and did it again.  Then we had to lug all those groceries up four flights of stairs.  It was crazy.  But, I digress.

So, I'm just realizing that there aren't any pictures of Nick (nor Alexandra because she didn't exist yet).  Nick, where were you?

Cabled Christmas Stocking

This is my Christmas stocking.  I made it for myself...three times.  I gave away the first two and made myself a third one a few years ago.  I promised myself that I wouldn't give this one away.  I love texture in knitting, especially cables and bobbles.  So this is the perfect stocking for me.

Here's a close up of the detail at the top.  The top piece is knit separately going the other direction and then attached to the stocking while making the I-cord, if I'm remembering correctly.  It was a bit tricky.

Here's a brief video on how to make I-cord, just in case you were wondering.

Musical Stocking

This is the stocking that I knit for my musical hubby early in our marriage.  It's the same pattern I used on these stockings.

The notes and treble clefs are made from crocheted chains that I sewed onto the stocking in the shapes that I wanted.

Here's a close up of the toe.

If you're a beginning knitter and want to try socks, I suggest that you start with a Christmas stocking for your first project.  You won't have to worry about the gauge (making it a specific size) and you won't have to worry about making a second one to match the first.

Containing Christmas

You know that amazing box of delicious pears that you got from your mom for Christmas?  Don't throw away the packaging!  Look what you can do with it!

 

I just realized that these four ornaments represent three phases of our lives.  The pink one is a hand-painted one that I got in Wisconsin, while serving with the young women at church.  Obviously, the Green Bay Packers ornament came from Wisconsin too.  In California (the Bay Area) my Redwood Middle School principal gave each staff member a school ornament.  The other one is a hand-made ornament from Crystal B.  It has rice in it, commemorating my first Christmas with my fairly new hubby.  We lived in San Diego at time.  But, I digress.

If you didn't get a box of pears from your mom, you can just collect those stretchy fruit protector thingies throughout the year and use them to protect your fragile ornaments.

 

Here's the best discovery though.  Every year I take my nativities out of their form-fitted Styrofoam packaging and think to myself, "Oh, I'll remember where they go."  And every year I spend way too much time trying to get them back into the correct slot.  It seems like it should be such a simple task.  I don't know why I didn't think of this about 20 years ago.  Doh!

Look, everyone is "nestled, all snug in their beds".

 

I didn't take pictures of Christmas set up this year, but it pretty much look like this.  This year the 10-piece nativity above was added to the nativity collection.  And I added a couple of reindeer to the reindeer collection.

My goal for the last decade or so has been to "contain" Christmas in four plastic tubs.  Here's almost everything boxed up and ready for the tubs.

Okay, it's really 4.5 tubs.  A few years ago the light collection got out of hand and moved to a half-sized tub.  And this year Santa was displaced by the new nativity.  I think that's a good precedent to set though.  What do you think?