Brady's Stocking

Alyssa and Stephen didn't know what to put in Brady's stocking, so they put him in it.

Christmas stockings

But first - I finally got the pictures a friend took of me at the Walk through Bethlehem.

Now to the stockings. I've been working on the ones for the new great-grandchildren and their fathers. I forgot to take a picture of Brady's before I delivered it, and the picture I finally got to go where it was supposed to (my camera and computer didn't want to work nicely together for a while yesterday) of Stephen's is not very good. I've asked Alyssa to send pictures of them. Yesterday I delivered Lily's stocking and took along the one I'm working on for Reggie, so he could see how far I've gotten. It will be done for next year.

Stephen has an orange cat named Chester, and that's what Alyssa asked me to put on his stocking. As I was working on it, I decided a mouse on the toe would be a little 'joke.' I've no idea what Chester would do if he saw a mouse. Another little 'joke' is the flap to cover the first E in the name. It doesn't show well here. I did that because Stephen's name tag for work has that E missing, so it reads ST PHEN.

And here is Lily's stocking. I had knit a white stocking to match the other family ones, and then Sara and Reggie decided they wanted a snow person on it. So I started over. (I now have a white stocking in reserve for the next baby.) I think of this as white clouds above a blue sky and snow-covered ground. Sara requested the pink bow rather than a tophat. The nose is an orange button, the eyes are black French knots, the mouth is two stitches of yarn and there are buttons on the bodice. I think it's cute!

And here's the one I made many years ago for me.

Wrapping paper

In the last three days, I've knit the five little draw-string bags for the great-grandchildren's Christmas ornaments.

The one on the far right is the one I found in the Christmas stuff.

The babies won't care, and I don't know what Devin will think, but I'm sure Lexi, Rose and Krya will like them. That holiday table cloth and the little tree displaying my miniature ornaments are all the Christmas decorating I'm doing this year. The tree is topped by a paper angel Lexi made a few years ago.

The picture's rather blurry, but I'm too lazy to take another one.

Winter has arrived

I had to scrape frost off my car yesterday. I hope we don't get any snow this winter, and that the temperature never goes below 20 F.

I've been working on Christmas stockings for the two new great-grandchildren and their fathers. However, when I mentioned to Alyssa yesterday that I have bought the Hallmark ornaments for everyone, she said that Lexi had said recently that she hopes I'll knit my 'wrapping paper' again this year. I guess she wants another little draw-string bag. I came across one in the Christmas stuff the other day, so I only need to make nine new ones, although I may skip it for the adults. I started one after I got home yesterday evening and finished it this morning. I've now started another. Fortunately, they don't take long. I can work on them while I sit here at the computer and read blogs and play Words with Friends on FaceBook.

The Walk is over

The Walk through Bethlehem that is. About 2,600 people visited us in the five evenings. Wednesday and Thursday were chilly, and they were 'week nights,' so attendance was light, but the last three nights were mild and busy. It seemed like I had more light this year, but it may just be that I'm no longer looking through cataracts.

My loom came home this morning, so after I finish the Christmas stockings I'm working on, and make another pair of owl mittens, I'll finish weaving the rest of the warp, cut the rugs off, hem them and donate them to the animal shelter for the dogs and cats to sleep on.