Well it is that time of year again, time to hang up those stocking so I thought I would re-post my tutorial from last year. Enjoy!

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Last year I threw away the ratty acrylic $0.99 cent stockings my BF had promising that I would make new ones worthy of actually hanging in my living room. But I must say this is one of the brokest holiday seasons I and may other folks out there have had in a long time, so going out and buying yarn or fabric was not an option. What to do?!

A few months back I was purging old cloths, old like from high school, and I came across a beloved red and gray Fair Isle sweater that had developed some holes. Even if the holes had been fixable it was too small, so I tossed it in the washer and felted it thinking I would make a pillow out of it or start collecting to make a patchwork blanket. I remembered the sweater and I knew I had my answer.

So here it is, how to make some fun stockings out of a felted sweater:

Materials:

-One 100% Wool Sweater in holiday colors

Note: those scarry winter sweaters are great if you can find a wool one and they are very cheap at the thrift store

-Some good fabric scissors or a rotary cutter

-A sewing machine, but needle and thread work too, just slower

-A stocking pattern, optional but good for anyone not comfortable freehand sewing without a guide

The Felted Sweater

Step 0: Felt your sweater in a washing machine, just run it through with your regular wash, might take a couple washes to achieve good felting.

Step 1: If you are going to make hanging loops from the neckline first trim it off

Cutting off Neckline

Step 2:Lay out your sweater on a clear table, it may not be totally flat because different areas felted different amounts but that is fine, just do the best you can. See Top Photo.

Step 3: Cut up the center of the sweater. Just be as straight as you can or use a ruler and rotary cutter if you have them.

Cut Up the Center

Split Sweater

Step 4: Cut off the extra sleeve lengths on each sweater half, save these to make fingerless gloves. Turn the sweater halves wrong side out.

Trim Sleeves

Step 5: Sew the curve to form the toe on the sleeves. You may have to try a few different curves until you find one you like if you are not using a pattern or pre-marking the curve, it just depends on how “perfect” you want it to look. If there are any holes you can adjust the curve so they end up in the seam allowance or later you can embellish over them.

Sew the toe

Adjust the curve

Step 6: Once you have the curve you want, trim off the extra seam allowance so it won’t take up room later on.

Step 7: Sew the heel curve and leg seam, stopping just before the end. The heel seam starts up where the neck opening of the sweater is so that the ribbing/edge treatment of your sweater forms the cuff of the stocking when you are all done.

The Heel and Leg

Step 8: Insert the loop to hang it with. I used 1/2 the neckline for each loop. Fold over the strip/ribbon and insert it as in the picture below. It may be easier to sew by hand if it is very bulky, flat ribbon is easier then my neckline bit on the machine.

Insert the Loop

Step 9: Trim off any extra seam allowance from the leg and heel seam. Turn the stocking right side out.

All my waste

Step 10: Marvel at your craftyness!

Happy X-mas!

All in all this took me and Libby about an hour, mostly because we where taking pictures and giggling a lot. If you have any questions leave me a comment. You can click on the pictures to see larger versions.

Have a happy, cheap and eco-friendly holiday!!!

Dharma Trading Co. has more copper Indonesian Batik Tjaps for sale! I went a little nuts and got two this time, Happy X-mas to me as it were.

To check out what they have left go here. They are going fast so don’t daddle!

We moved to our first (rented) house last month. The most exciting part (for me at least) is that there is a basement, I will finally have a studio space all to myself!

The Berkeley Knitters all headed out to Meridian Jacobs Farm for another Shearing Day.

Will took a week off and went to Hawaii and he brought me back this fun sampler quilt kit as well as a very cute turtle pincushion.

There has been lots more but sadly the good camera died and my old digital eats batteries in about 10 min so all I have in the way of a camera is my phone which is less then ideal, but I will try to photograph stuff as I can and hopefully we will get the good camera fixed soon (hurray for warranties!)

In the mean time I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!  (Or if you aren’t in the USA a wonderful day)

Red Wing Black Birds in the back yard.

Chocolate Kopp’s Custard, YUMMY YUM YUM!

Goofing off with my cousin’s wife at the Sow’s Ear, always fun!

A good brew at the Great Dane, WOOF! This is the Stone of Scone Scott’s Ale.

Antique hunting in Cedarburg, always fun.

Wild flowers and open fields.

A wonderfully sweet wedding.

And of course a smiling barn! Where they sell the most wonderful apple pie in the world!

I had a great time seeing my family and as always it was bittersweet to return home when it was time but it is nice to be back with Will and the furr balls and to sleep in my own bed.

Do you remember Captain Kangaroo? Even he got into Shibori/tie-dye.

So everyone wants to know who won, I used a random number generator and counted down the comments.

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the handdyed fabrics is……..

Lynda! from String Alongs

Thanks all for playing!

This Saturday was World Wide Knit in Public Day. The Berkley Knitters made a good show of it and we headed out to a local park to enjoy the sunshine (although we all forgot sunscreen and ended up a bit pink).

There was a great spread with chocolate chip cookies, couscous salad, brie, baguette, tomatoes, cherries, mini-pitas, hummus, veggie spears and crackers.

The youngest attending member was very kean on the pitas and hummus.

We can’t wait till next year, we really must have another knitting picnic soon.

Remember back in May when we did tie-dye for the WEF and I said we also dyed some fabric? Well here, finally, are the pictures! I am very happy with the way they turned out, the best part it they are so simple to do and a great way to use up the last bits of dye from bigger dye projects.  The fabric is scrap yardage of Kona Cotton which takes dye fantastically.

So, now that you are drooling, here is the best part. If you leave me a comment between now and next Tuesday you can have a chance to win some hunks of these fabrics plue one of the Blueprints that Libby and I made last weekend! The fabrics are all different sizes but they average somewhere around a 1/4 of a yard and 45 inches wide.

The winner will be picked at random and posted on Tuesday.  Good luck!

I don’t know if I have ever been in a place with so many talented, crafty, DIYers in one place before in my life. There was even more stuff that we just didn’t manage to see and we can’t wait to go back next year.  I think the botton above by Sean says it all. For more pictures click the mosaic.