Not my usual desk this week. That has been overtaken by all the things that had to be moved out of the spare bedroom to allow the new carpet to be fitted. So I decided that it was a good time to finish off a very long standing project. About 38 years ago, I found a pattern for these Christmas stockings in Woman's Weekly and started one for our daughter. Then I had to do one for our son, when he arrived. Gradually, all the children in the family had one, and I kept buying more wool when I saw the right shades of red and green. The result is that now one of the drawers under the bed is full of Christmas stocking wool - not good, as we are trying to clear unnecessary stuff out of the house.As I could not get to do normal crafting things or play with my new baby, I decided that it would be satisfying to get as many stockings done as I could out of the remaining wool. So far, in the last three days, I have completed four stockings and still have enough wool for several more. Happily, this is a craft I can do at night, while watching television without having to use my reading glasses. I have reprinted the pattern in huge font so I can read it at a glance. By the way, they are crocheted in squares, ten to each stocking (mainly trebles), then sewn together, before crocheting the gusset which goes all round (all trebles again), then there are two rounds of double crochet around the top and to form the loop for hanging.
Our children used to love their stockings, which were always stuffed with small items gathered over the year. They always had the traditional apple, orange, and nuts, but also there were things like balsa planes, bags of marbles, spinning tops, yo-yos and anything else that we could squash inside. Each one was separately wrapped. Big presents were always from a person, but the stockings were always from Father Christmas, and they would leave him a glass of whisky, a mince pie and a carrot for the reindeer before they went to bed on Christmas Eve. Even as adults, living in their own homes, they still requested their stockings for many years and never said that Father Christmas did not exist.
The son of one of our friend's once said to his parents that Father Christmas did not exist. His parents were keen to keep the magic for his younger brother, so they told him that if he did not believe in Father Christmas, then he would not be left any presents. When he refused to back down, they called his bluff and when it came to Christmas morning, there were no presents for him. After a bit of swift thinking, he finally agreed that Father Christmas did exist. Sure enough, in a short while, he heard the sound of sleigh bells and his presents appeared as if by magic. He never voiced his disbelief again.
That's it from me this week, folks. Thank you to all those who came to visit and left me such lovely comments. I really appreciated them all, and I think I did manage to get back to you all. While I disappear now to do some more Christmas stuff (did the cake yesterday), I am sure you would all enjoy the goodies on show on all the other desks on offer this week at Julia's place. I hope to get round as many as possible myself, so I will see you there.
