Santa's Sock Central

I'm proud to announce I am now: 

I changed my shop name from Gigi82knits to SantasSockCentral on Etsy. Many considerations went into this name. I wanted something with "sock" or "stockings" in the shop name, I wanted something catchy, something unique and something that reflects what I'm doing in my Etsy shop. There were other choices of names (any competitors reading this looking for inspiration? Send me a private message and I'll give you a few good names). I would have gone for Sock Central only, but someone is using that user name in one of the social media platforms. So now I'm Gigi @ Santa's Sock Central, isn't that cool! 

 

 Find me on Etsy: Santa's Sock Central
 

Christmas Stockings of 2014

These are some of the Christmas stockings I have knitted in the last 6 months for the early shoppers:

Set of 4 Christmas Stockings, 4 colours each. 

Same colours Christmas Stockings, different main patterns

Christmas stockings without names, two colours per stocking.

Brown instead of Black for the red stocking, makes them feel warmer.

Set of 4 Christmas stockings, 3 colours per stocking

Pure Wool (Donegal Tweed) Christmas stockings

Pure Wool stockings, set of 2

Now taking orders for Christmas 2014 in my Etsy shop: Gigi82Knits
Patterns available in my Etsy shop or on Ravelry: Gigi82

WIPs: Works in Progress

I most enjoy sock knitting at the moment. Actual socks to wear more than Christmas stockings. So I have 4 different socks on the needles at the moment, as well as Christmas stockings. 

In the top left hand corner I have a pair of "Frankensocks", that's going to be a pair of socks that will look like two different socks have been stitched together (unnaturally). There's a very obvious seem indicated by a fair isle. I'm sure they'll look great, but they're turning out very small. Next time I'll use bigger needles.

Then there's the Christmas stocking in the middle, very nice colours. It's going to be a set of 4. 

The purple sock has a easy knit and purl pattern, it's 6ply yarn and I'm only knitting with 12 stitches per needle. 

Next to it is a vanilla sock, no special pattern, for when I don't want to concentrate.

And at the bottom is possibly my next masterpiece. A whale/ shark pair of socks. The top part is knitted in double knitting, then there's a wavy pattern with contrasting blues. The cast on was extremely! awkward, but it was all easier after it and well worth the trouble. I'm hoping to get the pattern written as I knit the second sock. Then I'm going to model the socks for photographs which is always fun and I get to keep them for myself... 

When a sock is finished and yarn is left - sock yarn leftover projects

I have lots of yarn. This is one box of sock yarn, but there are more boxes (1 for cotton, and 2 smaller ones for 6ply and 4ply):

Mostly I make all kinds of socks out of the sock yarn. 

There is a good bit left over when a pair of socks is finished (using 100g sock yarn), so I might make socks that need 2 or 3 different colours.

I still have lots leftovers from the various socks I have knitted. 

So there will be some monster socks, anything-goes-socks, that might only have the same colour in heel and toe. 

And after this, the yarn that is leftover will have become less again, and it goes into a jar. This is pretty enough in itself and would work for me as a home decoration. 

I'm making a sock yarn blanket out of the tiniest little bits. It's just knit stitches, and the yarn is held double. This is a long-term project, I've been doing it for about 3 years (though I haven't done anything for about 2.5 years, but I'm back motivated again to continue).

Sock yarn is great! I can justify buying lots because it will get used up eventually ;) I've been watching the World Cup in the last few weeks and needed something easy to knit without paying attention. 

Check out my socks for sale and knitting patterns in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Gigi82Knits

Small Christmas stockings for 2014

This is incredibly early for most people, but I've been at it for weeks:

Hoping to all the same patterns in all the different colours:

It's going to take awhile, but it's lots of fun and they're quick to do (about 4 hours each). Check out my Etsy Shop where I'll be listing them over the next few months. 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! It's sad that the busy Etsy Christmas time is over, but I'm looking forward to doing some other projects in the new year. Meanwhile I've been knitting a few more stockings for next year while staying with my parents for the holidays. The background is great, I wish I had nice outside background in Dublin. There's no snow, but the frosty ground and the wind still air are also great for the photos:

Snowflake knitted stocking

Dog knitted stocking

Snowmen knitted stocking

 Next will be a cat stocking and I'll probably be out of turquoise. But 4 is a good number. 

Then I had some time and made a video of me knitting:

The stockings will be for sale in my Etsy shop next year: Gigi82Knits

Angel Stocking

I finished these stockings recently:

The angel motif is new, it's quite big, but I like it. I'm going to knit it on a 2 colour stocking soon, red or blue with white. 

I'm going to publish my pattern soon, it's my plan for the next few weeks. It's  a lot of work, though. Lots of writing and re-writing and photographing and oh no, forgot a needle, have to photograph again... 

There will be just 2 more stockings shipped this year and that's it then. 

I might do a best-of 2013 stockings post or video, I think that would be fun. There were lots of stockings this year. I actually know exactly how many, I keep a spreadsheet ;) 

Happy Holidays

Now taking orders for 2014