Holly-day Inn

Design Inspirations
UK Freeformers Christmas Stocking Challenge
Jean Greenhowe for her attention to detail.
Jan Messent for her Stalactite cave box. I created a garden in a box when I was working on my degree show(1982) and I can still see all the textures and shapes.
My photos of Moseley Bog, the inspiration for Tolkien’s Lord of the Ring.

I have never in 40 years of knitting made a sock and I am proud to say this because knitting something so basic just didn’t interest me. When this challenge was announced I was interested because I wondered if it was possible to create a non- traditional Christmas stocking.
I started with some rough sketches, a sort of brainstorm of shapes and textures. I always like to put my ideas down in a very fluid style to see how they can be developed. My initial ideas led me to a woodland scene and because I love knitting cables a fabric based on tree bark seemed to be the way to start.

My main stocking shape was formed by knitting a strip, which combined cables with short rows. Crochet stitches took over to further the “stocking” idea, because I am much better at shaping using double crochet stitches than knitted stitches. I worked directly onto my knitted strip rather than making bits to add on to create my shaped fabric. The aran yarn I used for this was the sort of really rough acrylic that would make a nasty pair of gloves but it was perfect for tree bark. In contrast to this I did want a smooth top , so I knitted a facing, in the round to tuck in over the edge. This was a much nicer yarn (DK, acrylic with wool) and yes it would make a nice pair of gloves.

Once the basic shape was established I wanted to create lots of little details which would make this project special. I have just finished knitting some Jean Greenhowe designs for presents and it was her attention to detail I strived to achieve. (The robin and mice were adapted from her patterns.)

I have written patterns for holly and ivy some years ago, so I dug these out and created a new leaf design roughly based on an acer leaf. I had to block these leaves to prevent the curling and used embroidery thread with a 1.75mm hook to create a sharp finished edge. I found some nice mushrooms in a plant book and had to have several goes to get the right scale.

I put an Azera coffee tin inside my stocking so it could be used to hold a Christmas flower arrangement.

My final touch was the micro lights from Wilko. Some people may think attention to detail equals fussiness but I would prefer to think of it as raising standards and achieving a quality finish. I didn’t like the copper wire of the lights, so I wrapped it with brown yarn.