To give you more of a feel for "Comfort & Joy", I'll be spending some time here on the blog to talk about each design a bit more. The first pattern in the book is "Tannenbaum", named so for the lovely tree that adorns the front.
"Tannenbaum" is knit quite simply. There's no colorwork involved, so it might just be the perfect stocking to try if you are a rather new knitter or still a little intimidated by the thought of dealing with different colors at the same time (but we'll get you there eventually!). Besides this, all the stockings in the book incorporate a band heel. This lesser known heel lends perfectly to the look and shape of a Christmas stocking, while steering clear of complicated shaping and is totally gusset free!
As the "plain vanilla" stocking of the collection, "Tannenbaum" was the first stocking I knit. To be quite honest, I knit it more than once :-(
...but I was trying to achieve (what I thought) was the ideal stocking shape. When I did complete my prototype, the rest of the stockings were designed based on this pattern/shaping.
My goal was to create a true collection, stockings with enough variety to be different, and enough cohesiveness to adorn the same mantle every holiday season.
Although "Tannenbaum" is usually spotted with a tree, it's true beauty lies in the fact that it is completely customizable. In the back of "Comfort & Joy", you will find bonus motif options, along with blank graph paper for you to come up with your own design. After the knitting is completed, the motif is added using a technique called duplicate stitch. Think of it as cross stitching on your knits- the possibilities are endless!
