Cygnus Review
Nov 13
To evoke a traditional Christmas atmosphere, a classic Christmas stocking hand-made in seasonal colours is a must. Mette Handberg shares the secrets of her age-old craft with you so that you too can create glorious Christmas stockings in rich and striking Scandinavian style. Mette tells us that in Norwegian folklore, the Christmas elf was associated with the custom of hanging out the Christmas stocking and that he would fill it with elf-sized gifts. She has designed her 23 Christmas stockings to meet various levels of knitting skill. They are based on old Norwegian and Selbu designs such as 'endless rose', 'black cat' and 'folk-dance'. Some have tassels and pom-poms to give extra festive flair, but as Mette says, the important thing, whether fancy or plain, is that you should enjoy making them!
Knit Today
Nov 13
One of the classic icons of Christmas, the stocking is celebrated in this beautifully nostalgic book. Children and adults will find magic in the 22 traditional Scandinavian stockings, brought to life with written instructions and charts. There's also a complete alphabet so you can personalise your knits with names great if you're planning on making stockings for all the family. The bright festive colours and motifs will ensure that your stocking becomes a much-treasured family heirloom. Those who love the Scandi look will be pleased to hear that at the end of the book there are patterns for a hat, mittens and leg warmers.
Karen Platt Yarnsandfabrics.co.uk/crafts
Oct 13
Delight friends and family by knitting christmas stockings with a Scandinavian theme. This book makes a great gift for all knitters too. Traditional themed stockings always look lovely hung up at Christmas. The photographs are not top quality by any means but the patterns are great. I love them all. This book was originally published in Norway and uses a Norwegian yarn, so ensure you match the tension when substituting yarn. Mette has cleverly designed the stockings to be knit on a circular needle rather than 4 or 5 double pointed needles. There is a design for mittens, leg warmers and a little elf cap for anyone who has been extra specially good. The 22 stockings are wonderful problem is you might want to knit them all, I know I do. They do use charts, so you will need to be proficient in reading charts and in stranding yarn over the back of the work so this book is unlikely to suit beginners. Instructions are clear. Lovely book.
Knitter, The
Issue 65
Traditional Scandinavian designs are so appealing at Christmas time, and we love this collection of 22 festive stockings to decorate a hearth. Mette Handberg uses a range of stranded colourwork motifs on her designs, from reindeer and elves to hearts and flowers. Theres a charted alphabet to help you personalise your creations, plus patterns for legwarmers, a hat and mittens.
