Four tiny stockings ...

for four special children. I adapted this design from a chart in the Littlest Stocking series of Kooler Design Studio's LA book #3428, Christmas Ornaments (2003). It was charted to be stitched on plastic canvas, but I stitched this batch on 18 count Aida, tweaked the design a little and changed some of the floss colours, and I added the cuffs and the back, and made them into real little stockings. They are just over 2.5 cm (1") in width at the top, and just under 5cm (2") long.

I've lost count of the number of these stockings that I have stitched over the past 5 years or so. At a rough guess I would say 28 at least. These are my first for this year, and I doubt that I will stitch any more of these in 2011. But I already have two on my list for 2012, so I haven't finished with them yet!

Miss Maddie is doing fine, and getting away with some very naughty behaviour these days. I am just so happy to have her still, that I don't have the heart to discipline her. I'm going to have to pick up my act, I know - maybe next month! The vet was amazed at her improvement, and all but accused me of bringing along a healthy substitute dog for the visit (just joking - but she did ask twice if the medical record she had on the computer really belonged to Maddie). So, here's hoping the normal behaviour continues. All I have to do is feed her a low fat diet (which she is tolerating nicely) and keep her off the prednisone tablets she was on for her allergies, and withhold the cyclosporin eye drops for the time being. Not difficult tasks, for such a happy outcome!