By the chimney with care
For Robin Kruk of Cranberry Township, the value of Christmas begins with 4 cents.
When divided among the toes of their stockings, the pennies hold special meaning for Kruk and her family of four.
"My mother came from New Zealand, also during the war," Kruk said.
"There was never money for buying gifts under the tree back then, so the stocking became the big thing."
"The first thing that goes in is a penny, shiny and new — so that you would never be broke in the new year," she explained.
"Remember also the saying, 'Find a penny, pick it up, and all the day you'll have good luck.'"
Pieced together from recycled scraps, Kruk's childhood stockings measured about a foot wide and 2 feet long: better to hold the medley of items she continues including today.
Tangerines, once a luxury, helped avert the threat of scurvy. And books were a special indulgence.
"The printing press in war times was not printing much literature, and books were hard come by, and a real treat it was to have your own," Kruk said.
With the list including slippers, pajamas and candy, Kruk fills her own family's stockings with items she always received as a child.
Also continuing her mother's tradition, Kruk has used fabric scraps to assemble many of the oversized stockings, gifting them to family and friends. Having worked as a quilting instructor, Kruk also has made a variety of tree skirts.
"I have tree skirts all over the world — probably about 50," she noted. "My husband is one of 10 (children), and each of the brothers and sisters have a tree skirt for their family."
Teri Grendzinski of Ross Township also holds dear her childhood stocking, crocheted by a landlady whose name she forgot."It's amazing how much stuff fits in that," said Grendzinski, pointing to the well-worn heirloom made of bright, green yarn with her name stitched on in white felt letters."It's still my stocking," said Grendzinski, 37."Up until a year or so ago, my mom would still fill it."With no children of her own, Grendzinski decided to make sure her brother's children would be blessed with a similar personal touch."As a kid Ijust felt sad when I went to other peoples' houses and they had store-bought stockings," she said.Also using her skills as a quilter, Grendzinski made stockings for Willow, soon to turn 3; and Gavin, 16 months; who live with their parents Tim and Annette Danehy in Clinton Township.Using geometric Christmas tree fabric, the crafty aunt personalized each stocking by adding a brightly colored heel and toe. With beaded trim dangling from the oversized cuffs, Grendzinski also added felt appliques: a green willow tree for Willow and a white hawk for Gavin to indicate his name in Welsh.Received as a gift last year, this Christmas will mark the first that the showy stockings are filled.Across the county in Valencia, another batch of special stockings will make their debut this year.Bob Martin, pastor of Valencia United Methodist Church, is busily crocheting the special gifts for children in his parish.Learning to crochet as a child while keeping watch over his fragile grandmother, the Harley-riding minister recently began teaching the craft at church for a potential prayer shawl ministry."So many times people see the pastor as being not a real person," said Martin, 48, a former construction worker."So this is a real good way to connect and share something in common. It makes it a lot easier to share faith."After a recent knee replacement surgery, Martin often can be found toting a bag of yarn and partially assembled projects."This little bag goes everywhere with me now," he said, showing the projects that have come in handy while standing in line and attending physical therapy appointments."It takes six to seven hours to completely do one," explained Martin, showing how he assembles each stocking by stitching together 17 discs.With changing numbers of youths attending the rural church and its youth group, Martin is creating 11 stockings for Christmas — enough to accommodate all who might attend the holiday service.Trying to personalize the stockings, Martin is crocheting the discs in various combinations of colors. To create a camouflage look, a batch of variegated yarn was used for a young man fond of hunting.The stockings will be filled with items that likely include books, trinkets and peppermint sticks.
Crocheting and quilting are just two ways to make a stocking. But customers who frequent the Knit One yarn shop in Mars have made them through knitting, needlepoint and felting.Knitted versions include a range of snowflake designs and a Steelers-themed stocking that owner Celeste Reed created for her husband.A longtime needlepoint enthusiast, Marilyn Watson of Adams Township created an intricate holiday scene by stitching with fine thread over a hand-painted holiday canvas.With the tiny-stitched scene complete, Watson then attached the stocking's needlepoint front to a red faux suede back, outlining the stocking's shape with tidy red piping.With 18 stitches to the inch, Watson said a magnifying glass is needed for the tedious work.Alternately, Jane Dunn of Valencia blended stitches to craft matching stockings for her family.Dunn created four felted stockings by knitting them out of wool yarn, then washing the end product in hot water. As boiled wool, the knitted stitches mat together to resemble a rugged fabric.Dunn decided on felted stockings because of durability."I can put heavy things in it and I don't have to worry about the stockings falling apart," she said."They're very unique because nobody has them in a department store or anywhere else."In expanding the stocking concept further, Margaret Cahill of Saxonburg has instead created Christmas buckets.Cahill used her sewing machine to make the buckets from heavy felt. The buckets measure about a square foot, she said.
"I'm very big on useful presents, and I'm also very big on stockings," said Cahill, 84."Because one year I decided (to give) one present for each person, and one of the recipients didn't like the gift. Now I just give a lot of little things."Each one individually wrapped, the stocking stuffers include only practical items like thumb tacks, lip balm, postage stamps and glue.Between her children and their families, Cahill fills 10 buckets, each containing close to 20 gifts."Our stockings of course were not up to this task, so I made the buckets," she said.As well as filling buckets for individuals, Cahill also gives a series of additional items to each family group.To amass the items, she and her daughter, Bonnie, watch for sales throughout the year, buying in quantities at discount stores as well as the supermarket."We just go up and down the aisles and we take 10 of this and 18 of that," she said."That's my Christmas."
