Hey, Toni...we're the opposite black sheep here. My dad had 11 brothers & sisters, mom had 6...so everyone one of THEM decided to have no more than 3 each. I only have 2 brothers. But hubby and I have 6, with #7 on the way. LOL Everyone thinks we're nuts. The first in our family since the grandparents to have more than 3 kids. Even grandma thinks we're kinda insane. But, we don't plan on stopping any time soon, so who knows? I'm only 31, hubby's 29. Lots of child-bearing years left for us. :D

I was given at birth a wood and wire-spring spider by an elderly woman who brought the ornament when she came to the USA from Germany around 1900. We used the ornament for over 50 years before it just fell apart from use. I found the following legend, made spiders from wires, tiny black seed and 2 large glass beads. These I gave to my children with the legend. Now, a few more years later, I am making the spiders for my grandchildren. The Spider in Your Christmas Tree Spiders seem to figure a great deal in legends. Perhaps it's not surprising then, that one of the most beautiful legends surrounding the Christmas story tells of a spider who saved the life of the infant Jesus. This very lovely children's tale tells how the Holy Family stumbled wearily into a dark, damp cave on their way to Egypt. It was a cold, freezing night - so cold that the ground was carpeted with a white hoar-frost. Tired as they were, Mary and Joseph busied themselves trying to make the cave as warm as they could for their new-born child. But it was all to no avail. It was impossible to light a fire as the wind blew mercilessly into the cave. Soon the baby began to cry and awoke a sleeping spider. The spider was moved when he saw Jesus and decided that somehow he must do something to help Mary and Joseph. So, patiently, he began to spin a web across the entrance of the cave to make a kind of curtain which would shield them from the searing wind. It was hard work and the spider was near to exhaustion when it was finished. He had only just completed his work however, when a detachment of Herod's soldiers approached the cave. Blood was on their swords and hate in their hearts. Their mission was to kill the infant Jesus. The spider trembled with fear as he heard them stop outside the cave and prepare to burst in and search it. He looked at the now sleeping Jesus and prayed with all his might for a miracle. He was not disappointed. The soldiers were just about to enter the cave when the captain noticed the slender web, covered with white hoar-frost, stretched across the entrance. He laughed hideously and cursed his men for their ignorance. "Can't you see the spider's web, you idiots?" he cried. "It's completely unbroken. There can't possibly be anyone in the cave, otherwise they would have certainly torn the web." And so the soldiers went on their way and the infant Jesus slept peacefully that night because the little spider had given up his night's sleep to spin his web. Any gift given to Jesus is never forgotten. And that, so they say, is why each year we cover our Christmas trees with tinsel: so that the shiny streamers will remind us of the unknown spider whose frost-covered web saved the life of the infant King.

evangeline_2008: I think I remember that being in one of my Cross Stitch & Country Crafts magazines. I sold the magazines not long ago on ebay so I'm not able to help you much more than this. I see there are some threads w/ CS&CC subject lines. Perhaps someone still has the issue. Good luck to you. The stocking was adorable.

When slipping stitches when you are on a knit row, you must slip the stitch as though you were going to knit it. On a purl row, slip as though you were going to purl. That keeps the loop from twisting. What does that mean? It means on a knit row you insert your needle from the bottom to the top. On a purl row, you insert your needle from the top to the bottom. You will see that turning the heel does reduce the amount of stitches on your needle and forms a cup shape. Once the heel cup has been completely formed and you have knit the length of the foot that you need, your instructions will tell you to pick up stitches along the heel flap, then pick up the stitches that are on hold. When that is done, you will be back to your original amount of stitches that were cast on. If you're working with DP needles, you will have to get your total amount of stitches distributed among 4 needles again. Then just follow the directions until the finish. It sounds more confusing than it actually is. Just go along step by step. Once you do it the first time, the next time will be a snap.