Monkey Socks – Finished Objects

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A., published on knitty.com winter 2006 issue
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet – 75 grams used
90% superwash merino wool / 10% nylon, 50 grams / 192 yds / skein
Needles: US0/2.0mm Knitpicks circular (47″ length)
Size: women’s 8.5-9
Started: December 31 2008
Finished: January 11 2009

The fact that I’ve knit 2 pairs of the same socks in such a short amount of time testifies to the fact that this is a GREAT pattern.  It is the right size, and it’s fun, and not boring to knit.

As for the yarn, Happy Feet is soft and pleasant to work with, and the subtle variegations allow the lace pattern to show through beautifully.  It is a 2-ply, and I didn’t have any problems with splitting.  I believe it will fuzz and pill relatively quickly, but I don’t really have a problem with that.  I am also pleased that this pattern, with such small needles, makes perfectly fitted socks for my feet, and since I used slightly less than 75 grams, and have ~26 or 27 grams left, I will be able to get another pair of socks out of the yarn if I buy 1 more ball, which will make the projects quite affordable.

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A., published on knitty.com winter 2006 issue
Yarn: Fibranatura Yummy – 100 grams used (284 yds)
100% superwash wool, 130 grams / 370 yards / skein
Needles: US 1/2.25mm Knitpicks circular (47″ length)
Size: women’s 8.5-9
Started: December 16 2008
Finished: January 21 2008

This pair were knit first, and I loved knitting them so much that I had to knit the second pair!  The yarn is lovely, plump and seems very hard-wearing and durable so far.  I’ve worn and washed them at least 5 times, and with use they become a little fuzzy, but still look and feel really good.  I love how the yarn is plumper than the average sock yarn, which I found more pleasant both during the knitting process, and as it creates a slightly heavier, dense sock.

 

Back to cyberreality

It has been a long time since I posted… but I’ve been knitting!  I also quit my job, and did a bike trip down the Oregon Coast… in winter… yeah, it’s been a hectic and tumultuous period in my life! 

Bandon, OR

Yachats, OR

Cape Foulweather

 

 

 

 

 

 

 But I’m loving my projects.  There are a couple christmas projects that I can’t unveil on this blog quite yet, but I have some socks I can show off;  first, Monkeys:

They are knit from fibranatura yummy yarn, a lovely skein that I bought in Seaside, Oregon, on Day 1 of my bike tour.  I thought since I was kicking my own ass biking in the winter, and I was on vacation, then I had to treat myself to yarn every time I biked past a yarn shop!!  Luckily, I passed a lot that were closed at the time I was there, so my stash fit in my paniers just fine!! 

Another single sock that has been knit, but is begging for its mate is a Jaywalker, which I knit from 2 skeins of hand-dyed garn sisu.  It was originally intended for either my mom or my mom-in-law, but I ended up doing hand-spun mittens for my mom, and a different pair of sock for my mom-in-law, so these may end up being mine?  I knit the 84 stitch version, which is a little bit big on me, unfortunately, but it’s pretty lovely anyways!  I knit it on US #0 needles, which are crazy tiny, and make a very dense fabric, which I hope will wear well.

 

I’ve also been making little tiny christmas stars to send out with christmas cards…. which…. I am ashamed to say… still haven’t been sent out…

But they will be. Soon.

So the last pair of socks which I have completed were the christmas socks I made for my mom-in-law, and they are knit from Cascade 220 superwash ‘quatro’, which is a fairly thin worsted wt. yarn.  22o yards = 100 grams, and I used exactly 50 grams for each sock, which was scary as I approached the end of the second sock.

After knitting the Jaywalker and the Monkeys, I was no longer intimidated by the top-down sock, in fact, I am now more comfortable knitting socks top-down, and I feel like I can do whatever I like with them now.  These were very simple, with a seeded rib pattern on cuff and top of foot, slip stitch across the heel flap, and st.st. sole.  As they were 45 sts at the cuff an 48 sts through the foot, they went quite a bit faster than fingering-wt. socks do, but they still took some time.

So I had a lovely holiday in Salinas, California, and soon my husband and I will be heading back north to Vancouver, hopefully allowing me lots of knitting time during the road trip!  Happy Holidays to all!