Oh yeah, Trekking stripes

But I like the colors and it fits okay, so onward!



This pair I finished a few days ago. It's the Sunnyside Ellen in Sorbet in a basic 2x2 rib.

my cheeky monkey

My yarn came today, yay! I knocked off work at 4:30 and went to stand in line at the post office until the world ended, and immediately cast on with Rosalind (the brown/pink/blue/white in the upper right-hand corner) for my Monkey socks, denying all the way that this yarn was too thick (sport weight, even) for Monkeys. It was going to be great, it would be a Monkey in baby clothes. Pastel Monkey.



I didn't even finish the inch of twisted rib before I gave up. For I am stubborn and good at denial, but I'm lazy even more than I am stubborn, and no way was I going to waste more effort than I had to. (On 4 dpns, the ribbing was loose on my leg. Augh.)

So now I am casting about in desperation. I'll find a good pattern for sport weight stockinette socks for all the new sockyarn, yes, but (said through gritted teeth) I really want to make monkey socks.

Ashabee's is out. Clovenpine is out. I've asked for some Watermelon Tourmaline Silkie STR for my birthday, but that is still awhile away and as I've covered, patience is not my strong suit. I got some Lucy STR in lightweight, but I've stashed it deep because it's for a rainy day, a day far in the future when they've discontinued the colorway and I've got Important Financial Responsibilities (read: children*) and so can't spend money on sockyarn and I need a pick-me-up. (Also: Lucy Jaywalkers!)

Part of me wants to plunk down another $20-$30 for a skein of Fleece Artist Sea Wool (in Wildflowers, oooh) that will be specifically dedicated to Monkey socks and then if that does not work, just throw myself off a bridge. But that involves a) waiting (and I believe I've addressed that) and b) possibly throwing myself off a bridge. Over socks. So, Plan F:



Trekking XXL. For Monkey socks. Monkeys don't live in Trekking (like they do in Costa Rica), it's not pink and yellow, which is the color combination I'm currently obsessed with, it does not look like a monkey in babywear, but - and this is the important part - I have some right here.

Upon googling Trekking Monkey Sock, I have counted at least 5 people who are making Monkey socks and are making other socks out of Trekking, but no people who are making Monkey socks out of Trekking. Is this crazy? Is this the knitting equivalent of taking your cousin to the prom? Is Trekking that kid who you used to climb trees with and spy on the neighbors with, but who just isn't really prom material? Is Trekking meant only for stockinette?

At this point, if taking kin to the prom is wrong, I don't want to be right.

*far, faaar in the future, I said.

intractable monkeys

Fighting off my tiredness last night, I did the first repeat of my monkey socks. And I love love love how twisted rib looks in this yarn, where the dark pink meets up with the light pink. Love.



And I've heard over and over again how monkey is specially designed for variegated yarn - you think it'll pool, but it doesn't!

I was definitely optimistic - the internets don't lie about things like this - but yes, Ashabee's hand-dyed merino/tencel yarn in Sugar N Spice colorway does, in fact, flash when knit in the Monkey pattern.



D'oh.

I love the yarn, I love the pattern, but it looks as though I will be alternating weekends between their houses, because they cannot live together. So, I'll be trying out some other yarn in this pattern and trying to figure out what to do with the Ashabee's. Whatever happens, it will almost certainly involve twisted rib in some way.



This is some Patagonia Nature Cotton for a little design project - I've decided I need a little pouch. Something lined, to hold a wallet and phone and keys. Swatching begins now.

And finally, the socks on the needles:

I just want my monkeys

Today I was on the KnitPicks site, considering getting another pair of size 1 dpns (so slippery! so pointy!) so that I can knit both socks of a pair at once, not in the nifty one-inside-the-other kind of way, but in an alternating way, so that my gauge by the second toe is not entirely different from the first cuff, which seems to happen rather a lot.

On the site, I noticed two different size 1s, and raised my eyebrows at this system we have of labeling two different things the same thing. Seems kind of silly. And since I can't find the package my original 1s came in, and maybe had a needle-sizer a couple years ago but haven't really seen it since then, I closed the window and thought nothing else of it.

I have two sets of bamboo 1s, one of which is tainted by having been dropped on some very disgusting floors, one of which I just used to make the Hedera socks. Also, the tainted set I can't really find right now. I'd rather use the KnitPicks ones, but bamboo would work just fine.

So I figured I'd just use the size 1s that I can find and do them one at a time. I need to deny myself at least some knitting-related purchases because this has been getting a little crazy, and I'll just try to be conscious of my gauge.

When I got out the pattern, though, I saw that it called for size 2s, and hark! I just randomly bought some KnitPicks 2s to get over the $40 free shipping mark with all that baby blanket yarn. I got them out and figured I'd better check the mm measurement, because KnitPicks has two size twos, too.

And they're a full three-quarters mm bigger (3.0). No problem! I have a set of four (because I lost one) 2s from Brittany birch hardwood. Those are 2.75mm. But hey, that's okay because I also have a set of Crystal Palace Bamboo size 1 1/2s. Which... are 2.5 mm. Yay! Bamboo 1 1/2s it is for the Monkeys.

Looking at KnitPicks, it would appear that they call this a size 1. Anyway, all this blathering is to say: Down with the Needle Numbering System Below Size 4! I will do my part by listing with my socks from now on the size in mms. They already *have* numbers, their absolute measurements.

Who's with me?

Yarn in pottery

I finished my Hedera socks! And I took a picture of them with my 100% brand new camera phone! And probably I will never figure out how to get the pictures off of there, and so you can't see them, but it's okay, they were blurry anyway because I hadn't realized that there is a flash. Oh, and I gave them to my mom, which I why I don't just take a picture now with my camera.



Does this look good for some Monkey socks? Hell yes it does! The original plan for the Monkey socks was Sunshine Yarn (or Sunshine Handspun or something) in the Costa Rica colorway -- because monkeys live in Costa Rica (I still think this is genius, don't try to dissuade me) but then it went and sold out and I bought this stuff. It's merino/tencel, as I think I mentioned before, and I am ready to get this Monkey party started.

Make me frog you one more time and I'll make you both into socks, swear to God

After a fourth frogging, the Chevron Scarf is finally moving. YAY.

Also, I love a good heel flap: