Upside Down Monkeys

If you are any sort of online obsessed Knitter (like me) then you are well aware of the obsession of the Monkeys. Any non-Knitter or Muggle (as we playfully call you) is going, huh? eh? Monkeys?? It's okay, but what is most interesting is how many are out there. Ravelry has a number of 4,099 monkeys...I know there are way more then that since not everyone is on Raverly yet and the pattern dates back to Winter '06.

At first sight I shrugged the pattern off. Then when everyone was knitting monkeys, I was all "Oh, please...it's not THAT cool" ... that was until I finished the Serendipity socks. The pattern and yarn just went so well together...



So far so good. My little Monkeys are growing nicely. The colors remind me of when you squint at a light Christmas tree...green with blurry colors setting it all off. The pattern is very simple and I bet I'll have it memorized by the time I'm to the leg. I cast-on this past Sunday...so I think I'm getting faster. Certainly wont be done in 8 days...or will I?

How Do I Deal?

I try to create interesting photos of my finished objects. I try to take an unique approach to the subject matter. I could just plop the thing on my obnoxious bedspread and be done with it. I'm not going to say I'm super cool about it, but lets just say I at least put thought into it.

Do you even have a clue as to what I have to go through in order to get the right shot? This is in no way ranting or bashing anyone... While deleting some unused photos from my camera I noticed a trend. Here is some samples of why it's so hard to be me.







Maybe it's not sooooo hard, but...yeah, do you see how I have to deal with such cute camera monsters?

What's Next?

After finishing with all these quick projects I went back to my old reliable knit. Fulmar. Accomplishing 12 rows of the pattern this weekend I then saw this...



A miss-cable. The cable is not suppose to lean in that direction. It should go under not over...an apparently I thought this was a cleaver design feature because I repeated that mistake on the same row towards the left (not shown). sigh. I've been tossing around the idea...do I ladder down? or do this. This link brings you to a tutorial on cutting...yes, cutting the cable to realign the cables in their proper position. I don't know if I have the cojones to preform that one.

We are tossing the project into the closet and thus moving on to something more rewarding....a new project or two or even three...

Socks are usually the old standby. Off to the stash bins I go.



Found some great sock yarn... Gypsy Girl in the Holly colorway. The next shipment of the Rockin Sock Club yarn wont be in my hands till March, so we'll see if I can get another pair off the needles before then.

I then got to thinking that I really should swatch for several projects to just get the ball rolling. This then lead to me swifting up some yummy yarn cakes...



Nature Cotton has a different hand to it. Its got a thick-thin quality that produces a unique texture. I'm not completely sold on this for the Fitted Knits V-neck Sweater, but like the yarn very much.

While pulling out the bins I spied the Malabrigo... oh yeah baby... How Wicked!!



The depth of this burning orange is stunning. Pulled out the Wicked pattern and got to swatching. Loved it so much that I cast-on as soon as I hit gauge.



Don't you love having options? Now I really need to sit down and think about this cable... What is the worst that could happen? reknit it right? I think I see surgery in my future.

FO: Calorimetry

Pattern: Calorimetry

Yarn: 1 skein Mission Falls 1824 Wool (85 yards)

Needles: US 8

Start Date: Morning of February 21, 2007

End Date: Evening of February 21, 2007

Comments: Okay seriously... a one day project. I just need buttons. I know the pattern only calls for one, but the end piece is really stretchy and needs a little more support.



My buddy Tangled from SnB told me to swatch. Hers come out loose too, so I did. I did stockinette and in rib....I was getting gauge, but the end fabric was really, really stretchy. I only cast on 112 stitches instead of the 120 recommended. That put the piece 2 inches shorter. If I was to do over I would use a smaller needle. I do like that the pattern is very open to scale. You don't have to go as directed to achieve a great knit.

FO: Serendipity Dragon Socks

Pattern: Serendipity (only available for Rockin Sock Club member)

Yarn: 1 skein of Socks That Rock - Dragon Dance Colorway (not available until 2009)

Needles: US 1 circ's

Start Date: February 12, 2007

End Date: February 20, 2007

Comments: Did you even notice... eight. eight days...seriously? in eight days I finished these socks. wow.

This project was full of a "firsts" for me. My first sock club yarn and pattern. My first time knitting cuff down on two circ's. My first mix of variegated yarn and lace pattern. I have to say...I like it. The only thing that I'm not quite sure about is the star toe. The pattern calls for K2's every so often and it ends up creating a spiral toe. This also means it tends to twist on the toes during wear. hum. I'll wear them for a day or two to really judge.

There are tons of really bad photos showing examples of this variegated yarn and lace blend, but I have to say this combo really opened my eye to more possibilities. I thrilled to have joined the club and now eagerly awaiting the next shipment in March.

Just look at my sock blockers in action...awesome!