Monkey Off My Back

The latest marathon purse project is done! The monkey socks have graduated from my purse to my feet!

Pattern: Monkey Socks by Cookie A.

Yarn: S. R. Kertzer On Your Toes Bamboo in "Iris Multi"

Needle: US size 2

Thoughts: I started this sock on July 19, and despite some pretty faithful lunch time knitting sessions, it took me until the end of October to finish. This is the most popular sock pattern on Ravelry. Apparently it has been knit 10,396 times by Ravelry members!! Those are some pretty amazing stats but it's easy to see why people knit them so much. They look complicated, but they aren't. This is a relatively easy and enjoyable knit and the perfect break "just interesting enough" pattern that is good to give the brain a break. If you haven't knit these, what are you waiting for!? (*cough* ANNE *cough*) ;-)

I'm going to be honest, the Monkey pattern is a great knit, quite frankly, this particular yarn and it's pooling are leaving me somewhat underwhelmed. I had to shorten the leg repeats by one just to have enough yarn to finish the project. (I do suspect that I may have had enough to knit the additional repeats, but my heart couldn't take the pressure.) To celebrate the end of the monkey sock- I cast on a new project right away.

I love Cookie A sock patterns so much- I'm knitting another one. Meet Marlene!

I started Marlene last Thursday. She looked like this:

I am so enchanted by Marlene that by this Wednesday she looks like this: (color is more accurately represented in the above photo.)

This is SUCH A GREAT PATTERN! It's just fun to knit and it really makes a yarn pop! I'm just chomping at the bit to sneak in a few rows here or there. It's the perfect purse project. (I also see to be going through a "purple period" at the moment... please bear with me!)

All this new and exciting sock progress has you worried doesn't it? Well fear not- I have not abandoned Beef.

Look what's off the needles and blocking! I blocked this blanket meticulously. I measured each "beef circle" so that they'd all be the same. I measured border. I measured everything. I used 90 zillion pins. But it's so satisfying knowing I can't do anything on it while it's wet!

And tonight? I'm facing my old foe "crochet" and we will battle to the death until one of us comes out triumphantly. (Read: I'm crocheting a picot border onto the blanket.) Notice all those who are in my vicinity- I may be uttering words my mother didn't teach me this evening while I attempt to vanquish the crochet beast.

I'm so close to finishing this blanket, I can practically taste it!!