Toe-up Monkeys

I've fallen victim to peer pressure and started my own Monkey socks. I've decided to use some of the yarns I got in London. Jitterbug is, however, notoriously short on yardage so I didn't want to make top down socks and risk running out of yarn. So I found a discussion thread about making toe-up Monkeys and found this pattern.


I started the toes on the 8th, finished the feet and gusset yesterday, and turned one heel this morning before leaving for work. I'll probably have the other turned during lunch today. This is quite possibly the fastest pair of socks I have ever made. Of course, now that I have said that, all work will probably grind to a halt.

I like working with the yarn but what everyone has said about Collinette Jitterbug is true. The yardage is short. There are knots in the yarn. There is a distinct possibility that you might get yarn from 2 different dyelots in one skein. This happens to be the case with the skein I bought. The sock on the right has a lot more dark pools and is more green. The one on the left is a lot more blue and has some really nice purple hints. I kind of wish both of them looked like the one on the left. The yarn is really squishy to work with but I don't think that will convince me to buy more. I'll use the other skein I picked up in England and have some nice souvenirs.

So I found a pattern a while ago for a bag made out of "yarn" from plastic shopping bags. I started the pattern but then let it hibernate for a while when I became bored with it. Then along came Ravelry and I found a pattern which was a lot more fun. I frogged the other bag and wrapped all of the plastic strips into a ball.


This thing is seriously huge. Larger than a basketball huge but it doesn't weigh a thing because it is all plastic bags. I rolled it toward the cat the other day and she ran away in fear of her life. The bag will probably be cast on after I get my 15 page paper written this week.

I've also been tempted by the dishcloth bug. Have you seen some of the fun patterns out there?! I was listening to the Knit Picks podcast the other day and she was talking about using a dishcloth to teach new knitters the basics. Her reasons made a lot of sense. A scarf takes FOREVER and by the time you are done, you are bored out of your mind with the project. A dishcloth on the other hand is much, much smaller and you can practice so many different techniques. I'll just have to wait though until the current shawl and socks are done.

I think the fall makes you think of starting all sorts of fun projects like the Lotus Blossom Tank, the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, Wicked, Green Gables . . . All of these seem to be sweater projects. Do we see a pattern?