Sock Endurance Monday: Monkeys

on the needles 

fresh off the needles

Monkey by Cookie A is the rock star of sock patterns. Most internet-savvy sock knitters (and about 99% of Sock Knitters, note the caps, on Ravelry) seem to have made this pattern.

My Monkeys were my second-ever pair of socks. I knit them out of a yarn I bought by name, Robot Overlord out of Lorna's Laces.
That was in August of 2011.

a year and a half later

They were my favourite pair even as others came along. The yarn is strong and sturdy and holds up to anything you throw at it.
By now, the socks are felted over, and they fit me like a glove. The sole is thinning out, and I fear they are not long for this world.
I could darn them, but I think I'll let them pass on in dignity.

Plus, I've just finished another pair of Monkeys! This is the only pattern I've repeated so far.

old and new

This time, the Monkeys were made out of Another Crafty Girl's Strong Sock in the dyed-for-me-first Pokemon colourway Chimchar. I'm sure these will be just as well loved as my first pair was.

Have you knit Monkeys yet?

Norwegian Rose saga

They're done! The Norwegian Rose socks that took forever are done!
Remind me never to attempt an 800-yard colorwork sock project in a month again.

They're glorious and a pain to get on, but once they're on, they're warm and cushy.
I'll have to redo the ribbing though. Size 0 after size 0 colorwork made it too sloppy for my liking.

The knitting itself was reasonably straight forward, all things considered.
Wendy Johnson is known for her great toe-up sock instructions, so following them was easy as sock knitting can be.
The charts were great and clear.
I'd heard the heel was a bit of an issue for some, so I changed mine to the heel I did for my Bob & Weave socks, and that worked out excellently.

To get all the yardage into the sock, I extended it by one repeat vertically and one horizontally, meaning I did some calf shaping. And good thing, too!

I love how they came out.
They're the perfect height to fit in snowboarding boots, and I intend to try them for this very purpose.
Let's see how the fabled Solemate stands up to some hardcore shredding, eh?

Speaking of Solemate.
The colorway, Bigger on the Inside, I got looked dark in the skein. I was a little sad about that, because it meant the contrast wasn't quite what I envisioned.
Then it got worse.
When I soaked the finished socks, the dark blue dye bled. A lot.
As in, even after a vinegar bath and dye fixing and many, many rinses, there was still dye coming off.
My pretty brown variegated? Blue tinted.
Sad face.

I know this can happen. I dye yarn. No one deliberately ruins your colorwork. If I had thought about this, I would have pre-washed the skein just to be sure. It's dark blue. Dark blues and reds bleed.
But this felt a bit excessive.
So I let Lorna's Laces know that I had a problem. I wasn't trolling, or trying to be rude. Just feedback.
They got back to me within a day. They were apologetic, they were nice, and they offered me a skein of yarn as a gesture of goodwill.
How nice of them! But I'm in Australia, and I know international shipping is a pain. I gave them my address anyway. Their response? "A happy customer is NEVER a problem". Don't you just love that?

Mistakes happen. Things don't always come out perfectly. it's what you do afterwards that really counts.
And Lorna's Laces' response? Perfect.
You know I already love their yarn. But now I also love the company behind the yarn.
Fantastic.

Climate Ninja

 I've made a ninja mask before. It stood me in excellent stead while in Japan. So I wanted another one.
I had a skein of Lorna's Laces Solemate, which is made from wool and magical climate-controlling Everlast in a cheery pink/purple that would go great with my snowboard.
Yes, these things are important. Shouldn't they be?

This one knit up much more quickly, although I conveniently forgot that I had issues with the last one.
i had the same issues again. Doesn't matter.
The finished result is great and worked well on the slopes.
Something I forgot though: The original mask got a lot of its warmth from the fact that the wool felted across my face.
Solemate doesn't felt as easily, making it a bit breezier.
Which means I now have a less-cold-weather mask. Excellent.

Bamboo Robot Mitts

 Lorna's Laces in the amazingly named Robot Overlord was the first nice yarn I ever bought.
You know, the kind that comes from an LYS, not a general craft store. one that's expensive. one that is gorgeous.
What I didn't realize is that this yarn is also magical.
Not only did I knit a single skein up into beautiful Monkey socks that still look fabulous and the leftovers into several hexipuffs for the neverending blanket, I also made a little bird.
And I still had leftovers!
Enough leftovers, in fact, that together with one of my favourite Lorna's laces mini-skeins, they made a pair of fingerless mitts. Not short mitts, either. These are decent, halfway-up-the-arm mitts knit in bamboo stitch to show off the colors swirling.
The mitts were a quick, easy knit, especially since I left the thumb gusset out so I could wear these as wristers.
Wristers are a knitter's best friend. Also a writer's must-have. Or really for anyone else that works with their hands and needs to keep their wrists protected.
Covering your wrists in winter prevents your fingers from feeling stiff and your wrist joints from becoming achy.
if your wrists are already sore, putting some tiger balm or other cooling cream on, then putting cuffs over the top can be quite a relief.
And if you work in a chilly office, wristers are obviously a must-have, too.
So yay for wristers, yay for infinite yarn, and yay for fabulously named skeins of yarn addiction entry wool.

December Daily Hexipuff - Finale

One bag of yarn, 24 mini balls of brightly colored happiness, knit up into 24 hexipuffs, soon to be joined to what will one day be hundreds of others. Did I say hundreds? Agh!

It's been interesting, focusing on each puff individually, giving it some much-warranted close-up attention.

This way, they're not little bite-sized morsels, the knitting equivalent of a quick snack. They become memories.

And what colorful memories they are!

Who's my favorite? I don't know. I certainly loved some more than others, but they were all some shade of fabulous!

It just goes to show. in yarn, as in life, variety is the key.

Now. What yarn will I knit up next?

December Daily Hexipuff - 24

Side A

The final puff for puff-a-day in December. Can you believe it? Elegant purple Emperor's Palace sure can. This is a rich color blend that reminds me of silks and saris and hot summer sunsets.
I especially love the hints of yellow throughout the rich pinks and purples.
I would make long gloves out of this yarn, or special socks, but I could also see this as a shrug or shawlette. These colors would suit a variety of people.

For the hexi-quilt, side A is the clear winner. notice how the yellow adds all that interest that's missing from the purple-heavy side B?

Side B

December Daily Hexipuff - 23

Side A

We're almost at the end, and Meiji Shrine is determined to stand out with spring-like happy yellow and bright blue.
The Sweden of yarns, this color can't help but cheer you up. Daffodils, spring skies and happy ready-to-assemble furniture with funny names are all captured in this colorway.
I adore it.
I want knee-high socks out of this yarn, to wear with a flowy skirt while I ride my bike to the market.
I want a close-fitting beanie that gets me noticed on even the foggiest grey days.

Side B

I want to strand this color for mittens. I want a whole cardigan...
Yeah. Color love overload.

But for now, for the hexi-quilt, side B wins by a tiny margin.
More, please!

December Daily Hexipuff - 22

Side A

Side B

Warm, earthy and traditional, Ryogoku is all browns with a hint of green, like late-fall leaf litter. Not the disgusting, mouldy kind, but the pretty, shiny kind that makes you think wonderful autumnal thoughts.
This is an understated, mature color that would look elegant paired with a knotty glove design, or a big, smooth shawl.
These are not really my colors, but I admire their elegance.

For the hexipuff quilt, I'm going with side B. I like the way the purples waft over from left to right.

December Daily Hexipuff - 21

Side A

Side B

Another blue blend, Nihonbashi adds lavender for a very different, elegant feel.
The way it knit up, it reminds me of the sky at sunrise, when color floods back into the world. It's a beautiful, understated color, and I'd love a snug beanie out of it, or some cheery socks with a simple, flowing pattern to highlight the colors.
I want to stripe all the different blues together to create... something. Gloves? A shawlette? What would you do?

For the hexipuff quilt, side B wins, although I like side A better on an individual level.

December Daily Hexipuff - 20

Side B

Side A

The softest green and dusty rose pinks blend together in Yoyogi.
I wasn't sure from the ball that I was going to like this knitted up, but I love it!
The different shades and hues of pink are accented by the pale eucalypt green to create a romantic, flowing color.
I'd love a skein of this for socks or very long gloves with complicated lace.
This would also be excellent in an open, airy shawl, or something dense that shows off the colors on a grand scale.

For the hexi-quilt, side B wins for me, although both sides are pretty much identical.

December Daily Hexipuff - 19

Side A

The future is now in Odaiba. Green, blue, pink and green compete for attention in the ball. This yarn is bright, bright, BRIGHT! And I love it. how could you not be cheered by the prospect of some plain or lightly textured gloves or socks in this yarn? I'm envisioning bike riding gloves especially. Full of cheer and wonderfulness!
This would also make the perfect color for fair isle-ing or other colorwork. It'll make you look so much smarter!
And we all know I love looking smarter than I am...

Side B

I also adore how different the two sides came out. For the hexi-quilt, I choose side B. But honestly, I'm going to squeeze more puffs out of this ball to get more interesting variations, for sure!

December Daily Hexipuff - 18

Side B

Side A

Warm autumnals blend together here in Sugamo. With warm peach and apricot yellow, muted by a warm grey, this is a color that is sure to stand out when knit up. I think pooling would actually be desirable in this color, reminiscent of cloudy sunsets.
I could see this knit up into a hat, or something relying on garter stitch to break up and blend the colors. A shawl would be lovely if these are your colors. This is also an excellent color for socks.
For some reason, this color makes me think of toys, especially monsters. Maybe it's the old-skool sweater colors that do it.

For the hexipuff blanket, side B wins for me. I like the salmon next to the grey more so than the yellow.

December Daily Hexipuff - 17

Two soft shades of blue set the tone for Minakami. Another one in the low-contrast series, this is a great color for pretty much anything.
I'd love a skein of this for socks. I think the lightness and low ontrast would show off a complex lace pattern nicely.
It would also be lovely as a skinny summer scarf, or airy wristers.

For the hexipuff blanket, I don't actually have a side preference at all. they both look pretty identical to me.
That's not a bad thing at all, miind you. It just means the colors flowed evenly for me with this one.

December Daily Hexipuff - 16

Ginza for gold is the motto of this little puff. Gold and muted tealy blue blend together in a harmonious but interesting puff.

I loved these colors in the ball, and I enjoyed them knitted up, too.

I'd absolutely love a skein of this. i think it would make a very elegant shawl or a classy beret.

Or if you want your socks colorful but not too jarring, this would look great knitted up into socks to go with jeans or a blue-toned professional attire.

For the hexipuff quilt, I'm going with side B. I love how the gold and grey makes it look a little like a sunrise.

December Daily Hexipuff - 15

Side B

Side A

Happy green day, Todoroki Valley! Another low-contrast yarn, the greens and yellows blend together to give a deep, layered, calm effect. Green is a true neutral (just look around nature!), so I'd love a skein of this for pretty much anything, from a leafy tam to a shawlette to happy socks, or layered into some colorwork.

For the hexi-quilt, I'm giving love to side B, which is slightly more yellow in overall appearance. But I'm definitely knitting another puff to add the bluer side to it as well.

December Daily Hexipuff - 14

Meet Shinjuku. Another firm favorite for me, I love the vintage feel of pastel pink, baby blue and soft yellow, brightened up by chocolate brown. The dark color really brings out the lights and gives the overall color interest.

Side A

Side B

I so want a skein of this for some interesting socks or mitts. I can also see this working most excellently as a hat. Must. Have. Yarn.

The hexipuff upside will be side B. I just adore the chocolate brown swirled through it like this...

December Daily Hexipuff - 13

Past the half-way mark, meet Tsukiji, a blend of bright blues, salmon pink and fresh blood red. I loved how it blended in the ball, but knitted up, i'm not as convinced. I do love how different the two sides are though.

The pink is a difficult color for me, but I could see this knit up in some very cheery socks, or combined with something more muted for a very interesting colorwork hat or mittens. Part of me wants to knit this up some more to see what else it could become.

Side A

Side B

For the hexi-quilt, I'm going with side A, mainly because the red and pink together makes me think of a stab wound. not what I was going for, stabbed puff...

December Daily Hexipuff - 12

Side B

Side A

Does this remind you of Puff 1, Roppongi Hills? Me, too. The difference is subtle, but there. The pink is a little more orange, and the orange a little more pink, making this yarn a little lower in contrast. Tokyo Midtown takes all the good sides from Roppongi hills and makes them softer and more sophisticated. Probably perfect for interesting socks or gloves where you want the stitches to show off a pattern, this would also make a great statement cowl to keep out the winter blues.

For the hexiblanket, I'm going with side B, because the pooling is interesting in this low-contrast variation.

December Daily Hexipuff - 11

Side A

Hot, hot hot! We're burning it up today with Ameyoko. Bright reds and oranges are barely muted with a greyish lavender. It's hot and bright and cheery and I want a skein of this for bike riding gloves or a hat for the greyest autumn days. Something thick and cably and slouchy would be perfect in this yarn.
Or the kind of socks that make you want to pull up your pants legs in front of perfect strangers.

Side B

For the hexipuff blanket, side A wins for even color spread.

December Daily Hexipuff - 10

Side A

 We're enjoying the colors of the ocean with Hakone. Low contrast blues and greens and purple blend together to create a lovely, deep effect.
The effect of the yarn reminds me of deepest summer, so I would love to knit it up into a big, lacy shawl or a summery slouchy hat with all-over lace. Seaweed lace, perhaps?

For the hexipuff quilt, side A wins, but only by a tiny margin.

Side B