August in September

Loco Monkey Socks

As everyone knows I decided to decrease my sock yarn stash by setting up a Self Imposed Sock Club for 2012.  It really has been a good way to force me to knit from my rather large sock yarn stash rather than continually adding yarns to it...for the most part anyway.   Unfortunately my summer travels interrupted the process...significantly some would say.  After not missing a single deadline I missed both July and August while we were wandering throughout the West.  I did manage to get my August socks done a mere 5 days late...or maybe they were July's socks.  Who really knows (or cares) at this point.   I actually had  Magic Mirror on the needles for July, but kept having trouble with the pattern so it was abandoned and I started these.

The pattern name is certainly appropriate for our busy summer...some would have called it Loco (crazy).  Someone did call me loco for taking up 'so much room' with my knitting bag...it never left the car.  What?  Sad, but true...never touched my knitting bag except to shove it aside looking for camping gear.  My small project bag did make it out on a few occasions when I had time to sit and knit...usually when the other half was recovering from a strenuous hike and wanted a nap.

I need to somehow catch up and knit 2 pairs in a month's time...one can dream.


For the August sock I used a couple of skeins of yarn that I had from way back...Brown Sheep's Wildfoote.   According to my Ravelry page it was put in my online stash September 2007 so to celebrate 5 years of marinating in the stash it has been turned into a pair of socks.   The pattern is one I have knit before, but the end result always turned out slightly bigger than desired.  This pair fits nicely.  I don't know if it's the technique versus I am a better knitter.  Either way I like these much better than my original pair of Monkey's.

Details
Pattern:  Los Monos Locos/The Crazy Monkeys by Jennifer O'Sullivan (and Cookie A)

Yarn:  Brown Sheep's Wildfoote in the colorway Mums; 75% Washable Wool, 25% Nylon; 215 yards per 50 gram skein; 2 skeins used, but I had 14 grams and 15 grams leftover from the skeins.

Needles:  2 US 1.5 mm 24" circulars

Gauge:  36 stitches and 44 rows over 4 inches of stockinette

Modifications:   I once again knit a fleegle heel and bound off using the Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind off.  Both techniques are my current favorites for heels and sock bind offs.  These monkey socks do not have any purl stitches and were knit toe up.  It was really a nice way to knit Cookie A's pattern.  I could monitor the amount of yarn used and check the fit as I went.  Maybe that is what helped the socks fit so much better than my original Monkeys.

Still not sure which pattern to do for September...hopefully I'll settle on it tonight and cast on.  Better get cracking!