Enter the Entrelac.

I have been working on these socks for a few days (Still trying to avoid the toe decreases on my moneky sock- icky). they are toe-up, which is a new one on me, and entrelac to boot. I am making them for a friend in a not so secret Harry Potter sock swap. Sshe was sorted into Ravenclaw and prefers the Grey and blue colours. This is what I have so far.

The "take-out" tubs are on sale at Micheals for $1 each and keeps the yarn from tangling too badly. It takes about 8-10 mins per square which is down from when I first started and it took 15 minutes. Also I love my new(ish) sockblockers!

Monkeys on the Bannister

Monkey's finally done! Out of sport weight Lime and Violet from Lisa Souza. I tried the toes two different ways and think I like dropping part of the pattern earlier. I have a second pair on the needles of left overs!

and..


My Fluted Banisters are done as well. The colorway is Shades of Teal knit out of Monarch Yarn. I adore this yarn, it is springy and highly twisted. It shows stitch definition extremely well. I have only tried the sport weight on 2,5-2,75mm needles where it is wonderful.


-Holly

On another topic

Does anyone have any ideas for june? Would you all like to stick around and do some more knitting together? We could have a WIP month? Lacy scarves? more socks...let me know what you are thinking!

Almost done

I am just about to start the toe decreases for my monkies. I am really enjoying this pattern and will surely knit it again, but probably one at a time because the 2 at a time is really taking a long time for ankle socks. I am having a lot of yarn tangling issues.

The yarn is Mama E's Ceyeberfibers in her celebration colourway. Usually i work with bright colours so I decided to try somthing different and really like the outcome.
I have sock blockers coming into the shop next week so I will take some blocked pictures when they are done, which I am hoping will be later tonight.
Hope you are all having an awesome weekend, I have made time to knit in the last few days and it is making the world of difference in my happiness level...YAY!

Oops! Still no Monkey

You see, I had really planned on starting Monkey's. But I remembered that I still had the pair to do for the 6 Sox KAL. And this Opal Herbstmelodie yarn wound.

They are pretty close to mindless knitting, and I was able, between catching a ride too and from the meeting, plus sitting and listening, able to whip these out in a couple of days.

And then I am sitting there, without my next yarn which was for Monkey with a couple of hours to do in the Conference. And 1/3 a ball of yarn left. My husband is going to get Monkey's in this color as well, since I have another hank of this yarn at home. But I really can't stand knitting the same yarn two times in a row. That means casting on in something else and putting these on hold till the other socks are done and my mind is back.

I hate time zone changes! But if you want to see a couple of pictures of Vancouver - I have put them here. Tomorrow I am going to get pictures of something other than the water, I promise.
-Holly

One down

One monkey sock came off the needles on Friday. I'm about 2 repeats into the second one, and I think they should be all done in a couple more days. The shorter length seems to have worked out well.

Can't wait to see everyone else's finished, such beautiful colors!

Monkey In the Middle

Hey everyone! Sorry I have been gone so long! I got out of blogging habit on my trip ;/

I have been working on my monkeys and progress has ground to a halt. I hate toe decreases. Dispise. Ick. I am willing to turn heels for anyone willing to do my toe decreases. No? Damn. I am using Zen Garden In-Sync (http://www.thesweetsheep.com/xcart/home.php?cat=56) I like it a lot! The short and fairly random verigations are really complimentary to the pattern, well I think so and woe betide anyone who says different. Woe.

For those of you who don't know I have set-up a huge sock jag for myself this summer. I have 3 pairs of Harry Potter socks to make (I want to make one in Entrelac kneehighs) and my monkey socks. To break up the sock monotony/momogomy I have my Anna kneehighs .... wait thats another sock .... well I need something not a sock...I know I'll wait until I decide to procrastinate on the monkey toe.

Um I seem to have fallen and accidently cast on and completed the leg of a jaywalker while picking myself back up. Dommit! (Yes, Virginia there is a SamSam, Ohbz was unavailable as he locked himself in the bathroom cupboard.) For the record this is the only pattern I haev found that I like with stripes socks. There are probably more out there, I just haven't found them yet.

At last, I can start Monkeying around

Yarn= STR Silky in colorway "Walking on the Wild Tide"
Pattern= variation on Knee High to a Grasshopper, the April Rocking Sock Club Pattern. The key change was knitting the back of the sock in 1x1 ribbing. It may not be as pretty as the mesh, but the socks are staying up after a couple of hours. All the yarn overs were done front to back, which made the p2tog a snap.
Knit on 2,5 Colonial Rosewood dps over 56 stitches.

So Now - Monkey! I have lots of yarn (thank you Michelle). Any one find anything that works better than others? Especially with all the handpaints, does a high contrast wipe out the pattern?

-Holly

Still no monkey

I have a sheep!

And a finished pair of socks.

and working on my sockapalooza


I am totally insane at the moment with that and the leg of the second STR Grasshopper on the needles. (rest can be found here
-Holly

Slow Monkey

My Monkey progress is slow. Working 2 socks at a time is really taking a while, but I am really enjoying the thought of them being exactly the same.
I might make them a bit of a shorter sock, simply for the sake of time...and I am working from one ball of yarn and the tangles are terrible.
The store has happily kept me busy so there has been a little less than enough time to knit.

Joining in!

Hey everyone, here's the beginnings of my Monkeys. This will be my second pair. It's 4 pattern repeats, and I think I'm going to start the heel now, and make them shorter socks to wear with Mary Jane shoes.

Everyone's socks look great!

~ aquaknits

Monkeys are done

I have had my monkeys done for almost 2 weeks now but I have not been able to get a good picture of them. I love them though. I did them in jitterbug Fire and I love how they turned out. As sloon as I can get a decent pic I will post one.

Only the shadow knows

And I am glad this pair is done.

These started out to be the April SOM from Chameleon Color Works . The official pattern was for the length wise sock, which was split for the heel which is how you get a different color sole. the heel is knit in as an after thought. It is pick up and knit around for both the top and the ribbing with picot bind off. I like it, it is comfortable, except for the heel. So I decided to be fraternal with the second sock. It was knit in the round from the top down. After the heel, the foot was knit in the round (except for the back and forth on every red row to maintain the color separation.) Think of intarsia in the round. Yarn was bamboo merino in the reds, and merino tencil in moss for the contrast. On little fiddly needles.

-Holly

Monkey!

Hey Ladies! I am back and here is the current state of my monkey.
Ok fine, this was the monkey in our cabin.
I currently have the cuffs done and am moving on to the first pattern repeat. I chose to use a fantastic skein of ceyeberfiber yarn that mama E dyed for her project spectrum club. I will post pictures of 2 cuffs tomorrow.

No More Monkeying Around...

Couldn't resist a bad pun :). So here they are, my finished "Monkeys". I loved, loved the Zen String Bambewe and can't wait to get more.

I normally don't pair a varigated yarn with lace, but there is a significant amount of stocking stitch in this pattern, so I think it balanced out well in the end.

I knit this exactly to pattern, no modifications. It's really quick and simple, so I can see knitting it up again.

Not Monkey

These are from Sockamania - Pattern Called May Day.

They are knit in STR. This particular colorway is Lemon Grass. As is common for many of my sock pairs, these are fraternal rather than identical. The leg and instep were knit on 2,75mm needles, the heel, sole and foot after the first repeat on 2,5mm needles.
I was thinking about keeping them, but my 14 year old has been watching them closely.
Rather than try and post about the other two socks in progress, just follow the link to see them. I could start Monkey, but I have one more pair in the que first. And then there is my Sockapalooza pal’s socks to knit.
-Holly

Not a Monkey

But May Day is finished.

And the second shadow is now on the needles. The first alternative way I tried just did not work. Funny thing, but lines of purls act like ribbing and disappear when stacked. We all knew that, didn't we?

And I decided to do Mai in der Tanz (from Sockenkreativeliste) in a sport sock rather than fingering.
>
But that means that I will have only one pair after these before I can do Monkey.
Of course, I should get cracking on my Sockapalooza socks...
-Holly

Koigu, blue, for Monkey

I'm going to try to attach a pic to this--the technology is hard, not the knitting! The yarn I chose from my copious sock yarn stash is a Koigu multi-royal-blue-and turquoise. Nice and firm--went to a 1.5 needle instead of 2, although I have big feet. If they're too small, I'll have to give them away!

Socks in Progress

Since I have a few socks to do before Monkey - I thought I would share.
The first is Shadow socks, a lengthwise pattern. I have the foot and the leg done, but decided to wait till tomorrow before I tackle the 85 stitches worth of grafting. The second pix is the gusset at leg back.


And needing something else for a road trip tomorrow - I pulled out Lemon Grass and started the May Day socks. (outdoor lighting vs inside with halogen spot) Both actually seem right. The firs tis what the yarn looked like in daylight, and the second is what it looks like ot me now, sitting here in the middle of the night.



Oops - it is 0024 and I need to crash. Morning is going to come all too early
-Holly

Today is the day

Who has theirs started? I have mine started and was 8 rows into the pattern when I realized I had somehow added 2 more stitches to one needle so I frogged back to round 1 and am starting from there again. This pattern seems really easy though.

BTW I am using the jitterbug fire yarn. It is really fun to work with. Kind of springy (as in stretchy springy) I am not having any trouble with it splitting either, even with frogging back and re knitting no troubles at all