Friday, December 21, 2007

Down to the wire...


Nothing like taking it to the last minute but I finally finished my last hand knit gift! With 3 days to spare, go me! Never mind that it still has to get wrapped, taken to the post office and travel many miles before it finds a home but my loved ones are used to Christmas in January :)

I give you the much loved and ubiquitous Monkey Socks!


Specs:

Monkey Socks by the brilliant and prolific Cookie A.

Dream in Color Smooshy in the Wisterious colorway

Magic Loop, 32" addi turbo US #1.5 (2.5mm)

Mods: I upsized these quite a bit because they are for a fluffy friend. I went with a simple 2x2 rib because I was afraid the twisted rib suggested would be binding. I added pattern repeats to the leg and then added a mini flap and gusset plus a short row heel for better fit and more depth in the heel. If anyone is interested in modifying Monkeys for the ample leg/foot I'll be glad to share more specific mods, just send me an email!

These were a fun knit and relatively fast considering I used almost an entire skein of Smooshy! As an aside, I have sung the praises of this wonderful yarn many times however the weight is not very consistent...the gauge can vary from fingering weight to sport weight! For these socks I got a gauge of 7.5 - 8 sts/inch where I got a gauge of 9 sts/inch on the very same needles for my Caramel Apple Twisted Flower socks. (Ravelry link) so be careful!

Having said all that, the Smooshy is soft, lofty...smooshy and just a pleasure to knit! The color is glorious, deep and rich...Did you know the new 400 color series is due out in January? w00t!! I can't wait! (like I need another skein of sock yarn in this millennium, hee!)

Even my knitting supervisor and sock protector loves these socks too...


I know Pumpkin will be sorry to see them go but he'll make the sacrifice for anyone who appreciates a handknit :)

I'm glad everyone enjoyed my "favorite things" post and it's been really cool to see my readers making their own lists. Unfortunately one of my not so favorite things has again become a reality...two nights ago my computer completely died again. I suppose I should be grateful, it's been 10 months since I had the motherboard, video card, hard drive and memory replaced and I believe that's a record for crapway Gateway! Anyway I'm back on my well love but 10 months more elderly 8+ year old laptop so posting may be spotty.

The P-Man and I will be thinking of y'all and wishing you a happy holiday and we'll see you when we can!

19 comments:

Madge said...

Wishing you and P-Man a sparkly Yule, Debi!

Well done on the holiday knitting, too. Break out the egg nog!

x.

Carole Knits said...

Your friend will love the socks, I'm sure. I hope you and Pumpkin have a very Merry Christmas!

Dave said...

Lovely pink Monkeys! This is the first time I've heard about the thickness variation of Smooshy. Hmmm. But the colours and feel of it make up for that small, little shortcoming. :-)

Happy holidays!

Unknown said...

The socks are beautiful! One of my New Year's resolutions is going to be to finally get out the skein of Smooshy I've been hoarding since October and do so something with it! :) Have a happy and computer-disaster-free holiday! :)

Knittinreed said...

Love your Monkeys. They are such a great patern.... your friend will feel loved :-)

Maybe your Gateway can be retired... Merry Christmas to you and P-man.

Nana Sadie said...

Maybe it's time for a Dell?
I'm so sorry you're having 'puter troubles again. (sigh)

Great Socks! And I loves me the P-Man!
Merry Christmas!
(((hugs)))

Barbara-Kay said...

Congratulations on finishing your knitting for the season -- they're lovely.

God's blessings to you and yours, have they two feet or four!

Anonymous said...

Lovely socks. What a lucky friend!

I'm amazed at your Gateway issues. I'm on my second one (the first one got zapped by lightning) and my hubby has one and since 1998 when we got the first one, we've never had an issue (other than our house getting struck by lightning and zapping our chimney into a gazillion pieces while frying my computer).

We did have a similar issue to yours with a Compaq laptop. We'd had a desktop and loved it then my husband got a Compaq laptop and it was a nightmare the whole time. PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEM. So I guess it's all a matter of timing. My current laptop (which is obsolete and that's the only reason why I curse it) is really reliable and it's a Compaq. Go figure.

Agnes said...

Love the colourway ... the pinkish is so cute.
In all electronic products, even the most reputable and reliable brand names, every now and then, there would be a black sheep in a batch that would just go out of whack easily. Maybe you unfortunately got one of these. Anyway, just wish you'll get it back in shape soon this time. Merry Christmas to you and P-Man.

Dorothy said...

Lovely socks. I haven't tried Smooshy, but one of my New Year's resolutions is to try and knit from my stash for a while. We'll see. When you say the thickness is inconsistent - is it in the same skein? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Pumpkin!

Norma said...

OH, NOT AGAIN!!!! Goddamnit.

Beautiful socks, though. :)

La Cabeza Grande said...

Fab job on the ample Monkeys! You always rawk the sock, Debi darlin'.

WandaWoman said...

Bummer about the computer. Maybe one day they will get it together? I do love the Monkey socks, such a fun knit. That color is pretty too. I saw it at my LYS and managed to leave it there at the store, but it was hard.

Terri said...

As always, your work is flawless! So sorry to hear about the computer issues. I hate it when things don't work the way they are supposed to. Here's hoping that the joy of the holiday season rests with you and P-man. Be happy and be well, and good luck getting your computer issues resolved.

Monika said...

Next to the P-man the socks really look huge! But it's a lovely colorway. Sorry about your computer, I couldn't be without internet anymore, sooo addicted. Wish you a Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!

Kimberly said...

Merry Christmas to you and the man!!! Great job on the last minute gift-I'm doing those right now too. Nothing like a little preasure to get the creative juices flowing. :)

Kris said...

I love how the Smooshy colors worked out on the Monkey Socks. So pretty.

Anonymous said...

What cute socks! And 3 days to spare, you did great.

I love that pillow! Is it to your couch?

It matches pumpking quite well.

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