Desert Monkeys

Presenting: The Desert Monkeys.

When I got this yarn from eBay, I surprised myself. I'm not really one for the orange-russet palate, and I don't really like light blue with anything even vaguely warmish. And I'm not really into cashmere for socks, as decadent as it is (actually, that's probably it: I'm probably discomfited by decadence). But the colours are my mother's palate: she loves autumn colours, and this yarn suits her to a tee. So I bought it with the intention of knitting her some luxurious socks. These are they.

I can't believe how much I have loved knitting these socks.

Yarn: Jojoland's Quartette. Now, alas, discontinued, but I shall be haunting Ravelry's destash and swap groups, just in case.

The yarn is bliss: it's springy, buttery, and so, so soft. Working with this yarn is such a textile delight that I would probably sleep with it if it asked me. As the lace emerged, the colours made me think of the blue sky over the desert, hence the name.

And the pattern was fun, too: I have, in the past, found myself working on socks out of obligation, searching for the groove that I see so many other bloggers getting into with their socks. And this time, I found it. Cookie A's Monkeys, worked from the toes-up. I have decided I love toe-up socks; they make a lot of sense to me and seem like the best way of making socks. The short row heel was a delightful pirouette, and has, for a change, provided enough space for one to slide one's foot into the sock -- I've had trouble with short row heels before, where they've been far too tight. Not these babies.

As well as being a delight (a bliss) to knit, these socks have brought a little drama and excitement with them. Readers who have been paying attention will have realised that these are the very socks that M became involved in, during the fateful incident involving a needle and the fleshier parts of his foot. These are socks baptised with blood.

And so, they have been bundled up into a little paper sock sleeve, with a short biography and care instructions, and they will be shortly winging their way towards their new owner, my Mum. She'll love them, I'm certain.

(I had to cast on a pair for myself with the leftover yarn to ensure I could bear to part with these. I don't think this is a problem, provided I don't run out of yarn too soon to complete a pair of footlets for myself. If I do...I'm not above swiping them while Mum's back is turned.)

Cracking the Whip

UFOs, ten-SHUN!

From the right!

Sahara

Yarn: A gorgeous baby alpaca/silk blend I picked up during our trip to Adelaide last year. Black and soft, soft, soft.

Pattern: Sahara, by Wendy Bernard from Knit and Tonic.

Beautiful design, fantastic sleeves. I can't rave enough about those sleeves; that sleeve cap (pictured, poorly, right) is genius. Body completed; one and a half sleeves and the lace neckline remain. My Sahara isn't going to be as deliciously slinky as the ones pictured on Stitch Diva, but it's going to be soft and floaty.

Fell to the back of the queue when a jaunt to wintry Europe demanded scarves, gloves and hats galore. Then got shoved in a bag and into the stash cupboard when I needed to tidy the knitting shelf. Here's a close-up of the hem:

It was a grand day when I discovered the macro function on my little camera.

Purple Olive

Yarn: Paton's Merino Supreme, in Eggplant

Pattern: The Olive Branch Yoga Hoodie. (It's the green one at the top).

Not sure where the Yoga comes into it, unless it's the cabled symbol on the back. If that's the case, where does the Olive Branch come into it? Doesn't matter. Gorgeous pattern, and an easy knit; easy to fit to size, too, since it's knit from the hood down.

Hood and most of the sleeves completed (sleeves haven't been cast off, because I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them -- also I may narrow them if I get desperately low on yarn again.

I've been pretty good with this one; lost momentum when I got sick and again when I ran low on yarn and got too scared to keep knitting it in case I ran out and had to face frogging the hood (which I've said I'd do all along, if I ran out of wool...I really don't want to). Now that I've received a yarn infusion, and I'm not really sick anymore, there's nothing stopping me charging ahead.

Desert Monkeys

Yarn: Jojoland Quartette, from eBay

Pattern: Cookie A's Monkeys

Oh, how I love these socks. We won't go over all that again, you can go back and read the post if you want. But I love love love them. One sock completed, the second sock simply requiring three more pattern repeats, ribbing and a kitchener cast off. I hope to have them finished by this weekend, which will require an evening of sitting and working diligently. I'm sure I can carve that out somewhere. I'm not even going to post more photos of them, because I know you can look at the previous posts on the matter.

Company AT EASE!

I feel pretty good getting this list down, since it makes me realise I'm a bit more on top of things than I feel. I really want to finish both Sahara and the Purple Olive, because they're awesome patterns and I want the finished products. (Oops, I just remembered there's one more project in the UFO brigade, but I'm not going to blag about because it's a gift for someone -- but there's a looong way to go on that one. That one mayn't even survive to adulthood. Ergo, it doesn't count.) So it's time to push on and finish these puppies; get them off the needles and into the world, and make room for some new projects that I'm trying not to get distracted by.

Time to crack the whip.

Sock Love

This is the best sock I've ever knitted. Nothing about them went wrong. The toe is smooth and snug, the pattern gorgeous, and the bind-off elastic and springy. They're magnificent. I couldn't take a picture of them on my feet that would do justice to how excellent these puppies are, so you get a rumpled, tousled 'on-the-needles' look instead. Kinda sexy, no?

I don't think that's overstating the matter, although I could be jinxing things by discussing the matter out loud. Due to some pretty rad dedication on my part, the first sock was finished by Sunday morning, the ribbing finished while M brought another hot batch of croissants out of the oven for his family to celebrate Mothers' Day.

I secretly hoped these socks would be ready as a Mothers' Day present, even though I haven't seen my particular mother today. (Hi Mum!)

They're perfect in every way. My Mum has the same sized foot as me, so I tried them on as I went. The pattern is actually based on Cookie A's Monkeys, but the combination of toe-up and the yarn I'm using kinda changes the impact of the pattern. That's okay, though, because I think it still looks pretty good. I'm calling them Desert Monkeys; the colourway makes me think of the desert and the broad blue sky.

I can't believe how much I love these socks. I've already weighed the yarn to estimate if I'll have enough for a pair of footlets for me when I'm finished Mum's socks (I will). That short row heel at the back there is a work of art, ART I tell you! I've had some bad luck with short row heels, where the heel is too snug to even slide up the foot or is twisted weirdly to one side. But not this baby. Seriously, the pictures don't do this sock justice. It's soft (20% cashmere, that's how soft), springy and light, with excellent stitch definition and colours that glow in the sunlight. I couldn't ask for more for a present for someone as lovely as my Mum. I'm not sure she reads the blag, so I'm going to write up a little scroll or sock casing with the sock's biography, raving over its many virtues and urgently reminding her that it must be hand-washed.

One of my Mum's finest qualities is that she appreciates handmade gifts. An avid and extremely talented seamstress herself, she knows the tears and love that go into a handcrafted accomplishment. I know she'll take the time to hand-wash the cashmere lace socks I've knitted her, and she'll love them every time she slips them on. Onya Mum, and thanks for all the fish.

Make with the socks, already!

There are some really, really awesome socks out there, and I can't understand why I don't knit more of them. After all, socks are great: they're useful and comfortable, and hand-knit socks keep my chilly feet far warmer than any of the cheapo cotton ones that currently line my drawer. There's such a massive range of patterns available that I hardly know where to start, and if I don't want to choose a pattern, there are so many self-patterning yarns that I needn't bother.

My stash is full of sock yarns, my skills are up to the challenge, and I have half a dozen pairs of KnitPicks' delicious slippery DPNs in sock sizes. So what's wrong with me?

I'm probably one of the few people who has sock disasters. Too big, heel in a weird place (on top of the instep, for example, or maybe halfway up the thigh?), too small, too difficult to actually put on, too long, too...pooling weirdly. I've actually had sock setbacks.

I'm not about to dwell on these. Today I cast on (using Judy's Magic Cast On, the only one I can bear to use) a pair of socks. First time in months, and months, and months. I love to work my socks toe-up, since I can try them on as I go.

Interesting (or not) facts about these socks:

• I won the yarn on eBay. I was the only person who bid, but I consider it a win and celebrated accordingly.
• The yarn is 20% cashmere, which is about as much decadence as I can bear for socks at this time of life.
• Judy (of cast on fame, see above) was my third word. We had a beautiful orange cat called Judy, and after "Mummy" and "Daddy", my third word was "Judy", which was usually sung out as "Ju-dy, Ju-dy, Ju-dy". I still miss her.
• Judy is also the name of one of my favourite cartoonists, Judy Horacek.

Those are all the facts I have about these socks at this time. Hopefully more will come to light as I work on them.