Sock Monkey Memory

As a child I did not have an attachment to any particular toy except for my Great Aunt Win's Sock Monkey. This Sock Monkey lived at her place and I played with it every time we visited. I loved its hat, ears, limbs and tail. There is a picture of me, before memory, dragging it along by its arm. I am not sure what the attraction was but I have remember that monkey to this day. Before getting these pictures I spent more than a few spare moments looking at Sock Monkeys on line trying to remember what this one looked like. Well, my Great Aunt's daughter found him and took these pictures for me. He has suffered over the years, but it is so nice to see him again.



Here we have a full body shot. He used to have pompoms on all of his limbs and his tail. I remember his hat and ears very clearly.

Lovely Lace Socks

The lovely Embossed Leaves Socks are done. I have been wanting to knit up these socks ever since I first laid eyes on them. But first I had to find the perfect yarn...

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks
Source: Favorite Socks, by Interweave Press
Designer: Mona Schmidt (Her website can be found here.)
Yarn: Oceanwind Knits Hand-dyed Sock Merino, Thyme (I also considered the Sweetgrass colourway) - I believe the perfect yarn for this design
Needles: 3.25 mm (3 US)
Tension: 28 st / 10 cm (4 in)

I love the detail of the star toe that seems to complete the leaves.
The pattern (as printed) has two problems. First is the 1x1 rib cast on - I didn't like it and I found out that the designer hadn't done this cast on either. She had intended the tubular cast on. She even posted a Tubular Cast On tutorial on her blog. My cuff (above) is cast on in this method - I love it!

The other problem is where the heel gusset begins. The directions ask you to (gasp) cut the yarn. This is not needed. I just picked up one side of the heel flap (becomes needle 2 I think), continued with the lace pattern on needle 3 & 4, and then picked up the other side of the heel flap (needle 1). This works beautifully and I didn't cut the yarn!

Then I got carried away and continued all of the lace repeats for the foot. After finishing (weaving in ends and blocking) I realized that these socks were too long for the intended recipient. It took me a day before I could face frogging and re-knitting and re-blocking. But now they are perfect (if I do say so myself) and ready to be popped in the mail.

Question 17 1007

This will be the LAST Question 17...

Tell me about your favourite sock yarn?

My parents came to visit a few weeks ago and my father had on a lovely pair of handknit socks. They had subtle earthy tones and were extremely soft. I had never seen a sock yarn like this before. My mother said the yarn contained aloe vera and jojoba oil. Unfortunately she didn't know the type of yarn.

I figured it out! It is Austermann Step Sock Yarn. I especially like the earth tones of colour number 12.

Special notice: This month I will be picking three entries, at random, each one to receive one ball/skein of sock yarn* (enough to make a pair of adult sized socks). The prize winner will be chosen on November 16th, 2007. If you would like to be included in the draw please send me your email address to fingersfancy at inbox dot com once you have posted your submission to the comments section of this post.

*1 each of Step Yarn, Opal Yarn, and Posh Yarn Emily Sock Yarn.

ETA: If you wish to email me, please put "[FF]" in the subject line (without the quotes). Otherwise your email will be lost.

Socks of Love (1)

Here is one of the pair of socks that I knit up for my grandmother. She has a green thumb and loves roses. I chose this colourway because it reminds me of a rose garden. I thinks socks look best on feet! But my feet are larger than my grandmother's and the socks didn't fit. Don't you like my hand crafted sock board? I made it just to post pictures of these socks. What a good reuse of a shipping box!


Pattern: Calla Lily Socks

Designer: Sandara Murphy of Sundara Yarn

Yarn: Seacoast Handpainted Panda Yarn (400 yds per skein)

Contents: 60 % superwash merino, 30% bamboo, 10% nylon

Colourway: Strawberry Patch

Needles: 2. 75 mm (2 US) DPN

Tension: 28-32 stitches per 10 cm (4")


This yarn is lovely in every respect. It is very soft and has a sweet sheen. It was a pure joy to knit up. And there was plenty of yarn for this and a child's pairs of socks.

I made some modifications to the pattern because I wanted it to be able to stretch & cling depending on the state of my grandmother's ankles. I increased the number of stitches to start and then decreased gradually to the number indicated by Sundara. I also added a set of ribs on both sides of the front section of the sock for more elasticity. The simple lace pattern was fun to knit and I like the result (see below). Sundara is great for details like the reverse stocking stitch that carries from the cuff down the bottom of the heel.

Love & Hand Knit Socks

This post is without pictures :o(

My computer is feeling very low these days and will not boot up (hard drive failure I am afraid). So a lot of my spare time will be spent trying to raise her spirits. That means I won't be posting as much as I would like. Wish me luck!

My next series of posts is about hand knit socks made for those I love.

I get immense satisfaction choosing the pattern, considering the size, picking the yarn, and knitting up a pair for those I love. This gesture epitomizes sweet, abiding, true love.

Hand knit socks are love: often taken for granted (until they fail and you are left with a painful blister), intimate (would you knit a pair for the Queen?) and constant through difficult times (i.e., puddles, and snow banks). There is nothing quite so tender as a warm pair of socks snuggling your cold toes on a stormy night. If you listen closely you'll hear their wee sock whispers, "See how much you are loved! The knitter cares for you so much that s/he has made us for you!"

Hand knit socks say "I love you" so very well.

When my computer up and running again I will share some pictures of my sock affairs.

Campanula for the Cure

Here is a terrific idea: raising money for the fight against breast cancer by knitting!


All you have to do is send a donation (of any size) and Ramona of Campanula for the Cure and she will send you a pattern for these lovely socks.

Check out her website for more details. So far she has raised $3900!

We're cheering for your Ramona!

On Catalina

You may want to check out my post on the Catalina KAL.

It took SO long without my usual setup.

My favourite socks are up next... I just have to crop the picture and post.

See you soon! :o)

TOFUtsies Socks

Here we have a completed pair of socks made with TOFUtsies (toe-foot-sies) yarn in No. 719, Best Foot Forward.

Content: 50% Superwash Wool, 25% SOYSILK brand fiber, 22.5%, Cotton, 2.5% Chitin (made from shrimp and crab shells!)

Tension: 8 sts = 1"

Needles: 2.75 mm (US 2)

425 m / 100 g ball (makes a pair of socks with lots to spare)

Care: machine wash and dry

Pattern: Priscilla's Dream Socks (click for the PDF)

Also found in Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave (ISBN: 1596680326)

I came across the TOFUtsies in one of my favourite LYS Wool n'Things. Gisèle had a knitted sock sample and I couldn't believe how soft and supple it felt. Of course I had to buy a ball and make a pair.

I enjoyed the knitting experience but there are few things I will do differently in the future.

• My tension was the same as the label, however, I think that this yarn would be better on slightly smaller needles for a sturdier end result.
• I followed the pattern's yo technique for the short row heel and toe - next time I will try the Knit Encroachment and Purl Encroachment stitches for the short rows for a tidier, sturdier miter.
• I bound off using the zig-zag technique from the pattern. I found it difficult to complete this bind-off neatly. The limited elasticity of the yarn contributed to this problem, but I am not too fond the resultant ridge. I redid the right toe because I was so unhappy with the result (the picture is of my first attempt). Next time I will definitely graft the toe to the foot (Kitchener Stitch).

I also wonder how this yarn will wear. Only time will tell.

(I have a number of other projects completed or nearly done, so check back later this week for more updates.)