Eight Monkeys

You know the old saying about if it ain't broke, don't fix it? I think that's very true when it comes to my sock knitting. There are several patterns -- plain stockinette excluded -- that I've knit again and again, but none as many times as I've knit this pattern.

Pattern: Monkey by Cooke A., winter 2006 Knitty
Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight (100% superwash merino) in the Incredible Shrinking Violet, one skein
Needles: two 12" US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Addi Turbo circs -- my favorite sock needles!
Started/Completed: December 28, 2011/January 8, 2011
Mods: changed all purls to knits

The dates on this project are somewhat deceptive. I took the skein of yarn (which had been in my stash for probably a year and a half -- it was from a shipment of the Rockin' Sock Club) with me to Florida to have a smaller, more portable alternative to the sweater with many strings attached. I cast on the first sock our first morning there and was kitchenering the toe by the next evening. The second, sock, though, got a bit neglected for the rest of our trip as I focused on the sweater and then when we got home as I turned my attention to spinning. I was so close to finishing, though, that I was determined not to let it linger as it was, so I spent a few hours over the weekend finishing it up.

I think I've only knit this pattern with the purls in the stitch pattern once; I much prefer the knitting experience and the finished look of it without the purls. It's a much faster knit for me this way, too.

It'd been a while since I last knit myself a pair of socks, and considering that there are several pairs of socks in my drawer that appear to be nearing the end of their life, it's nice to have a new pair to work into the rotation.