Summer of Socks '08

I finished my Monkey socks last week just in time for the cutoff for the second 2 week period. These are my first pair of socks for the Summer of Socks '08 but they could easily turn out to be my only pair of finished socks for SOS08. I've just got so many things in the works that it's hard to see myself continuing to complete socks at the rate I've been maintaining recently. These are my 11th pair of socks completed this year.

I really did enjoy this pattern quite a lot. It's the Monkey pattern by Cookie A and it's super easy to memorize and yet it's got just enough going on to keep them interesting. They were a great walking around project. I kept them in the side pocket of my Haiku bag so I could pull them out easily and put them away fast if necessary.

The yarn I used was Tess Super Sock & Baby and I really enjoyed it a lot. The colors are gorgeous and saturated and so bright and crisp. As I've said before, I think that the Monkey pattern is made for yarn with stripes or, at the very least, strong variegation. I tried a pair in a yarn with softly changing colors and it was a miserable failure. In this yarn, the colors mostly blend together and even the purple doesn't really stand out too much with one notable exception - the yellow. that color gets up and declares itself loudly and I think it makes the sock work. It highlights the purple and it helps define undulation in the pattern.

These socks are kind of funny to me. Straight on they look just alike. I wasn't able to match up the stripes but on most of the sock it doesn't matter and, really, it wouldn't be noticed. There is just one spot where the fraternal nature of these socks shows up well and announces itself - the heels. I chose to do an eye of partridge heel rather than the simple heel that is specified. Other than doing 5 leg repeats rather than 7, the heel change is the only mod. The effect is really interesting. In the sock on the left, the first sock I made, the colors fell just so that the yellow turned into little dots spread out accross the whole flap. In the second sock the colors gradate from side to side and give me the impression of sun setting on the ocean. I think I like the left heel better but the idea of such an obvious fraternal edge amuses me.

These days, when I finish a project it's just as likely to head out the door or into my daughter's drawers as it is to remain with me. Not so this time - these socks are mine! I adore the feel of the yarn and the colors and pattern. Everything about these socks make me smile.

Sadly it'll be a while before I can wear my new Monkeys since it's in the high 90's here this week. Not great weather for wearing wool socks. It's not bad for knitting them though so I've started another pair of socks. The yarn this time is Fiesta Boomerang in a color called Alaska. It's a change of pace in many respects. First the colors are cooler and the yarn itself is sport weight - thicker than I usually work with for socks. This is also a return to toe up socks. Yay! Aside from all of that I am starting these socks with no pattern in mind. It's so much fun to start a pair of socks with no plan and just see where it takes you. Depending on when I finish these socks, they could be my second pair for SOS08. I wouldn't count on it though.