Now All I Need Are Some Mystery Bananas

The mystery monkeys are finished! Whew! Seems like a long time since I posted an FO. We can blame Al1ce Starmore for that -- five more rows until I put Fulmar's back on stitch holders and knit the sleeves! Woot! -- but let's talk about the monkeys.

My best guesses in the "Name That Mystery Yarn" contest are Colinette Jitterbug and Socks That Rock Lightweight. STR is probably more likely, if only because I tend to stash it like crazy. But there is one key fact that makes me think it can't be STR. You see that tiny ball of leftover yarn in the crook of the ankle? My handy dandy drug dealer scale tells me this is 3 measly grams of yarn. STR hanks are enormous, and these monkeys are normal sized. I seriously doubt this pattern soaked up all but 3 grams of an STR skein.

This was a fun pattern, an easy and pleasing little knit. I doubt I'll make any more monkeys because I'm not one for repeating any but my standard sock recipe. But that said, I'd be more likely to make another pair of monkeys than another pair of any other sock pattern I've knit to date.

I used a single reinforced heel instead of my usual double, because the single is stretchier and I know that bias-knit items stretch differently from standard knitting. And I wanted to be able to, you know, wear these socks some day. The monkeys are tight, but wearable.

In other news, all of my favored teams are out of the tournament. Not the team I picked to win it all -- I picked UCLA -- but, you know, the teams I like to watch. I didn't get to watch nearly as much of the tournament last weekend as I'd hope -- blame the day job and the holiday! -- but I did watch enough to knit the second monkey, anyway, and a few more rows of Fulmar.

And for those of you keeping score at home, this puts my official tally for the year at 700 grams in, 474 grams out. I'm very close to adding another 400 grams to the yarn out side of the column, though, so the balance will soon be restored.

One Mystery Monkey

I stole a bit of knitting time last night and finished the foot of this first monkey. This is the yarn that might be Colinette or might be something else -- the yarn I found wound and without its label in a storage area at the family business. I have another skein of Colinette unwound, and the two yarns do share some similarities.

The monkey pattern is addictive and very easy. It's an enjoyable knit, as so many others have already discovered, but I have some concerns about how comfortable this sock will be on the foot. I'm just skeptical of all these ridges and puckers in the fabric, and I'm still shy of socks that angle across the leg after the jaywalker incident.

But this one does seem to have some stretch, at least, so maybe it will work out in the end. I'll knit the second, regardless of this little concern.

I also spent part of the morning comparing patterns for hats with brims, and I checked for errata on the malabrigo hat. No errata, but that could be because I'm the only damn fool on the planet to be knitting this thing. Do you think I'm exaggerating about that? I'm not. Ravelry shows one and only one project in progress or queued for this pattern: mine. Does this make me the dumbest knitter, or the most adventurous? I figure everyone else took one look at the designer's name and turned the page quickly before her madness could infect them. This will be the last time I ever attempt one of hers, that I promise! Sign me, frustrated!