J D Monkey is Finished

He now has ears, two, even though it appears in the picture that he has only one.

He has a John Deere logo on his hat, too--I'm hoping they WON'T sue me!!! (Please don't sue me!!! )

He was fun to make, but turned out a little bigger than I wanted him to be. I had to buy a second skein of yarn to finish his second arm and ears. When I write the pattern, I will want people to be able to make him out of just one skein of yarn.

BTW, the yarn I used was Vanna's Choice, mauve mist. I think it worked very nicely for monkey skin. So, if you want the pattern, stay tuned. I don't much like writing patterns, but if I want to have one to sell, then I have to do it.

I used "toe up sock" method for his body, and I'm not sure I want to use that for the pattern because a lot of people are unfamiliar with that method and it will take a lot of explaining which I don't really want to do. So that pattern may very well begin with the Monkey's socks and go up from there.

Green Knitting, Green Monkey

This monkey is GREEN because he has been made from two mismatched, handknit wool socks. A dear lady gave us a dozen or so pairs of wool socks she'd knitted for her now-departed husband, to pass on to the clothing bank we work for and at. However, there were four stray socks, and even very destitute people like to have their socks match just like everyone else's do.

What could I do with those four socks? I could always use them for dusting and polishing, but I wanted to give them a more dignified task than that. Knowing and honoring the work that had gone into them, I wanted them to be seen, not stuffed into my ragbag.

I had made many sock monkeys, but none from handknit wool socks, and so this little guy was an experiment, as is much of what I do. I wished that there was more contrast in color between the two socks I used for him, but there wasn't, so I tried edging the "shirt" he is wearing with turquoise, and I was happy enough with the result.

This picture is a bag of yarn of various fibers, all gleaned from unknitting/frogging (rip it!) items from rummage sales/ thrift stores. It takes a little time, but can't be beat for the price, which is usually a dollar, sometimes much less than that, for each garment. I highly recommend doing this and will continue doing it myself.

Knitting Two Socks at Once, or I Must Be Crazy

I saw, in a knitting book I bought, directions for knitting two socks at once, one inside the other. It seemed impossible, but the directions were there, and I HAD to try it! When it comes to skills I already have, I hate to think there is anything that someone else can do that I can't. This method is challenging to say the least. You knit the cuffs for each sock separately, put one inside the other, and then put the stitches for both on your needles (I use two circulars, usually, but I've also used the old way of three double pointed needles, with the fourth to knit with), alternating one stitch from one cuff and one from the other, until all the stitches are on.

You purl the Near sock stitches and knit the Back sock stitches; if you get mixed up, the wrong stitch joins the two socks together--NOT GOOD! I have taken the stitches off the needles and restarted three times, but I think I can do this. If I run my hand around between the two socks each time I finish a round, I can feel if I've made a wrong stitch, and if you find it right away, it's not hard to fix it.

SO, stay tuned. One thing I learned is NOT to bring this project to my knit group--there's too much going on there what with conversation and all, and this is not a project where you can get distracted and still be OK--at least I can't. Send good knitting thoughts my way!

My First Knitted Rainbow Baby

This is my first Rainbow Baby, made from Jean Greenhowe's pattern: www.jeangreenhowe.com/Images/Rainbow_Babies.pdf -
I used number two needles and worsted weight yarn, and at first it was difficult to knit with that thicker yarn on those thinner needles, but I was pleased with the finished result. I might try using number 3 (US) needles next time, but I DID get used to the twos. The main yarn in this toy was gleaned from a thrift store vest I unraveled.

I swap with Swap-bot!
I have recently joined SwapBot after noticing them mentioned in a Toy Society Post. I have bought a thrift store sweater and am in the process of reknitting into something new. I had read a long time ago that Chinese grandmas did this all the time. They'd knit a sweater for the grandchild and then take it apart when he/she'd outgrown it, and reknit it, with a little added yarn, into a bigger reincarnation. Very green, very smart to me!