Stitch patterns / Bind offs
So, at a fiber festival last year, I bought an oz of cashmere from a goat named Deiter. After I got done laughing and shouting "Touch my monkey!", I decided I wanted to knit something with it, to honor that series of skits. However, I can't seem to find anything that rings true. Has anyone seen any lacy patterns that might work? I'm thinking monkeys, palm fronds (as a last resort), maybe dancing ("And now we do the Deiter Dance!")... Does anyone have any ideas? I haven't spun it yet, so there's no specific gauge to match if you can think of a specific pattern. I'd prefer free, but if I have to pay for the perfect pattern, so be it! I can crochet too, so if you know something in that realm too, please share!
If this isn't appropriate, I do apologize. I thought that you folks would have looked at so many patterns, you might have come across something.
Also, completely unrelated, what good bind offs are there for socks? I'm never happy with the way mine come out. I know, practice, practice, but mine look loose and sloppy. If I get them tight enough to not look sloppy, then they're too tight. I've used so many that I couldn't name them all, but if there are a few tried and true that you all can reccomend, and I can keep practicing with, I'd appreciate it. Oh, duh, might help if I tell you all that I like doing toe up socks! I know if I switched to top down, it would eliminate the problem, but I like being able to try them on as I go. That, and since DH and I like long socks, I don't have to worry about running out of yarn!