Sock Monkey Hell
You're excited to begin a project and you have everything in place. You've even seen and felt a finished product from the same project that your friend had done before you. You're hooked - you want to do this too.
This happened to me recently after seeing my best girl Katy, aka kitty_van_kat's Monkey Socks. I was amazed at how simple the pattern was, and how intricate and complicated looking the sock appeared after it was knitted. I haven't tried cable-knitting yet, so this was the next best thing without having to learn a 'new' technique.
I have the perfect yarn in my stash. Patons Kroy Sock Yarn in Mulberry Stripes. It's has wine, baby pink, slate blue, chocolate brown and jaquard in white and black. It's really quite lovely to look at.
I cast on the requisite 64 stitches one night just before going to bed, thinking "ah ha! this will give me something to do tomorrow while I'm waiting in the therapist's office!" I read ahead and I am to seperate the stitches with 16 on each needle.
16 on each needle. Okay, simple. First needle, 16. Second needle, 16. Third Needle...
Wait, there's 32 stitches left. Shoot, the pattern must be wrong. No, wait...oh ! Pattern requires there to be 5 dpns, not the 4 that I had. *sigh*
I get to work the next day and tell my best girl about my woes and she informs me that I CAN knit them on just 4 dpns. I'm sure she's right, but for now I just decide to continue on my plain vanilla socks until that evening. I know I have another 3.25 dpn around SOMEWHERE at home. (ironically, it is my husband that finds the needles. I really need to organize those things better).
I'm one of those people who wants to follow a pattern exactly how it is supposed to be the first time, and THEN mess around with it from thereon.
I cast on again. I have my 5 dpns. Okay now for twisted rib cuff, k1, k 1tbl...
Well what the hell is "tbl"!!!! Call up Katy and ask. Duh, knit-through-back-loop. Okay. Everything is going smoothly, until about the third row of 'twisted rib' for the cuff of the sock and I am not happy with the cuff at all. I prefer k2, p2 ribbing as it is stretchier, particularly for my very thick calves.
I frog it and start again. Cuff complete I begin the pattern and an merrily knitting away, following the pattern and making sure to read one line ahead so I can...
Wait, for some reason this isn't working out. To be honest, in my knitting experienced I've never had to work with a pattern that requires me to yo ("yarn-over"). I push mum off the computer so I can go to the knitting meca site on the internets: knittinghelp.com (mostly because it's near after midnight at this point and I don't want to bug Katy again).
I knit continental style. Bless that site for posting vids for both continental and english style. I discover it IS possible to yarn-over wrong. Go figure.
Back to the sock. A couple of more rows and I begin to notice that I'm not ending up with the number of stitches I should be after each round of the pattern. I try to decrease and increase to make up for it, but it starts to look all wonky and...ah screw it.
I frog it all out.
The next day I talk to Katy again about the pattern and a light as big and bright as the northern star clicks on. SSK does not mean just slip two stitches onto the needle and continue to knit after! I should have been knitting those two stitches together! SSK is just another K2tog!
That night I cast on. Get half-way through the pattern and bugger it up. Tried to tink it back but get so frustrated with tinking, I frog the entire thing out. Cast on, knit cuff and carefully, carefully, yes, yes okay....
I finished one round of the pattern for the leg! It looks just like it's supposed to! I call Katy at home with jubilation only to remember that she's gone to Knit Night. I text her.
"I will conquer this monkey pattern if it kills me!!!"
She doesn't get the text until after she gets home but I don't care because by this time I'm almost done the leg and by the next day I'm already turning the heel. I cackle endlessly with glee. I CAN do this sock. I really can.
I finish one sock. It's beautiful. I wish I had a picture to show you all right now but it was so beautiful I forgot to take one. Last night I cast on the other sock (I am not one of those who suffers from second-sock-syndrome. Yes, be jealous.)
One third of the way into the pattern...you betcha! I messed it up. Grrrrrr (tinks, swears, oh goodnight.)
This happened to me recently after seeing my best girl Katy, aka kitty_van_kat's Monkey Socks. I was amazed at how simple the pattern was, and how intricate and complicated looking the sock appeared after it was knitted. I haven't tried cable-knitting yet, so this was the next best thing without having to learn a 'new' technique.
I have the perfect yarn in my stash. Patons Kroy Sock Yarn in Mulberry Stripes. It's has wine, baby pink, slate blue, chocolate brown and jaquard in white and black. It's really quite lovely to look at.
I cast on the requisite 64 stitches one night just before going to bed, thinking "ah ha! this will give me something to do tomorrow while I'm waiting in the therapist's office!" I read ahead and I am to seperate the stitches with 16 on each needle.
16 on each needle. Okay, simple. First needle, 16. Second needle, 16. Third Needle...
Wait, there's 32 stitches left. Shoot, the pattern must be wrong. No, wait...oh ! Pattern requires there to be 5 dpns, not the 4 that I had. *sigh*
I get to work the next day and tell my best girl about my woes and she informs me that I CAN knit them on just 4 dpns. I'm sure she's right, but for now I just decide to continue on my plain vanilla socks until that evening. I know I have another 3.25 dpn around SOMEWHERE at home. (ironically, it is my husband that finds the needles. I really need to organize those things better).
I'm one of those people who wants to follow a pattern exactly how it is supposed to be the first time, and THEN mess around with it from thereon.
I cast on again. I have my 5 dpns. Okay now for twisted rib cuff, k1, k 1tbl...
Well what the hell is "tbl"!!!! Call up Katy and ask. Duh, knit-through-back-loop. Okay. Everything is going smoothly, until about the third row of 'twisted rib' for the cuff of the sock and I am not happy with the cuff at all. I prefer k2, p2 ribbing as it is stretchier, particularly for my very thick calves.
I frog it and start again. Cuff complete I begin the pattern and an merrily knitting away, following the pattern and making sure to read one line ahead so I can...
Wait, for some reason this isn't working out. To be honest, in my knitting experienced I've never had to work with a pattern that requires me to yo ("yarn-over"). I push mum off the computer so I can go to the knitting meca site on the internets: knittinghelp.com (mostly because it's near after midnight at this point and I don't want to bug Katy again).
I knit continental style. Bless that site for posting vids for both continental and english style. I discover it IS possible to yarn-over wrong. Go figure.
Back to the sock. A couple of more rows and I begin to notice that I'm not ending up with the number of stitches I should be after each round of the pattern. I try to decrease and increase to make up for it, but it starts to look all wonky and...ah screw it.
I frog it all out.
The next day I talk to Katy again about the pattern and a light as big and bright as the northern star clicks on. SSK does not mean just slip two stitches onto the needle and continue to knit after! I should have been knitting those two stitches together! SSK is just another K2tog!
That night I cast on. Get half-way through the pattern and bugger it up. Tried to tink it back but get so frustrated with tinking, I frog the entire thing out. Cast on, knit cuff and carefully, carefully, yes, yes okay....
I finished one round of the pattern for the leg! It looks just like it's supposed to! I call Katy at home with jubilation only to remember that she's gone to Knit Night. I text her.
"I will conquer this monkey pattern if it kills me!!!"
She doesn't get the text until after she gets home but I don't care because by this time I'm almost done the leg and by the next day I'm already turning the heel. I cackle endlessly with glee. I CAN do this sock. I really can.
I finish one sock. It's beautiful. I wish I had a picture to show you all right now but it was so beautiful I forgot to take one. Last night I cast on the other sock (I am not one of those who suffers from second-sock-syndrome. Yes, be jealous.)
One third of the way into the pattern...you betcha! I messed it up. Grrrrrr (tinks, swears, oh goodnight.)