Impulse Knitting
That is what I do. Impulse Knitting. I have several projects going at one time and then I come across yet another pattern that I just HAVE to start RIGHT NOW. I think I have 4 or 5 knitting bags lined up, each with a different project. I do like to keep projects of varying degrees of difficulty going at all times so that I can just grab whichever one is best suited to the activity at hand and how much I really need to pay attention to either the activity or the knitting. Sock Monkey Cozies, dishcloths and socks are all good for TV/Movie watching or for grabbing on the way out the door to have handy to whip out whenever I find myself with a few spare moments when I’m out and about. My latest project, an adorable Fan Clutch Purse, is a bit more difficult with some counting and fancier stitches involved, and took total concentration at first, but now I have settled into a rhythm and am doing several rows of the same pattern over and over and find that I can do this one now without demanding total silence.
I discovered this pattern a couple days ago and just knew that I had to start it RIGHT AWAY. I went on a mad hunt for the yarn and couldn’t find the exact kinds called for in the pattern (Cotton-Ease Licorice and Bubblegum), but I think my substitution yarns (Naturally Caron Country Merino Wool Blend in Black and Rose Bisque) are working out just fine.
Here is my latest work-in-progress and I am LOVING it so far!
I am so anxious to finish it and carry it! I plan to line it with a sewn in, perhaps, Satin lining, embellish it with a lovely antique button, and I might add some handles, too.
Back to KNITTING…
Wine Glasses Need to be Cozy, too
New item almost ready for the shop… Sock Monkey Wine Glass Coaster / Cozy ! It’s a cute little monkey face that slips over the bottom of a wine glass (I made the pattern based on a standard 3″ base). The wine glass base is inserted into the monkey’s mouth. You will always be able to tell which glass is yours!
I spent all of yesterday knitting and trying to get this little guy just right. I have been making lots of other stuff by creating Frankenpatterns (taking parts of different patterns and putting them together to get a pattern I want), but this will by my first pattern of my own creation!
Monkeys & Ladybugs
Even though I have been quiet here, I have been quite busy offline. I have gone sort of Sock Monkey Crazy and wanted to add some new products to my Etsy Shop. The Sock Monkey Slippers will eventually make it to the shop, but they do take me quite a while to knit and embellish. So, I started to work on another idea that has been floating around in my head. I found a few different patterns that I sort of liked, merged them together and then tweaked them to my liking. Here is the end result…a Knit Sock Monkey Pouch / Drawstring Purse / Stuff Sack!
He’s just the right size to carry a few small things or maybe a beverage or one friend suggested hanging him on a doorknob as a Key Keeper so you can always find your keys!
In other knitting news, I knit my very first DISHCLOTH! It was also my first time knitting with cotton yarn. I like it. The pattern is by Melissa Bergland Burnham. This was a quick and easy project that I started during yesterday’s K.I.T.Y. (Knitting [and stuff] In The Yard) meeting and finished up this morning. No photos of the meeting, but here is the finished Ladybug Dishcloth…
I will definitely be making more of these. I also discovered that Melissa has a book with several different garden theme dishcloths. I might have to get that for my library. I want to knit a whole set for my kitchen!
Sock Monkey Slippers!
Yay! The Sock Monkey Slippers are finished! I have several knitting and crochet projects in the works right now, so these took me a bit longer to complete than I thought they would, but they are done and I LOVE them! I debated on doing one girl and one boy slipper, but that would probably drive me crazy to have two different slippers on my feet…ha!ha!…so I will just have to make myself another pair of Girl Sock Monkey Slippers.
Since these do take a bit of time to knit, I am debating on whether or not to offer them for sale in my Etsy Shop. It is so hard to price handknit items and get what they are worth…all the time and effort that goes into each piece. So, I am learning that knitters who sell their stuff usually just knit because they love it and are happy to get any $$ for more supplies. I think I might offer these slippers one pair at a time, custom made. That way, I won’t get swamped with orders that I can’t find the time to make.
Next project is to try and figure out shoe soles for these so I can wear them out and about all day long…ha!ha!
I like crocheting…
…finally. More details and photos soon, but, in a nutshell, all it took was learning with big yarn and big hooks and then moving to tiny thread and tiny hooks and now I really, really like crocheting. I am completely enchanted by anything in miniature and crochet is no different.
Ravelry.com
When I first picked up knitting again a few months ago, I made a trip to the local yarn shop. Some nice ladies were having their weekly meeting and shared a few helpful tips with this newbie knitter. One of the tips was to join RAVELRY.com, a social community for knitters…kind of like FaceBook for Knitters. So, as soon as I returned home, I joined. I put up my photo, a little bio info, and a picture of my first knitting project. Then, I sort of forgot about it until recently when I was searching for the perfect Mary Jane Slippers pattern and was reminded what a wonderful place it is! I decided to learn how to use it and am really enjoying all the features now.
One of my favorite features (after the pattern search) is being able to keep track of projects I am working on. You can upload photos of your work-in-progress, keep track of all the details (such as yarn, needles, notes, etc.) AND you can check out photos and notes from other members who have done the same project! That has been a huge help to me when deciding on patterns to actually try.
One more thing I <3 about Ravelry…their mascot is an adorable Boston Terrier named Bob 
LMK if you are a Ravelry member and would like to be friends!
Green Mary Jane Slippers
I finally finished my first pair [I actually knit this pair before the red ones in the last post] of Knitted Mary Jane Slippers! These were sitting around waiting to be finished with crocheted flowers [those took me a while to learn] and buttons on the straps. I originally wanted to do a crochet button on these and did try to make one, but it turned out way too big and didn’t look like I wanted it to anyway. Then, I remembered these cute brass bumblebee buttons and thought they would look nice with the flowers…
And one last view of the side of the slippers….
Pattern: Beatknit Patterns Ballet Slippers & Mary Jane Footies
I never promised you a rose garden…
But, I can crochet flowers now! Whew. This has been a most stressful endeavor, but I have managed to crochet two very similar flowers to decorate my new red Mary Jane Slippers. I find crochet way more confusing than knitting. I really enjoy my knitting and have gotten to the point where I can do it almost anywhere with almost anything going on around me. Crochet, being new to me, needs so much more attention to detail. I think I will like it more once I get the hang of it. I am happy with the little black flowers for my red slippers though…
I have been trying to crochet (or knit) four little flowers (2 for the red slippers and 2 for the green slippers) since last week. It was just not going well at all. Most likely, because I just wanted to jump right in and create flowers. I didn’t want to take the time to actually ~learn~ how to crochet. That plan wasn’t working out. I decided to check out several (i.e. a big heavy stack) books on crochet from the local library and start from square, um, stitch 1. I spent today reading, practicing, cursing, and, finally, learning to crochet. Here is what I had to go through to get those two flowers you see above…
…a couple ugly practice swatches and several lopsided flowers (notice 1 flower ended up with only 4 petals). But, it was all worth it. I learned a new skill and hope to get better with time and practice 
I did try my hand at knitting a flower before I sat down for the in-depth crochet session. I am really pleased with how it turned out, but at almost 4.5″ inches across it is way too BIG for my slippers…
Perhaps I will wear it in my hair.
Knithacker FLICKR Group
The other day, I was invited to submit a couple of my photos to the KNITHACKER FLICKR Group for Non-Traditional Knitting. The admin liked my Sock Monkey Cup Cozy and Victorian Inspired Ruffley Neck Warmer. I had not heard of the group before, so I surfed over and was amazed at all the cool stuff people are knitting and crocheting…so inspiring! If you haven’t seen this group, I recommend checking it out.
Sock Monkey Got a Girlfriend ;)
My Sock Monkey Cup / Can Cozies have finally started selling! Since I’ve sold several of the Boy Sock Monkeys, I thought it would be fun to do some variations. First variation is a Girl Sock Monkey Coozie. I added eyelashes and a couple tiny black satin ear bows…
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