Monkey Hooters!

If you got here through some random search for monkey pr0n, sorry. And euw!

While the entire knitting world went koo-koo for Monkey socks, they never really rang my bell. Until, that is, I saw the gorgeous purl-free version by bioengiknitter! Her smooth, fabulous Mini-Monkeys got me all hot and bothered to try 'em out.

I dove into my stash and came up with a colorway called Hoot. Monkey + Hoot naturally = Monkey Hooters. I mean, really, how could you expect me to resist?

No purls for me.

100% purl-free
I made two mods to the pattern. Wait, no, make that four.

First, I did the cuff in 2x2 rib. (I know it looks very nice and tidy, but I just can't get into doing a twisted rib on a sock cuff. Not sure why. I think I think it's too much work for a cuff.)

Second, I followed bioengiknitter and fiberjinx's leads and turned all the purls into knits.

Third, I modified the stitch count down from 16 to 15 stitches. (Which also helped do away with the double YO and that single ktbl.)

Fourth, I went with my fallback fave, the EoP heel flap.

Add all that up and what you get is a nice, smooth, bump-free Monkey!

Hello, Monkey, yes Hello, Monkey...

Hello Yarn
Hello Yarn Sock is lovely and soft, a real pleasure to knit with. And it softens up even more after a dunk, so they feel wooonderful on (at least, they did for the 10 minutes it took to take the pictures. Have I mentioned that it's a bajillion degrees out here right now?).

Plus, there was no bleeding in the water. Can you believe it - red, green, and black in the colorway and absolutely no runoff! Adrian, I pledge you my undying love for that alone! There was very little pilling, either, so I'm sure these will wear well. In short, if you haven't tried this yarn yet, get thee over to her website!

The colorway itself was one I picked up in a swap. It's highly contrasting, so it does sort of obscure even this stitch pattern. But then again, I can't seem to bring myself to knit socks in plain stockinette and this went by just as quickly!

You can see it pooled in more of a stripey pattern on one sock and a spiral on the other, with some interesting flashing at the feet. Now personally, I'm a big fan of fraternal socks. It's endlessly fascinating to me how the same colorway can behave in completely different ways based on where you start it from. That being said, I did rip and re-start the second sock a few rows into the cuff because it was acting more like the bastard son three generations back that nobody talks about until they've had a few mai tais at the family reunion.

How would you like some Monkey Hooters?

While they turned out very funky and bright and I love the *feel* of these socks, I'm not really sure this colorway is for me. I think it's the black, I'm not a big fan of black in sock yarn for some reason. (Hmmm, that's two odd preponderances in one post...)

I thought maybe they'd grow on me, but honestly, I don't think they will. And I really hate to see a pair of knitted socks go unloved. So, I'm happy to send my Monkey Hooters off to a better home! There was a fair amount left over, which I'll include with the socks as well. So hey, you get Monkey Hooters and little Monkey Balls! A matching set! ;)

These were knit with 60 stitches at a gauge of 9sti. My feet are 8.5" long and about 8.5" around the ball of the foot, and the socks could probably accommodate another .25" or so, too (maybe another .5", but don't quote me on that). If that sounds like it would fit you or someone you know (and you promise not to look too closely and judge the quality of my knitting), just drop me an email and they're yours! I'm happy to gift these away, but if you want to offer me some yarn in return, well, I'm not going to throw you out of bed for eating crackers, knowwhatimsayin'? ;)

That's a wrap
Purl-free Monkeys rule! What can I say, I like my Monkey Hooters bump-free. Or is that an oxymoron? Anyhooter heeheeheehee, it's a shame the colorway isn't quite me, because these would have been fab footwear come fall! But, hopefully, they'll find their way to a better home. With someone who can appreciate smooth Monkey Hooters of many colors. And matching balls, too.

Monkey Hooters
Pattern: Monkey, from knitty
Yarn: Hello Yarn Sock in Hoot
Needles: KP 1, 32"
Mods: Did a 2x2 rib for the cuff, knitted all the purls, modded the stitch pattern down from 16 to 15 stitches, and went with my favorite EoP heel flap.