Okey Dokey Artichokey

And I, I took the road already traveled by other knitters because I can be a lazyass and it's easier that way.

Lookit! I got a new book!

chemgrrl ended up with an extra copy against her will and, being the kickass rockstar that she is, sent it to me as a gift! I've been reading through it and can't wait to head down one of these funky pathways.

Moses, supposes, the toeses...

Lookit! I finished a pair of socks!

These are a pair of Artichoke Socks in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock. It's kind of like Nutkin and Monkey met in a bar, did one too many shots of tekillya, stumbled over to Nutkin's sweet bachelor pad (well of course Nutkin is the guy), then the next morning Monkey woke up with her mascara smeared all over her face, Nutkin's boxers hanging from the ceiling fan, and this was the result.

So, this would be like a Nutkin-Monkey love child. A Nutkey! No, a Monkin!

Modding Monkin
The stitch pattern knits up quickly and is easy to memorize (although I think it would benefit from a chart). There was one eh? moment when I read through it, though - the stitch pattern has you go straight from Row 9 to Row 1 without a knit-even row in between. I thought maybe it was an error, but the pattern specifically states in two places to work the "9 rounds," and a Rav/Google search didn't yield any previous knitters who had an issue with it, so I cast on and decided to go with it.

When I reached the end of the first repeat, I went straight from Row 9 to Row 1 as the pattern indicated. But my anal retentive need for pattern symmetry couldn't take it. I got half a row in and decided to tink it back and just add a Row 10. I'm freakishly anal hard core that way.

I also decreased the side ribbings down to K1P1s on the repeat before the heel flap to draw them in at the ankle, decreased the foot down even further to ensure a snugger fit, and subbed in my usual EoP flap plus a slightly wider heel and toe.

Kinda wish I'd gone with K1P1 on the side ribbings from the start, because the legs are just a weee bit slidey at the top, while the ankle and foot fit perfectly. But overall, I'm happy with them!

Yarn thoughts
The Cherry Tree Hill was a gift from my lovely knitty SP8 pal, Batty. :) It's a pleasure to knit with, and feels great on. Lovely, very soft, virtually no bleeding in the soak, all-around a big thumbs up! The socks developed a bit of a halo upon drying, which you can kinda see in the toe pic ("Toooe pick!" Can you name that movie?) above, but it's very minimal.

The colorway, Earth, is much too variegated to really show off this pattern, something I've cleverly disguised (along with my Casper-white legs) by showing my socks in the full light of the sun. Or, I guess it would be cleverly disguised if I hadn't just given it away. I took some pictures in indirect light but they look like crap. So look! *distracts you* Bright! Shiny! Pretty!

That's a wrap
They mostly fit! Hooray! I think my gauge has relaxed a hair over the past year, because my standard fallback for fingering weight yarn used to be 64 stitches and now, that's no longer the case. Gosh, darn, guess I'll just have to keep knitting more socks to fully test my theory. Further justification for stash enhancement! It's all in the name of science!

Monkin Socks
Pattern: Artichoke Socks from soxie.com
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Earth (thanks Batty!)
Needles: KP size 1, 32"
Mods: Added an even row at the end of the stitch pattern, decreased the side ribbing on the last leg repeat before the flap, subbed my usual EoP flap, did a wider heel and toe, and decreased the sole even further for a snugger fit.