No more monkeying around!

Once upon a time there was a girl who said she would never ever knit socks. Her mother kept asking for a pair, to which the girl would reply with a flat out no. She did not see the point of knitting on toothpicks, risking her sanity, all for something that would end up on her feet.
Then one day, while surfing the internet for a pattern for her next project, she found a sock pattern that didn't seem too scary after all. She purchased the relevant yarn, and got to work. (You can see the socks HERE... scroll to the bottom of the post...) They had a short row heel, and so were managable. But she still would not risk knitting the dreaded kind with a heel flap. No way. They were for those knitters only read about in yarny blogs in faraway lands...
Well. That was until the girl's knitting fairy godmother gifted her this book...

It had all the answers to her questions, all presented in an easy to understand manner. Suddenly she had the courage to try a "traditional" sock. Monkey, by Cookie A. seemed perfect.
Her first attempt was a Christmassy, sparkley achievement (The girl was proud to have even been able to complete a heel flap)...

But still, the socks were missing something. They were just that bit loose, and the heel flap did not fit just so. The girl was determined to get it right... and so started the quest for "THE PERFECT SOCK". The girl knit burgundy ones, rainbow ones, thicker ones... and although they fit well, they were not quite what she was looking for.
Well dear readers, recently that girl nearly achieved it, thanks to the encouragement of the My Sister's Knitter KAL! Tada! I have knit another pair of Monkey Socks!

I am so pleased with these socks - I have gone down a needle size from the suggested one, and I did a slip stitch heel flap to get a better fit. The fit is wonderful, and I can see these becoming a favourite pair :-)

The only thing I would change is to knit them in a more solid colour next time. I think with this yarn the pattern gets slightly lost... but apart from that, I'm very happy!!! Thank you so much to Andi for the motivation :-)

I have a few other projects on the go at the moment too, that have been started recently... I look forward to sharing them with you all soon! :-)

Getting there!

Is there anything better than an afternoon knitting outside in the garden with a lovely cup of tea?

This was my view, quickly snapped with my phone (so apologies for the low quality)...
I am a little further than this now, and should hopefully get my Knit-A-Long socks done by August 15th! They are my priority knitting at the moment, even though my stash is calling to me... I could knit a hat, or a blanket, or a skirt... choices, choices!
But for now I shall stick with my socks :-)

Hoping you're enjoying the summer weather too :-)

Friday Link Love...

Hello all!
I hope you've been having a great week. It has been very busy around here, as I have been working, as well as getting ready for a visit from family. Hence the blog has been very quiet!
But fear not, I have been working on my socks for the KAL, and so I should hopefully have something to show you soon :-)

In the meantime, here are some links for you to enjoy :-)

• Can I live here, or here?
• Ooooh, or maybe living here in the treetops would be fun.
• I wish schools were more like this - the many meanings of "smart".
• I love these inspiring words...
• How cool is this artwork? I love how they are anonymously making people smile.

Have a lovely weekend! I have lots of knitting planned... what are you up to?

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...

Well according to Ravelry, I finished these a month ago! They are on my feet as I write, and are definitely a treasure. They are so soft and comfy, and cheer me up whenever I look at my feet! :-)

These are just plain vanilla socks, as I decided to let the yarn do the talking...

That first picture doesn't do the yarn justice... aren't the colours fabulous?
All the project information is here.

What about you? Do you prefer bright socks or more muted tones?

Finished!

I did it! I finally finished the blanket!
It may have taken a month, but since I finished the squares I have gone from this...

To this...

To a finished blanket!

To make the granny squares I used Heather's (Little Tin Bird) tutorial (HERE).
The granny squares were joined using Carina's tutorial (found HERE). Both tutorials were wonderfully straightforward and easy to use! My only mistake was in the purple borders joining the blocks... I think I missed a group of the double crochets in each of the corners, resulting in the lovely swirly effect you can see! :-P
I think it adds character, don't you?

I can definitely see myself making many more granny squares in the future - they are so fun and quick to make! Hmm, what to make next??

I am looking forward to sending this blanket off to the hospice to give someone a crocheted hug - it is always nice to be able to use textiles, whether that be knitted, crocheted or quilted, to provide someone with comfort!

Friday Link Love

Happy Friday! :-D
Hope you've had a lovely week! Mine has been busy - spending time with loved ones, doing some work, and also this:

Can you guess what I've been doing? Yep! Weaving in ends for the granny square blanket! So. Many. Ends. I thought it would never stop! Luckily I had Wimbledon to keep me company, or I might have gone crazy... :-P
I have finished all the squares, and so it is just putting it all together now. I am hoping to get that done soon, so hopefully will have pictures of the finished blanket by next week! Yay!
I am so tempted to start calling this the "Yeti blanket" as it just seems to feel huge to work on. Everything is oversized, but on a 4mm hook that means there is a lot of work to do!!

Okay, okay, I'll stop going on about the blanket now, and get on to what you're probably really here for! Link Loves! Here are just a few things I've seen around the net recently...

• This building is breathtaking - so so pretty.
• Something to think about... I love how simple things can give us links with generations past.
• I couldn't agree more with these words.
• These photos are really great!
• Knitting funnies - how the world sees us knitters. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!