March Monkeys and Assassins

My March socks are finished, and can you imagine it is not the 31st? This pattern was an absolute delight---and I loved the yarn . . .

Cookie’s Monkey Socks Pattern

Knitty
Mama-E’s nara-gansett yarn
size 1 bamboos

I am thinking of packing these away in the cedar closet, to be saved for a Christmas present--this is a shocking thought for me, as I am usually not planning ahead like this!

In other news, I finished Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin. While I was a bit confused in the beginning, I am so happy I stuck with it because it was quite a read! I feel like the 3-part story--Iris’s, the novel, and the documents weave such a fabulous tangled web of secrets, it is hard to decide who to believe, and how, exactly Iris navigated through her life.

Happy Spring!

I got my free iced coffee (thank you, Dunkin Donuts) and the kids got their happy-spring- ice (thank you, Rita's!) so the first full day of spring is hopping right along. I wish I could say the same for my knitting. I am hopping through patterns, and making wish lists and knit to-do lists like a mad woman, but I can’t seem to get anywhere on any of my three socks. On top of that, I have some other things I want to yank out and finish (clapotis, sitcom chic) and more things to knit. As I was surfing the blogs, I saw a kal proposing 52 socks in 52 weeks---eeeeeeek! How does that happen? Tell me how that works in one’s life?!!?!?!

To celebrate spring, and my other passion, I have joined-up with the Spring Reading Thing. This, I am sure, is going to go much better than my feeble attempt at the Winter Classics Challenge (what was I reading, and why wasn’t I successful?!!?!). Between today, and June 21st, I am planning to read (at least) the following selections:

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (March’s KTC novel)
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan(April’s KTC novel)
Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall
Ahab’s Wife by Sena J. Neslund (the last of my 3 Chunkster Challenge books)
Fever 1794 by Laurie Halse Anderson(my daughter said it was terrific!)

Whew--knit, read, read, knit. I love my life!

Blue Monkey 1

I am anything BUT blue over this monkey sock! xo

I'd write more, but I need to go cast-on so this monkey has a mate!

Pink Monkeys

I thought, hmmmmm, maybe I'll wind Scout's Punk Pink. Well it's like being and addict, because you can't just wind it. You have to cast on with it, and then work a little of the cuff, maybe the whole cuff. But you can't stop, because you really want to see what the pattern will knit up like with this yarn. Two pattern repeats later (that would be 22 rows on size 1s), you stop because, someone in your house needs you.

The yarn is lovely---it feels lovely, the colors are lovely and it knits up fabulous. The yarn pooled in the cuff--half is charcoal, the other half is pink. I am not quite sure if it is striping or pooling at this point. The pattern is so fun, Monkey Socks, found in the current Knitty. Not sure if the pattern is right for the yarn, but there's too much love on both fronts to stop now!