Chubby Bubby Monkeys

As promised, I present to you baby monkey and classic sock monkey.  For the most part, I stash-busted the worsted weight wools.  I did buy one ball of Patons Classic Merino Wool in a heather-y green.  Ironically I ran out of it before I knit the ears, and gosh darn-it if I hadn't bought the very same shade a year ago for a slouchy beret.  The slouchy beret had been sitting in the basket where knitted projects in progress go to die a slow death.  So I forced myself to finish the beret (which took an hour tops to complete!), and I quickly knit up the ears.  The patterns were fairly simple, but could have been written more efficiently had they incorporated grafting and more knitting in the round.  For example, the green monkey's ears are knit in four flat pieces then seamed together.   It wouldn't be difficult to revise the pattern to save yourself some time and energy by knitting them magic loop and increasing and decreasing and grafting the 'cast-off edge'.   I would also knit the mouths by casting on the lighter wool and decreasing accordingly in the red section and then grafting it closed.  As it's written, you cast on in the red, knit a row, and then turn upside down and pick up and knit the cast on stitches.  This was finicky and tight and all around unpleasant.  Just saying.  Next time, I will trust myself to make those changes and save myself the bother.

O-Ten, not sure if I'm ready for you.  O-Nine has tired me out.  Incentives would be welcome.  I'm going to go work on some goals/resolutions.  Maybe I'll bake a wheel of brie and scarf it down with wheat thins, and I'll quench my thirst with that unopened bottle of white wine at the back of the fridge.  I just have to clear a path to it . . . Who am I kidding?  I'm too much of a wiener.  Hangovers frighten me. 

Wishing you a happy and safe New Years Eve. 

N