Simply Socks Yarn Co. Blog

Holiday Knitting and Anniversary Preparing

In an hour the holiday weekend will start and here in the US that means a nice, long Memorial Day weekend which I will be filling with knitting and swimming.  Even though the storefront is open Saturday for our once-a-week hours, I still consider that a vacation.  That's a fun day for me that involves seeing my knitting buds, eating pastries from across the street, and no four-year-old at my heels.  It's an adult day!  If you're coming in the store tomorrow, be prepared for an AC at full blast, as the weather reports are threatening mid 90's and this pregnant lady won't be tolerating such May madness.

Here's a taste of what's to come next week.  Awesome new yarn with reviews... 

...all culminating in the store's 7th Anniversary with the first Poste Yarn color, sales, and contests.  Goodtimes.

Sweet Georgia BFL Sock: A Review

When Felicia sent me a skein of her new BFL Sock last year, it struck a chord.  I really like a good BFL blend for socks- while merino wool is nice and very popular, I like to be able to offer other breeds as well. But what I really liked about the skein was the color- Boheme is one of my favorite colors that Sweet Georgia offers, and I would have test and stocked it immediately if I had the room.  So when we moved to the new space and I started finding the new batch of test knitters, Chevas received the BFL Sock skein and here's what she had to say about it.

(Note: if you haven't read last year's interview I did with Felicia, take a moment to learn more about her and her company, and see pictures of her studio.)

 

Presentation – This skein wound up great.  I did not find any gnarly parts, knots, or breaks.  I did however find a few pieces of VM (vegetable matter- which were saturated with color mind you) throughout my knitting along with little fuzzes that I had to pick out as I went.  Please note, there were very minor and would not affect any future purchasing. 

Texture – The yarn was super squishy (which I love) and was plied nicely.  It did want to unwind itself while I was casting on.  It did not catch on my needles and feels nice on my foot.  It felt a little scratchy on my foot before washing/blocking but after a bath and block this yarn is SUPER soft……lovely on my foot.

Knitted Fabric – The color mostly had a striped effect, with a couple spots of pooling.  It seems this yarn will hold up quite nicely for longtime where, but am guessing it’s a good candidate for heal felting.  Could be a little too much for a busier pattern, but would depend on personal preference. 

Misc. - Overall opinion was it was nice to work with. I am super interested in her other colorways, as this one is awesome!  One thing that stood out was that it smelled like sheep…..in the most wonderful way!  I love the smell of the barn and it made me happy to be reminded of that.  After washing there was a slight halo effect.  Initially it looked to me like the color faded a little, but after evaluating, I think it’s just from the fuzziness after its bath.  (I washed one while knitting the other, so I could get a good look at before and after washing/blocking.) 

Poste Yarn: A review

One of the most important decisions in creating a new yarn line is what fiber combo to use. Most dyers use merino or some combination of merino along with nylon or cashmere or even silk. When winding, dyeing and knitting the many options, I found one to be a stand out for what I was looking for in Poste Yarn. And it doesn't include merino wool. Instead, I chose a superwash Corriedale wool and nylon blend that we skein in-studio. Why Corriedale? I've invited journalist and designer Lara Neel answer that question. She's a much better writer than I could ever hope to be, so I'll pass the podium over her.

The Case for Corriedale
Lara Neel

I blame Clara Parkes for my Corriedale obsession.

It started out small. I bought one precious skein of Corriedale at a small fiber festival on the weekend that I graduated from college. I was trying to be “good” and not buy anything, since all of my worldly goods had to fit into a single car, but I couldn’t resist this one bouncy, lovely skein that was about worsted-weight.

Eventually, I knit a scarf out of it, to help take the edge off of my stress levels in graduate school. The resulting scarf, while soft enough to wear against my neck, has stood up to regular wear for about 10 years with no complaints or pills.

I love it.

When I read The Knitter's Book of Socks, Clara Parkes deepened my obsession by mentioning that Corriedale should knock Merino down a peg or two off of its super-hegemony over sock yarn...or maybe that's just how I interpreted what she wrote.*

In Marilyn Kluger’s The Joy of Spinning, Corriedale is listed as a crossbreed-wool breed, among Columbia, Panama, Romeldale and Targhee. Kluger notes that wool from these five breeds has a “Long, silky fiber; good for beginners.” Of the five, Corriedale is the easiest to find as a spinning fiber. It’s not impossible to find in yarn form, but, generally, most commercially-available yarn in the United States that isn’t marketed simply as “wool” is identified as “Merino.”

Sources of Corriedale yarn tend to be small, family-run farms. If you don’t like buying yarn, sight-unseen, from the internet, fiber festivals can be great sources of Corriedale yarn. I can’t recommend that course of action strongly enough. We need those farmers and they need us.

However, sock yarn that is identified as Corriedale is hard to come by, unless you are a handspinner, know a handspinner or want to pay a handspinner to make it for you. According to Clara Parkes (yes, again), in The Knitter’s Book of Wool, generic “wool” is a blend of all of the fleeces available, usually chosen for softness. “...any unique traits of specific breeds have likely been toned down for the greater good of the blend.”

The yarn you’ve been buying for years might have a high concentration of Corriedale in it, but you’ll never know about it. I hereby confess that one of the reasons I finally said “yes” to learning to spin is because I couldn’t think of a way to force my sister to spin nothing but Corriedale yarn for me for the rest of her days. When I’m obsessed, I don’t fool around.

I’m not claiming there’s anything at all wrong with Merino. But, there are reasons to consider the idea that Corriedale may very well be the perfect wool breed for socks.

Corriedale comes from crossing Merino sheep with longwool sheep, like Lincoln and English Leicester, according to Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics. So, it gets the most of the softness of Merino with the toughness of longwools. The staple length is about the same as for Merino, which helps it spin into a strong yarn. It has about half as many crimps per inch, though. In my experience, this leads to a yarn with more body and heft, and the yarn doesn’t have to be spun as tightly as Merino to hold together. Corriedale also reflects light a little more than Merino, although it doesn’t have the luster of a material like silk.

This all leads me to a yarn I was recently asked to test. A Corriedale/nylon sock yarn. Hand-dyed, superwash, self-striping Corriedale sock yarn, at that. I jumped at the chance, and cast on the night that I got the yarn.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so here are my notes.

It was love at first sight. The yarn is spun into a three-ply, which gives it a very round, bouncy feel. The slight halo on the yarn bloomed a little when I washed the socks. There were a few stitches that looked irregular as I knit it and I did have some slightly loose stitches at the points in-between my double-pointed needles (which is probably all my fault), but they all evened out in the wash. The fabric became softer and draped a little more, too. Gauge did not change with washing. I hung the socks to dry, since that’s how I dry socks, and they didn’t stretch out, as some superwash socks do.

Photo by Lara Neel

The yarn is dyed to be self-striping and created stripes that were about half an inch high in my sock. The colors were deep and beautiful in the skein, and the fabric didn’t bleed in the wash. I love the slight color variations within the colors, that show up as a hand-dyed sense of depth. There were no knots or white spots in my skein.

It’s been warm here, so I haven’t worn the socks yet, but the feel of the fabric, especially in heel stitch, is dense without being stiff. I think they will last for a very long time.

I admit I did “torture” the bottom of the toe of one of the socks a little, just to see what it would do. With warm water and soap, I rubbed the fabric together, hard, to see what would happen. There was no pilling and, actually, you can’t tell which one I messed with now.

I am thrilled to pieces that this fantastic yarn is being dyed right around the corner.

The Source for this Fantastic Yarn
Simply Socks Yarn Company's new Poste Yarn

Sources of Information

Field, Ann. Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics. North Pomfret: Trafalgar Square Books. 2010.

Kluger, Marilyn. The Joy of Spinning. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1971.

Parkes, Clara. The Knitter's Book of Socks: The Yarn Lover's Ultimate Guide to Creating Socks That Fit Well, Feel Great, and Last a Lifetime. New York: Potter Craft. 2011.

Parkes, Clara. The Knitter's Book of Wool: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding, Using, and Loving this Most Fabulous Fiber. New York: Potter Craft. 2009.

*Clara confirmed my impression by answering my tweet about it. I just about died.

SSYC's newest venture

I'm not one to take no for an answer.  When I want to be able to offer you something in the store, and I'm met with difficulty, I enjoy the challenge of making things happen.  Nearly three years ago, I created Simply Sock Yarn Solids because I saw a need for a wide array of hand dyed solid colors at a very high quality.  It had become hard to predictably get in stock all the colors you and I wanted- afterall, many dyers have a 3 month or more wait, and when you need a particular solid color for a project, you want it now.  Not next year.

Over the past few years, I've noticed a similar trend in sock knitting, but with hand dyed stripes.  A handful of small dyers create wonderful products, but stripes are so labor intensive to produce that one person can't keep up with demand, or she stops altogether after just a year.  So after over a year of research, rigorous testing, creating winding and dye methods that are effective/reproducable and create a beautiful outcome, I'm introducing a new yarn line!  Poste Yarn specializes in hand dyed stripes and specialty selections, and it is exclusive to Simply Socks Yarn Company.  The line pays homage to our 3500 sq ft store and studio, housed in our restored 1940's post office.  I hope to bring a bit of that era to you with each skein- when each postcard or piece of mail held promise and carried importance often looked over in a digital age where life is often hurried and the little things are overlooked in our rush to keep up.  Each skein sees the devotion of hours of winding, dyeing, drying, tagging.  Each truly is a tiny work of art and I take so much pride in introducing this new endeavor.

Want to try a skein for yourself?  The first color will be introduced in the store's 7th Anniversary kit on June 2.  In fact, you've already seen bits of this color over the past month on the blog.  Colors will be introduced over the next few months and if you want to keep updated on the progress and availability, simply read the blog or sign up for the e-newsletter.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing more information and a review of the yarn, so read on for more info.

Thank you for your support and loyalty over the past seven years.  Each one of you has been a part of this decision and I hope to continue to serve you by keeping up with what you and I want in a sock yarn store.  This is just one more step in keeping our knitting infused with the passion and artistry that it deserves.

Our morning at Soloman Farm's Fiber Fest and the KAL

James and I spent a few hours this morning at the fiber festival at Soloman Farm.  Here's a link to the 2012 brochure, if you're considering going.  There are a few vendors, but what I really like about it is that there are several fun, free things for kids and it's not super busy.  You can get a (free) parking spot quickly, you're not crushed while doing anything, and you can get on the hayride immediately.  James enjoyed coloring a fabric square for a Linus Project quilt.

James loved the hayride most.  I did not.  Here's something to consider when you're 6 weeks away from giving birth.... DON'T GO ON A HAYRIDE.  It's bouncy, it's rough, and it's so horribly uncomfortable and foolish that it makes you wonder what the heck you were even thinking.  And I wasn't thinking. 

But the rest of the festival was great for an hour or two of relaxing meandering and enjoying the alpacas and sheep.  And ice cream.

There's enough interest in the Color Affection Shawl KAL that we're going ahead.  The dates for it will be Thursday, May 31 and Thursday, June 14 from 6-8pm at the store.  Again, if you are interested, e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com and I'll give you the details you'll need to participate in person- if you already e-mailed me, please do so again b/c I accidentally deleted two of them.  This isn't a class, so there's no charge if you buy the yarn for the project from SSYC.  It's simply a chance for those of us interested in knitting this shawl together to gather and support each other with questions, answers and motivation to finish in a timely manner.  And if you want to post questions/answers and follow the photos I'll be taking of the in-person KAL, then follow the SSYC Ravelry group.  I'm betting there will be several helpful knitters who can answer questions and share their projects as they grow. I'll likely post a few images here on the blog too.

We just got in a shipment of new Madelinetosh Merino Light and Tosh Sock (all the colors should be up by Monday- right now, most of the Merino Light colors are up), and I think I'm going with the above colors for my Color Affection Shawl- Graphite, Firewood and Hickory.

Interested in a Color Affection KAL?

A few weeks ago, I bought the Color Affection pattern with the intention of choosing three colors of MadelineTosh Merino Light and making myself something special.  Then I told myself, "Self, what if this shawl meets the same frogging-from-boredom fate as your Creekbed Scarf.  Do you really want to start a three-skein project when you're having a baby in less than two months?"  I think the answer is yes.  And I've heard from many of you that you are interested in knitting the same shawl.  If you live locally, are you interested in a Knitalong?

I'm considering having an informal get together two Thursday evenings in the store, where we can all just sit and share our Color Affection shawls and they start and progress, and we can ask and answer questions and keep each other motivated toward our goal of casting off and wearing these lovely pieces.  If you think you would be interested in sitting and knitting with us in the store on a couple Thursday nights, e-mail me at service@simplysockyarn.com.  If enough knitters commit, we'll make it a go- likely two Thursday evenings in June (like the first and third Thursdays) from 6-8.  That way, they are spaced out a bit so we can see progress between meetings, and we can set up a thread on Ravelry to ask/answer each others questions between meetings.

Heather (SSYC staff) and I are both in, and I'd like to know how many of you are definitely in as well.  As this isn't a class, simply an information KAL, there isn't a fee involved if you are going to buy or have already bought all the yarn for the pattern at SSYC.  The pattern is available for purchase directly from the designer on Ravelry.

Merino Light is a good choice for this one, as well as Tosh Sock, Tanis Fiber Arts Purple Label, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Multis or Solids, Malabrigo Sock, and Smooshy with Cashmere.

Stitch n' Pitch in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Want to hang out and watch a game with your friends and family and knit?  I do too!  Joe, James and I will be attending the Stitch n' Pitch with the Fort Wayne Tincaps on Sunday, June 24 at 3:05pm.  I'll be sitting, knitting and cheering on the Tin Caps..... hopefully with many of you!

Parkview Field is home to the Tincaps, and it's a beautiful field in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana.  If you haven't been there before, it's quite a good time.  Brent Harring, who is organizing this for the Tincaps said that typically the seats for the knitters are right behind home plate, so that's kinda awesome, eh?  When Joe, James and I go, we typically get the cheap seats on the lawn, so this will be a fun change for us.

If you are interested in attending, give an e-mail to Brent Harring at harring@tincaps.com and he can get answer any questions you might have.  Or, simply download the order form at the link below- don't send forms or money to me, it all goes to the address for the Tincaps on the order form.

Download 6-24 Stitch n Pitch

Yo can also stop in the store during one of our upcoming store hours (like tomorrow, Tuesday May 15, 10-4) to grab a form from me to send to the Tincaps.  If, when you order your tickets, you tell them that you are with the Simply Socks Yarn Co group, we might even have enough people to get our name on the videoboard!  Tickets are $9, but you can get a special package too that includes your ticket, a commemorative tote, hot dog, chips and a drink for $15- that's what I'll be doing.  I'd also be having a beer, but in my condition that's not going to happen- maybe a month later.  And if you don't see me there, that's simply because the baby (due about a week or so after) decided to come early.  But it's likely you'll still see familiar SSYC faces there with their families.  I'll be SUPER pregnant at that point, but it's not going to stop me from coming to the game.... though it will stop me from rising from my seat in a classy manner.  I'm told that I look like an overturned turtle trying to roll myself out of a position.

All photos/graphics used with permission of the Fort Wayne Tincaps.

Ask the Knitters

Dear Knitters,

I've started knitting a pair of striped socks using Simply Sock Yarn's Solids in my son's school colors.  The stripes are close to 3/4 inches, alternating with two colors.  I started carrying the yarn up the leg so that I don't have to keep cutting the yarn with each color change and weaving in a dozen or more ends.  But now I see a little bit of the burgundy yarn peeking through the white when the sock ribbing is stretched out.  So I'm thinking of frogging back and starting over and instead cutting the yarn and starting anew with each stripe.

Is there a rule of thumb when striping yarn for socks?  Like, for what length it's fine to carry yarn, or what's the best way to change colors without there being holes between the color changes?  I'm new to making my own striped socks, and while I know these won't be perfect, I also want them to be something I'm proud of, and don't cringe every time he's on the soccer field.

Another concern about carrying the yarn in long lengths on the foot is that when my son pulls the socks on his feet, his toes could snag on the lengths of yarn I carried and that he'll either break that yarn or pull it.  Is that something I should consider?  Or am I just being over cautious?

Thanks in advance for your assistance,

Striping in Springfield

*                            *                            *                            *

Help a knitter out and leave your advice in the comments section below.  Do you have a question that you'd like to see answered here?  Title an e-mail Ask the Knitters and e-mail it to service@simplysockyarn.com .  Your question could be chosen for this series.

And the Tosh-riffic Contest Winner Is....

Marjorie, who said that if she won a skein of Tosh Sock yarn "I would choose Oxblood to knit Victorian Swag socks designed by my sister Monica...they have been in my queue way too long."

I think it would make a very nice combo too!

Did any of you go to Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend?  If so, I'm jealous!  I swear, one of these years I'm going to not be pregnant, or nursing, or caring for a little one and I will greatly enjoy giving up
mommy duties for a weekend to enjoy the event.  Maybe in a couple years?  If you went this year, please tell me all about your favorite parts in the comments below.  Did you buy lots of yarn and fiber?  Did you find something you'd been looking for for a long time?  What about a meetup with a group of people from Ravelry?  Do tell!

Instead of shopping for sheepy things, I spent a lot of time front porch sitting with Joe and James.   The weather here was perfect and allowed for lots of knitting, book reading, and playing with cars...

...and taking pictures of my knitting.  Yes, I will soon reveal what this new striping yarn is.  Look below at how nice the color change is between the navy and acidic green.  While I don't expect hand dyed yarn to be perfect (especially hand dyed stripes because they require so much more labor than variegated yarns), after all the nature of hand made goods means that they are imperfect, I really like that there aren't 1/8" white spots between color changes in this skein.  And knitting the stripes is so addictive that this sock is practically knitting itself!

A day of fun things

It's a fun Friday here.  James and I are working away at home- me on the computer and him on the ipad, puzzles and various other things he refers to as "work".  I guess he associates work with the things he likes, as does his Mama. 

Today brings the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, open windows filling the house with a lovely breeze, and new Noro Taiyo Sock colors.

I really need to cast on the Wingspan shawl with one of these.

Today also brings a test swatch of something new.  Something striped.  Something full of awesome.

This swatch has been washed in hot water, agitated like no ones business, and machine dried. The colors didn't lose their vibrancy, the fiber is softer than pre-wash,and the stitch definition is very nice even after that machine dry (which I normally wouldn't do to a hand dyed yarn, but really wanted to abuse this and see the results).

Opal's New Bicolor Sock Yarn Collection

Opal does a good job of starting new trends in sock knitting/wearing- their Cotton collection (in the sale section right now, as it's one of the retired collections I found at 50% off for you) was a new way of combining wool/cotton/nylon so that the cotton didn't make the sock yarn stiff as cotton usually can.  The Sports collections have a fiber combo that does a nice job of wicking away moisure.  And this new Bicolor is fun because the strand of yarn is printed in one color on the top, and another color on the bottom.  Which means that each stitch can appear as two different colors, depending on what side is shown on the front of your work, and how you twist your yarn as you knit.  It's a very cool idea- it gives a nice shadow/light effect and makes it so that the color changes int he self-patterning colorways have less contrast- the changes seem more subtle.

I also have restocks of the super popular Van Gogh collection, as well as Fairies and Elves (with the bust and butt cleaveage picture shown below that must have been designed by a 14-year-old boy).  I know that many of you have been waiting for more of these colors to be released from Customs, and if you had these on special/backorder, then your order has now shipped.

A fibery weekend

The Saturdays the store is open for shopping are always a good time for me.  I'm an extrovert, so I get my energy from interacting and being with others.  And since everyone who comes in the store is a fibery person, it's my kind of day.

Saturday brought many shoppers, but also the first knitted sweater for the baby!  Debra knit this awesome little sweater in Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in my fave color, Olive, and her little grandson even took part by picking out the little monkey buttons.

Like most of you, Janelle doesn't live close to the store, so can't bring in her finished projects to show off, but she did send me these great pictures of her Thistle and Forest Plaid Socks using Simply Sock Yarn in Deep Sea, Green, Mocha, Brick and Chocolate.  Very cool!

What's this week bringing?  Lots of yarn.  Restocks of Malabrigo Sock, new colors of Trekking XXL and Opal, more Fleece Artist Merino 2/6 and Casbah, restocks of long-backordered Shibui Sock, new colors from Jojoland, and more!  It's going to be one busy week of unpacking yarn and sending it off to all of you!

Preparing for a summer of knitting

As May approaches, I've been told that many of you are preparing for a summer of gift knitting.  Those of you who are teachers or work for the school systems will have a few months off, and it's right about this time that I get calls and orders for larger amounts of sock yarn as you prepare for your time off, and get much of your holiday knitting started.  I think that's such a cool way to plan your summer- going through Ravelry, matching the perfect person with the exact yarn/pattern they would like, and then anticipating those last few weeks (or 27 days in Joe's case!) before your summer projects can begin.

Awhile back, I post about the yarns that I find are perfect for gift knitting.  They come in a wide array of colors and are machine washable and dryable, even if thrown in with towels, and you can give items without worry.  Since I know many of you will be gearing up for gift knitting, I have some new colors and restocks coming next week in Opal, Trekking XXL and Berroco Sox.  None of those have to be treated specially, just wash and dry, and I rarely notice color fading over the years.

Take a look at what's coming to the store soon in Opal and Trekking.  Hopefully this will tide you over til the yarn arrives next week. And I couldn't resist putting captions with some of these... please feel free to leave your own in the comments.... the sillier the better.

"Look at how they can Photoshop my knees into looking non-ashy in the middle of winter!  Ooh, technology!"

"Must.  Sit. Casually.... with one leg perched on knee.  Does this look natural?"

"Thank goodness my Properly-Pointing-Toes-101 class finally came in handy!"

 

Free Patterns from Berroco

Oh, how I love discovering free patterns.  Today, while waiting for James in the preschool pickup line, I browsed the Berroco website and found a plethora of free patterns that I hadn't discovered before.  These patterns use Berroco Sox and Berroco Sox Metallic, which are quite popular in the store because do they start around $13, but they are quite durable- definitely machine washable and dryable and the kind of socks you can give as gifts with no fear of how they will be treated.  I could confidently give these socks to my brother or Joe's dad and know they would look good even if washed and dried with towels.

First, I think these armwarmers are very cool, and also a good choice for a gift.  For those of use who spend lots of time on the computer, we enjoy still keeping our lower arms and hands warm.  And since the fingers aren't covered it makes typing easy and using smartphones an option as well.  Knit with Berroco Sox Metallic in color 1375-Guava.

I think this water bottle cover is a fun idea, don't you?  I hadn't seen something like this before, with the cute pom poms- I think they really make this design.  Knit with Berroco Sox in color 1425.

Finally, I post this pattern a few years ago, but it's definitely worth revisiting.  The Celestine Sox pattern is a great use of any fingering weight yarn, and I've had plans to knit some of these for festive holiday decorations, but haven't yet gotten around to it.  I think it's interesting in this self patterning color shown below (Berroco Sox in color 1427), but I think you could also combine several hand painted colors or solid colors you have leftover from your stash.  I think you could also use leftovers for a baby toy.  But expect each point on the star to be gnawed on.

You can find all the free patterns here.  And if you need either Berroco Sox or Berroco Sox Metallic, I keep all the available colors in the store.  Berroco frequently discontinues colors, so all shown in patterns might not be available anymore.  If they are available, I have them.

Another Tosh-rific Contest!

And the winner of last week's contest is... Melleknits, who said that if she won the contest, she would choose two skein of Merino Light in Oxblood and Smokestack to knit a Daybreak shawl by Stephen West.

Daybreak certainly has been a pattern that I've heard a lot about in the store- many of you are picking up skeins of Merino Light, Tosh Sock, Tanis Fiber Arts Purple Label and Malabrigo Sock for this one.  I don't believe I've seen one come in the store finished yet, but I'll try and snap a shot if I do.  The Wingspan shawl certainly seems to be on everyone's needles and minds lately- and with good reason.  I didn't want to allow the one Jan brought by to leave the store!

So let's have a new contest!  Take a look at the Tosh Sock and tell me what color you'd like to knit into what sock pattern, and I'll randomly choose a winner to receive a skein of Tosh Sock of his/her choosing.  To be eligible for the contest, just leave one comment on this post by Wednesday, April 25 at midnight EST.  I"ll e-mail the winner and also post here likely within a week of the end of the contest.

I've already knit the Tomato color of Tosh Sock (sold out right now) into a Nutkin.  But I think I would choose next to knit a pair of Monkey socks with the Mansfield's Garden Party or Flashdance.  Or perhaps Vintage Sari.  All are colors I adore and all are quite different.  And it's been awhile since I've knit a Monkey pair and that pattern has been on my mind lately- such an easy yet satisfying knit.