Inspiration Everywhere

Many of you have given me (and this blog) the "You Make My Day" award. Knowing that you enjoy what I do each day is rewarding and, as any blogger will tell you, your comments (and visits sans comments) are very much appreciated.  It is you, all of you, who inspire me to knit, write, and post every single day.   My Bloglines list is very long and full of inspirational, enjoyable and fascinating blogs. It is impossible to break down the hundreds into a list of 10 or even 30….I know, as I've tried and tried, and even made a list by using the ABCs.  It's just too difficult to do and so, I will thank you for the award and tell you all to keep reading new blogs, keep posting if you have a blog, and know that you are appreciated, by many, for the effort you put into it. 

Project Spectrum, the Elements Edition (how I love that), has inspired me to knit with the STR Hot Flash that has been marinading in the stash. Most of you have never suffered, endured or felt the effects of a hot flash, but let me tell you, as the queen of the flash, hot flashes are aptly named. They can make you feel as if you have a brazer of warm coals heating you up from the inside out. Hot Flash is the perfect yarn for a pair of socks that will keep my feet toasty warm.

My sock muse hasn't been very active lately, so I decided to knit a sock I'd already knit some time back, Pomatomus.  The yarn and pattern 'felt' right together and, in one afternoon, good progress was made.  But, what happens when many muses come at you from several directions?  One must listen, right?

The first little voice in my head was telling me the pattern was too complicated for the portable, easy knitting I sought in a sock.  Since I already had a lace project on the needles, and many colorwork patterns for EPS dancing around in my head, I could see the little voice was right.  What to do, what to do?   Saturday morning as I dressed for the day, I picked up a pair of finished Monkey socks, one of three pair I'd knit, and, as I slid them over my toes and up my foot, I could see why I'd knit so many pair.  They fit very well and felt wonderful!  Hmmm (I thought), maybe I should knit another pair?   

Shortly after dressing, I was out the door and driving up the road while listening to my favorite DJ (he was subbing for another that day--ahhh, it was heaven), who was doing an all vinyl show. (Are some of you too young to know what that means?)  So many of my favorite songs, one right after the other, filled the car (and I cranked the volume nob!).  When the Rolling Stones Monkey Man came on, I knew it was a sign. Isn't everything related to our knitting?   That night I frogged the P-Sock and cast on a pair of Monkeys (with my favorite picot edging).  This is one HOT sock!  How perfectly it works with the Monkey pattern, much better than with the P-Sock, don't you think?  And how about that retina searing color!?

Comments

[sandy]

That sock is just what the winter doldrums need! :D

[janine]

Beautiful! A real breath of fresh air :-)

[Carole]

That's one rockin' monkey!

[Nicole]

I think the yarn looks much better with the Monkey socks. Not that it looked bad with Pomatomus, it just looks even better with Monkey. It's a very happy sock!

I'm almost done with my first pair of Monkey socks (knitted in some of Karen's sock yarn that I won in your birthday contest!). It's a wonderful pattern--I can see why you'd be on pair number 4.

[CindyCindy]

Love the Monkey sock. Your references to vinyl? I am so there. I have so many wonderful "records" and wish I could A. find to time to burn them to CD and B. know how to do it. I have gratefully had only a few hot flashes, but the feelings of murderous hate? Those I have and hate with a passion. Have a terrific Tuesday.

[bellamoden]

Yum! I love these socks.

[Carol]

Love, love, love this color! And I certainly feel your hot pain, Boniva and all...

[Sarah HB]

YES!

Like how they look better than the P-socks.

[Manise]

Now that's a happy Monkey and my eyes thank you for bright colors on such a dreary rainy day here in New England. Reminds me that I have a second Monkey that needs have the cuff ripped and restarted.

My flashes are on hiatus *knocking on wood*. I guess the menopause fairy is busy making house calls elsewhere.

[Teresa C]

Heh, Erin bought vinyl the other day. I think she wants to decorate her walls with the album covers, but the upside was that she got a free mp-3 download of the entire album with the vinyl purchase. Nifty!

I love the sock.

[Cara]

PERFECT!

[Vicki]

Those socks are going to be FABULOUS!!

[ruth]

Here's the only good thing abuot power surges, aka hot flashes: When you go for a walk and it's chilly outside and you don't have quite enough layers on. And then you get a power surge. Woo Hoo! Warms you up just like that.

Great socks!

[Marcia Cooke]

Congratulations! You deserve it. And I'm totally with you on the "signs" thing!

[Hillary]

Very nice. Those socks are going to be wonderful.

[Cheryl S.]

Hot pink monkeys! Gotta love it.

[Chris]

Will they be done by Valentines?! They're the perfect thing for it!

[Norma]

It is just amazing how different that yarn looks between two lacy patterns. Great color!

[Wool Winder]

I just started a pair of Monkey socks too. Thought about a picot cuff, but haven't ever used one for socks so I didn't know if I should use fewer stitches to help it hold up the sock better or if the doubled fabric makes it tight enough. What do you do? The yarn does work better with this sock. You won't fall asleep knitting with that color!

[Rosa]

Great change. That is one lovely pink color. I can't wait to see it blossom. And yes, Monkey socks are the best fitting socks for me too.

[Beth S.]

What a difference between those two pictures! Yes, I agree, you did the right thing. The yarn didn't want to be a fish, it wanted to be a monkey. :-)

[Michele in Maine]

I always reach for my Monkey socks too! And I've had some Hot Flash in my stash for some time, just waiting for the perfect inspiration. I think I will make mine into Monkeys too.

[Heather Joins The Round]

Very cute, and very pink (which is a good thing!)

[Tan]

Margene, you are the queen of pink.

[Miranda]

Those are definitely some PINK socks!

[Jocelyn]

Someone tried to buy this yarn from my stash yesterday on Ravelry, and I said no. I love that colorway, too. Also - I take Black Cohosh for the hot flashes, and it works great!

[Rachel]

Much Better!

[sue]

Wow!! It's amazing what just changing the pattern will do for your yarn...

[Margaret]

I've got the Monkees on vinyl. Does that count as a sign? I want to like the Pomatomus pattern, I really do, but Monkey is just so much more fun to knit! Love the hot pink!

[Stacey]

I'm with everyone, the pattern makes the yarn. I keep seeing spring in everything you do. That Lolly sure was smart picking fire when it's so cold and icky.

[tiennie]

Very pretty color! You totally deserve the award - I'm always amazed by how much you can post - and post well!

[Sil]

That variegated yarn looks so different in the Monkey formation! Lovely and more monkeys are a good thing in my book.

[Knitnana]

I've been wishing to find a skein of that wondrous colorway for months and months now. I'll enjoy it vicariously through your blog!
(((hugs)))

[Lucia]

Oh, I agree with you on this one! I've never knit either pattern, but I like the Monkey much better in that yarn.

I agree with you about YMMD too -- *all* of the blogs I read (more every day) make me think, or laugh, or fall over gobsmacked, and as one of my favorite movie characters said, that means you, dear.

[Pat K]

That is one bright color! And if you're the queen of the flash, I'm part of the royal court...

[Cayenne]

Amazing how a change in pattern can make such a difference! I love the Hot Flash.

[Sarah]

I wondered what caused the change from Pomatomus to Monkey. That is some fabulously hot yarn.

[--Deb]

I think the sock muse is down in the Bahamas somewhere, taking a vacation, because it seems to have deserted a lot of knitters lately.

[Kelly]

I think that's a great choice for that yarn. I love the color. Those will certainly be some HOT socks!

[Jennifer]

I don't call that retina searing... I call that pink fabulous!

[Alarming Female]

I really like it in the Monkey

[Mia]

I love the socks!!! I know what to do with my skein of this color way now. I love how your's are turning out!!!

[Laurie]

The Monkeys are MUCH better than the Psocks. Much.

[Teyani]

poiferct! hey hey we're the monkeys.
yes... I am old enough to know what an all vinyl review is (grin) that is our era after all! I still have many LP's, packed away with mt storage boxes, awaiting the day I buy another "record player" someday (grin)

[Andrea (noricum)]

I love that yarn and monkey combination!

[Wanda]

With Monkeys and Tropical Punch your winter knitting must surely being coming to an end. All those bright colors must mean an end to winter, right?

I do happen to know what an all-vinyl review means.:-)

[minnie]

a perfectly acceptable color for february! it'll help keep your eyeballs warm, lol!