cimorene

I didn't want to gender this toy before giving it to my niece so she can decide herself who it is, so although the pattern name is "Monkey Jacobus", I named my project Bonny Royal Sock Monkey (it reminded me of 'jacobite', e.g. the supporters of Bonny Prince Charlie, whom I'm extra fond of since I found out the theme song of Outlander is based on a folk song about him).

I loved the sock yarn the monkey's made of already but it really did come out extraordinarily cute on the monkey. I was also excited to knit miniature clothes for it, something I've never done before.

I finished the monkey in under 5 days so I figured I had plenty of time to make clothes for it.

My first thought was a traditional Aran sweater, but for a toy with a head nearly as big as its torso, the neck opening becomes an issue, so I decided on an Aran cardigan instead, and I went for this nice remnant of fucshia which harmonizes beautifully. I examined some FOs made with popular toy sweater patterns and observed seamless-yoke, seamed-underarm raglan was popular, which makes sense because knitting tubes as small as these sleeves/back in the round with cabling would be problematic. Anyway, I spent a while debating cable types on graph paper, but I didn't have to knit anything twice.

I measured the length against the monkey's body as I went and also decided after I'd finished both the front panels to put symmetrical increases on the back along the side seams to make the whole thing wider so it wouldn't fit too tightly - the monkey has a pear-shaped body with the increases along the center back.

I'm kinda jealous of this monkey's sweater and have now decided to make myself an Aran jacket out of the same yarn

Unfortunately I was knitting the sweater with worsted on 2 mm needles, and it actually took nearly 3 days (though I ended up having to leave it to shop and spent some time reading). I blocked it before seaming to stretch the sleeves, which otherwise would have been too narrow to easily dress and undress the monkey, and that allowed me to make sure the underarm seams would line up. Then I had to sew it up, of course, and pick up and knit the shawl collar in a few short rows. (After that I used a bigger needle for the socks and hat.)

Still, I finished it all last night and so still have 2 days to letter 9 cards and prepare chocolate pretzels, fudge, sugar cookies, meringues, and the lemon roasted brussels sprouts &/or broccoli

waxjism has committed us to bringing on Monday.

eta I also researched the history of sock monkeys, which I hadn't realized were a mostly American phenomenon. The pattern I'm using here, by an author who I think is Dutch, is clearly reminiscent of sock monkeys, but it looks quite a bit more modern and nicer - more like Curious George, really, if you embroider the eyes and nose right.