Beginnings of Sock Monkey Pattern

Body after 22 rounds from when legs were connected.

Here are the two legs connected and the start of the body in the round. The photo is one of many images of sock monkeys. I found on the internet. This one came from a blog. I'm using the photo as a reference. There are so many variations!

I had already started my first leg with some Plymouth Encore dk in my stash at home when I spotted this yarn at my local yarn store. Isn't it just about perfect?? Of course, I had to buy some.

NOTE: If you searched for a sock monkey knitting pattern and you were directed here, the finished pattern is on this blog, just a little later (December 20th's entry)! You may click on the Sockless Sock Monkey Pattern under Nean the Bean's Free Patterns on the right over there, or you may simply click here to be redirected to the correct entry. Thanks!

I wish I could spend a lot more time knitting than I am able to, but last night at least I was able to finish both legs, connect them and start the body in the round. Here is what I have so far, if anyone cares to begin along with me:

Nean the Bean's Knitted Sockless Sock Monkey

copyright 2007 Anita M. Wheeless

Starting with a leg, and knitting back and forth using double-pointed needles size US 3 (3.25 mm), cast on three stitches using white or off-white or cream double-knitting weight yarn.

Turn and knit, increasing in each stitch by knitting in the front and back. You now have 6 stitches.

Knit the next row.

Increase in each stitch again by knitting in the front and back of each. You now have 12 stitches.

Divide these twelve stitches among the three double-pointed needles by knitting four stitches onto each.

Increase again by knitting into the front and back of each stitch. You now have 24 stitches total.

Knit for 25 rounds. Cut off white and join brown or brown/cream/mix (whatever you want his legs/body/head to be).

Knit for 50 rounds more.

At this point, you may either put all stitches on a stitch holder, thread a piece of yarn through the stitches to hold them or keep a set of needles in them and take out another set to knit the other leg. Whatever method you choose to keep the stitches open on this leg is fine. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail. Set the finished leg aside and start another.

When you've finished with the second leg, do not cut the yarn. At this point, divide your stitches so that you are only using one needle for the front and one needle for the back for each leg. Mochi Mochi Land has a great tutorial for this part. You will knit across the front of the leg that you just finished (the one with the yarn still attached)and when you get to the end of the stitches on that leg, add three more stitches in the middle using the backward-loop method. Pick up the first leg you had knit and knit all the way across the front. Then continue going around, knitting all the way across this leg's back. Again, add three stitches by way of the backward-loop method and continue across the back of the other leg. Great! The legs are now connected with a tiny bit of body in the middle!

So far, I have knit 22 rounds more. Obviously, it will be quite a few rounds more before he has a body and a head! So stay tuned for exact round counts.

Meanwhile, does anyone have a preference on whether or not I should decrease for a neck? If this were a "true" sock monkey, there would be no decrease. There are so many variations of sock monkeys floating around out there! Some have lots of cream on legs and arms ... some have less. In the final analysis, I guess you can choose how much cream to use. Just join on the brown sooner and knit the same amount of rounds that you would have knit in the cream.

I'd certainly appreciate comments and suggestions as I go!