Monkeys to Knit for the Year of the Monkey

Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and we’re about to begin the Year of the Monkey.

I found so many cute monkey knitting patterns I actually had to stop looking for fear of overwhelming you all with the cuteness, but here are a bunch to get you started, whether you’re knitting to celebrate the new year or just to make a gift for a monkey-loving kiddo.

Elaine Fitzpatrick has an adorable Imp Cloth that can be made as a washcloth or a baby bib. It’s decorated with a monkey in textured stitches and is so cute I just might have to make one even though we’re beyond the bib stage.

Looking for more knitting patterns for a Monkey? Check out these knitting patterns on Etsy and these free monkey knitting patterns from our sister site Craftbits.com

Nett Hulse has adorable little baby mittens with monkey motifs, among other designs.

Tommy Smith has a Monkey Finger Puppet, or check out the Tiny Monkey by Katie Startzman, Monkey Moo from the Knitted Toy Box, Mary Kate Long’s Tiny Sock Monkey, or Aine Marriott’s Mini Monkey. So cute!

If you like your monkeys bigger, there are many, many options, including:

The ITV Digital Monkey from Sirdar
Tucker the Monkey by Tracy Chapman
Monkee Maker’s Monkee
Monty the Monkey from Sullivans International
Patons’ Monkey Around Sock Monkey
Linda Cyr’s Sock Monkey from Red Heart
The Sock Yarn Sock Monkey by Linda Cartlidge

There’s even a Curious George chart (from Justyna Lorkowska) and a Boots the Monkey from Jennifer Wilson-Parkes (though it should be noted those characters are licensed, so don’t try to sell anything using these patterns!).

Have you ever knit a monkey? I’d love to know what you made or if any of these designs catch your eye.

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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