4 Ways to Knit Cookie A’s Free Monkey Socks Pattern

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Cookie A’s Monkey Socks are one of the most popular free sock patterns out there, and it’s no surprise why: it’s a beautiful lace sock pattern that is easy to memorize and great for beginner sock knitters.  There are 22.8K pairs of plain old Monkey Socks posted on Ravelry, and there are also a lot of great variations on the pattern that you can try!  Here are a few:

No-Purl Monkey Socks

The most popular modification to the Monkey Socks Pattern is the No-Purl version made popular by CraftyPancakes on Ravelry.  There’s no real pattern at that link, just the Ravelry card.  To make these, just knit the stitches that are marked as purl stitches in the original pattern.  Below are some close up pictures of Monkey Socks: regular version on the left and no purl version on the right. (BTW, Monkey Socks look fabulous in speckled yarn, right?! Both of these pairs are knitted in Knit Picks Hawthorne Speckle: the Tie Dye and Jupiter colorways).

Yoga Monkey Socks

A super fun variation on the Monkey Sock Pattern is Baco Knitter’s Yoga Monkeys.  This free pattern uses the no-purl variation, but if the purl version floats your boat, you could sub in the regular chart.  These are socks have no toes or heel and they keep your feet warm while doing yoga or after a pedicure.  I made this pair for my cousin with about 190 yards of sock yarn, so you might even be able to sneak in a pair of these with some yarn leftover from another project.

Monkey Socks with an FLK Heel

Monkey Socks look fabulous in multi-colored yarn, but since they have a heel flap and gusset, some types of variegated or hand-painted yarns can pool in these areas.  Enter another variation: Monkey Socks with a Fish Kiss Lips (FLK) Heel!  You can read more about color pooling and see what happens with a standard heel vs. an FLK heel in this post.  If you want to try your hand at incorporating a FLK heel on a pair of Monkey socks, it’s very easy: just knit the leg until 1” above where you’d normally insert your heel flap.  When you get there, work the lace pattern on one side of the sock and just do some plain knitting on the other side for an inch to create a little space before you pop in the heel.  You’ll need to buy instructions on how to knit a FLK heel here – they are only $1 and well worth it.

Size Large Monkey Socks

The Monkey Socks pattern originally appeared in the Winter 2006 issue of Knitty in a single size: medium (cast on 64 stitches).  But later versions of the pattern include instructions and a chart for a large size sock (cast on 80 stitches).  Some people know this, some people don’t.  But now you know!  You can download a free version of the large pattern on Interweave’s website or get it in Cookie A’s Knit. Sock. Love. book, which is out of print but you can download the e-book version on Ravelry for $16.95 – Monkey is in there plus 18 other sock patterns that I love (definitely check out the BFF socks!) Heel