Sock monkeys seem to be a big hit these days. We had three Christmas gifts in our little house alone. My friend Sue (Hi, Susan!) sent us the Fred & Friends Wine Monkey Wine Caddy. Hello, adorable! I shall call you Ferdinand.

And, my sister-in-law Emily, who writes a great blog over here, sent us a pair of these completely adorable sock monkey egg cups with matching monkey spoons from PG Tips. I kind of like eating breakfast with a cute smiling face staring back at me. I think they need names! What are some good twin names?

And Santa brought Lola got the third sock monkey present. A silly monkey creature that she cuddled to death. With her teeth.

It's great to see knitting winding it's way through popular culture. Knitting is a huge trend in my mind, but it seems all kinds of people really enjoy handknits right now. Is it that people are turning toward simpler times because of the economic downturn? Or, are knitting designers following trends more closely? Or, is knitting just that cool, come on... you know it is.