Got Monkey?

For long time readers of this blog (does anyone read it anymore?), you may recall my love of all things monkey. Four or five years ago, my felted monkey, Zira travelled the globe and I even developed a smaller pattern that I named the Cheeky Little Monkeys. Well for a variety of reasons, I never wrote up the pattern for the Cheekys and forgot about them. Thanks to a good bit of monkey love that several of my family and friends share with me, I dusted off the pattern, rewrote parts of it and am about to release it and several holiday versions over the next couple of weeks. Here's a preview of the newly revised Cheeky Little Monkeys



You can see more pictures on the workshop site - http://theindigomuse.ning.com . Check back for registration information since I'm planning on developing an online workshop for these little fellows since there are so very many tips and tricks that I can't adequately describe in print. Patterns will be available through the site and Ravelry. Keep your eyes peeled :)

In other news, I've been busy filming/developing online knitting workshops and writing up patterns. Not much personal knitting happening except for Knitspots beautiful Leafprints wrist warmers and I'm actually knitting them out of the recommended yarn - Great Northern Yarns Mink/Cashmere (heavenly stuff). I did have a fab weekend away from the guys last weekend with my Maryland peeps Heather, Ei and Donna. You can read more on H's blog HERE. My Grandma has been in the hospital for almost two weeks after cardiac arrest a couple of weeks ago. Please add her to your prayer list. Poor thing had to spend her 87th birthday on Saturday in the hospital :( We are blessed because this is only the second time in her life that she's been in the hospital and she's actually doing very well. She's in rehab now to get her left arm back up to full capacity so she can go home.

Here's hoping that Thanksgiving is low key and relaxing for everyone.

Skool's Out 4 Summer

Everybody, sing the song with me. Yippie! Thing 1 and 2 are out of school for the summer. They actually got out on Thursday but today is the first day that I've gotten to enjoy the full effect of sleeping in. Ahhhhh. Snuggling up in the sheets while the faint murmur of the Today Show lulls me back to sleep. On the one hand, I won't have to drive two plus hours each day schelepping them to and from school and to misc. activities. I REALLY get to flex-time with my job so the reward is if I get up early, I get to knock off mid-day and go to the pool and work on my tan - ha ha ha! And I won't have to make lunch, pry the boys out of the bed with a crowbar and yell like a pit crew chief to go, go, go so we're not late to school. On the other hand, I turn into slave driver and entertainment director for the next three months. Anyone want to take bets on when the words "I'm bored" are first uttered in this house? I'm hell bent on not letting them turn into couch potatoes and glaze over in front of the tv or video games. And yet again, I want them to have fun. Which means, I have to come up with lots of chores for them in the coming weeks. It won't be all business around here but I do have a paying job to do and I don't want to hear bickering, cartoons or video games all freakin' day. We'll see how good parenting skills rate in a couple of weeks. Don't place any bets on how good those are, Peeps.

I have some serious catching up to do and this is the one week in many where I'm not out of town for work and can do just that. Yes, I've been knitting. And I've also been spinning and workin' the dyepot and even dabbling with some designs. I've got many FO's to show you and lots of life stuff to share, too. The winds, they are a changin' round these parts so I have some adjusting to do but I'm up for the challenge.

In the meantime, I leave you with a random picture I took while visiting Raleigh last month. They were selling these sock monkeys at The Gap. I got bored while Thing 1 tried on the millionth pair of jeans so I snapped their picture. I should have bought all of them because looking at their picture makes me laugh every. single. time.

Cheeky Monkey

You know I can't resist a fiber named "Cheeky Monkey" especially since I like all things monkey and have my own Cheeky Little Monkeys. Plus I figure that it will distract you from other things that I was supposed to have ready by today.


See the Cheeky Little Monkeys?

Amy over at Spunky Eclectic had this fiberlicious goodness in her shop and it had to be mine. Yup, I didn't stop at ordering the Finnsheep fleece. There have been other LOFAD purchases over the last couple of weeks (she says smiling sheepishly).




Sumptuous merino/silk dyed in brown, pink and peach. It reminds me of those Brach's candies whose name escapes me now.

A little less than 2 oz of that fiber became these singles ...




that became this sock weight yarn ...





that will become socks. Yes, socks from she-who-doesn't-love-socks. But it screams to be socks and I have to listen to the fiber or they've all threatened to pack up and run away and we can't have that.

Hope that distracted you enough. If all goes well, I'll have permission to move forward with my project later today. If not, zee Muse has many, many rabbits left in her hat...