Cheeky Little Monkey pattern in the Winter Knitcircus

I've been a really bad blogger but mostly because life has blindsided me for the last few months. Long story short, I lost my job in July, Thing 1 was hospitalized (he's fine now) in August and my dearest Grandmother passed away in September. Major suckitude to put it mildly.

However, the fog is starting to lift (at least I hope it is) and some good news came my way today. A couple of my patterns were published in the Winter issue of Knitcircus that went live this morning. I introduce to you the Cheeky Binky Ball and the Woobie blanket.

I'm thrilled to be a part of this beautiful Knitcircus issue. They truly were a top notch organization to work with. To celebrate this issue going live, I'm giving away a Winter Knitcircus pattern collection to one of my blog readers. To enter, please take a look at the Winter Knitcircus issue and in the comments, let me know which of the lovely patterns (other than the Binky balls and Woobie) that you might consider knitting. I will choose the winner at 10 am EST on Saturday, November 13th.

ETA - Congratulations, Kris M. you won the Winter Issue of KnitCircus prize!

And if you can't get enough of the Cheeky Little Monkeys, stop by my Etsy shop to buy an original handknit/felted Cheeky.

Long time gone

*Singing the Dixie Chicks song Long Time Gone*

Yes, I've been away from the blog. I'm not entirely sure anyone read it anymore or has really missed me so I have mixed emotions about blogging. I get real time feedback from peeps on Twitter and sometimes on the Ravelry forums but not much feedback on the blog. I don't need tons of comments but it is nice to know if its read or even missed. Lack of comments = not missed in my book and therefore, I haven't posted.

Anyhoo, I've been busy with the now 6 month old puppy. Her name is Twinkle and she's tons of fun, laid back and crazy all in one.



King Thing is (finally) on a weightloss adventure and has been very successful. Thing 1 is driving, has a job, a very lovely girlfriend and will be a senior next year...



Thing 2 had an amazing 1st year in public school and is getting ready for high school next year. Eeep! Beach season is upon us this weekend after a very long and trying winter. We took our first cruise with Royal Carribean to Cozumel and Belize in April. What a blast! No one got sea sick and we're dying to go again. I'm still knitting and spinning and have my job.



I really miss my real life spinning and knitting friends but it seems like life has been crazy for everyone. Hopefully, I'll be able to connect with many of you this summer. If you want to keep up with me, I'm on Twitter (theindigomuse) and would love to visit with you there too. Don't be a stranger. Stop by and say "Hi".

Raise your hand if you're tired of snow...

Um, yeah, I'm over all of the snow we've gotten. Its pretty to look at but its keeping The Things home from schooll WAY too much and they've lost almost all of their school vacations leading up to Spring Break. (((sigh))) Either way, Spring is closer than it ever was before and I'm going to keep my eyes on the prize - warmer weather!

So, to keep myself from going stir crazy, I've been knitting, spinning and nesting for the new baby. Here's what's been happening round these parts...

Southern Cross Fiber Cashmere/Merino spun sportweight on my Majacraft Little Gem...



A new design - Felted Kawaii Strawberry Hottie (hotwater bottle) Cozy. Pattern coming soon...



Look Maw, I'm knitting lace. LACE!!! Traveling Woman shawlette



Cedar Leaf Shawl. A birthday gift for a dear friend...



A Cheeky Little Monkey making snow angels...



Speaking of Cheekies, as part of the Help for Haiti campaign that Ravelry launched, I'm donating 50% of gross proceeds from my patterns sales to Haitian relief efforts through February 15th. AND King Thing's company is going to match our gift dollar for dollar.

I've began offering two of my online knitting workshops as "on-demand". That means that they'll be available anytime instead of having to wait for a workshop to start on a particular date. You simply register with your payment through Paypal and within 24 hours, you will be sent the login link to the workshop website. For more information, visit the site at http://theindigomuse.ning.com

That's it for now. Hopefully, I'll have new puppy pictures next week if the weather cooperates. Can't. Wait!

New addition to our family in February

First of all, I'm not pregnant. 40 and pregnant would not be funny especially when the boys are this close to graduating and starting their own lives. That would NOT be funny at all.

Instead, we're adding a sweet little fluffybutt to our family in February. Another Corgi girl...



We're pretty excited and can't wait to hear barking round these parts again. Its been a little over two years since sweet Mavis left us and we're finally ready for another furry friend. The countdown has begun.

BTW, local peeps: Anyone use a vet in Salem? Not sure I can go back Mavis' vet because of the memories. Might need to suck it up though because they were/are very kind, pet loving people.

I'm still alive though I don't blog much. I don't get many comments or clicks from the blog so I'm not sure anyone reads it anymore. If you want to keep up with what I'm doing daily, look me up on Twitter - theindigomuse . If you haven't already joined Indigomuse's Fiber Workshop, stop by for a visit and register today. January's online knitting workshop offerings and registration information is on the front page.

I've done a bit of spinning, loads of knitting and a bunch of designing. Here are a few of projects that have come off the needles recently...



If you click on the pictures, you'll get more details. I'm not even going to whinge about family, reminisce about the holidays and gab about much of anything self indulgent because I'd rather the energy be positively focused on the people of Haiti. The Yarn Harlot is sending up the knit signal and calling knitters to give again. Anything you can give is appreciated. Together, we can make a difference. Kiss your loved ones and tell your friends and family you love them. Today is all we have. Tomorrow is promised to no one. (((hugs)))

The Cheeky Little Monkeys pattern is available

After a very long wait, the Cheeky Little Monkeys pattern is now available. Visit - Cheeky Little Monkeys - for more information or to purchase. Don't have a Ravelry account? You can click this link - HERE - to purchase the pattern.

Details:

Needle - US 9/5.5 mm

Yarn - Brown Sheep Lanaloft Worsted in dark brown and white

Pattern techniques - include i-cord, increases, decreases, picking up stitches and felting. Pattern includes directions for both knitting flat AND in the round.

Approximate finished size after felting: 7”

Thanks for all of the comments and monkey love you've shown my little monkeys. There will be more monkey madness in the near future. Stay tuned! Have a fab weekend!

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.

Online Knitting Workshops

When I originally thought that my job was going to be terminated, I immediately started to tap into my available resources. I approached the local yarn shop - Yarn Explosion - about teaching knitting classes as a stop gap until I could find gainful employment. And then I didn't lose my job but had already started planning classes. See the dilemma? Around the same time, Glampyre started offering online classes and encouraged me to try it too.

And soooooo, I'm pleased to announce that registration is now open at IndigoMuse's Fiber Workshop for my first online workshop - Felted Fortune Cookies. Some of you might remember these cookies from Chinese New Year a few years ago. The pattern is a great skillbuilder workshop where you can practice short rows and use up your wool scraps.

Once you’ve paid for the workshop, you’ll receive 14 days access to the invitation only workshop site. Patterns, tutorials, felting tips and tricks, forums and live chats will all be posted on the site. Local yarn support is provided by Yarn Explosion. Call (540) 206-2638 for more information on ordering and shipping your supplies directly to your door. Local participants will also have the added bonus of “live meetups” to get assistance, support or to show off finished projects. I’m working with other yarn shops in Southwest Virginia to also provide yarn support for future workshops for participants who don’t live in Roanoke.

You can view a sneak peak of the class below:


Find more videos like this on IndigoMuse's Fiber Workshop


By joining IndigoMuse's Fiber Workshop you're already set to get regular updates of new workshops, specials and other offerings. If you're curious, here are some of the other workshops I'll be offering in the coming weeks:

October 21st - Felted fortune cookies
October 31st - Drop stitch scarf/wrap/cowl
November 4th - Felted fortune cookies
November 7th - Trinity Log Cabin Triangle
November 11th - Getting to know your yarn (complete with “fiber tastings” of yarn)

Be sure to check the events calendar on my Ning site for more information.

Let me know if you have questions or comments and I’ll make every attempt to answer them. Thanks again for all of your great ideas and enthusiasm about the workshops already :) I look forward to "seeing you" in class.