Vera Bear KAL for June

Oh honey!  Let me tell you that I barely got this blog posted in time.  The June KAL is going to be Vera Bear by Annita Wilschut.  This pattern is by the same designer from our April KAL, Jacobus the Monkey.  Purchase your pattern on Ravelry, then purchase your knitting supplies at KT and join us Thursday evenings from 6-8:00pm beginning June 7th.

Knit me, knit me, knit me ...

Vera is very teddy-bearish looking and is fun, fun, fun to knit!  If you are up for an extreme challenge while you knit this bear, you can download your pattern in Dutch.  But don't expect any help from me going forward.

Happy Knitting and hope to see you for the KAL

Renee

The Great Jacobus Monkey Party!

Tonight we had a party to celebrate the end of the KAL for Jacobus the monkey. We planned it a couple of weeks ago, giving all the knitters time to get their monkeys done and ready for their photo moments!

A whole lot of monkeyin' around!

At least one of the monkeys showed up without it's maker, but we all --- knitters and monkeys alike --- had fun. We enjoyed wine, fruit, dessert bars, cookies, and chocolate (yum!) after taking pictures of everyone.

OK, which ones are the monkeys?

Human treats ... sorry monkeys.

In June we are having a KAL for Vera, the bear by the same designer as Jacobus. Renee brought her bear, affectionately named Bart, so we can give you a sneak preview of what's to come.

Bart (aka Vera) the bear.

Stop by to pick out bear yarn if you decide you want to participate on Thursday evenings in June!

Fasten your seat belts guys!

Keep on knitting,

Nancy

Tiny Rosetta Monkey is Done

I was able to finish Rosetta in time for everyone to see her last evening at the Jacobus monkey KAL here at the shop. Rosetta ended up being about 9.5 inches tall including the tuft of yarn hair that I added last minute (you know how baby orangutans always have that fluffy hair on the top of their heads). I also only used a little less than 30 grams of a 50 gram ball of Regia 4-ply sock yarn. I used a tiny bit of pink Opal sock yarn for the face, hands, and feet. So if you are inclined to make a Jacobus monkey with sock yarn you will probably have at least 30 grams left of something laying around.

Tiny Rosetta perches on a crystal compote.

I may just have to make another monkey. Just think about it; a monkey would make a great gift for anyone (of any age) on your gift list! You can continue to join us at our Thursday night KAL through the month of April! I think we'll take a group photo of all the monkeys at the end of the month and post it here. It's sure to be good for a giggle!

Keep on knitting,

Nancy

Monkey Business All Around!

Last week we started Renee's KAL for Jacobus. We had quite the crowd last Thursday - the chairs were filled with people starting their monkeys. What with Judi's Magic Cast-On and magic loop learners, we were kept busy. Renee brought Banana cup cakes that were really moist and delicious. They were perfect for all the monkey business as we knitted together!

I got my Jacobus monkey started, and promptly named her Rosetta because of my friend Rose and my yarn. I'm using Regia Flusi sock yarn in a rose, blue, red and orange colored stripe with Size 0/2 mm Addi Turbo needles since I needed to go down a couple of sizes from what I normally use for sock knitting. The fabric seems to be just about right for stuffing. I'm nearly done with her, but I'm afraid I may have issues stuffing her since she's so tiny. My plan is to finish her by tomorrow, so I can parade her around tomorrow evening at the KAL. I still have to knit her second ear, tail and finally her last leg. Right now she's a one legged monkey!

If anyone else wants to start knitting Jacobus with us, purchase and print your pattern from Ravelry and stop in Thursday for our KAL a little before 6 pm. We can help you pick out yarn and needles if you don't have the right size.

One legged Rosetta with her lips still flapping!

Keep on knitting,

Nancy

April KAL - Don't Laugh But I'm Doing This

OK. I have always wanted to knit a sock monkey and I think I have finally found the perfect pattern. It's Jacobus by Annita Wilschut.  

Jacobus a.k.a. Mitch (skinny and flat) mid-knit!

Now he's feeling full and satisfied.

And very relaxed and and happy!

I've knitted my Jacobus (just call him Mitch) from Cascade 220 Superwash Paints in the Beach Grass colorway for Mitch's body and Cascade 220 Superwash in Banana (Get it?  BANANA!!) Cream. My next one (oh yes, there will be many) is, I think, going to be: Body by Malabrigo in Azul Profundo and Face by Malabrigo in Lettuce. OR something else. Who knows what I will choose by April 5th? I'm notorious for changing my mind 9 or 11 times.  

One of the cool things about this pattern is that you can use any weight yarn. Plus Annita's pattern has lots of photos to show you what Jacobus should look like as you are working on him.  A couple of our Thursday friends, Stacy and Patti, have already purchased their Jacobus yarns.  They opted for bodies in Malabrigo and decided to share a skein of Cascade 220 for the face, hands and feet.

The KAL is set to begin Thursday, April 5 from 6-8:00 p.m. and will continue through Thursday evenings in April. Come and 'monkey around' with us. It will be a blast! Join us and be prepared for some taste-tempting treats of the monkey variety!

Happy Knitting!

Renee

Meet Nestor the Knitting Elf!

I have been working on my own monster in preparation for our Monster Birthday Bash Contest. I finished him last week just in time to kick off the contest on Friday at our Friday Night Knit Club (FNKC) in the shop. My creation is a compilation and adaptation of pieces from patterns in The Big Book of Monsters by Rebecca Danger and several of her other downloadable patterns. To make him my own I added my own special pattern for pointy ears, two eye patches of differing sizes, and hair. I decided to turn my monster into an elf, since he "lives" in our shop. I thought a knitting elf in our shop would be more fun. (I think he could be responsible for some of the chaos that occurs there!) One of the things I really like about Rebecca's patterns is that each of her monsters has a story. I decided to write a story about my new little friend. I hope you enjoy it! 

Nestor the Knitting Elf 

Nestor lives in a warn and cozy yarn shop where he loves to hide in the yarn bins and under the tables and chairs. For his own entertainment, Nestor sometimes tosses a ball or two of yarn out of a yarn bin which scares the owners and customers. At night when Nestor tidies up the shop, he finds small balls of leftover yarn rolling around on the floor, misplaced knitting needles that rarely match, and runaway stitch markers that have lost their places. He stores his stash of special finds in his favorite hiding spot --- under the cushions of the overstuffed couch in the center of the shop. After years of living in the shop, Nestor learned to knit while hiding under the table during the beginning knitting classes. With a little bit of practice Nestor has knitted himself a somewhat holey sweater to wear when it's cold.


Keep on knitting!

P.S. So far we have quite a few people that have registered to make monsters for our contest. You can still join in on the fun! Just follow the links in the previous POST to get all the important information. Be sure to read the rules for making a monster and voting ... as well as winning!

Knitting a menagerie ...

Tim is golfing the City Tournament today at Waveland Golf Course. It's currently 91 degrees, humid, and very breezy. Hmmmm ... I'm sure glad I'm at the shop in the air conditioning where I can knit when I'm not busy!

At the shop Jean has gotten me interested in knitting stuffed animals. We are currently working our way through the Dangercraft animal and monster patterns! If you haven't ever seen any of her creatures, you must check them out. I've knitted Greta the Captivating Cat and you can find her (as well as Jean's Greta) on display at the shop. We have decided to knit a bunch of critters and display them at the shop. Our goal is to have an entire menagerie!

Greta was so much fun to knit and even the assembly was simple to complete. Jean found great instructions on Mochimochi Land for attaching the arms, tail, and ears, so that all went really slick (and you can't even tell they are sewn on)! Jean is planning on teaching Greta this summer, so watch our website for class info.

I promise I will find a good recipe for my next blog. I'm not working next week (can I say I'm excited?!) and will test a couple of new recipes on the family!