Santa's elves are busy knitting!

Yes, even though we only have candle light at the moment my needles are working away!

I don't know why but somehow candle light seems to suit knitting, I suppose because its all so relaxing and theraputic and the wool so nice. Well, that's until I have to count rows or stitches when I'm knitting a ´Monkey´because the wool is so dark. But its still fun and definately a 'simpler life' craft.

When we knew we were moving to our place and that there would be a period of time without power I started to prepare and think of things which I could make which were totally low tech. Papier mache, hand sewing and knitting. This year's catalogue is an interesting reflection of where we find ourselves.

Do contact us when you've made your choices, the sooner the better so I can get knitting!

XXX Maureen

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Delicious and lovely chocolates!
Yes! this is the image I keep coming back to as we prepare all our goodies for the Christmas catalogue.
Handmade chocolates and really these are as good as the photo suggests.
This is all a bit different for us because this year we are branching out in a tiny way by supporting a friend with her new ´simpler life' idea.

We lived near Beatriz when we were living in Portugal, She is originally from Argentina and always wanted to be free from her 9.00-5.00 job so that she could realise her dream of making chocolate.
What a dream to have had!
Finally after lots of thinking and planning she started experimenting with high quality chocolate.
understandibly we were very happy to lend a hand with the tasting!
Now, Beatriz is ready to launch her amazing chocolates to a discerning public.
And who better to be her first international customers, than the truely discerning Monkey and Sofia supporters?

You can find out all about the chocolates, the sizes of the boxes and the costs by emailing us.

I know what treat I'll be asking santa for!

XXXXX

Now, having got ourselves thinking christmas-sy, chocolatey thoughts now is the time to nip across to flikr to see all the photos of this year's Monkey and Sofia Christmas Catalogue.

As everyone knows, who has been involved with Monkey and Sofia over it's short history, we make cute things as part of our aim to live a simple, sustainable life.
When we started this we were travelling around Spain and Portugal in a van, looking for the right place to settle.
We wanted to growing our own food, live in an unpolluted place, somewhere we could feel the true scale of nature.
It took some finding.
For nine years we travelled as far as Canada, hoping to find our place.
2009 turned out to be our year
I can tell you how it felt over the years, thinking we'd never get here and just how hard having that thought was.
But somehow we kept on searching, something must have driven us. Sometimes friends told us that maybe we werejust meant to have all those experiences that travelling for nine years can bring you.
But the amazing thing is, it really does seem to have some truth in it.
Now we have our little place, all the things we've learned, everything we found out by living in a different cultures already seems to be enriching what we can see will be our life here.
weird huh?
So here we are, sending out this year's collection of special gift ideas from our own place.
And of course those knitted cats will still be special to us.
They have been therapy, meditation and a comfort throughout and its wonderful to knwo there are so many of them across the world taking our special message of a simple life with them.
So check out the photos and email us soon.
Maureen and Phil
XXXXX
ps We really do look forward to hearing from you, and as you know we love getting letters so keep in touch and tell us your news.
Just click on the link below to take you to see all the photos.
Then as usual, email us for further information.

you can see the photos by clicking here.

home at long last

...after nine years of searching...
finally we have found our permanent home...

2.5 hectares to make into a forest garden,
amd where visitors are always welcome

(especially if you want to help).

At present the facilities are minimal (basically none),
but camping is possible for hardened types,
and b&b's are available in town (a 2km forest track walk away).

So if you are a tree-monkey with own chain-saw,
or have experience of tree planting in arid areas,
please get in touch.

We´d also like any unwanted seeds and cuttings
(e-mail to request a copy of our specific plant wish-list).

More soon. x

Little woolly creatures

Now the sun is shining it feels more like the time to experiment with new things and here are the results of a lovely session cutting up pieces of handwoven fabric.

The soft colours and the texture of the fabric seemed to be perfect for these little creatures.

I've been waiting for the right moment to make something from this lovely stuff because It's been tucked away in store while we were away in Canada.

It came my way from a Dutch weaver, Helena Loermans (click here), who lives in Odemira, Portugal where we used to live. She makes lovely lengths of fabric in beautiful colours and in yarns of wonderful quality, so these little animals are rather exclusive, especially since once the scraps have run out, I'll have to wait for Helena to make more things before more lovely bits head my way.

Meanwhile, I´ll be knitting as usual, having just indulged myself with a new cardigan I am now making up for lost time by knitting cats and mice ready for the summer festivals. It's weird, however many times I knit Monkeys or Sofias I still enjoy each one and its own special character, maybe its a Zen thing! Perhaps I should write a new book, Zen and the art of knitting cats!

new knitting patterns

Penguins and Crocodiles!!!!!!
Hoorah! I love it when I finally get round to doing something I've been planning for a while!(although I am convinced that it all happens when its supposed to anyway) and on this occasion, its getting pdf's made of more of my patterns so that I can get them out to people who have been asking for them. The crocs and penguins were part of one of our Christmas catalogues and I spent many a happy hour (very many actually!) making little sets of these babies to send out to people. They aren't difficult to make at all, a bit fiddle perhaps and it's definately be worth investing in a set of those sock needles before starting. For the uninitiated, sock needles are short so much easier to use when making little things. So if you fancy having a go, just email and I'll send you a pdf......no money involved, though obviously trades would be fab! XXX

Happy New Year

Well, Christmas is over and another chapter in our life in Cortegana has ended. It seems like it was only yesterday that we arrived here fresh off the plane from Vancouver, having hitched across country with all our luggage.
We stopped here because it was too difficult to go any further in the heat and because we had arrived in the Picos de Aracena, our chosen area.
It's been good, living in a little town like this, getting to know people and about life here.
Initially we felt six months would be long enough to either find our place or to decide if it was worth staying even if we hadn't found it because sometimes these things take time.
So.
We have decided that Cortegana is a bit too big and town-like for us.
We need to feel the soil and even though its a small rural town, its still a town.
Now we are hatching our plan.
If reading this it sounds as if we love to travel and move house,
nothing could be further from the truth,
we hate it!
When we do find our place, that will be IT!
The rucksacks will be put into permenant storage and our passports will be tossed away.
Will 2009 be our year?
We really hope so.
And if the collective will is to be believed,
we have enough positive thoughts coming our way from all our wonderful friends we should arrive in our meant-to-be place on a big fluffy cushion!
We really do have a good feeling that this year it could happen.
So with everything crossed we hope that it will.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX