The Gallery

Sometimes people send us photos of things they've made, using the knitting book, it's great to see how everyone's work is completely unique and beautiful.

To add to our gallery of knitted lovelies we are collecting photos of feline knitters too!

So, here we have:

The very lovely Sparkie puss

Sparkie with Gail, putting in some time to helping her with her knitting.

Here are some of Gail's cute creations

And here is Sparkie, just checking lables on some knitwear before tumbling!

Here is Bob, getting in touch with her creative side

And here is another member of Bob's family, Daisy

These are some warmly dressed cats all the way from the Shetland Islands. They are being jealously guarded by Kalida, who is Head of the Knitting Dept.

All the way from Italy, this is Catherine's cushion. She started with the knitting book pattern and then used her own ideas to make a different edge and knitted in the cute little heart. A very successful project, admired by all her family!

Here is Fernando, enjoying the company of one of our knitted Ginger cats, in his duffle coat. Fernando is Stephanie's cat and they live here in Portugal.

The Real Monkey

Here is a photo of our beautiful Monkey, we loved him but the sad news is that he died. Our poor Monkey. He was just 4 years old and had been on our journey with us from Galicia. He travelled with us in our van and enjoyed a life on the road. Just now it's hard to think about him without sadness, but hopefully now all his suffering is over, we'll be able to remember him when he was happy and healthy.

Monkey was half of the inspirational team for our Monkey and Sofia project, so everytime I knit a little black cat I will be thinking of him. It's a really nice way to remember him as he was, beautiful and full of personality.

Inspiration?

It's very hard work providing the inspiration day in, day out. Luckily Sofia can also appreciate the thing we make. She is very sensitive to the difference between synthetic yarn and real wool. Only the truely natural makes her pummel and make a lovely bed for herself. Unfortunately this is nearly always on something I am working and she isn't really that keen on negotiation.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

we are gradually recovering from an extremely busy time over Christmas. It was wonderful and truly exciting to have made so many new contacts both through the catalogue and the knitting book, it feels as if our tiny world is expanding in a really positive way.

As well as our friends in the UK we have been making new contacts in Portugal too. We were invited to participate in two Christmas Craft events in Odemira, our local town. And lovely to see the knitted toys on show alongside jewellery, pottery and weaving. People liked what we'd made, which was nice, and many asked if we could make special orders for them and as presents for friends which was a great challenge. Plus we got to make things we would otherwise not considered.
Now there are so many MONKEY & SOFIA toys out in the world it is lovely to start getting e-mails and letters, as well as photos, from their new owners. Here's a lovely photo of Ginger, clasped in the paws of a cat called Fernando, and allegedly the best of friends.
January is going to be our month to re-stock (hopefully). Making more Monkeys and Sofias, Gingers, and Mice. Plus some more bags.

Home Sweet Home

Now, here’s a thing. Here we are, in Portugal trying to find a place where we can live and make a simple life for ourselves. It’s been a long job, we’ve been looking for 4 years here and meanwhile we are living in a little old rented house with just some of the basics.
Understandably we have begun to fantasize about having a nice warm cosy home, with hot water and stuff, especially since the winter is here now.

So when a friend showed me the photos of a cute little house, made by her daughter years ago, when she was small, I immediately wanted to move in!

It’s a house boat and those mice seem to have everything! I am jealous!

It did make me think though, that all the making we are doing as our Monkey and Sofia ‘empire’ develops is really a smoke screen, to help take our minds off our lack of ‘home’ I’m going to make a mouse-boat next!

the Monkey and Sofia knitting book

This is what it looks like!

It finally exists, the Monkey and Sofia Knitting Book is now back from the printers and it looks fab. All the work on checking and re-checking all those knitting patterns finally paid off and they are all there in the pages of this little book.
The idea for this was that having spent 18 months inventing knitting patterns for knitted toys, well, not just any knitted toys, THE sweetest knitted toys in the world, the time had come to stop knitting them and let everyone else have a go.
So, the book has all the instructions for knitting Monkey, Sofia, The Mice ,The Rabbits, plus a cosy cute pair of socks and how to make the cat in your life it's very own knitted fish! Who can live without it?

email us to get a copy: monkeyandsofia@yahoo.co.uk

All these photos are of the patterns in the book. Most are easy, and great for new knitters, with plenty of opportunities for interpretation by more experienced knitters.

Best of all these patterns are fabulous for fundraising projects.

Supporters of Cat Protection are already knitting!

Check the entry further up the the blog

knitting

Knitting is the single most wonderful craft activity in the world. Without knitting there would be no Monkey or Sofia and the world would be a sadder place for that. If you've never knitted then it should definately become one of your ambitions for 2006, especially since you don't need to spend a fortune on expensive electronic equipment to get started. A few balls of wool are all that's required. maybe visit a charity shop and see what they have, no need to spend out on espensive yarns. In fact just straightforward wool is better than fancy stuff because its about your creativity not some multinational yarn producers ideas.

If you haven't knitted before, look around for someone to help you cast on, lots of older women know what to do, technically all you need to be able to do is make a slip knot and from there its just adding to that and then working with the number of knots you've made.

If you'd like to talk about knitting, email me at: monkeyandsofia@yahoo.co.uk

monkeyandsofia the coolest, cutest cats in the world

hi, MONKEY & SOFIA is the name of our hand-made crafts. Inspired by two rescued street cats, called Monkey and Sofia everything we make comes from the heart. Using our skills as artists and our passion for self-sufficiency we plan to make the world a more beautiful place by our own efforts.
We survive by making things and by our contact with like-minded peole across the world who share our values and want to live simple lives, truely living each day with creative intentions and positive thoughts.




Would you like to be a part of the world of Monkey and Sofia? Contact us we'd love to hear about you. monkeyandsofia@yahoo.co.uk