Drum roll please .......

We all stood around the hat in eager anticipation .......

....... some of us had to sit .... for obvious reasons

RBD1 had a bit of a rummage ......

She didn't look - honest

And the "winner" is .......

oops, forgot to use the macro lens! And RBD1 really should stop biting her nails!

So, Hurrah for Myra! If you email me your address at monkeemaker@yahoo.co.uk my monkey bag will shortly be in the post to you. Just remember, if you don't like him, I don't want him back! Ooh, and if you happen to have a camera to hand when you or the person you give him to is out and about in your local vicinity, I'd love to have a picture. Thanks.

Thanks to everyone for their comments about my monkeys, I'll definitely have another competition soon but first I need to crack back into knitting the little blighters. And thanks, but no thanks on the knit-along front. Sounds way too much like hard work to me!!

Eviction night

Well, we're all very excited here in the Big Monkey house (ok, I am - they're all still in bed). The nominations have been counted (60 so far), and the fourth chimp to leave the Big Monkey house will be ...... Monkey bag ...... and he'll be going to ....... well that we just don't know. Yet.

He's on tenterhooks, wondering whose name will be drawn .......

I think he's worried that Fiona Thornton may win and he'll have to stay here.

So. Join us later to find out who will win the monkey bag. It'll only be a quickie later (as they say), as the summer seems to have finally arrived this morning so we're off to spend the night under canvas (it's just got to be done).

Happy sunny Saturday morning. And to anyone else who has to work today as well ...... IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!!! (said in true Big Brother tantrum throwing style)

007 and No. 11 help me mow the lawn

........ actually they're just more of a distraction.

No. 11 thinks he'd rather have a Harley

while 007 isn't happy going pillion

The end is nigh

My monkey bag was so overcome by the flood of interest in him that he had to go and lie down.



Thank you for all your comments, my competition will be open until tomorrow afternoon - some kind colleague reminded me that I have to work tomorrow morning (doh! isn't working on a Saturday an infringement of my human rights??) and as RBD1 has asked if she can do the draw and her teenage hormones won't actually allow her to get up before 10, our paths won't cross until later - so if anyone you know is a knitted monkey fancier, they need to get out more. I mean, they still have time to enter.


Hmm, the trained eye may have noticed this ......

Same monkey, same bed, same sheets. Different date. Tsch! It's not even been two weeks yet. That's fine! Note to self : remember not to take any more bed shots for at least three weeks.

Monkey types and monkey mouths. (Mouthes?) (Mouves??)


No. 1 is the only monkey I made using the Evesham Dallimores pattern and although he didn't come out looking anything like the picture on the website, I still like him .......

...... we share the same love of chocolate - and the same expression whilst indulging in it

No's 2, 3 and 4 were knitted using the Sirdar pattern (in fact 2 - 11 all are) ........

and yes, I found the snout part really tricky and for a time I kept giving up with it. Also the mouth was just too tight for my liking. By No. 4 I'd started messing around with it which is why it looks a bit baggier.


No. 5 turned out to be half monkey half guppy (RGH keeps asking if I'll knit him a proper monkey mask. I keep refusing. Politely) .......

....... or as my Father-in-law said only last weekend "A lovely little bear". Wt(child friendly)f??

No. 6's mouth may be the baggiest of the lot ......

But I think by 007 I'd perfected the look I was happy with .......

LOVE YOU DANIEL CRAIG! ...... ahem, I mean 007, obviously

So. What did I do? Well, that's a very good question and I'm glad you asked. I kind of did this ......

It's all very technical, as you can see by my rudimentary jottings. From the 10th row on the bottom jaw I just knit and purl then increase a bit on the last row. And on the top jaw after shaping the snout I increase instead of decrease. Then when you're working inside the mouth you have to adjust slightly for the extra stitches.

Well. Good luck with that then - I'm off!

Ladies - never let a man play with your monkey

He'll only abuse it.

Ok, so No. 11 looks slightly odd. He has a weird, spaced-out look in his eyes; he may have been inadvertently created with some body parts knitted the wrong way round; it could have been the appallingly cheap yarn used, or the rushing to get him finished. But I really don't think there's any need for this .......

Monkey abuse photographic evidence 1:

These lips are sealed

Monkey abuse photographic evidence 2:

Where did I leave my teesh??

Monkey abuse photographic evidence 3 :

Assume the snogging position. (Do you see what I have to put up with?)

Monkey abuse photographic evidence 4:

The praying mantis

Monkey abuse photographic evidence 5 :

Thriller



Welcome to the monkey house No. 11

I hope you'll be very happy



Course, the real reason he looks so weird?

Mushrooms. Nuff said.

And a lovely time was had by all .......

....... well, apart from RGH and the RBD's cos they were at work and school. Titter.

My RFS tried out a few mattresses ......

Sadly they don't have doubles for prospective purchasers to fully test. A strongly worded letter to the management may be in order.

And I bought lots of lovely ...... stuff .....

....... and I only spent £4.59!! (Obviously this is a blatant lie but what RGH doesn't know won't hurt him).

And finally, five words that may or may not rock your world .......

Dime Bars in Cake Form

(they work for me)

(Sorry, Tracy, I'm unable to answer your question as to the efficacy - I looked that up - of the monkey bag in relation to the volume of Dime cakes it may be able to hold, due to the fact that I refuse to be seen out in public with it. Plus it may seem a tad rude to get my competition prize manky before giving it away. At a guess I'd say two and a half. Shame, you'd have to eat half of one before you left the shop.)

My Yahoo mailbox overfloweth

Wow. Thanks! Sheesh. Phew. So it's not just me and the monkeys and RGH in knitted pants after all. Who knew there were so many knitted monkey admirers out there?

No more monkey pouting pictures from here on in then, it'll be smiles all the way until Saturday and the draw to rid me of this monkey bag once and for all.

Maybe if I hide quietly at the back she'll forget about sending me away

A couple of people asked if I have an Etsy shop or if I sell my monkeys, but heck, as I've established I can't even properly cope with Blogger so a shop is out of the question! Plus, for me knitting these monkeys is therapy but if I started taking orders it would become stress so at the moment I have no plans to sell them.

But I am enjoying this competition lark (now it's taken off!) and I'll definitely do more. Also, don't forget the monkey pattern is over there on the right, so why not pick up your sticks and give one a whirl, you may become addicted!


I know I am.

In non-monkey news, my RFS (Rather Fabulous Sister) and my RGB (Rather Groovy Bro-in-law) are visiting today in a big white van and then we're trucking off to Ikea, where we'll be fooling around on the beds. Well, they will be, I'll be the one holding the camera (mwah ha ha!).

But a trip to Ikea can mean only one thing .......

Coffee and Dime cake. Hurrah! Oh, and a few other rather tasty snacks.

Well, once again, I thank you, my monkey bag thanks you and No. 11 thanks you .......

What the ..........?

More of No. 11 tomorrow, and in the meantime, please keep filling up my inbox!