Cuddly Monsters and Cosy Toys

Here's Dot, the Dress-Up Box Monster from The Big Book of Knitted Monsters by Rebecca Danger that I showed you a few posts ago. I'm rather pleased with the way she has turned out! Self praise - no recommendation, I know!

To knit these monsters you have to use a magic loop. I'd never heard of it before but it allows you to knit in the round without a seam. I couldn't understand the basic instruction as to how to get started but having got on the internet I found a site which showed me just how and from then on it has been plain sailing!

I love the quirky write-ups that each monster has - Dot is described as a complete glamour monster and loves everything to do with fashion and style! Dot idolises all of the glamour greats: Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Rita Hayworth , Coco Chanel and many more!

I've now started knitting a fourth monster - Hugo, the Couch Potato Monster! In the book he is photographed with a bowl of popcorn and a TV remote control!

All will be revealed soon!

The weather here has been fantastically hot for the time of year - hotter than Mexico according to the weather man! Our cats are normally indoors all day by this time of year but today the only one in the house was Millie. He usually stays on Our Daughter's bed when he's indoors. He always stays at the foot of the bed. He knows that he would be told off if he was near the pillow end! Today he was not too happy when he saw me with the camera.

"Oh no! It's her again - I'll put my head in my fur and if I can't see her then just maybe she can't see me, right!"

"O.K. I admit it was a dumb idea so I'll lift my head up under protest!"

"What's a guy to do to get some undisturbed beauty sleep around here!"

"I know, I'll just look a bit cross - that should do the trick, don't you think?!"

"Oh, I give up just take one last photo then!"

Milhaus known affectionately as Millie always looks quite cross when in actual fact he is a big softie!

As I was turning to leave Our Daughter's bedroom I bumped into this and thought it was so sweet I would take a photo of it to show you! Just before Our Daughter went back to school at the start of term we had to go and get her a new pair of shoes and some trainers. When we got home she asked if she could have the empty boxes. I thought no more of it until today when I saw what had become of those boxes! I love the way how both beds have been joined together and how each teddy has been given a toy to cuddle up to!

What have we been up to in this hot weather - today we hired a carpet cleaner and up until I started this post we've been cleaning the carpet in the lounge, hallway and up the stairs. To do this in this hot weather we must be crazy!

Until next time,

June.

Monster Making!

Here in our little part of Hampshire I have been busy making monsters! I used to knit my own dolls clothes when I was eight or nine years old from patterns I'd made up myself! There wasn't much to do on cold nights in Winter in Anglesey when I was very young! When I was in University back in the 1980's there was also a huge knitting craze amongst us girl students - in-between all the late night boozing in case you think that all I did was study and knit! I think we girls thought it a hangover cure! Soothing and relaxing but only if you had a simple pattern to follow! We used to knit our own scarves and cardies etc. Some of my friends were very accomplished knitters and could create beautiful items in very short periods. I was more of a plodder - huge enthusiasm at the start and then a slow down to almost a stand-still before a huge push at the end to get the item finished.

This pretty much summed up the way I also studied - at the start of term I would always say to myself "Right this time you're going to work hard from Day 1" = this would usually last about two to three weeks. I would then go into "Sod It" mode - you don't go to University to stay in and swot all night - this would mean I would be out socializing, waking up with a hangover and realizing at times that I had missed that important lecture that I should have gone to! This period would always last about 6 weeks and would then be followed by "You have been utterly stupid!" mode - I am here to get an education which my parents are paying for - get to those books and study! I would be up virtually all night for the last two weeks of term to ensure all the assignments which I should have done were completed and handed in! At this time I envied those friends who were disciplined and got on with it when I was in the "Sod It!" mode!

I did finish my degree but ended up with a 2:2 when I know that I could have done better! I did have a brilliant time at University though and that's what matters not grades!

Anyhow, back to where this posting started - knitting! Having not knitted for some time I thought that I would like to get back into the swing of it. I would have to start with something small before the "Sod It!" mode had an opportunity to kick in! I found this monster knitting book on Amazon and it arrived about three months ago! Having had a busy Summer the book was put to one side even though I was pestered by Our Daughter to knit one "They're really cool!" I started off making the one above which should have ended up with frog feet but that looked too complicated for me on my first real venture into knitting from a pattern after a twenty year absence - so I did a bit of adjusting and this is how it turned out - not bad for a first effort!

Our Daughter dressed the monster in a knitted trousers which the Other Half's Mum had knitted for a doll of hers when she was very small and some of those coloured elastic shaped bands which seem to be the craze of the moment - which I don't understand but then I'm not ten years old were put on to prettify it!

This first monster has been christened "Potato!" "It looks like a potato, mum." "That doesn't sound like a compliment," I said. "Oh, but I LOVE it!" she says. "Right answer!" I said!

Well, following on the success of the first monster - the second monster was made! For this one I almost followed the pattern! I thought the monster would look best with some little pointed ears instead of a round head! The Other Half found these lovely plastic eyes in our local book / crafty shop!

In the book this monster is called Baldwin and he is described as - The Bathroom Monster - his hobbies are described as unrolling the toilet paper when no-one is looking and draining shampoo down the sink, mashing the toothpaste tube in the middle and re-arranging the medicine cabinet in the middle of the night!"

"I've finished Baldwin!" I told Our Daughter. "You can't call him Baldwin," she said. "He must be Colgate if he's a bathroom monster!" She has a point so "Colgate" it is!

Monster making is quite addictive and I have started number three - a monster called Dot, the Dress-Up Box Monster! She has to be pink of course! I will post a reveal soon!

Moving on from knitted monsters we had a real monster in the bathroom sink yesterday morning - see below, if you dare peak!

As Our Daughter said "Look mum, you can even see it's hairy legs!" Well that was it, I was out of the bathroom in a flash! Not wanting to kill it though - we gathered it in a plastic beaker - not a glass I didn't want to see it for any more than I had to, and with a piece of paper on the top Our Daughter took it and placed it outside.

This was the actual size before I zoomed in - still quite scary! Look at the limescale on that tap! I must get some limescale cleaner and the basin doesn't look too clean either! I'm off to find some bathroom cleaner and a sponge! We're not slobs - this mess must be the work of "Colgate" - The Bathroom Monster!

Until next time,

June.