Shhhh...Don't Tell Anyone...

...but I knit too.

I know, I know. You all thought I was just an iconoclastic crocheting fool who nonetheless attempts to keep her finger on the pulse of her Inner Granny with each and every creation. Well peeps news flash...I knit as well. Just not as much (in recent years) as I crochet. However, around the holidays I unearth my needles with the hopes that I will be able to create wonderful handmade gifties for family and friends.

Why knit my handmade goodies, inquiring minds want to know, when I could simply crochet these items instead?

The primary reason: SPEED.

I have a confession to make, I knit mightily fast folks. Where my knitting muse is lacking in creative vision, my knitting engine makes up for in turbo speed. And anyway, who needs to be knitting pattern auteur when there are so many books and resources out there making any knitter's FO look like it could have come directly from the golden needles of Kaffe Fassett himself! From toys to a wardrobe for your tots, from sweaters (or jumpers for you Jane) to chapeaux and of course the ubiquitous scarf! I assure you, there is a pattern to please everyknitter (yes, this is a word!). Despite this well known fact, I have been known to chart a mean intarsia pattern, but NOT with Christmas looming just around the corner. Nope, I'd rather bask in the glow of someone else's painstaking patterning.

Hence this lovely capelet...





Knit entirely in garter stitch from a lovely Three Olive yarn medley, this cute little number worked up in a matter of hours.

Now, the flared legwarmers...



Cascade 220 and stockinette stitch combined with an evening in front of the tube and voila! Legwarmers for my tween.

And the soon to be finished gauntlets...

Wild, wooly and very, very easy!

Not bad for a few hours of work eh?

So, what's so cool about two sticks?

1. Knitting makes a phenomenal fabric.
2. Two Sticks + LadyLinoleum = Speedy "Knitter" Gonzalez
3. Intarsia/Fair Isle addict found buried underneath charts. Love those intarsia knitting charts. Love to make 'em. Love to read 'em. Love to knit 'em. 'Nuf said.
4. Riding the knitting popularity wave and collecting as many books, patterns and knitting paraphenalia as possible before the wave peters out. And it will eventually wane. Everything has its ebb and flow.
5. The ability to frog eyelash and mohair yarn. Just try to frog that stuff when crocheted, I dare ya! Can you say nightmare?

What's my beloved hook good for?

1. Crocheting is THE process for making items with structure, IMHO.
2. C'mon, granny squares and doilies...OMG I love them!!! I'm serious.
3. Be gone with those charts! Freeform finds it home in hook and yarn.
4. Despite its reputation as kitsch, there is an amazing array of patterns, books, resources and designers who call crochet their own. Good crocheting company and some amazing creations to be had. So there!
5. Knitting the Vegetable Liberation Army? Aaaaah, no. Ever tried to knit an eyeball out of crochet thread? Yeah, lame.

What can I say? I am just a yarn 'ho deep down. I've been knitting and crocheting for 29 years, that's 144 in dog years, and I love each and every stitch I've made, I'm presently making and will continue to make long after the current craft frenzy has fizzled.

Scorpion Queen

My best friend Bea is a Scorpio through and through. Now seeing as my dear girlfriend recently turned the big 4-0, I wanted her to ring in this milestone with a very special Monster Crochet creation. With this knowledge under my belt, I set out to crochet this um, err...Darling creature? No...Um...Dazzling sensation? Well, maybe. Ahhh, I know! I set out to crochet this Disarming invention for her to celebrate her birth in style!

Enter a pet suitable for any Scorpion Queen!



Have you ever designed something that just came out perfectly from inception to final product? Well, to my surprise this was the case while working up the scorpion. My hands were channeling each and every thought from my brain into my hook and yarn. I didn't frog any part of this piece. Not once! *Patting myself on the back*



This baby is made from hand-dyed wool sock yarn that I bought from an eBay auction some months ago and a size C hook. I used cotton thread (DMC perle cotton size 8) for the eyeball and one of my small steel hooks (size 00 I believe). I worked from photographs to get the shape as close as possible to an actual scorpion. My version, however, is a lot larger than an actual scorpion (about 13 inches in length with stinger curled up).

This crocheted creature was the hit of the party and I now have requests from an untold number of my friends who want me to crochet their astrological signs for them going forward. I'm going to need more wool...

Copyright 2005 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.

Canny Cranny Granny

Arriving yesterday at Holiday Meal Recovery Unit ("HMRC") Headquarters, Cranny Cranny Granny ("CCG") joins this elite force who are currently readying themselves for Operation Veggie Shield. This, their first mission since the force's inception is to infiltrate U.S. human homes this T-Day in order to rescue as many of their Produce-Based Counterparts as possible from death by side dish.

General Pilgrim Tater was ecstatic to see Major CCG as the HMRU was looking a bit lean for a mission sure to challenge each team member's strength of fiber. General Tater has much faith in The Three Legumes as they are as deadly in the field as they are the color green, but four Veggie Commandos a successful mission does not make. Even knowing he would have full VLA support both on the table and at back at the Operation's Command Center, General Tater was still a bit uneasy about the Operation's execution. That is until the arrival of Ms., ooops, I mean, Major Canny Cranny Granny.



Major CCG is a master military strategist. Having escaped the human jaws of death herself many, many, MANY years ago, Canny Cranny Granny not only knows how humans think, but she knows how and what makes their tummies rumble, a skill that is key to a successful Produce Recovery Operation. CCG may be a little slower than her comrades, but what this Canned Cran Gran lacks in speed she makes up for in stealth. For example, humans never notice CCG even when she finds herself smack dab in the center of their tables surrounded by the fleshy beings. She simply lays on her side in the nearest low-rimmed dish until the coast is clear and she can move about as need be. After all, it is known fact that humans rarely eat Cranberry Sauce from the can. CCG has taken advantage of this fact mission after mission and in doing so saved countless Fruit and Veggie lives from unsavory ends.

We here at the VLA are proud to welcome Major Canny Cranny Granny to the Holiday Meal Recovery Unit and bade fair warning to all U.S. humans this T-Day...The Produce IS RESTLESS...

Copyright 2005 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.

Evolution Of The Doll - Gregor

13 Artists

13 Dolls

18 Months

2 Gallery Shows

And A Gazillion Bottles Of Wine...

Evolution of the Doll!

This is the last doll folks...

This week's doll star is...Gregor!

Base Artist: Young An

Artist Background: Painter and curator who always wears high heels. It's amazing really. She paints, she curates exhibitions left and right and she can whip up a mean Korean barbecue all on 3" heels. How does she do it? In-soles.

Base Round: Three pristine white canvases. Seems normal enough at this moment right? Oh, just you wait. Does the term psychotic break mean anything to you? Yeah, well keep on reading.



Round One: Lena Linoleum

Evolutionary Change: My progeny painted a very ominous scene on two of those formerly clean white canvases.



Round Two: LadyLinoleum

Evolutionary Change: Going with the daughter's flow, more paint. Yes incidentally, I CAN paint. I just don't paint too often anymore. Unless of course it involves a can of Krylon and a spray booth.



Round Three: Stevie

Evolutionary Change: Ahhh, there ya go. Legs turn them thar canvases from mere art to doll.



Round Four: Stacy

Evolutionary Change: Heavy metal hair fun!



Round Five: Stephanie

Evolutionary Change: Fleshed out with plastic netting.



Round Six: Dyane

Evolutionary Change: Um yeah, EXTREME makeover...Like I said above, the term psychotic break fits perfectly.



Round Seven: Jonna

Evolutionary Change: It's like an episode of Nip/Tuck over here...Facelift or maybe faceshift is the more apropos term.



Round Eight: Bea

Evolutionary Change: It is now a winged thing!



Round Nine: Laurel

Evolutionary Change: Footsies.





Round Ten: Janet

Evolutionary Change: Hookah and beaded butterfly buddies because when you've had that much surgery a little tobacco is not an issue.



Round Eleven: Bee

Evolutionary Change: Lashes and bangles, but of course.



Gallery View:



Evolution of the Doll!

That's all folks!

Beep Beep

Before I begin to toot my own horn...

I wanted to thank everyone for your amazing comments and emails. You guys are SO wonderful and you ALL keep me motivated with your e-love. And let me tell ya, this time of year is tough for me (buried beneath year-end madness at work and holiday hell...um, err, I mean happy holiday activities at home) so the e-love is really a life line, believe me.

Okay, now on to the beeping, tooting and the basic laying of my body across the horn that bespeaks Monster Crochet's recent accomplishments.

1. 
   Yay! I got into Plush Rush!!! I am so overwhelmed to have been included with this elite group of softie-creators. Check out the Plush Rush website and peruse the amazing creatures to be had there.

2. The VLA is currently featured in The Carrot Museum. Don't tell me you've never heard of this Carrot lovers paradise on the world wide webby! Well, if you haven't already visited this site then you are definitely missing out. Go now. Before it's too late!

3. 
   Annie Modesitt saw fit to include one of my early rants from this very green bloggy blog blog in her new book, Cheaper Than Therapy! This a biggie for me peeps. I was stunned when she asked me if she could include my essay (read: me = BIG NOBODY who occasionally puts fingers to keyboard) in her new publication. STUNNED I tell you! Thank you Annie!!!

4. Another thank you needs to go out to Annie. My eyeball pattern is going to be included in the 2007 Crochet Pattern-A-Day calendar! I have many more thank you's that need to be noted here as well. Oh yes. Many, many thanks to the following people for graciously testing my pattern: Sandie; Addie; Michelle; Jessi; Viola; Heather; Sharon! If I forgot anyone, please let me know immediately!
   
   You guys helped me out tremendously!
   I am a veteran designer and an infant when it comes to authoring patterns. Basically, I suck at communicating what I do with crochet to others. However, having gotten this pattern written down and ready to go, I feel that I can now tackle more of these. Turkeyzilla Tote Bag Pattern, here I come! And I must say that the absolute best part of this little foray unto pattern authorship was the amazing pics I received from my beloved testers. Take a look at these:
   Heather of the third eye
   
   
   Jessi's eerie eyeball delight
   
   Michelle's big ole eyeball crocheted from worsted weight yarnage
   
   And Sharon's baby blue
   

If it wasn't for my leap into blogdom and your amazing support of my funky crocheted junkola I would not have any of these accomplishments under my belt. Thanks for being super supportive and channeling your Inner Grannies everyone!!!

Deneen, I got the books in the mail!!! So excited. I LOVE THEM!

*Smooches* all around...

Not Your Grandmother's Crochet...

...Must we hear, read, see, be bludgeoned with this phrase and others similar to it day in and day out as we participate in the new, hip, exciting crafty revolution that is sweeping us all into a whirlwind of scissors, paper, yarn, paint, fun fur, tape, fabric, glue, buttons, thread, pinking shears, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, glitter, felt, trims, notions, needles, hooks, etc., etc.? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that everyone from tweens to teens, Gen-Xers to Boomers, moms, dads, kids, brothers, sisters, cousins, dogs, cats, llamas...okay I've gone too far...are using their hands, heads and hearts in pursuit of the craftier side of life. But how come countless individuals currently living the Life Craftique are picking on Granny? What did Granny do to deserve such derision?

Does the au currant hipster craftster really believe that all the myriad (and I mean myriad) scarves and hats and bags and sweaters and shawls and softies and blankets and pillows and handspun yarns and jewelry and scrapbooks and handmade soaps and candles and embroidered tea towels are new inventions? Does the current connoisseur of the Life Craftique really believe that he or she is the first being to ever recycle, reclaim, rework, rebirth, reconstitute, reassemble, revamp, remodel, retool, retrain, reinvent old objects and materials into fabulous craftier versions of their former selves? Is it possible that today's crafty revolutionary is that ignorant of the long and truly ancient history of human beings desire, need, compulsion to make objects from the bits and pieces of life's treasures as well as its detritus? If this is actually so, then that's just a shame in my humble opinion.

Guess what? I'll bet you significant cold hard cash that before many members of this crafty elite were old enough to hold a pair of scissors in their hands and fashion super cute A-line skirts out of funky, retro print fabrics, bust out their sergers and sew said future additions to their wardrobes together, that their respective Grannies or Great Grannies had already made enough of these to fill the equivalent square footage of the Roman Coliseum light years before their craftolutionary grandchildren were even a twinkle in their individual fathers' eyes. Only Granny's stylin' skirt? Yeah, the pattern and fabric she used to create her ready to wear addition probably wasn't thought of as retro, old school or vintage. No, in Granny's day, those patterns and fabrics were very au currant and young Eventually-To-Be-Granny was tearing up the town in her newly fashioned handmade duds without a thought to how hip, cool and groovy she was for making it with her own two hands.

Face it peeps, whatever we're all making now, whether it be herbal soap on a rope, a cell phone cozy, a pair of knitted socks or yet another freakin' scarf...Yeah well, I can pretty much guarantee you, some woman or man made one decades before it ever crossed your mind to make that thing you're working on now. Yeah, that thing. Okay, maybe Granny never made a cell phone cozy, but she made a cozy for some object in her dwelling. After all, Granny was human and humans are compelled to make crocheted or knitted covers for absolutely every item in their homes. It is unwritten law. Yes, it, is. Okay fine. Explain crocheted Santa toilet seat covers to me then...Ahem. I digress.

At any rate, I implore all of you to stop dissin' Granny. Instead, why don't you embrace your Inner Granny *employing your best Darth Vader impression when you speak this term*. You heard me. Acknowledge the fact that you sit in front of the tube for hours in your favorite chair, knitting scarf after freakin' scarf as your Granny and your Granny's Granny probably did long before you. Come to terms with the realization that you've knit so many of these long rectangular bands of fuzzy goodness that if all were tied together, they'd reach far beyond our borders to the earthquake ravaged region of Kashmir and could easily be used as a lifeline to extract a trapped Granny from the rubble that used to be her home, saving her from the jaws of death, enabling her to knit a few more scarves for her loved ones and in turn, catapulting you from mere connoisseur of the Life Craftique to INTERNATIONAL SEARCH AND RESCUE SUPER HERO, who selflessly spared a Granny so that she may live to knit again! All this because of you and your compulsive knitting thang. Can you see it? Go ahead, embrace the fact that your newfound fame, stardom and philanthropy is directly attributable to embracing your Inner Granny *Darth Vader voice* making those endless hours in front of the tube, knitting with abandon completely guilt-free and rooted in historical precedent. Now, how cool is that?

Okay, you don't have to become some fabulously philanthropic super crafter to get in touch with your Inner Granny *don't forget the Darth Vader voice*. No, channeling your inner geriatric crafty persona is as easy as acknowledging that doilies are not the thready devil incarnate. Conversely, they are amazing handmade wonders, each stitch made with loving care from size 50 or so thread and a blindingly small hook. Know that these luscious lacy goodies (and countless other handcrafted wonders that tell of the human imprint left upon our world) quite literally constitute the pavement that is the Crafty International Super Highway from its glorious handmade past to its fabulously funky present and hopefully will continue on long after we've left our crafty treasures to our children.

So everyone, I urge you to embrace your Inner Granny and in doing so eradicate the Global Granny Slander that currently plagues us. After all, each of us will be Grannies eventually and wouldn't it be wonderful to know that we will be just as valued in our society then as we seemingly are now?

Evolution Of The Doll - Guignol

13 Artists
13 Dolls
18 Months
2 Gallery Shows
And A Gazillion Bottles Of Wine...

Evolution of the Doll!

This week's doll star is...Guignol (for those inquiring minds out there, guignol is Italian for puppet) !

Base Artist: Stevie

Artist Background: Phenomenal painter. This woman can do things with acrylic paint you never thought possible.

Base Round: Globs o' paint. Straight paint. No canvas. No brushes. Just good ole acrylic paint.

Round One: Stacy

Evolutionary Change: Two Arms, two legs, zero fingers, zero toes. Stacy fashioned the limbs out of clay and fired them with that gorgeous indigo glaze as is her way...

Round Two: Stephanie

Evolutionary Change: Rose petals make a lovely garment.

Round Three: Jonna

Evolutionary Change: Puppet strings and control. Brilliant!

Round Four: LadyLinoleum

Evolutionary Change: It had to be blue...a face that is. Fashioned out of Sculpey.

Round Five: Young

Evolutionary Change: Geriatric alter ego.

Round Six: Laurel

Evolutionary Change: Masks!

Round Seven: Bea

Evolutionary Change: All puppets need a stage. It's unwritten law.

Round Eight: Bee

Evolutionary Change: A recent trip to the Uggs Store to procure these...

AND

Round Nine: Dyane

Evolutionary Change: Uggs are better when they double as tap shoes. Yes, they, are. At any rate, you cannot see the pennies on the bottom of the shoes, but trust me. They're there.

Round Ten: Janet

Evolutionary Change: Flowers for a fabulous performance. Yes, that flower is beaded.

Gallery View:

Evolution of the Doll!

Oh yea, oh yea! One final doll to go peeps...Yes, sad, but true.

Three Legumes

Reinforcements have arrived...

The Vegetable Liberation Army is proud to present three new recruits to the HMRU: Placido Haricot Vert, his brother Jose Haricot Vert and Luciano Vert Pomme!



Having retired from Vegetable Service some years ago, famed Vegetable Songsters Placido, Jose and Luciano were a bit dazed and confused upon arrival at VLA Headquarters (maybe it was the polka dot chair pictured above that contributed to their condition) after having been briefed regarding the nature of their enlistment by base Kommander Killer Korn. Afterall, the Beet at the recruitment office told them that if they reenlisted they'd only have to entertain the troops in between missions this time 'round. Duped but not done in by this news, these Green Commandos dusted themselves off from their journey and have resigned themselves to the task at hand. Soon these Legume Lads will begin training and as a result will most likely lose those extra fibers around their guts that civilian life and an on again off again career in show business has imposed.

Pilgrim Tater is very excited about these new additions to the Holiday Meal Recovery Unit. Not only are these Legumes highly trained Veggie Vigilantes (once a soldier, always a soldier), but when not on a mission this Legume Legion hopes to make a little money on the side by moonlighting at the local clubs and bars in order to show off their vocal stylings with a variety of tunes that range from oldies such as Fly Me to the Moon to Mozart's fabulous The Marriage of Figaro, yes, in it's entirety.

Having recovered fully from their initial shock, the Legume Laddies are anxious to begin the Fruit and Vegetable life-saving efforts this holiday season is sure to foist upon them. The entire VLA is positive that these Green Grenades of Pure Veggie Power (both on and off the stage) will put forth 100% effort in order to make the world a safer place for all Vegetable Matter.

Practicing undercover infiltration strategy on the mantel at Chez Linoleum (notorious Veggie stronghold):



Yep, I think it's time for some Autumn-hued camo too...

Copyright 2005 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.

Pilgrim Tater

Pilgrim Tater has just arrived here at Vegetable Liberation Army headquarters to head up the new Veggie guerrilla task force known as the Holiday Meal Recovery Unit ("HMRU"). This newly formed VLA offshoot is charged with infiltrating human occupied territory during the coming holiday season in order to recover and extract any and all Vegetables before succumbing to death by side dish. Working closely with VLA Kommander Killer Korn, Pilgrim Tater believes that his team is well prepared and will succeed in liberating thousands of Fruits and Vegetables from nefarious human holiday tables. During the November mission ramp up period you will have a chance to meet the rest of the HMRU team and will receive regular updates regarding mission status.

Please feel free to direct any questions or concerns regarding HMRU's mission, training or team to the comments section on this blog. We will attempt to answer your inquiries as soon as Vegetably possible. Thank you.

- LadyLinoleum, Chief Correspondence Officer, VLA Headquarters

Deneen, this is dedicated to you. More to come...

Copyright 2005 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.

Let Them Eat Quiche!

Ahhh, Autumn...Dark, cool evenings, flannel pj's, gas log blazing brilliantly in the fireplace and the irresistible urge to conjure cuisine! Yes folks, 'tis the season to be cook-king, fa-la-la-la-la la la la la (ooops, too early for that tune). Anyway, you get my drift...

Break out your pots, your pans, your humbled masses of spices. Ready your cookie tins, your casseroles, your Pyrex and your utensils. Pay homage to your taste buds and your tummy, bringing forth sacrificial foodie delights that are sure to appease all five of your senses (okay, maybe not your auditory sense, whateva). Revel in the rich explosion of a caloric motherload of Fall dishes: hearty soups; crusty breads; creamy sauces; a plethora of pies and pastries; not to mention mouth-watering meats and poultry. Yes, Fall cooking is a right of seasonal passage over here at Chez Linoleum and I've yet to forego the tradition in favor of the drive-thru route heavily traversed by those not infected by the need for cuisine.

Rich dishes are to Fall (and Winter) as barbecue is to Summer, in my humble opinion. My favorite decadent delights employ pounds of butter, gallons of whole cream, entire sacks of flour, fields of pure cane sugar, syrups, brandies, wines and of course plenty of hot, bubbly, melting cheese...No, these dishes are not for the rice cake addict nor for those who believe carbohydrates are a version of Satan molded from a piece of Wonderbread. Now, I'm not advocating anyone stuffing themselves like a Thanksgiving Turkeyzilla during the darkened days of Fall and Winter, but I am encouraging everyone to put down their celery sticks, close the lid on your fat-free, low-carb, heart-smart Ranch dressing and delight in a few of the foodie goodies this season has to offer.

If you feel you cannot trust yourself in the presence of a steaming bowl of mashed potatoes whipped up with a vat of real cream and a palate of butter, seek out supervision! Think of this supervisory individual as an extention of your spotter at the gym, but instead of making sure you're not flattened while benchpressing the equivalent of a steer ready for market, this individual will be your very own utensil extraction unit, making sure your splurge doesn't tip the eating meter to gorge. Simple.

Okay, cookware, check. Spotter, check. Recipe and ingredients...hmmm, let's try a favorite Linoleum Fall dish (actually, it's a year round dish, but seeing as I only cook in the Fall and Winter, well, you get the point)...Quiche! Nothing like a gaggle of eggs, luscious whole cream, sweet butter and heaping masses of cheese in a rich, flaky pastry crust to warm the soul. Not to mention the wealth of filling possibilities! Pretty much anything tastes great when enmeshed in eggs, cream, cheese and pie dough. So go ahead, add a little broccoli, a touch of onion, mounds of mushrooms, speckles of spinach and lots of leeks. Think about it. The more veggies you add, the less guilt you'll feel when eating your mouth-watering cheesy delight. Hey, you can even go hog wild and add crumbles of bacon! Okay, that's tipping the fat meter forward to wideload, but what the hell, you only live once. Anyhow, the sky's the limit when it comes to quiche collateral components. And always remember more is definitely, well, more.

Also, when cooking up a storm, get your family and friends involved. Nothing beats spending a moment with your loved ones working toward a common goal (at my house it's seemingly cheesy pie), laughing, talking, sharing, loving, being...End result: lots of wonderful memories and very happy tummies.

My gorgeous daughter cooking up a storm:



Are you not inspired? Well, get cooking peeps!

My favorite basic quiche recipe is from Epicurious:

One recipe for basic pastry
6 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream or creme fraiche
1 cup milk (preferably whole)
8 ounces gruyere, emmenthal, or other Swiss-type cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg - optional

Roll out the pastry to fit a 10-1/2 inch glass or metal pie plate (not removable bottom). Crimp the edges, poke the bottom with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife, and place the pastry in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Line the pastry with aluminum foil and pastry weights and bake in the bottom third of the oven until the pastry is golden at the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the aluminum foil and pastry weights. Return the pastry to the oven to bake until the bottom is golden, an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and the milk until thoroughly blended. Season with the salt and pepper, then add the cheese and stir until it is blended, Turn the mixture into the pre-baked pastry, and spread out the cheese evenly over the bottom of the pastry. Sprinkle the top with nutmeg if you've used a Swiss-type cheese, and bake in the center of the oven until the filling is golden and puffed, and is completely baked through, about 30 minutes. To test for doneness, shake the quiche - if it is solid without a pool of uncooked filling in the center, it is done. You may also stick a sharp knife blade into the center of the filling and if it comes out clean, the quiche is baked through.

Remove the quiche from the oven and serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8.

Voila!



Got a rich dish you think your good buddy LadyLinoleum should try? Well, send it to me! Always looking for gastrointestinal delights...

Evolution Of The Doll - The Babysitter

13 Artists
13 Dolls
18 Months
2 Gallery Shows
And A Gazillion Bottles Of Wine...

Evolution of the Doll!

This week's doll star is...The Babysitter!

I really, really wanted to post this doll on Halloween (you'll see why shortly), but last week was nuts so I am suffering from blog backlog.

Base Artist: Stephanie

Artist Background: Garden Designer, sculptor and resident hipster. Not only can she turn your average slab of sod into a work of art, but she can manage to attend 5-7 parties seamlessly on any given night without succumbing to exhaustion. Now this my friends, IS talent.

Base Round: Rag doll. Harmless enough, right??? Yeah, keep going...



Round One: Laurel

Evolutionary Change: Channeling Francis Bacon. The tone is set.



Round Two: Lena Linoleum

Evolutionary Change: Not only did my precocious child name this nefarious creature The Babysitter, but she went so far as to say this slightly twisted gal takes a few souvenirs home with her from the job! Yeah, I know. My child is definitely a chip off the old block...



Round Three: Young

Evolutionary Change: Panties.



Round Four: LadyLinoleum

Evolutionary Change: Tats on her arm and um, err, souvenir...



Her face...



And hip...



Round Five: Jonna

Evolutionary Change: A cloak fit for an Anguisette. (Anyone read Kushiel's Dart?)



Round Six: Stacy

Evolutionary Change: I know that upon seeing this wicked chick your first thought must have been, "Gee, she could really use a pair of ice skates." Am I correct???

This photo is priceless...



Round Seven: Janet

Evolutionary Change: Exhausted from a hard night on the job. Must. Sit. Down. In chair of course!





Round Eight: Bea

Evolutionary Change: Take her lead...



Round Nine: Dyane

Evolutionary Change: Stockings.

And

Round Ten: Bee

Evolutionary Change: Cloak trim.



Gallery View:



Evolution of the Doll!

Okay, I told you she was definitely dark and fit for Halloween, did I not?

Only two more dolls peeps. Don't worry though. I've got a new series to unveil...Lots of work to show from the basement of LabLinoleum.