Long Overdue 411

Sorry for lapse between posts folks. As you all know, this time of year is filled with much activity. I literally have had zero time to sit before my Blogger Dashboard and compose a post. I haven't even had much time to crochet or knit, which needless to say drives me batty. Anyhoo, I'm anxious to get back on track with both posting and feeling up my yarn.

I do have FO's however! I've been slowly (can you say snail's pace?) finishing objects amidst the holiday hub-bub. The first of which happens to be Cleaves. I love the way this duo-sleeved diddy worked up in this spicy pumpkin-y hue.



Next up, I've made yet another triangle. This time however, I experimented a bit by elongating each of the sides. I like the overall shape and will work it into my repertoire going forward. Oh, and yes, that is acrylic yarn. Hey, wash and wear in not a bad thing.





My little bird pin works perfectly with this piece (more on the crocheted bird phenomena in a future post).

Finally, because I know everyone will be wearing these next year...



Gollum Hat is now pattern tested and will be published in January I believe. I'll find out the details and pass them along to you all as soon as I'm in the know.

Now, I'm ashamed to say that I still haven't finished the O'Lantern dudes. Don't worry though, you should see them sporting their new looks before Halloween '07. I know, I know! I've been busy people. Sheesh.

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday! Here's to a wonderfully productive and prosperous '07!

Fanosophy

“You see, that’s why I like Nascar. You either go forward or you crash. You don’t go backward.”

- Anonymous Raider Fan

As I sat perched in my nose-bleeder seat awash in the Oakland winter sun at the Raiders v. Rams game this Sunday last, I was provoked into a serious session of people watching due solely to my immense boredom with the less than mediocre game waaay down below on the McAfee Coliseum’s field. However, boredom is easily alleviated by turning one’s attention to the people of the Raider Nation for entertainment. You just gotta love Raider fans after all. They are diehard if nothing else, boisterous, spirited, a little bit crude, lively, loyal and sometimes rude, but if it’s people watching you’re after, these peeps never disappoint. I mean, in addition to the characteristics I listed above, the fanship, as a whole, is also peppered with many a black and silver donning proletariat poet, hence the quote above.

Sitting high (and I mean really high) in the stands, inbetween sips of my amber brew, I scribbled bits and pieces of the conversational din I’d overheard around me. The hubs and I were chuckling at the sheer revelry apparent in the various tid bits of verbiage we were able to catch. Even despite yet another devastating blow to their beloved team’s standings, the people of the Raider Nation were not about to let another impending loss ruin their good time. They cheered hard, toasted often and mused about the plethora of positive possibilities sure to present themselves to their team next season, all the time myriad “colorful” expressions in use emphasizing a shared bliss.

Largely ignoring the massacre on the field below, I also began to reflect on the oh-so-wise quote kicking off this post made from one in the crowd. So simple, yet so true. We are constantly marching forward. We all are subject to upsets, obstacles, crashes if you will, and no, we cannot go back. For me, there is such resonance in that statement. Since the death of my father a decade ago I’ve struggled to navigate about a family structure that had been completely transformed by that event. A painful era riddled with anger, denial, discovery, acceptance and reorganization, for lack of a better word, that I feel as if I’m finally emerging from. I don’t know what lies ahead, but I do know that I am open to putting foot to pavement and seeing where my path unfolds. I acknowledge and accept the past. Hell, hopefully I’ve gained a little insight and even, perhaps, a bit of wisdom learned from the events leading up to the here and now that will aid me in my journey ahead. I’m ready now for whatever the future holds.

Who knew that an afternoon at a football game could hold so much depth?

It must be true. I guess real men and women do wear black...

Woohoo!

Have you seen the Spring '07 issue of Knitscene mag?

How about the December issue of Nickelodeon mag?

Well, there's more than just pretty spring knit/crochet patterns and the pig of the moment to be had amidst the pages of these periodicals. Yep, there are turkeys and tiny hats too!

Wanna make this?

Then you'll definitely need to pick up a copy of Knitscene! The hat accessory patterns are offered as freebies on the website. Perty darn cool, eh? Now, I expect all of you to be sporting these little diddies atop your heads this spring. So you'd better git to hookin'!

Nick mag doesn't have the pattern for Turkeyzilla The Tote Bag, but if you ever feel the need to crochet poultry, you can always get the pattern here.

Can I tell you how freakin' cool it is to walk into Borders and see my stuff plastered across the pages of these pulps??? Doing my happy dance! And no, my happy dance will never be found on youtube...

Making Merriment

City sidewalks
Busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There's a feeling
of Christmas
Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
and on every street corner you'll hear

Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city…

Ah yes, ‘tis the season! This weekend past, ChezLinoleum was in full-holiday-swing-mode, which meant lots of decorating, driving to and fro, and of course much eating, drinking and making merriment also occurred.

First and foremost, Operation Tree Acquisition was in order. Sure, I, like many good American consumers, own an artificial tree. Hell, I own three! For me, childhood Christmas memories always include visions of my dad pulling down dusty tree and ornament boxes from the garage eaves, mom erecting said ornamental plastic wonder in one corner of the family room, bending the wire branches to and fro in an effort to achieve maximum straightness, dad, then having played his annual pivotal role in Operation Tree Acquisition, deciding to retire for the evening to read, write or work on his plans for world domination, my sister Stephanie and I jumping around in a sugar-addled haze, attempting to open the ornament boxes only to be told to sit down, remain calm and ornaments would be handed to us in an orderly fashion by the Queen of Clean and Organization, otherwise known as Mom.

Ahhh, those were the days!

I, being my mother’s daughter, happily continued with the anal-retentive plastic brush tradition each and every Christmas until I hooked up with the man in my life. Yep, the hubby did not abide my tradition of an oh so neat and natty plastic Christmas. Nope, HIS childhood memories of annual Operation Tree Acquisition consisted of actually buying a tree, a previously live, but just recently mowed down arbor from some lot near his parents’ home. Anyway, when we hooked up, my x-mas shrubbery de plastique was resigned to its cardboard tomb in favor of the hacked from its roots, mass needle dropping, grown in a tree farm variety. I still, however, manage to erect my little silver Christmas shrub next to the television each and every year. Hey, you can’t find metallic silver trees in nature! I have no choice…

At any rate, this year's Operation Tree Acquisition took place at the tree auction off Alameda Street, a hop, skip and a jump from Olvera Street and Union Station in good ole Downtown Los Angeles. However, before heavy duty auction participation could ensue, the Linoleums were in need of sustenance. This we found at one of my all time favorite LA eateries, Philipe’s! Home of the French dipped sandwich and 50 cent iced teas!

Landmarks can be hard to come by in this town...

Seriously, if you live in the Los Angeles area and have yet to eat at Philipe’s, well you are missing out big time! I always, always order the lamb dip, potato salad or coleslaw, depending upon my mood, and of course and an iced tea. Yum!

With bellies full, the hubs, offspring and I were ready to wheel and deal at the tree auction. Turns out all the cheapskates were present last Saturday evening. Bids were unbelievably low and we drove out of there with a 7 ½ footer for an amazing $36. Not bad.

Let the games begin...

Sold (to someone else)!

Here's our tree getting its water bowl and wooden stand...

The offspring and I decorated our acquired bush (after vacuuming up a bazillion stray needles) and surrounding abode Sunday morn. The hubs had to go into work so it was just mom/daughter decorating duo thang. We managed to transform our domicile into a holiday wonderland within a few hours. When finished it was time for us to get spiffed up in anticipation of one of our favorite annual holiday music traditions…Tuba Christmas!

Yes, I used the words tuba and Christmas together in one phrase.

Seriously, this is the best “get into the holiday spirit” type of event around! 200 tubas playing Christmas carols (and a couple of Tuba Chanukah tunes as well) accompanied by the audience in a sing-a-long!

It’s amazing! Really. I’ll bet, you can catch a version of Tuba Christmas in a city near you too…I highly recommend it. Not to be missed! Oh by the way, cosmopolitans are a good Tuba Christmas aperitif just in case you were wondering. I believe one sings a bit louder when windpipes are warmed with a bit of vodka.

I will tell you all that prior to last weekend’s festivities, I was feeling a little Scrooge-esque. It’s stunning what a little greenery, some holiday finery, a few seasonal tunes and camaraderie with family and friends can do to change my outlook. Oh, and the vodka didn’t hurt either....

Out with the old and in with the new!

As I get older, I find that I have decreasing tolerance levels for things high maintenance, aside from myself that is...

With this said I've been on a mission to eradicate drama from my life and after much deliberation surrounding a certain MAJOR aspect of my existence, I decided that I could take no more! It was time for a break. Time to bid fond farewell to a relationship that has sustained more than two decades. Yes folks, it's time for a change that will impact my life's current path.

I'm not proud of how I initiated such a change. I mean, we'd been sneaking around for quite a while. I'd go to our meeting place to cop a feel and push a few buttons. Later in the evening I'd return home and try to act like there was nothing amiss. Everything's just peachy keen...Not.

Well, a week ago Friday I decided that I had to come clean. No more dangerous liaisons. Deception is not good for the complexion after all. So, I made it official, opting for a quickie divorce while simultaneously jumping headlong into a openly torrid affair. C'mon, you only live once right?

Wave bye bye to the jilted!

Bid hiya to my new love...

Can you say 17 inches of pure unadulterated bliss???

Okay, I need to chill.

Anyway, so far so good. Aside from the fact that eventually I'm going to have to purchase a bazillion dollars worth of imaging software, I'm cool with the change. For now, I am going to limp along with my existing software packages. Anyone running Parallels? Do you like it?

And while we're talking software, I'm a longtime Corel Draw Suite user as well as an adept Adobe Photoshop user. I was checking out Corel Painter and was wondering if anyone out there is using it and likes it. Any feedback you can provide is welcome as I've been very intrigued with that package for a while now too, but have yet to take the plunge.

Time to go rev up my silver love machine...

My Precious...

Nuthin' says keep yer head warm during the holidays like a crocheted wool balding toupee with ears and eyes...



Just look at that likeness...



I know, stunning, is it not?

C'mon, sure Yoda hats are groovy, but I don't think anyone's got one of these! Then again, I don't know that anyone would want one of these either. Okay, so my style is a bit, um, unique. Whatever. At least I've got appropriate apparel for this event.

Copyright 2006 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.

Making Memories with Mini Martha

When I look into my daughter's eyes and see the brilliant sparks of creativity pulsating just beneath the surface of those amber pools I am simultaneously awed, inspired, energized and supremely proud. The girl is a powerhouse. She makes art and craft way beyond the scope of her mere thirteen years on the planet (she's also an intelligent, witty and comedic gal to boot) and I'm not just saying this because she is my progeny. Nope. She is truly gifted and full of spirit.

That's my girl...



She's also unstoppable. Case in point...the child was suffering from a pretty nasty cold the entire holiday weekend, but still managed to craft up a trio of three foot Christmas trees (all lighted I might add)...









A smashing wool felt holiday wreath....



Begin a granny square blanket...



And bake batches of cookies! Sorry, no pics. We devoured the luscious rounds of chocolate confection before I could get a shot.

Anyway, the kid does me proud and aside from the usual tween angst every now and again, she's fun to be around. Our time together is often spent engaged in conversation ranging from the not so deep, edge of adolescence type of fare to the exceedingly murky, meaning of life type of contemplations. Our little mom/daughter duo can also be seen conjuring creative cuisine, consuming ginormous bowls of popped corn while watching a bit of entertainment from our revolving supply of red envelopes, speeding about town from one crafty establishment to another procuring supplies for our various artful endeavors and of course making multitudes of crazy creations. She's a gem and I cherish our time together immensely.

I'd like to say that she's just like me (giving myself the ultimate compliment), but truly she's so much more. My daughter radiates light from within. Her heart is full of love and compassion, her mind is ripe with incredible ideas, her sense of humor is an unceasing delight and her laughter is truly infectious. For me she is a wonder to behold and when I'm feeling blue, one glance at the first photo above brings and instant smile to my forlorn soul.

And heck, there's nothing better than handcrafted holidays and memories made with the ones you love! So, in this hectic season of stress, myriad engagements and preparations galore, take a few moments and spend some time making holiday memories with someone you adore.

Happy Handcrafted Holidays Everyone!

FINALLY...

In honor of its debut in December's issue of Nickelodeon Magazine, Turkeyzilla The Tote Bag and Drumstick Coin Purse patterns are now available for sale! I know, I took forever to write these up...Anyway, you can get 'em on my sidebar or on my site.

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday! I've got lots to share with you all!

New Acquisitions

Cube Farm = Cash Flow

Cash Flow = The Ability To Purchase Mass Quantities of Bound Glory Whenever I Feel The Hankering

Please put emphasis on the term mass quantities, as I left Border's with plentiful bounty a week ago last. Hey, if I've got to do the Cube Time, I may as well reap some benefits from it. Well, other than shelter and food that is...

First and foremost, an exercise in idolatry:



I know, it's a sickness, but I just love this dude...right down to his chain-smoking, seal-eyeball-consuming, crusty center.

I'm a joiner...





Hey, I was feeling left out of the whole sock-making fanaticism thang! And anyway, I have enough sock yarn to knit AND crochet a pair a day for at least the next year.

Remember, Cube Farm = Cash Flow...

Next up is the latest acquisition to my knitted lace library. Yes, I collect books on lace knitting. I know, doesn't fit with my whole jolly roger penchant.

What can I say? I like to knit holes...



A very cool alternacraft (yes, I made that word up!) book brought to us by the queen of SuperNaturale...



Actually, I find that books of this type tend to be a bit on the cornball side, but not this one. Production values are very high-end and it's chock full of stuff I'm dying to make! A must have for anyone who likes to conjure craftiness.

And finally, a little crocheted eye candy...



Seriously, if I use this book for nothing more than a readable respite from my usual crochet regimen, it will have been money well spent.

Now, if I could just find another bookshelf that is both functional and stylish I'd be the happiest Cube Farmer on the planet. Okay, I agree, that's probably stretching it.

One Hell of a Tote Bag

...or the tote bag from hell, which is how I referred to it while working on the design.



I have to admit though, despite my pain, it turned out quite nice.

This is my first collaborative design effort. Bri worked up the concept drawing(s), which were subsequently sent off to Interweave.



Upon their acceptance of our design, we bought tons of this stuff and I got started on the crochet portion of the program, which included lots of acts of frogging, I might add, mostly due to the material I believe. What can I say? I like yarn folks. Alternative fibers are cool, but if you want to know the truth, I can take 'em or leave 'em.

At any rate, I think it looks perty in all of it's plastic-y ribbon-y glory.

Here's a detail shot of the apple pocket:



This lovely tote pattern will be available on your local bookseller's shelves sometime in '07. I'll update you when I have more info.

Please note that the Dem Bones Scarf Pattern is now available on my sidebar for purchase! Thanks for your patience!

I'm pattern-testing Turkeyzilla The Tote Bag right now. That pattern will be available in the next couple of weeks.

Have a great weekend everyone! Toodles!

Copyright 2006 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.

Linoleum On Gastronomy

I don't think that I've mentioned this before, but I've been nursing a strapping addiction to many a show on the Food Network and other related entertainment for some time now. There are a host of celebrity chefs that my trusty DVR makes sure I keep in touch with while doing my daily duty at the Cube Farm. Ahhh, I love technology! How else would I be able to pay homage to my foodie faves outside of their regularly scheduled broadcast?

I have to admit it though. I don't have much time for conjuring cuisine at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I love to play with food, but with my schedule I've been forced to pick a side. It's hooks and needles or my Cuisinart and Kitchenaid. Currently yarn seems to be the winner. So watching this chick throw pounds of chocolate into her saucier has got to sate my inner gastronome.

With all this said, let's put the old gear shift in reverse shall we? Yes, let's go back, back in time, to Saturday last. Yes, that would be the day that I unearthed ye olde blades and steel from their mothball mausoleum and spent the entire a.m., yes, yes, cutting and chopping and roasting and seasoning and pureeing and preparing for what has become one of two days of the year that I still always produce plentiful pabulum!

And this year, my plans for pabulum plenty do not include this substance...



What? No pumpkin you say? To which I say, yes, there will be pumpkin o' plenty come this T-Day, just not the orange porridge entombed in a can variety. Nope, last Saturday I bid fond farewell to the pumpkin pack of my past and set to making my own glorious pumpkin-y potage myself!



I know, impressive...

However, I will dispel your awe when I tell you that the process of creating your own cucurbitaceae chowder is a no brainer. Really!

You cut the pumpkin(s) into quarters. You clean off the pumpkin guts. Save the seeds! Good for roasting...mmmmm! You brush the quarters with melted butta. You place lubed (love you Alton!) and quartered squashies in a roasting pan. Cover the pan with foil. Roast in your oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until soft. Let dead squashies cool. Scoop out the orange and delicious meat. Puree in batches in your food processor. Drain the glorious goop in a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl in your fridge for about 8 hours. Discard liquid. Store your personal pumpkin pack in your icebox or freezer until you're ready to use!

And roast those darn seeds! They are super yummy and good for you too. I swish mine in a bit of olive oil and throw some Tony Chachere on 'em before committing them to the oven. Ooooooh! Ahhhhh!



Lest you think there was little yarn usage happening due to flagrant foodstuff preparation last weekend, feast yer eyes on the offspring and her newest creation...



How awesome is that little crocheted rectangular dude she worked up? She even made removable booties for the guy, instinctively knowing to turn the heel! The kid's a genius I tell you! And she was a very helpful sous chef during Operation Pumpkin.

Anyway, we rounded out the weekend filled with food and fiber fodder by attending the opening of the group show some of my work happens to be in. Here's the hubby whooping it up with a glass of wine and somehow donning another woman's shawl. Go figure...



He's not Alton nor Tony, but he looks quite fetching in pink!

Current Events

Thanks should have gone out to these lovely peeps eons ago, but did not because I'm swamped and lost track of time. Not a very good excuse, but it's the only one I've got.

Anyway, having knowledge of my love for ye olde craft tome, Jessica sent me this beauty...



My daughter commandeered said tome for herself. Chip off the old block the young Linoleum is.

Next, Brownie sent me more of this stuff...



I have to say that as much as I love natural fibers, this line of acrylic distributed by Jo-Ann is pretty darn cool. I really like the way it worked up for the Swamp Crone Shawl. Viva la acrylic boucle! Oh by the way, make sure you peruse Brownie's gallery. The woman makes some wonderful garments!

And last but definitely not least, Finny Knits sent me a sampling of her homemade blackberry preserves, which the peeps at ChezLinoleum just recently cracked open.



Oh my this stuff is wonderful J! You did good. I wouldn't change a thing!

Monster Crochet News Items of Note

• Apparently Turkeyzilla the Tote Bag will be profiled in Nickelodeon Magazine. I think soon. Though I haven't received a tear sheet from them yet so I don't exactly know if the poultry sack has been seen by kids everywhere or not.

• I am co-designing a bag for an upcoming book from the folks at Interweave. That should be on your local bookseller's shelves sometime in 2007.

• A couple of my creatures will be featured in a group show at That Yarn Store in Eagle Rock, CA. For those of you who live in the Los Angeles area and have an interest in seeing some cool fiber art by a smattering of Los Angeles based artists, the show opens this Saturday, November 11, with a reception from 7:00 - 10:00 pm. I'll be there! Here are the directions should you choose to attend.

• I will be working on getting several new patterns up my website through November and December (one of them being Turkeyzilla the Tote Bag). I've made this my mission so it will happen. Thanks for being so patient with me! Stay tuned.

• Blank and Boring O'Lantern will be showing off their new looks very soon...

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Like Minds

Natasha is my soul sister...Literally, this post is one that I could have written.

Eco New Zealand

Yes, yes, more New Zealand...

Anyway, one of the side trips that we embarked upon while experiencing destination Auckland was the Northland Region, which encompasses the northernmost geography of North Island, yes, you guessed it, north of Auckland. Northland is home to some of the most amazing vistas I've ever experienced.



This piece of the planet is riddled with breathtaking beaches (overlooking the Tasman Sea shown above) and bays as well as some of the oldest forests I've ever had the privilege to step foot in. Dubbed the Kauri Coast, no traveler should miss an opportunity to explore this region and stand at the base of a 2000 year old tree.

Yes, a 2000 year old tree! Its Maori name is Tane Mahuta, which translates to God of the Forest, for those you who didn't click the link above. It is the ultimate example of a Kauri tree. What the heck is a Kauri tree you ask? Well, just click here for a much more cogent explanation than I could ever give.

Anyway, I could go on and on, but for a change of pace on this here bloggidy, blog, blog I shall let my pictures do most of the talking...

First stop on the Northland tree tour, Parry Kauri Park!

Take a look at that sky...



Basically we took a stroll through the dense brush of Parry. Lovely brush, but yeah, pretty darn impermeable. Despite the density, I took some excellent shots and I, my friends, am NOT a photographer. Be that as it may, I still was able to pull this shot off...



Okay, how awesome is that shot??? Ethereal mist gently rising off of the dampened bark, bathed by the morning sun...oh yeah, definitely having Shutterfly shoot me a print of this one...

After finishing up at Parry Kauri Park we traveled deeper Northland to meet up with a man who makes wonderful turned wood pieces from fallen Kauri trees extracted from swamps. He showed us his lathe and quickly turned a lovely box in a matter of minutes, including finishing! I was impressed for I know my way around a woodshop my friends. Yep, there's more than just yarn lurking about my torrid crafty past...

I did say that I was going to let my photos do the talking. Oh well, I just can't help myself!

Anyway, after bidding fond farewell to the woodturning guru we headed even further north to Trounson Kauri Park for another stroll through more dense and beautiful flora. In fact, so solid is the forest canopy that even though it was raining pretty hard at the time of our visit we were spared a shower. Maybe just one or two droplets of water, but that was it. How cool is that?

It felt otherworldly surrounded by such amazing plant life...



Finally, our tree tour hit its apex with our introduction to none other than THE God of the Forest...



Here's big P, the hubs, for size comparison...



It's pretty darn awesome to stand next to a living being that's been on the planet for 2000 years. Um the tree, not the hubby. Anyhow for me, this immersion into the heart of ecological New Zealand was really the highlight of the trip. Yes, even above and beyond Hobbiton. Although I'd wager that Tane Mahuta is probably an Ent...

SuperLinoleum

It's a bird!

It's a plane!

It's a chick with an eyeball cape!

Huh?

Um, yeah...



You know, it was surprisingly easy for me to get ready for work today...Slipping on my red pants and boots (both of which are Linoleum wardrobe staples oh by the way), pinning my eyeball emblem (which doubles as a coaster when not on super hero duty) to my SuperShirt and pulling my newly crocheted SuperLinoleum mask over my eyes. Ahhh, I love Halloween!

I also love Red Heart Super Saver!

Mon dieu!

Now, now, I'm just as yarn snobby as the next person. But hey, a SuperLinoleum on the go doesn't have time to wait for her cape to be dry cleaned. Nope, it has got to be wash and wear. And hel-lo? Nobody but Red Heart does red quite like this...

Even the eyeball emblem on back is brought to you by that crunchy queen of acrylic fiber...Oh, and don't forget the one on the front of my shirt!

I seriously made a dent in my RHSS stash this Halloween by working up this ensemble.

Is stashbusting a super power?

It is now...

Happy Halloween everyone!

Copyright 2006 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.

Swamp Crone Shawl

What does a girl do with piles of crocheted severed fingers and eyeballs? Give 'em out to trick-or-treaters? Perhaps. Strewn them about the mantel as holiday decor? Well, sure. I know! How 'bout attaching them to a netted shawl for a bit of Halloween costume-age? Sound uh, interesting?

Introducing the Swamp Crone Shawl!



Here it is draped about this blog's spokesmodel...



Crocheted using this acrylic-y stuff and honeycomb stitch, Swamp Crone worked up quickly. I even fringed the edges and I'm not normally a fringer, at least, not in the yarn sense. But hey, one does what one must for one's craft.

Up close and personal with the ghoulish accoutrements...

An eyeball...



Detached digit...



And a good ole brown spidey!



Oh, and all self-respecting Swamp Crones never leave their respective shacks upon stilts without a trusty Eyeball of Infinite Wisdom...



Ahhh, I love Halloween!

Copyright 2006 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.