Working With Color

Tunisian Carpet Bag
Originally uploaded by ladylinoleum

Whew! This week has definitely gotten away from me! I've been playing catch up at work and home, trying to dig out from two weeks of travel. I meant to post much earlier in the week, but you all know how it goes. Busy, busy, busy!

At any rate, my career life is nuts to say the least. Not only do I toil about the cube farm by day, but my second career of teaching crocheting and knitting is really starting to take off. I have students most weekends now. I even have "regulars". Very cool!

Let's hear it for the "yarn farm"!

Ahem.

Okay, so this weekend I am teaching a new workshop. This one will focus on working with color for knitters. We will explore the vast frontier of charts, bobbins, intarsia and fair isle! Should be fun! If you're in the Los Angeles area and you have the need to knit with a bazillion colors at once, come on by!

For more information contact:
Abuelita's Knitting and Needlepoint
1012 B Mission Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030
626.799.0355
www.abuelitasknittingandneedlepoint.com

Outside London - The All Day Tour!

Sorry for the abrupt halt of my London travel posts. We moved onto Paris and the "free wifi" at the hotel never worked. At any rate, I'm home. I'm also fried. However, I have a long weekend to recover AND catch you all up on my travel experiences.

So, where were we? Ah yes, London! Well, aside from working each day out of the London office and eating my way about town by night, I did manage to get in a bit of R&R before hopping a train to Paris. One of my work colleagues and I decided to spend a day away from the UK cube farm in order to try and see a bit of the countryside. We grabbed my husband and boarded a bus bound for the west of England!

First stop, Bath!

Although there is much to see in this fair city, our tour was to drop us off at the Roman Spa for a few hours before moving onto the next locale.





Our visit did not disappoint as the site itself is huge, taking the tourist from street level down into the subterranean structure of the Spa itself. There were artifacts galore and the handy audio guide was my companion throughout the visit, highlighting points of interest as I snaked my way about the maze of stone and thermal hot springs.

I was definitely drawn to the mosaics. Think intarsia charts peeps!



And I have a thing for ginormous heads...





Needless to say, what I found to be the most interesting artifacts were the spinning and weaving tools that had been excavated around the site...



Today's spinning and weaving tools have changed little. You know the old cliche, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, definitely applies.

Upon completion of our tour de spa, we were back on the bus traveling to stop numero dos, Salisbury Cathedral, home of the Magna Carta and "one of the finest medieval Cathedrals in Britain"!



The exterior is stunning in size and scope. Riddled with details, one could spend the whole day meandering about the edifice uncovering architectural characteristics galore.







Once inside, the sheer size of the structure hit home. I was awed. My few pictures hardly do the place justice, but here's a few anyway...







Did you catch that altar piece above? Yeah, well, needlepoint is alive and well at Salisbury Cathedral. After noticing that particular altar piece, I began to notice a plethora of needlepoint chair cushions as well. Each one a piece of art...



I love needlepoint. If I weren't currently knitting, crocheting, weaving, dyeing and spinning, I'd definitely be doing a bit of needlepoint. However, I'm just a tad too busy.

Moving right along.

After basking in the glow of the Magna Carta, we made our way back the bus for our final stop, Stonehenge!



How about a round of applause for managing to snap a pic devoid of my fellow tourists???

Although, normally, I hate these one day touristic extravaganzas, this one was totally tolerable. Because of my work schedule, it was my best hope to see some of the heritage sites about Britain.

Next post is all about France...

London Highlights - LOTR Musical

Long-time readers will know that I'm not afraid of getting a little touchy feely with my inner geek. I love plopping my arse into my chair after a difficult day at the cube farm, only to turn on the tube and hang out with Picard and crew on the Bridge of the Starship Enterprise or fly around BSG doing a bit of viper patrol with Starbuck or, as is often the case, traipse around Middle Earth trying to lose that freaky dude, Gollum. Um, yeah.

Anyway, I figured that my inner geek would be taking a vacay on this trip as I'd be working quite a bit and well, Sci Fi isn't exactly readily available in the channel line-up of most hotels. They don't know what they're missing...At any rate, you can imagine how happy my geeky self became after spotting a theater poster when having breakfast at an outdoor cafe in Leicester Square on Sunday for Lord Of The Rings Musical!

Oh yeah...Not leaving London until I've seen that! After all, I have a history with the Fellowship people!

Let's look into LadyLinoleum's LOTR file, shall we?

1. I own all of Tolkien's tomes. Okay, they aren't first additions or anything, but these texts are special to me nonetheless. Well read and well loved.

2. I have maps of Middle Earth. Hey, they could come in handy. You never know!!

2. I own all three Peter Jackson films. The extended versions. Hell, I even own the Rankin/Bass cartoons.

3. I flew to New Zealand to visit Hobbiton. Okay, I didn't specifically go to New Zealand to pay homage to hobbit holes. However, it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip!





4. I attended the One Ring Con in Burbank just over a year ago. I even paid to have my pic taken with Andy Serkis (Gollum himself) along with a few of my Gollum hats.



5. Speaking of Gollum headgear...Yes, I designed it to be worn at the One Ring Con.



6. A few years ago, friends and I attended the Lord of the Rings Symphony performed at the Hollywood Bowl. No, we didn't wear elvish attire...Jeesh.

7. I wear THE one ring each and every day.



8. I wear Gollum too.



9. I think that Middle Earth looked quite snazzy on stage.



It's all making sense right about now, correct?

Okay, as we can see above, I'm a bit biased when it comes to the subject of LOTR, but truly, the musical was great! Nothing like watching Gollum, Gandalf and four little dudes with hairy feet dance about stage belting out tunes!

Really!

Oh, whatever. I liked it and that's all that matters.

So there!

London - Day Two

When I was told that I was to go to London and Paris for work, I asked (insisted actually) my boss if I could pad the trip with a bit of free time as a 10 to 12 hour journey each way via airliner is a commitment to be sure. He agreed (thankfully) and my colleagues and I hopped a flight last Friday, arriving in the late afternoon last Saturday, leaving us free to explore the city on Sunday before putting noses to the grindstone on Monday at the office.

Sunday was a beautiful day in this fair city, sunny and warm (hot really), perfect for taking to the streets on foot and exploring. Random exploration would not do however, as I had an overall plan. I longed to go to Tate Modern and peruse floor after floor of creative genius, much of which I'd only seen previously in my art historical texts during college. This was my day to experience the work in person!

In the morning, I grabbed one of my travel companions and we set off for a bit of breakfast before crossing the Waterloo Bridge to the opposite side of the Thames in order to make our way to the Tate. Upon reaching the facing shore we were inundated by throngs of people enjoying the sunshine, watching any one of the many street performances taking place, clamoring to hop aboard the London Eye for panoramic view of the city, just generally enjoying the touristic riches available to them on such a fine day. Despite the crowd, I was able to discern a few banners flanking the front of the County Hall Gallery emblazoned with the name Dali. Intrigued, my colleague and I moved to investigate.


One of the many performers along the water.


London Eye.

Upon entry to the building, we each forked over 11 pounds and made our way to the entrance of the Dali Universe. Mind you, my expectations were quite low regarding the happenstance we were about to partake in. Fortunately, I was more than pleasantly surprised once moving through what could only be characterized as a tunnel, painted black, marked by both image and the ever-quotable verbiage set forth by the Surrealist master, to the exhibition. The space beyond was literally filled with paintings, prints and sculptures made by the hand of Salvador himself.

How did I not know about this place?

We perused image after image ranging from the tight, expertly detailed work Dali is most known for to lose, painterly fare that took me by surprise. Wicked wit, erotic machinations and clever unconventions, image after image. Dali was a genius.

Art appetite moist, I was ready for the lengthy tromp along the Thames to the Tate. Along the way, my colleague and I stopped into many a waterside pup for a pint of cider in an effort to stave off the humidity and heat, which was fast becoming oppressive. (It was actually hotter in London than in hometown Los Angeles last weekend!) An hour and some change later we were standing in front of the mighty Tate Modern (my new favorite place on the planet)!


Tower at the front of the Tate.

The edifice alone is awe-inspiring. Yet strolling among the works contained inside was positively astounding. Now, I'm not exactly an art neophyte. To the contrary, I have two degrees in fine art. I've been to museums and galleries around the globe. Actually, I'm pretty jaded when it comes to looking at, speaking about, experiencing art in all of its many forms. However, as "old hat" as the world of art is for moi, I did, in fact, lose my ability to form words at the mecca of modern as I feasted eyes upon some of my favorite creations by some of my favorite artists: Duchamp's Fountain and Nude Descending a Staircase; Kapoor's Ishi's Light; Judd's untitled steel homage to the rectangle (hey, just call me a square); Giacometti's Standing Woman and of course a little Bacon. There was so much to see. So much that I loved, have always loved for that matter. The experience will stay with me for some time to come.

One really works up an appetite when one is in the presence of great artistic wonders. It was finally time to hit the hotel, wash off the heat of the day and ready ourselves to tie on the feedbag! Eating well is a feature of all my travels, business or pleasure, and Sunday evening's spectacular meal was a perfect example of this essential experience.

Hubby's flight had arrived just in time to join my co-workers and me for a lovely meal at Veeraswamy. This legendary locale is an outstanding example of east meets west decor. The place is beautiful, filled with color, glitz and glam. Very cool space, indeed. We sat adjacent to one of the floor to ceiling windows, allowing our party a bird's eye view of the bustling street below.


Veeraswamy's grand interior.

We began our meal with round of cocktails. While half our party chose to imbibe some fairly pedestrian alcoholic fare, two of us felt a bit more adventurous, choosing to indulge in lychee and rose water martinis. Can you say sweet and refreshing?

Next up a host of family style dishes such as Nizami Murgh (a Hyderabadi dish consisting of chicken breast and koftas with pine nut, lemon and rose petal), spicy Saag (by far, my favorite spinach dish ever), Sukhe Aloo (you say potatooo, I say potaaato), Kolhapuri Kofta (deep fried veggie croquettes in a savory brown sauce), Bombay Dal (mild yellow lentils spiced to perfection) and multiple orders of Naan. We ended the meal with a plump pot of chai, mango sorbet and banana kulfi to share. Another good meal to be sure.

As we strolled back to the hotel after dinner, I reflected upon the days events, feeling blessed to have had the experiences and readying myself for the week ahead. More to come folks!

London - Day One

It's actually the beginning of Day Two, Sunday. However, seeing as we flew in yesterday at around 2:45, spent an inordinate amount of time (at least an hour and some change!) in the customs queue at Heathrow, drove into city center and got settled into our hotel, finally taking off on foot for dinner at about 6:30, I was just too damn tired to post last night after inhaling my meal.

However, I will always endure the rigors of a 10 hour flight to this destination as it 'tis one of my favorite cities on the planet! As long as I can stay awake upon arrival until a ripe-for-bedtime hour, I can enjoy London's pleasures relatively jet-lag free the rest of the week. I know, I have to actually go into work Monday through Thursday, but that will not stop me from enjoying myself!

Speaking of enjoying myself, I didn't do much of that last week. Hence, no posts. I was busy readying myself for two weeks worth of travel, tying up loose ends at the office, oh, and crocheting six enormous items for Crochet Today magazine! Literally, no free time. I plan to make up for last week's misery, by painting the town RED this week. Yes, indeedy.

Now, back last night. My two work colleagues and I were, needless to say, famished upon our arrival at the hotel. So, immediately following brief dates with our respective showers, we three met in the lobby and proceeded to a lovely restaurant around the corner from our home away from home, Al Duca, on recommendation from the hotel's concierge.



Nothing like kicking off two weeks of travel with a fine meal. Al Duca's delights were just the sort that the god Hermes would have partaken in upon exiting his chariot after a long journey!
We began with glasses of chianti and an amuse bouche consisting of a dollop of gorgonzola cream atop a roasted walnut with a sprig of dill. Lovely.

Our second foodie delight was Melanzane grigliate con burrata e olive nere (Char-grilled auberine with creamy mozzarella and black olives). This dish consisted of a generous slice of warm grilled eggplant topped with a healthy portion of THE most creamy burrata I've had the pleasure of tasting. Drizzled with olive oil tinged by its grassy origins, freshly ground black pepper and dotted about with olives nicoise, it was heavenly.

I had the Saltinbocca di branzino con patate n ovelle e scalogno marinato (Sea bass fillet wrapped with Parma ham, sage, sauteed new potatoes and pickled shallots) as my main course. Just remember, everything is better wrapped in bacon! Sea bass is hardly an exception. Cooked and seasoned flawlessly, I inhaled my perfectly portioned fillets. The skin of the fish was as crisp as the ham it was wrapped in, while the meat was tender and sweet. Underneath the fillets were lovely golden shallots and tender browned new potatoes. Mouthwatering.

I ended my meal with two small crepes, one filled with my daughter's fave toast topper, Nutella. The other infused with a lemony sweet ricotta. Yum!

This little bistro is definitely worth a try should you find yourself near Picadilly Circus AND you'd like to avoid some of the more tourist infested locales.

Okay folks, got to jet. Day Two awaits!

On The Road Again

Thanks for all of your wonderfully supportive comments with regard my last post!  My car has been fixed and looks perty again.  I still feel like an idiot, but I'm trying to cut my overworked boo-tay some slack.  I guess my three jobs, incessant travel, never-ending custody battle and out of work husband are finally chipping away at my tenuous hold on sanity.  I'm stretched a bit thin right now to be sure.  However, thanks be to God for yarn!  If I didn't have crocheting and knitting (and spinning, dyeing and weaving) I'd be a candidate for a rubber room at this point!

 

Speaking of incessant travel, I have a date with a plane again in two weeks.  Yes, my tube travel can again be attributed to job numero uno, my main gig.  This upcoming trip will take me to London and Paris.  I know that I've said this before, but I actually plan to have a bit of fun while in Europe as my time away has me straddling two weekends enabling me to (i) check out the local yarn and (ii) blow through a few tourist attractions.  Yay!

 

Traveling as much as I do means that packing has become a regular feature of my life.  Here are some of my tips for traveling smart and crafty!

 

First and foremost, let's hear it for light luggage!  About a year ago, prior to traveling to the Knit and Crochet Show in Manchester, NH (read – I needed a bigger bag to hold all of my class supplies and yarn purchases), I decided that it was time to trade in my large, heavy suitcase in favor of a lighter model of similar dimensions for use on those trips lasting longer than a few days.  My old bag weighed in at about 25 lbs when empty!  Needless to say, I was always over the limit when checking the stupid thing.  Now I have a featherweight model that weighs in at less than 7 lbs. when empty.  Much better!

 

Second, but of just as much as importance as the luggage factor, is this burning inquiry (which I ask myself each and every time I travel, oh by the way)…How much yarn is enough yarn to keep me busy while in transit, but not so much yarn that I have to dedicate my entire carry-on to the "fuzz factor"?  Yeah, well, I've come up with no good formula with which to answer this question.  So, I usually err on the side of paranoia, shoving two to three WIPs into my squat little roller bag adjacent to my beloved Mac each and every time I hit the road.  Really, it's dumb and I need to get a grip.  However, the thought of not being able to knit or crochet when entombed in a tube freaks me the hell out!  Okay, so this wasn't so helpful…Movin' right along.

 

Third, cords anyone?  Really, should any shenanigans take place aboard the aircraft, I am prepared to wrestle the offending individual to the ground and hog tie 'em with all of the electronic device cords that I'm forced to carry onto the plane.  Really.  My cord inventory is as follows: Blackberry power cord, cell phone power cord, digital camera power cord, digital camera USB cord, iPod USB cord, MacBook power cord (2 of these – one for the wall and one for the plane) and a host of adapters for international travel.  If I run out of cords mid-hog tie, I can always dip into my carry-on yarn stash or just start hurling adapters.   

 

These tips aren't exactly helpful, are they?  Alrighty then!

 

Fourth, are these shoes really made for walking?  Next to the yarn yardage factor, the travel shoe issue is another that confounds moi, oh, every single time I travel.  I don't know about you, but I have, quite literally, an entire shoe store in my closet.  And here's the kicker, only a few pairs out of the hundreds that I have available to my toe tips are suitable for wearing longer than oh, let's say…20 minutes. 

 

Peeps, I'm a girl!  We buy shoes because they look good, not because they feel good!  Comfort, schmomfort!  It's all about sexy toes, especially when it comes to strolling around the halls of the Cube Farm.  Therein lies the problem.  When I'm traveling for fun, a couple of pairs of my most comfortable shoes are usually sufficient.  Throw in a pair of heels for good measure and I'm set.  Add in the work factor and I'm screwed!  Many more variables.  This suit looks best with those pumps, while that dress looks super cute with those flats.  You get my drift.  Jeans are so much easier to pair with shoes.  Ahhhh.  Note to self, make sure to do a little shoe shopping this week on your lunch hour...

 

Not helpful?  Yeah, I'm just hoping that I'm not making you anxious about your next trip…

 

Okay, here's good travel tip…Fifth, got a stack of Netflix DVDs that you've yet to watch and a laptop that you plan to travel with?  Watch your rentals on the plane or while in the hotel.  Usually beats the in-flight entertainment and you'll avoid those pesky movie charges on your hotel bill!  I wish that I could take credit for this brilliant idea, but alas, I cannot.  This one is all Jenna!  She travels a lot too.  Actually, I should probably consult her about my shoe-yarn-excessive cordage issues as well…

 

Hey, two outta five ain't bad.

A Week In The Life...

Yes, my silence has been deafening over the past week.  Let's just say my previous week went southward following the Sunday market excursion.

 

Monday began a hectic work week. It sucks, but it's also familiar.  I have been digging out of the fiscal year end madness that overtook the cube farm shortly after the holidays ended.  Really, it feels like year end 365 days a year at this point.  However, as I said before, this is not unusual.  I imbibe pot loads of caffeine, knit and/or crochet on my lunch hours to decompress from the morning craziness and well, cocktails are a regular part of my evening routine.

 

Tuesday began as any other...uh, groggy and partially caffeinated.  However, this morning differed in that I was heading over to my doctor's office for an early morning appointment before embarking upon my daily toils at the cube farm.  Aside from the fact that I hadn't been feeling all that well, this excursion seemed normal enough.  That is, until I pulled into the parking lot of the medical building...

 

I drove up to the ticket dispenser and gave the button a push.  When the ticket appeared I found that I was sitting too low to reach the slip of paper.  So, obviously not thinking the following action through, with my foot securely on the brake (or so I thought), I released my seat belt and leaned out the window of my vehicle. 

 

You can guess what happened next. 

 

Oh yeah, my foot slipped off the brake pedal and onto the gas pedal sending me careening headlong into parking barrier gate! 

 

But wait, there's more... 

 

I didn't just merely tap the barrier.  Oh no!  When I break something, I do the job right!

 

Yeah, I mowed that barrier down and pushed it about, oh, 8 feet or so before I was able to get my foot back onto the brake.  Now that?  Takes talent.

 

Needless to say, I was in shock and just a wee bit embarrassed as this occurred in a street level lot on one of the busiest corners in Los Angeles.  Resisting the urge to flee, I pulled into one of the first available parking spaces and proceeded into the medical building to (i) confess my barrier gate demo, (ii) find a receptacle to barf in and (iii) partake in one the most expensive doctor's visit in history!  With those items checked off my list, I gave the hubs a holler to let him know how I spent my morning.  He immediately came to my rescue, driving me to work and my car to the body shop.

 

Love the hubs.

 

Upon arrival at the cube farm, I took a conference call, closed my office door after the call's completion and cried.

 

Yeah, Tuesday?  Could've been better.

 

Onto Wednesday. 

 

LadyLinoleum, what do you do to unwind after mowing down your local parking barrier and totally screwing up the front end of your Beemer? 

 

I went to Disneyland!

 

Really.

 

I should also be noted that I wore Pirates of the Caribbean Mickey Ears the entire day while attempting not to let the previous day's events ruin my time at the happiest place on earth.  Definitely a difficult task.

 

Thursday and Friday were uneventful as compared to the former half of the week.  Days spent toiling away at the cube farm, eves mired in a few magazine design projects.  Hey, life marches on right?

 

By Saturday, my nerves had come down a notch or two.  I spent most of the day at a LYS in South Pasadena teaching the ways of the hook.  Sunday seemed almost normal, my girl, Jenna, and I spending the whole day dipping yarn in dye. 

 

Okay, last week?  Yeah, a little tough.  I did learn a few things though, not the least of which was that I need to become one with my parking brake. 

 

Here's to a better Tuesday this week!  

Market Sunday

The hubs and I spent Sunday morning perusing an LA landmark, the Grand Central Market, located in Downtown Los Angeles.



Earlier that morning we searched in vain for a restaurant we intended to try in an adjacent neighborhood to Downtown. We drove around for a good 45 minutes before giving up and heading straight for our ultimate destination. There we were met with plenty of eateries to partake in. We chose to give Tacos Tumbras a Tomas a try because they had the longest line. Rule of thumb...When you're looking for something good to eat in territories less than familiar, always follow the crowd!



Both the hubs and I settled into a couple of tortas. For him, birria. For me, carnitas...my fave. Yes, we all know I have a fondness for pork. Although, I try not to eat it often because I have to watch my girlish figure...It's okay to indulge every now and again though. Hence my lovely and delicious Mexican pork sandwich...



The tortas were typically huge and truly I could only eat half. Warm roll piled high with fresh ingredients and a mountain of pork, this sandwich hit the spot following our little driving expedition earlier that morning.

Tummies topped off, it was all about the shopping. Produce shopping that is...



We came away with bananas, beets, garlic, broccoli, carrots, yams, cilantro, lettuce, blueberries and even a cherimoya! In addition, we also acquired a generous amount of dried ancho chiles, roasted and seasoned pumpkin seeds, Mexican hot chocolate and handfuls of dried fruits. All of this cost about $20!



Definitely worth the trek from Westside to Eastside. My other half confirms this notion with a smile for the camera!



What a great was to spend a Sunday morning!

Grand Central Market
317 South Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213.624.2378

Tacos Tumbras a Tomas
Grand Central Market, Space A-5
213.620.1071

Danish Serape?

What does LadyLinoleum get when she pairs some of her lovely hand dyed yarn with the Traditional Danish Tie-Shawl pattern from the latest issue of Spin-Off mag?



Nothing short of a Danish Serape!





Both bright and bold, this cool wrap combines some of my old dye experiments with that of the new. The variegated red is Kool-Aid (and so it begins), as is the turquoise variegated, while the cobalt was achieved in a Jacquard dye bath. All of the yarn is Bare Peruvian Highland Wool (fingering weight) from Knit Picks, which is a great starter yarn for beginning dyers, oh by the way.

The shawl construction is very intriguing as it begins with a starter rectangle, stitches picked up along three sides to form a triangle, then continues with the body of the shawl, increasing at the center and ends on every other row. The beginning rectangular sequence of stitches is brilliant actually.

Ooooh, I almost forgot! The other very cool aspect of this shawl? The edging!



It's braided! Actually, it's crocheted. But it looks braided! Crocheted with two colors simultaneously, this edging is a finishing technique that I intend to use again and again. Cool eh?

Spin-Off always has wonderful knitting (and crochet) patterns in addition to great articles and project ideas for the spinner. It is my current fave mag to be sure.

Now, if I could just figure out what to wear with this shawl, I'd be sittin' pretty...literally!

Happy Friday all!

Color Me Red

I tend to go through phases with regard to color and its usage in my work. Last fall and winter I seemed to be alternately in a black/white/gray phase or a blue phase, whether I happened to be knitting, crocheting, weaving, dying or spinning. Actually, this is pretty unusual for me because, by nature, I tend to be a “red girl” (or orange). However, I had blue (and black/white/gray) padding about the recesses of my cerebrum. At the time I felt those colors constantly calling me. They wanted, no, needed, to be seen (over and over again!). So, I happily complied.

However, Saturday I knew the blues were officially over during a yarn dying session with my girl, Jenna. I just couldn’t get enough of anything remotely reddish. Or pinkish. Or orange-ish. You get my drift. Yep, I painted and kettle dyed 1500 yards of yarn in warm brilliance! I would have dyed roving too, but…um…er…I have a bit of roving backlog right now; baskets of fluff sitting patiently by my wheel(s) awaiting transformation. Keep yer shorts on, I’ll get to it!

Anyway, just look at the piles of color I created…

Looks perty eh?

And here is some of my hand-dyed reddish roving spun up…

This will get plied with possibly gold or another reddish iteration. Not quite sure which.

And then there are my current WIPs featuring…Yes, red!

I am working up a Feather and Fan Shawl from Cheryl Oberle’s book, Folk Shawls,in pretty burgundy and copper stripes.

I LOVE this book, which I have had in my possession for nearly a year.



Nonetheless, this is the first pattern I’ve tried. It’s an easy one. Well, except for working with the fiber the pattern calls for that is!

Un-spun Icelandic wool.

Think super thin, ultra-skinny roving, which pulls apart easily (yes, because it is un-spun). Due to the fragility of the fiber, this WIP just won’t travel well. Needless to say I will be working on this wrap at home only.

On the crochet front, I am working up a Singular Tee from my Knitscene pattern.

Mine will be in sultry red and cool blue-violet. This top is perfect for summer, crocheted in dk weight cotton from Halcyon Yarn, which is apropos because Los Angeles has begun to feel the heat of the season! Last Saturday and Sunday saw temps in the 90’s!

What colors are speaking to you at the moment? Inquiring minds you know.

Two New Patterns!

I have two new patterns for you in Crochet Today mag! The first is a super easy sweater that can easily be worn to either beach or bistro...



The pattern calls for Red Heart Hula yarn, but I can easily see this in myriad fibers. Cotton or bamboo would be lovely. I have a fairly large stash of ecru, taupe and cornmeal colored cotton, which I think would make a lovely striped version of this sweater.

The second pattern is my take on the classic tomato pincushion...



Another simple pattern that utilizes Red Heart Super Saver. Although, I think this too would look great in a shiny mercerized cotton. Methinks it would also be a wonderful gift for Mother's Day!

The newest issue of Crochet Today is currently available at your local newsstand or bookseller. Enjoy!

Bee Season Scarf

A scarf to wear as the last vestiges of winter give way to the warmth and color of spring...





This lovely woolly wonder is knit from Lamb's Pride worsted in a honeycomb pattern from one of my current favorite stitch dictionaries. (Oh, I know! You guys don't like these books due to lack of charts. I however, love them!)



The stitch pattern required every other stitch to go on a cable needle. At first this fact was a bit maddening, but soon I was motoring along as a rhythm began to develop. I think the entire scarf took me a few weeks to complete.

I finished the muffler off with a crocheted picot edge...



And six little needle felted bees...



The bees took me longer to make than the actual scarf! Although, I think they were definitely worth the effort!

Copyright 2008 Regina Rioux Gonzalez. All rights reserved.