Costumeology: The Knitted Pirate

Pirate garb is de rigueur at ChezLinoleum. As such, I've been knitting and crocheting my pirate-y stripes for the last few years in an attempt to create a fully knitted pirate look.

My costume began with this piece...



Draping oneself in one's flag is the ultimate display of one's pride methinks.

In succession, came the crocheted and knitted versions of this sweater...





I currently have three of these little sweaters in my closet. Great with skirts. Fantabulous with jeans. And absolutely amazing with...BLOOMERS!





Oh yes, upon immediate discovery of this Knitty pattern, I knew that I must knit a pirate-styled pair.

I wore this lovely ensemble to our annual Stitch N Witch gathering last night...



Even though I am just a mere deck hand at the moment, I did win the coveted "Best Use of Yarn" Prize while making merry at our fete. Yipee!

I see a knitted frock coat and perhaps a crocheted tricorn hat on my list of projects to complete for next year's Halloween season...Aaaarrrrggggghhhhh!

Costumeology: The Dark Fairy

NOTHING makes me happier than donning a pair of wings (or fangs, or tutu, or pirate garb, etc.) before hitting the streets of LaLaLand to go about my daily routine. Now, under normal circumstances, I would be looked upon as a few eggs short of a dozen if I decided to show up to the cube farm sporting a clown fro. However, October cannot be considered "normal circumstances" so digging the tutu(s) (yes, I have more than one) and wigs out of the back of the closet became priority one a few weeks ago for this is the most spooktacular time of the year!

This particular Halloween season brings three dress-up opportunities for moi and y'all know I'm not about to wear the same costume three times. Mon dieu! So, lets take a looksee at what I've thrown together for one of my upcoming alternate egos, shall we? Without further ado, I present to you my Dark Fairy garb...



Now, every femme fairy needs an ethereal little skirt, don't you agree? Yeah...So, even though I have a plethora of tulle in my closet, I didn't have any tulle related vestments in this keen red and black color combo and no standard pink sparkly fae wardrobe would do for me this Halloween. Nope, I'm looking to personify the classic trickster fae folkette. As such, I worked up this cute little dark netted number last night in the span of hour...And what a satisfying hour it twas too!



These beauties have been adorning the wall of my closet for months! Oh, don't worry, they weren't at all lonely for I have LOTS of wings.

Anyway, are they not spectacular???

You know you want a pair...And you can purchase them here along with many other amazing versions. Her wings are awesome and really well made.

Anyhoo, as I said, these lovelies were sitting in my closet for eons, urging me to marry them off to a sampling of perfect accompaniments. I was obliged to comply. Just look at how amazing my wings look with their tutu comrade...



But wait, there's more!



No self-respecting fae would be caught dead with the ears of a human! Nope, only pointy elfin ears will do this All Hallow's Eve!

Um, am I the only one around who has spirit gum in her cosmetic case year round???

Ahem...Let's move on.



Lastly, I purchased this very cool kit from Sephora to aid me in achieving each of my spooktacular looks this season. Methinks the store should offer these boxes of wonder the rest of the year as well. Come on, you can picture it. Ice Queen makeup for winter. Flower Fairy makeup for Spring. Golden Goddess makeup for summer. It would be amazing right? Yeah, I agree, retailers have no vision.

My Dark Fairy costume just needs a little liquid leather and fishnet to top it off. Then I'm good to go!

Ahhh, Halloween, how I love thee!

Stella Circular Shawl

OMG, October has been a blur! So much so that I have been unable to post during what has to be my most favorite time of the year. I haven't even had a chance to unearth my harvest decor for goodness sake!

*Sigh*

Despite the current madness, I have still managed to maintain my daily fiber regimen. Oh yes, still designing as well as randomly crocheting, knitting, spinning, weaving and sewing, albeit in a lower gear. As such, I have a FO from an OPP (other person's pattern) to present to you...



This is my version of Kristen Omdahl's Stella Shawl. The pattern can be found in her book, Wrapped in Crochet, one of my current favorite crochet tomes. Upon first inspection of this book, I knew that Stella would be my first project. I mean, check out the pic below direct from the book's pages...



The shawl is simply gorgeous. Further, the project gave me a perfect excuse to purchase an entire bag of Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino! What a lovely yarn to work with, so soft and luscious.

I had a blast crocheting my Stella. The directions were clear and without mistakes. As such, I motored through this WIP, completing the shawl in less than two weeks. I am very happy with the results and intend to make another after the craziness of the holidays subsides.

Happy Monday everyone!

Holiday Cover Girl

My tree skirt made the latest Crochet Today cover! Woo Hoo!

Tons of retro goodness to be had in this issue peeps. Get thee to a newsstand...stat!

As the Spool Turns

I've turned into one of those girls.

You know that of which I speak. One of those girls who sews all of her own clothes, knits and crochets her own sweaters and wears said ensembles on a regular basis. Yeah, I've turned to the dark side...



I am the embodiment of craftaholism at this point. As such, above I am modeling my newly sewn, and fully lined I might add, squid dress (okay, more like squid muumuu...hey, comfort is key), beneath my recently completed Summer Breeze Cardi.

Rad, right? I felt so accomplished, flitting about the office in my homemade duds. I know, I'm a dork, but a crafty dork nonetheless.



I used Amy Butler's Anna Tunic pattern for the dress and although I love Amy Butler's aesthetic, her patterns tend to be a bit challenging. Despite this fact, I moved through the Anna Tunic with relative speed. I especially like the button closure at the back of the neck...



Do you like my blue crystal buttons?

I also really like the squid fabric...



I have used this fabric, in an alternative colorway, prior to this project. Remember my squid skirt? It constitutes my first recent foray into garment sewing. Ahhh, feels like so long ago now...

Anyway, my adventures with needle and thread shall continue. I currently have two quilts in the works. Because this fact, I have vowed not to begin any new sewing projects until I've completed the pieced behemoths. Upon completion however, I am planning to sink my needle into a Collette pattern which I've been itching to attempt.

As the spool continues to turn...

The Conventions of Wisdom

It's no secret that I am having a rough year. It's also no secret that the rough stuff is the stuff from which most of us learn our most valuable life lessons. Knowing this doesn't make the journey any less painless, however! I mean, to say that I'm in a state of transition seems an understatement to be sure. Be that as it may, I am learning to accept my current state of groundlessness. It was a bit unsettling at first to be this, uh, unsettled, but now I just shrug my shoulders and put one foot in front of the other, hurdling along my current path at death defying speeds, winding unpredictably to an uncertain fate. It's horrifying and exhilarating all at the same time and I have made many a discovery about myself and my life's cosmic soup along the way...

Firstly, when it comes to societal mores, I happen to be an unconventional girl. Okay, I know that you all are sitting there reading this statement and thinking, hel-lo? You didn't know this about yourself already? You've christened yourself LadyLinoleum for Pete's sake! My reply? No, I did not know this, or more appropriately I should say, I have, until this point in my life, had trouble accepting this vision of myself, as evidenced by my constant attempts to fit my trapezoidal shaped peg into life's round holes. Oh yes, my past is littered with failed pursuits of the western woman's dream. You know that of which I speak. You are born, you spend your youth immersed in compulsory education, after graduation you may pursue higher education and possibly career, but then you almost certainly find a good man, get married, purchase a home, have children, you and the hubby work tirelessly toward retirement, retirement finally arrives, maybe you travel, enjoy the grand kids and general fruits of your life's labors until the end of your days. Yeah, it took me a long, long time to realize that I'm just not suited to that particular path and it took me even longer to stop beating myself up about the fact that this path has eluded me.

So as it turns out, I am just not marriage material and further, I really like living alone. I love having a career and earning a paycheck. I also don't really mind being a single parent most of the time. Speaking of which, I love my daughter, but feel fortunate that I decided to have only one child during my early 20's. At the ripe old age of 40, I know that I have no desire at all to live in the 'burbs. I love living in the middle of one of the greatest cities on the planet, noise, traffic, hustle, bustle and all. Don't get me wrong, I love nature and having the ability to seek refuge in it from time to time, but I'm a city girl to the depths of my soul. As such, for me relaxation comes in the form of total immersion in activities that keep my mind and body busy. And I know that this one may come as a complete surprise to you (or not!), but I'm secure enough in myself to admit it nonetheless...I'm totally high maintenance. Yep, just call me, uh, complex. Not to worry though, I am quite capable of taking care of my own maintenance, thank you very much...Oh my, did it ever take me a long time to accept these truths about myself and to stop apologizing for them to whomever I found myself unhappily married to.

Secondly, and completely contradictory to my first dictum, when it comes to societal mores I am too every bit the conventional girl.

What did you just say?

Girl, have you lost your mind? Up above you were going on and on and on about what an independent, headstrong woman you are!

I am, but as also previously stated above, I am nothing if not complex...

In addition to my need for independence and a strong craving to experience the larger world we inhabit, I am also a woman who loves to get lost in what society considers to be a traditionally female role. I love caring for my child and home, cooking and baking make me immensely happy and well, you all know I have a penchant (read, serious addiction) for the needle and fabric arts. Okay, I admit it...I also adore all things girlie, shopping, primping and coiffing, gossiping and hanging out with the girls...People, I own a hot pink blue tooth and I am NOT afraid to use it.

Who am I kidding? This independent, headstrong business woman, in touch with her inner stay at home mom, is also perfectly at home in the shallow end of the pool.

Didn't I already use the term complex?

Anyway, the treatise above regarding the recent discoveries made while trekking about my inner landscape is my long-winded approach to a point, dear reader...Basically, I am a phoenix in mid-cycle. My soul having suffered a good ole cremation, I am beginning to rise from the ashes of what was before, readying myself to experience what will be. As such, I will be approaching this next chapter in the book of LadyLinoleum with a bit of wisdom tucked under my belt. Henceforth I will always make a concerted effort to live loudly and deeply. I will try not to be afraid to make mistakes or allow fear to hold me back. I will attempt to be gentle with myself and cherish my loved ones most deeply. I recognized that each day presents an opportunity to discover something new about myself and the world around me. I will make art everyday...

Oh, and for you, dear reader, I will keep these self-help styled realizations to a posted minimum for I seek NOT to be the Deepak Chopra of the craft world...Yes, you can all breath a group sigh of relief!

With that said, many thanks to you all for reading my soliloquy, all of my myriad soliloquies for that matter. Happy Wednesday kids!

Four Times a Lady...

Do you all remember my experimentation with Entrelac? Not a bad beginning to be sure. However, I did learn a very valuable lesson while knitting up my first Eleanor. Changing color at every tier? Yeah, it makes for some serious end weaving action upon completion of the project. What. A. Drag. Needless to say, I saw the error of my ways and bought entire bags of Kureyon and Taiyo for the three latest incarnations of the great Lady Eleanor. Effortless Noro color changes. Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

She looks quite smashing in Kureyon blues and greens...



And equally fetching in Kureyon pinks and oranges...



But my fave is definitely the summerific inspired Taiyo Lady...



I even finished her off with the knotted fringe that the pattern calls for...



The Kureyon gals sport "easier for me" crocheted edging. I am equally satisfied with the results.

I know what you're thinking...

Yep, you all are wondering what has possessed me to make four of these stoles, right?

Well, it just so happens that I teach an Entrelac class at Abuelita's pretty regularly. It also just so happens that the beginning tier of this stole is a little tricky for novice knitters to grasp. Therefore, at the beginning of every Entrelac class I cast on and work the first tier of this project along with my students. You know, there's safety in numbers...Anyhow, I figure if I'm going to start one, I might as well try a different Noro colorway and make yet another stole. After all, Lady Eleanor happens to be quite an interesting knit despite the fact that I could probably knit one in my sleep at this point!

Oh, and just in case you were wondering...I have one more of these bee-you-ti-ful girls on my needles. Just wait until you see the results!

Back from Alaska...

A few months ago my mom suggested that we take a family vacay. Perhaps a cruise to Alaska? I nodded in silent agreement, thinking hells to the yes, I need a break. After the year I've had, planting my arse in a deck chair for a week and whittling away the hours with needles/hook and/or book in hands sounded nothing short of heavenly. As a result, my mother, younger sister and glorious offspring boarded the Star Princess in Seattle a few weeks ago bound for the wild north.

Now, let me tell you all right now that this was my first cruise and I would be lying if said that I was anything but skeptical about the whole notion of cruising upon accepting my mother's suggestion. It's not the sitting on the boat for seven or more days with which I had an issue (after all I do have a penchant for all things seafaring...Argh!). Nope, it was the fact that cruising just seemed so typically tourist to me...you know, organized shore excursions, 24 hour a day buffet, gold sold by the foot on the Lido Deck...because of this I just didn't consider myself to be the "cruise type". I mean my idea of a vacay is flying to some exotic destination, getting the lay of the land and traipsing about the alleyways and interstices of a city or some other random environ, soaking up the local culture like a sponge. Conversely, a cruise just seemed like it would sanitize my travel experience and, well, I like to get dirty. *wink*

Despite my reservations, I relented and told my mom that the offspring and I were in. I'm glad I did because it turns out that I rather liked the whole cruise experience as did my child. Most of all, I loved seeing the daily smile of delight on my daughter's face as she indulged her senses and discovered a part of the world she had only previously heard about...



My daughter's smiling face!

Speaking of discovery, onto Linoleum's look at Alaska!

As I said, we began our journey in Seattle...



We boarded the ship around noon, dropped our stuff off in our cabins and of course headed to the buffet for the first of many shipboard meals. The fact that I did not gain any weight on this vacay was nothing short of a gift from the gods because I can assure you, I never missed an opportunity to tie on the feedbag during our trip. Hey, when in Rome...



Anyway, we left port at around 4:00 pm that day and sailed northward on calm seas to our first stop Ketchikan, Alaska...



Located on Revillagigedo Island, in the southeastern part of the state, Ketchikan is a town with a year round population of about 7,300 residents. Their economy is based primarily on fishing and tourism. Yep, every couple days during the summer months three or four cruise ships pull into port and dump 2,500 people per boat onto the docks for some serious shopping and sightseeing. Actually this is true for all of the Alaskan cities/towns on the cruise ship route...It's nutty.

Not in town to purchase a Rolex (oh yes, jewelry stores abound in these little hamlets along the cruise routes), my little landing party opted for a more cultural experience...Totem Bight State Historical Park. My child is a totem pole aficionado...



The tour about the park was awesome as our tour guide was a lifelong Ketchikan resident of Tlingit ancestry. He led us about this rain sodden environ through spectacular scenery while simultaneously giving us his insights into his culture's mythos.


Oh fungi, how I love thee oh so orange-y.



A rad clan house.


Spookerific branches.








More spooky branch action. It's pics like these that inspire my designs.



Okay, so that shore excursion was well worth it. Next destination? Tracy Arm for some glacier action!

So, Tracy Arm is essentially a fjord. We didn't actually disembark from the ship. We just sailed up the fjord and the pilot maneuvered the vessel as close to Sawyer Glacier as possible, weather permitting, so that we cruisers could catch a glimpse of nature's retreating glory.






I found the color of the blue ice captivating.


My sister (left) and daughter bundled up against the cold.


Oh, the cruise ship traffic abounds...

Later that day our ship arrived in Juneau and we readied ourselves for another shore excursion, the Mendenhall Glacier.



More Alaskan photo opts...


My sister (left) and daughter hamming it up.


I love this pic of my mom and offspring.

Needless to say, we had a great time despite the cold and cloudy skies. Oh, but wait! There's more...after hanging out at the Mendenhall Glacier we were bused back to the boat in order to sail to our next destination.

Stay tuned for more Alaska peeps...

Missed you guys!

On Vacation

I will be on vacation from August 16 - 24. I will have VERY LIMITED ACCESS to email. As such, pattern orders received during that time will not be delivered until I return.

I'll miss you guys! See you when I'm back in LaLaLand!

xoxo!

Summer Breeze Cardi

When not designing I've been working OPPs (Other People's Patterns) in an effort to expand my creative horizons. You see, I learn a lot from other designers when I work up their patterns regarding construction, stitch pattern design, as well as the drape and/or structure of knit and crocheted fabrics. Oh, also? It's fun to give my designer brain a rest and follow someone else's instructions for a change of pace. With this in mind, I decided to try my hook at one of my fellow Crochet Today designer's fabulous cardigans...



Yes, that would be me modeling (in the office ladies room no less) Elena Malo's Summer Breeze Cardi from the May/June 2009 issue of Crochet Today.



I have been experimenting with crocheted sweaters lately. In other words, currently I've been crocheting quite a few. Now, I have to tell you all that traditionally I tend to not be a huge fan of crocheted apparel because generally it lacks drape and by virtue of this fact, the fabric itself becomes pretty darn thick. However, it seems that designers have begun to take these facts into account when designing crocheted garments. Therefore, today's designs seem to be much more wearable than their predecessors. This is true of the Summer Breeze Cardi as it definitely has drape.

In addition to the drape factor, I think that the construction of this little sweater is quite clever. The back, fronts and sleeves are crocheted first then joined together when crocheting the yoke. It's very cool.

Needless to say I have a couple of boxes of yarn that I purchased recently in order to make a few more of these cardigans. Oh yes, I shall have one in fuschia, baby blue, black of course, oooh, and red...

Spinnin' Away!

I've been on a batt buying kick as I haven't done much dying on my own as of late. This is mostly due to the fact that Jenna (my partner in color crime) and I both dropped some serious duckets on sewing machines. Hence, all the sewn apparel and quilting happening at ChezLinoleum. However, we should get to dying again soon, don't you think Jenna? Our dye pots are gathering dust...Anyway, I digress. So yes, instead of dying my own fluff I've been buying other people's fluff and spinning it up or mixing said fluff with some of my stash fluff on my drum carder before ultimately spinning it up.

Now, I gotta tell you peeps that I LOVE spinning. It is a process that rivals knitting and crocheting for me. In fact, when I'm feeling down I often think that sleeping next to my Lendrum would sooth my bereft soul. Then I actually come to terms with the logistics of this notion and opt for snoozing with my cat instead. Poo Poo Kitty is nice and squishy. Much easier to cuddle up with. So, my Lendrum remains next to my chair, at the ready, whenever I'm feeling the need for some spinning meditation and just look what we've been creating together lately...



Purty eh?

I spun eight ounces of Mountain Colors Handpainted Targhee Roving, in their Moccasin colorway, into singles on my Lendrum. Then I plied it with the leftover gold thread from my first quilt on my Mach I. Since my Mach I's arrival at my condo it's become my primary wheel for plying. Doesn't matter the size, weight or crazy factor of the yarn I'm spinning, I always seem to use it for the plying process.

Next up, look at this wacky color combo...



I used a Donna Batt (Battman Batt from Material Whirled) for the singles that make up this yarn. Then I plied it with some leftover pastel variegated lace weight mohair.

Neato eh?

I gotta tell you all that rarely do I look at a batt and think I MUST HAVE THIS NOW. However, the minute I saw the Donna Batt, I thought just that. I told Reenie that this colorway is so wrong that is just right. She responded by telling me that we should have t-shirts printed with that statement on it. Sounds like a good idea to me!

Needless to say, I have more Donna Batts on the way. Ultimately, I have special plans for this yarn...

*Wink*

Jean-ious

In between my melt-downs (and actually, during them as well) I've been crafting. Can we all give a huge shout out to crafting...my personal savior? Yep, no amount of misery can stem the tide of my creativity. Um...err...or my attempt at creativity as the case may be with this next example of handmade glory...



Oh yes, I made my own jeans.

Now, I'd like to say that the process of making one's own denim pantalones was one that I enjoyed immensely, but then I'd be fibbing. Oh. My. God. Making jeans is hard peeps! Firstly, how many pattern pieces should one really have to deal with in one project? One pair of jeans has like, oh I don't know, a bazillion pieces! Damn the belt loops!

*Ahem*

Okay, so I knew I was in trouble when I began to liberate my pattern pieces from their paper frames. I'd cut out one or two out and think, well, that's got to be all of them. Then I'd look at the stack of folded pattern pile-age in front of me and think, Really??? Pinning all those pieces to the denim and cutting them out was no party either. However, I must admit that cutting out pattern pieces is NOT my favorite part of the sewing process. It's kind of like cleaning toilets or folding a hundred white socks. Boring AND tedious. Yay! Anyway, after three hours of cutting I began what I thought was going to be "the fun part" of making my own jeans.

Okay, if you have jeans on, I want you to strip from the waist down right now.

Yes, I mean it! C'mon, humor me.

Are you nekked? Okay, good. Now, turn your jeans inside out and look at all of the pieces sewn together that create both the front pockets and fly.

Are you feeling my pain?

Fine, you can get dressed now. Thanks for playing.

Needless to say, it took me four three hour classes to sew my denim dynamos together, from controlling the stitch line of the reinforced stitches to putting in the fly to riveting the pockets. I whined the entire time (my version of whistle while you work). Oh, and let's just say that I came to know my seam ripper INTIMATELY.

Now, here's the sick and twisted part of this whole thing...I have a stack of fabric, both denim and corduroy, that I intend to use to make many a pair of future jeans. I must be a glutton for punishment, eh? Or, perhaps, I could turn this process from one of torture to tickled pink (I mean blue) with just two little words: assless chaps. A pair of those would look smashing in ladybug print corduroy and won't have as many pattern pieces to contend with.

I'm a jean-ious.

When Things Fall Apart...

Last weekend began with a phone call at 4:30 pm on Friday afternoon...

I looked at my Blackberry screen...private number. I debated as to whether I should bother answering and then elected to do so.

"Ms. Gonzalez?"

"Yes."

"This is Detective So and So from the LAPD."

I immediately think, great! What's my soon-to-be-ex-husband accusing me of doing to him now? (You all have no idea, dear reader, the shenanigans that have ensued since the official split.) My seconds of contemplation were interrupted by the Detective's voice.

"Ma'am, do you have a daughter?"

My right brow elevated slightly as I answered, "Yeeesss."

"Can you tell me her name?"

Upon my answer he began to relay the scenario that necessitated his call. Apparently my lovely daughter and her posse were smoking cigarettes in the alley behind our condominium. The undercover narcotics detectives spotted them and thought that they looked a little too young to be smoking. Bingo! So, they decided to wrangle the group up and search their persons and belongings.

Guess what they found in my offspring's bag?

Gum?

No, give it another try.

Mascara?

Well, yes. One doesn't achieve beautiful full lashes without a little help from the cosmetic counter, but that item didn't give the officers cause for any concern. No, the item found in my daughter's tote that provoked this Friday afternoon phone call was...oh yes...a marijuana pipe.

Yeah, the fun never stops over at ChezLinoleum!

The detectives said that my daughter and her friends look like good kids, but the pipe could be a sign of more to come if not nipped in the bud (no pun intended) sooner rather than later. Further, they said that they would only give my child a ticket for smoking and release her into my custody, allowing me to handle the situation as I saw fit. Unfortunately, the ticket means that we will be going to teen court (Yay another courtroom experience!) in September and she will receive a fine.

The one good thing that came out of Friday evening's events? For the first time in weeks, my daughter seemed to lose her obnoxious teen 'tude. Yep, when I calmly explained to my daughter that she would be grounded for the rest of the summer she just looked at me and replied, "Okay. I'm sorry Mom." Further, she told me that she will be paying for the fine with her own wages, to which I replied, "Yes, yes, you will."

Unfortunately the weekend just worsened from that point forward...

Weekends have become increasingly difficult for me since the onset of my marital mayhem. When my husband and I were still residing together, weekends were filled with tension and a depth of unhappiness that was nothing short of utter oppression. Now that he is gone, the silence itself and my ever encroaching awareness of the nightmare that I have endured, am enduring, has become utterly oppressive. Now, I am quite adept at keeping my sadness, anxiety and depression at bay most of the time, but there are occasions when no amount of positive affirmation can stem the tide of my despair. And last weekend, despair was the rip tide that caught my leg and tried to pull me under...

I could feel the ripples of despair lapping at my toes when driving home from my teaching gig on Saturday evening. As I edged closer to home, my stomach began to turn and my mind raced with unsavory thoughts. I acknowledged that this did not bode well for an evening of quiet relaxation.

By 10:00 pm I was in full melt-down mode. My body was collapsing under the weight of my sadness, tears streaming down my cheeks, nostrils leaking fluid, hair in disarray...not a pretty sight peeps. I needed to hear a friendly voice. I texted my Mom and said simply, "I'm falling apart." She called me shortly thereafter and by the end of the call, we were both in tears! At this point, my eyes were burning and my eyelids had swelled to size of raviolis. I needed to get control of myself. So, I threw Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring on the DVD player and attempted to drown my sorrows in a bowlful of Cheetos. Normally, Frodo and a neon orange snack would do the trick, but this was no normal bump in the proverbial rode. (Oh, by the way, the whole time I was melting down mercilessly? Yeah, I was also crocheting. Just because I was falling apart and contemplating heaving my body from the rooftop, did not mean that I had became exempt from my design deadlines.) At that point, I decided to pack it up and just go to bed. Yeah, you guessed it, I cried myself to sleep.

So, how was your Saturday night?

*Ahem*

Needless to say, Sunday I awoke with bloodshot eyes, ravioli eyelids and a headache the size of Los Angeles County. I looked in the mirror and began to tear up again. Enough was enough. I called my girlfriends. They were coming over later to get me out of the house. Knowing this made me feel marginally better, but not enough to dam up the tear tide completely. So, I picked up the phone again and dialed a familiar international number. I listened to the crackle and hiss of the line making it's myriad connections before finally hearing the foreign and yet oh so familiar ring go through its repetitions...

The deep resonant voice that I know intimately answered, "Al-lo?"

"Honey, it's me," crying ensued...AGAIN.

He immediately answered me in English, "What's wrong Re? Tell me..."

It was there and then that I laid it all out, the pain, the suffering, the overwhelming sense of feeling like a failure. I told him about LittleLinoleum's Friday fun fest, my parental controls slipping away, the endless crocheting during it all. How could I have allowed my life to go so...sideways? He listened intently and comforted me with his words. By the end of the conversation he even had me in doubled over in laughter. We were both reluctant to end the dialog, but we said our pregnant goodbyes nonetheless. After hanging up, I looked in the mirror and noticed the residue of a smile on my face. I would be okay...

Later at lunch with my band of rescuers, my mom looked up from her plate of food and asked me, "Did you talk to Sam?"

I smiled. "Yes."

She smiled too and said, "I thought so..."

Two New Crochet Today Patterns!

Yes, even though I've been a bit out of it as of late I have nonetheless still managed to push out a few patterns here and there. My latest designs for Crochet Today...



How about that adorable dino hat and those floppy bunny ears? Cute eh? And easy peasy to crochet too!

Next up, a ghoulish treat bag...



I rather like this little green dude. Also an easy crochet!

Shipping new designs this week for future issues of Crochet Today as well as for a friend's upcoming book...