Blog Feed Etc...

Ok, because I am still wrangling with the blog ring, and because I know many of you are on blogger, for your convienience I've put a feed from the wordpress blog onto this blog, so that you can keep tabs easier ;)

Yes, it's redundant. But, it's how I can manage things with the limited time I have at the moment. Life's a little bit crochet crazy :)

OMG I finally got it! Crochet Today Article!

WOW! Ok, I owe Tina Barseghian a HUGE thank you for taking the incoherent ramblings of a mad woman and writing a very very smooth article!

Yes, today I managed to track down TWO copies of the magazine at a Barnes and Noble and hour south of me (it's the closest one to me), and I have another two ordered. Yeah, I'm a nerd, I get excited to see my picture in a magazine. Yup, I do.

Yes, I have forced people to read the article in front of me, while I stand their grinning like the proverbial cat with feathers AND cream dribbling out of my mouth. Yes, I looked at my husband and said, "Not bad for a joke!"

And yes, I did giggle for almost half an hour after reading it.

Who knew a joke could be this funny for so long!

Our beloved Dora Ohrenstein of Crochet Insider fame is quoted, as is Jennifer Reeve of www.craftkitten.com, thank you guys!

In honor of this moment, I have made a new reference page on our website: Video Links.

http://www.crochetliberationfront.com/Videos.html

They aren't all how tos, some are just cool crochet. Though I think my favorite how to is the How to crochet a hackey sack, the young man doing the video is so cute (though he's of an age where that would cause eye rolling.)

There will be more on the list, but so much crochet goodness out there, just need to get it in one spot!

Happy Hooking to all!

Hunt for Crochet Today...

Ok, the world conspires against me.

It appears the distributor of many magazines in this region (NW Washington) has gone under. Magazine racks in three counties are bare, of much except muscle building magazines. (ew?)

So, I'm heading down to Lynwood and the Alderwood Mall B&N to see if I can find the damn magazine. If I can't get it there, I will drive to Belleview and the Crossroads Mall. I want you people to understand I will have driven an accumulated 120 miles to find the damn magazine.

You know what, It's time to just subscribe to them all. Cause I'm sick of this.

LOL...

I have hope though, I can't wait to read the article. I've been teased and I want my satisfaction.

Crochet Uncut E-Zine: Summer Issue & other stuff

Hey CLFers!

Our friend's over at Crochet Uncut (The Official Unofficial Magazine of the CLF) have the Summer Issue up and running! Fabulous issue! Check it out! It's free to join, but if you could donate a little something, something or if you have a small crochet/yarn related business and want to sponsor their efforts, I'm sure Darlisa would not take offense to having some $$ come her way! She does this as a labor of love folks, and I think she does a fabulous job!

Speaking of labor's of love, I'm working on the CLF second book: Crochet In Chains (The CLF All Growed UP)... It's coming along even though I've had to fight with Titan on some software miscommunications...stupid software! It's fixed and I'm on a roll...

The deadline for the third book has been extended until the end of next week...so if you want to send in patterns for the 400 yds or less book, please feel free to do so...You guys are all so damn hard on yourself! Stop beating yourselves up for having lives and priorites that supercede the CLF books...DUH...it's not the end of the world.

Speaking of books! If you haven't bought the CLF First Ever Book...it's still available on the Official CLF Website for only $24.50 (includes shipping), or from Amazon.com click the ad for it here :) or as a PDF Download from Lulu.com for only $9.99 now that's one hell of a deal!

All proceeds help the CLF (and it's fearless leader) function in the world, and will help get more books out into the universe! So help a sister out :)
LOVE YA ;)

Confidence & Crafting...

Now that I've been home a few days, I've had a chance to get resettled, catch up on some home and business "things" and also reflect back on the weekend that was to be forever known as "The Portland Experience."

I took my second and third crochet classes ever in Portland. I've never been one of taking classes, having figured out most of what I do through a) trial and error (mostly error), and b) copious volumes of magazines and books. I have to say, I like taking classes, if I had just done that to start with (had I known they existed!) I would have saved myself a great amount of time, frustration and yarn!

I witnessed something rather sad in one of my classes, and I find it so because I've felt like the poor person I observed. In fact, I used to feel like she felt an awful lot once upon a life time ago.

There were two of us in the class who crochet for a living, or have crocheted for a living, or at the very least use a hook EVERY SINGLE DAY of the year. This poor person was having a hard time with figuring out how to do the lace, and was feeling slow, behind, and not "as good" as the others in the class.

The truth of the matter, was that I had made just as many mistakes on my learning piece as she had. Her real problem was, a) the yarn she used was rather unforgiving and b) her self confidence.

I can't count the times, I see messages on Ravelry.com or meet handworkers of all stripes (but ESPECIALLY crocheters) who knock themselves and their skills. "Am I doing it right?" "I wish I was as good as you!" "I'll never be able to do THAT!" It makes me really, really sad to see this. We have so over achieved, and have stupid perfection expectations that we become discouraged when we make errors when we are LEARNING something new!

I made tons of mistakes in my first Broomstick Lace project. I missed a few stitches, had a few less loops in places, it's not quite the "hour glass" shape described in the pattern, but hell and darn it holds together, and since I'm not entering it into a competition and it's a learning piece, I don't care about the mistakes. I learned from them...YES do you HEAR ME!

MISTAKES ARE SOMETHING FROM WHICH YOU LEARN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The world will not cease turning on it's axis if you make a mistake. And frankly that's the worst thing that could happen to us, besides the sun going Super Nova on our collective hinneys; and that ain't gonna happen either.

I still haven't finished the little bag, which is about four inches high, and four inches wide (ish)...

Why does mine look delicate. Cause I broke the rules, instead of using a worsted weight as called for in the class description. I decided to use a cotton sock yarn that's fingering weight instead. I know from years of experience that if I want my lace to be "lacey" then I need to use a finer yarn. Especially since the instructions called for a size 19 needle, and as I'm not the proud owner of a needle stash, other than a size 17, 30 and 50 (bought for the purpose of making broomstick), that if I was using a size 17 I'd need finer yarn.

Yarn: It is the beginning and the end of your project. The same pattern worked in different hook sizes and yarns can be amazingly diverse :)

So, folks...STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP if you goof, OH WELL...

Fearless Leader says to repeat after me: "What I make is beautiful, including my mistakes. I will learn from them, and be better at what I do because of it."

You are only a failure if you believe it; I do not believe in the concept of failure. I believe in the concept of learning. The only time you fail is when you never ever try.

Saturday of the Crochet and Knit Show

Ok, so it's officially Sunday early AM right now, it was a really long day, and I should be in bed right now, but you know me...le sigh :)

Anyway, this morning at "bleary eyed o'clock" I had Myra Wood's Advanced Free Form class. I loved every minute of it! Now, I already knew most of the stitches, but I didn't take the class to learn a new stitch, that's what my stitch dictionary collection is for! No, I took the class to be in Myra's aura, her creative spirit and energy is vast and glorious. I have never met a person, yet, who has taken her classes and left disappointed!

I got inspired to do some very useable art...yes, useable art. Art for artsake is freakin cool, but I have this real practical streak and I like to use my art...it is both amusing and fullfilling!

After class, my dear friends Gabrielle and Thomas Chavez, met up with me, and I went to the Portland Raw Food Meetup's potluck. That was a great deal of fun, and met a lovely lady who knits, and told her about the show, and showed off a little crochet goodness, she may now be tempted by the hook ;)

After that little bit for Crochet-Evangelism, I came back to the hotel with daughter and we relaxed for a while. WHOOT...

Then came the dinner and fashion show. Oh my, what a nice show it was too. Garments both crocheted and knit festooned our evening and tickled our eyeballs (and brains, lots of inspiration).

What was the coolest part of the show, to me, was how many crocheters there were! In fact when the "raffle prizes" were drawn folks were asked for their preference in the prizes! "Knit or Crochet" was the call about half of the lucky winners were heard to shout proudly and in a distinguished manner, "Crochet!" I had to root and cheer for each one! YAY for Crochet!

I am too tired to take photos off camera and get them on the blog at the moment, but I will most definately be doing that either later this morning, OR Monday :)

Tomorrow holds checking out from the hotel, seeing if I have enough cash to do one last dash through the market, and then off to the Museum of Contemporary Crafts because of this exhibit!

Then it's to the Batmob... I mean the train station and back to Camano Island where my hubby, son, cats and dog are waiting for us!

It was sure fun (if not a little too warm for me)...but it was a HOOKALICIOUS convention, I'd say it rates hand over fist from last year! Live and learn I always say, but thank you Portland you were a fabulous host as always!

25 Reasons I love Crochet...

1) I can make anything I can imagine with a simple instrument (hook) and something that can wind around it (fiber, wire, plastic, roving, feathers, yarn, string, twine, fabric).



2) I love the reactions I get from others when I wear my hats, scarves, sweaters.



3) I love the reactions I get when I gift my loved ones with my "latest" and "greatest" creations.



4) In less than 10 minutes I can mystify a child by making a wiggly worm or a hair scrunchy.



5) I love how my husband watching me as I take yarn and hook, and whispers "It's like magic when you do that..."



6) I love how it eases my stress levels and gives me yoga like levels of relaxation.



7) I love that when I was a struggling single mother of two small babies, I could afford some thread and a steel hook and make their Christmas happen. (I couldn't afford ornaments for the tree).



8) I love that now I can afford exotic fibers and get to use my glass hook with my camel/silk yarn...and it feels orgasmic as the hook slides through the soft, delicate fibers.



9) I love that I am never bored.



10) I love that I can whip up an instant gift when I have a birthday/wedding/anniversary/baby gift I've forgotten to buy.



11) I love that young children ask me to teach them how to crochet...



12) I love that I can make socks that look like socks, feel like socks and act like socks.



13) I love that crochet has helped me meet some of the most generous, creative, talented, and loving people.



14) I love that I am doing something that women have done in my family for more than four generations.



15) I love that I taught my daughter and she loves crochet as much as I do.



16) I love that my daughter and I had the common ground of crochet to get through the worst of the early teen snarky stage without killing each other.



17) I love that each time I pick up a hook, I feel like I'm sitting with the woman who first put one in my hands. My great grandmother.



18) I love that I don't have to use a pattern to have something turn out fabulous.



19) I love that I can use a pattern if I'm feeling lazy.



20) I love that with over 32 years of crocheting experience that I can still learn something new.



21) I love crochet because it taught me patience, perspective, and helped me find my artform.



22) I love crochet because it allows me that "me" time, I wouldn't normally take in my daily life.



23) I love that I can make son laugh by making him puppets.



24) I love the feel of a hook in my hands.



25) I love knowing that I am doing something she did, even though I never got to meet her, her work inspired me to be every bit as good as she was...




Who is she? My grandmother, Grace Rogers, she died in 1956 when my mother was 8 years old. People say I look like her, sound like her and act like her, she was only 36 when she died. When times were hard crochet helped feed my uncles, aunt and mom. I have some of her things, they have always inspired me. She is one of my favorite reasons that I love crochet, because through the hook I have a connection to the woman I supposedly resemble in many ways, but never got to meet.

More March Madness! By Gosh and Begora!

Ok, the jury doesn't need me this week! YAY! Thanks to Bec Thomas I was reminded to call the courthouse after hours number to see if I had to drive the two hours, Bec is my bestest buddy, and brilliant art photographer (and I'm not just saying that cause she used to provide me with raw mohair) check out her Blog to see some GORGEOUS photos of the Pacific NW. THANK YOU BEC! For saving me from the evils of waking up at 6am.

So now I get to start work on more March Crochet Madness...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of the day I've been teaching my daughter how to make Irish Crocheted leaves :)

I'm just waiting for a few more patterns to arrive in my in box and then I will start working on the book in earnest...but me thinks we got a few lovely patterns that show the fun, and foxy side of life!

I've just run across an e-zine called Croqzine, I had to look at it, cause someone involved is out of Oregon, my old stomping grounds...which is why I don't think I'm all that radical. I mean really, isn't standing up for what is right, and just, and good just what people do? Honestly, I don't think speaking your mind, refusing to live in fear is all that radical, it's just how I live my life. But then again, I'm a granola born and raised in Oregon, so at least I have an excuse (must be the water)...

Anyway, I've enjoyed the little blurbs I've read so far :)

OOOH Other big news, Marly aka The Yarn Thing starts her new podcast on Blog Talk Radio TONIGHT! 9pm Central, which is 11 Eastern and 8 Pacific, catch her TONIGHT!!!!! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing


And other news...Um Fearless Leader is a DORK again! I apologize to David Burchall and the crochet community at large for MISSING THE FREAKIN' IDES OF MARCH! BAH! What was I thinking? Well I obviously wasn't! I meant to announce his award here on Sunday, but um...Ms. Mom, Ms. Busypants, Ms. Honey-where-is-my, Ms. Fearless Leader, forgot :(

Next year I promise to be more organized!

Crochet Awards 2009

We were going to call these the 2008 Crochet Awards, but it's 2009, so I'm thinking we'll do like the Oscars!

Currently, dedicated CLF minions are working with me to create criteria, and a format for nominations and voting to get the first ever CLF awards up and running...We hope to have everything nominated, voted on and ready to roll by March 15! Beware the Eides of March I tell you!

Why that date? It amused me, AND March is the (Inter) National Crochet Month!

While we're on that subject, it's less than a month away, what are you doing for National Crochet Month?

Blog about, play with us on Ravelry, we certainly plan to have another rockin' Natcromo Party like last year, make your crochet public, start a group, donate to a worthy charity, better yet teach a friend or two to crochet!

Get schemeing minions! We've got our reps to uphold !!

Modern Twist Flapper Hookalicious!

Modern Twist Flapper
Originally uploaded by tallybates

Wow! This is one sweet hat! CLF Member Natemmab (Natalie Bates) has designed this cute little flapper hat!

Now only do I love the shape, I adore the simple, but elegant use of the button...simple and elegant always a winning combo!

Check out her pattern in her Tallib Etsy Shop and it's also available on Ravelry.com

Congrats CLF Member Natemmab! You are duly awarded the Hookalicious Award for seriously well designed crochet! (That and fearless leader is a hat fanatic, so this totally rocks my world!)

So, who is this Fearless Leader Woman?

You know when I decided to make the CLF become more than a joke, I never really thought about talking about myself. I'm, believe it or not, kinda shy. Fine, go ahead and laugh, but really it's pretty easy to be brazen in a podcast or in writing, I don't have to see you face to face, or worry really about what you think, most of the time, because well, I'm hiding behind my laptop.

So, now that we're a year and a half old...I thought I might tell you a little about me, just like I did in the CLF book, and I only did that because my friends at home bothered me to do it.

GRIN....See I told you I'm not really all that "Fearless".

First off, I'm Laurie Wheeler and I live on Camano Island in Washington State. I have two fabulous kids, a great hubby, a dog, six cats, and sadly no more fish. But, come spring I'll get some more and we hope that there are no more odd accidents that take out my fish population.

I've crocheted since I was a small child, and almost 8 years ago I became a handspinner. I love to make things for myself, my kids, my friends, oh heck, I'd crochet for anyone anywhere!

I'm the superintendant for my local fair's Fleece and Handspinning Division, the Stanwood Camano Fair is a fabulous community fair, and I love our department. The people and projects are motivating from year to year. We transformed the once a year experience into a once a month meeting in Stanwood WA where we were are supposed to be spinning, but lately for some strange reason everyone is CROCHETING!!! LOL...

In fact, Martha, our Queen Bee (she just crowned me baby queen last year) has made 8 items out of the Crochet Liberation Front First Ever book, and she is a novice crocheter. All of the lads and lasses involved in our group are so very talented, and we all do more than spin and crochet, we also weave, card weave, twine, embroider, lucet, felt, needle felt, knit in a million ways, and enjoy demonstrating to the public.

This group of people inspired me in many ways to go forward with the CLF as something MORE.

Besides my family and fiberarts persuits, I've been all over the world. I went to university in England, worked in Africa and Europe, was married, worked and lived in Bahrain (in the Middle East), and done all kinds of bizarre and crazy things.

Right now besides the CLF, I'm currently working to save our local library on Camano Island. It is only a pilot project that ends in 2010. Due to the poor economic situation our country is facing our library board is reluctant to have a levy on the ballot. For which I don't blame them, but we still need the library to be permanent. So a very committed group of Camano Islanders have gotten together as a friends group to raise the necessary money to keep our library premises flourishing.

I am committed to this, because the Camano Island Library is my office. Like over half the population on Camano Island, I can't get anything other than dial up for internet service. The phone and cable companies will not bring those services to our areas claiming there is not a large enough popluation base. Many of us now use the library to meet our internet service needs.

I for one am so grateful that I have become a Patron of the Library, donated a copy of the First Ever Book, and will be donating more money in the future, because boy do I get a bang for my buck!

So, fellow CLFers, if you didn't really know who I was before, now you get a picture of who I am. A little wacky, a little crazy, adventurous, and well a fiber geek, but hey it's all good. I'm not so sure I'm fearless though, I think I just do things even when I'm terrified.

What does standing up mean?

Guys...I've been a little on the quiet side lately. Mostly cause well, I've been all peaceful-like on the insides. Not much has ruffled my feathers, I've come to just enjoy being here, now, present in my own little fuzzy place of crochet goodness.

But, I decided to poke my head out of my happy fuzzy place of yarny goodness and take a look at the world. What is funny, is that due to the CLF name we get called "militant" which is REALLY the cake topper to the joke...

Um, yeah, I mean think about it. We're asking for our needs to be met, that we have things we want to find and buy, and we're saying so...Sometimes with a little joke thrown in...and as I look at the world let me say this...We've been pretty damn nice about it.

Folks...Here's the deal, asking for what we want and need is NOT a militant act, NOR is it aggressive. It is assertive. Aggression is when you walk up to someone poke them in the chest, and in a Jimmy Cagney like voice say, "See here see...you dirty so and so...I want more patterns and I want em now see..."

Assertiveness is like this: I would appreciate, and purchase goods and services if they were made available to me.

Point frickin' blank see the difference?

I am so tired of the world driving itself into poverty, and economic collapse because folks feel helpless. It bugs me. It really bugs me. I know there are more of "us" than there are of "them" and I know that should we make a collective effort to make a micro-economy work for us we could.

But it takes some steel folks...steel in our spines to stand up straight and tall and say, in a very cool Katherine Hepburn kind of way, "No sir, I will not accept this sir, I am going to do what I think needs to be done sir, and you sir need to get out of my way sir!"

We need to stand up...Fear is our greatest enemy. FDR said it right (and probably got it from Eleanor) "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!"

If we support our community...If we purchase what we CAN afford, WHEN we can afford it, then we make our community work. Bitching only does so much...action makes change.

What's Up at the CLF!!??

Here's what's up :)

First of all we are busily planning the our First Annual Crochet Awards, possibly to be held in March, but we're still in the whole planning committee stage and working on exact details, you know little things like where it will be, and how are we going to accomplish this! We have some fairly good ideas, but just so you know we're working on it, you'll be the first to know when we have all the details set!

Secondly, a reminder to potential contributors to the CLF second book...I start accepting
submissions January 14th until Feb 20th of 2009. You can get the writers guidelines HERE.

We're looking at a possibility of several titles, I have a working title set, but don't like it much, and I think I'll do a poll or something to decide on the official title. Oddly enough I just can't think of everything, amazing isn't it...and you thought I could...oh you didn't...PHEW...

Thirdly...is there a thirdly? Um...Sure. Thirdly I'm working on putting all of the CLF survey data together, and will make it available for all and sundry....especially the sundry.

Setting our Picot Free!!!

top
Originally uploaded by anna_maranta

Our first Set My Picot Free Award of 2009 goes to CLF Member Maranta, for her "Crazy Summer Top"...

You have got to go onto Ravelry.com and check out this project, it is amazing! The flowers are crocheted, the top is crocheted, it's well made, beautifully and artistically composed, and is just the BEST of what crochet can be....and it's FUN!!! I LOVE THIS TOP!!

I am actually going to break from my normal habits and actually post several views of this from her project notebook on our blog because it is too dang fun! And you MUST see the details!

Gorgeous work...

CLF Member Maranta you are duly awarded the Set My Picot Free Award for outstanding crochet skill, composition and beauty! Congratulations!

The Hunt for Ms. Zimbel

CLF Member StitchnFrog sent me a link that may assist in sending Ms. Zimbel her CLF T-shirt...I mean if one is really going to cover things like tanks in crocheted cozies then they MUST have one of our t-shirts...

Our CLF Member StitchnFrog will be sent one as well!

Vive Le Crochet!

Fearless Leader Speaks Again...

A few things of note! Dora at Crochet Insider gave our little book a BRILLIANT review, I feel all cool now and so should you! We're the coolest group on Ravelry in her opinion....(and mine too but I'm like soooo biased!)

Next on the list of things to speak of...since I'm speaking.... Is that if you haven't seen this video from the Colbert Report then you MUST watch it :) You'll laugh, you'll cry...and then you'll think a moment and say "HEY! All the really cool protesty stuff was crocheted...." I have commented on the Colbert Nation site, and I hope you do too!

As for the subject of the video, Ms.Jerilea Zempel I would like to put out a call for her to find us, if you can find her and let her know we want to give her a CLF t-shirt, we'll give you a CLF t-shirt...you know you want one all the cool kids have them! CLF T-shirts will show just how radical and subversive you really are ;)

Crochet in the News...

Nothing says the holidays like crochet...oh I know there's a lot of other crafting that happens...but this is the time of year that when I have hook in hand people actually ask me if I'm crocheting...why? Cause "Grandma crocheted me slippers every Christmas..." or "Aunty Suzy made me crocheted snowflake ornaments every year...." or " My mother made me the most awful hats and scarves.... but I wish I had them now...."

That's why...for some reason people remember crochet at Christmas time...and here's a news story that shows one woman's dedication to the holiday and her craft: crochet....It's a heart warmer...

Thanks to Kdmay28 for bringing this story to our attention on the CLF board on Ravelry....Timely and wonderful!

Have Faith Crocheters...

If you haven't heard the news yet (the jungle drums beat quickly on the CLF board on Ravelry), Kim Werker, editor of Interweave Crochet Magazine has both stepped down as editor and has sold CrochetMe.com to Interweave.

There is a bit of grumbling over this, not for Kim making a personal decision that would make her life more enriched, and really her blog says it all and I think it was a very hard but insightful decision on her part...The grumbling is the worry about what Interweave will do to CrochetMe.com and what it will do to crochet online...

Are we going to be lumped in with the stick people, are we going to be treated less than what we are?

My first thought is this: We have been very loud about wanting a Crochet Daily, and CrochetMe.com has the natural customer base to do such an endeavor. If Interweave is as smart as I think they are (and I do believe they are as I have been a reader of SpinOff for almost a decade, and have EVERY issue of IC including the first IK crochet edition, I also own a buttload of their books from Spinning to Crochet...) they will use this to deliver we who wield the hook that which we have asked for...

My other thought is, if they tank the magazine or if they don't serve well we have the wonderful option to take action, both in letter writing, and economically.

I don't think they will tank the magazine, and I don't think they will tank CrochetMe.com I think there is a real revenue potential there and they wouldn't have bought it if they didn't think so either.

So, we'll watch what happens and be alert...because that what we do in the Crochet Liberation Front, and if we have to take action we will...but you know I don't think we'll have to...I hope not cause 2009 is a busy year for us...we have TWO more books starting soon!

BTW If you want to contribute to the Adult book or the 400 yd or Less book check out the CLF Writers Guidelines here

Dorky Leader

You know some days I wonder at my level of sanity and then I remember that I never have claimed to be a sane leader, just fearless...

I have been beating my head against a table to try to figure out how we can make the CLF First Ever Book more affordable for members.

DUH... I can do it the same way I am for wholesaling :) LOL.... I know, some days I am a little slow...some weeks I'm down right like molasses... so here's how you can get your copy for LESS than on Amazon! I can only take US orders though...so if you are wanting it and are not in the USA Please PLEASE use our International Distributor !!! (Thanks so much Gail)

So happy HOLIDAYS! The book is a total of $24.50 and that includes the price of shipping (US ORDERS ONLY!) Follow this link!

I'm getting better...really....and vacation news...

Hey there folks...we'll I got home Friday from the "mini vacation", slept Saturday, and I mean I slept saturday...was I ever ill! The trip to Leavenworth, WA is a blur...Saturday did not happen (cause I wuz asleep) and Sunday with a better brain, and pain free face I was able to make the biggest revisions to the book...I have files now from a few people that had some fixes, and hopefully will have the rest of the fixes by the weekend so I can finish operation clean up, and have the book re-uploaded by Monday morning...then I will order a proof, and I will have that expidited to me, then I will review it and put it up for sale again...

Currently, we owe a huge round of applause to the hubby for finding me a motel with wifi internet so I could check email and messages...This is his first vacation in over a year, and he's had his own busy year...I have been quite good about not mentioning all the work I have to do with the book...and he was so considerate ;) "Um...I bet you want to check in on line..." he said to me as we drove into Forks, WA (which gets 13 feet of rain a year...yeah, the heart of the temperate rainforest!)..."Yup," was my monosyllabic answer....

Tomorrow we head for La Push and lovely beach front cabins for storm watching and jaccuzzi tub :) No, I will not be online, no I will not regret that...yes, I'm looking forward to a nice warm toddy and some R & R

For now...here's the slipper I made (almost done crocheting on the sole of the other slipper/sock) today in the car...(OH, and I got to shop at a Dropped Stitch again in Sequim...always worth the trip)