Mothers Make Invention Necessary

Darlings, have you met my mom? I adore her! She's my best friend, my strongest supporter, my head cheerleader. She's sweet and funny, she has a very generous spirit, she's exceptionally kind to all of God's creatures, and she bakes a mean cookie! I may be eating some of the aforementioned cookies as I type.

When this amazing human needs something from me, I try my best to deliver. Just last evening, as she was dropping me at the Metra train station after we'd seen the Chicago Harp Quartet at Fermilab and had a lovely dinner at the Country House Restaurant, she asked me if I had any new crocheted designs that she could buy for a friend for her birthday. Well, I've been spending most of my time on music, not on yarn, of late. I knew it was time to find some new projects. All I needed was a little push! And when the woman who birthed me, put me through private school, and saw me through my goth phase in the eighties asks if I have new crocheted awesomeness, then new crocheted awesomeness I will create! 

I got on the train, logged on to Ravelry, and started searching for something fun and quick to make. I decided on slippers, probably because it was snowing and my feet were a little cold. There are a lot of really delicious slipper patterns available on Ravelry. I searched through all of the patterns and decided on these. 

So cute, right?? And the pattern looks really easy. Here's a link to that pattern. I'm going to make purple ones with grey trim. I can't wait to go button shopping! I'm going to make these adorable slippers at my Stitch 'n' Bitch at R Public House this Wednesday, January 14, from 7:00-9:00 pm. 

And that is how necessity became the mother of invention, or how my mother made invention necessary! I hope my mom's friend (whose identity and birthdate I cannot divulge in case she's reading this blog right now!!) really enjoys being the first gal on her block with a pair of these from my hook. Mom's getting a pair for her birthday next month too. She already knows -- I'm not spoiling anything!

That's all the news for now. I hope to see you Wednesday night at RPH!  They've got new stuff on their menu since I was there last. I'm excited to try something new! Friday morning, my guitar and I will be at the Common Cup for Toddler Music Jam! The first one was a huge success!!

Poster design by Matt Andersen, IMGmatters.com

Also, you can hear the Chicago Harp Quartet tonight from 8:00-10:00 on WFMT, 98.7 on your FM dial. Until next time, my darlings, Peace, (Radical) Love, and Yarn!

My Brush With the Plague

Darlings, my two weeks of funemployment is over! Today I return to work. And I spent my last day of vacation in bed, nursing a cold.

I felt the cold coming on for days. The sore throat would lurk in dark doorways and leer at me around corners. I could hear the footsteps of sinus pain following me home at night. The earache would pull curtains aside from darkened windows and ogle me as I passed. And then on Saturday, the symptoms got bolder. No more peeking and sneaking -- they were nodding and tipping their hats at me when I entered a room. Rude little bastards -- why were they wearing their hats indoors when a lady was present? My throat hurt. I was congested. My ears felt funny. I couldn't get warm. 

I went about my business as planned, but I knew the Plague awaited. I took my temperature; a respectable 98.3°. I tend to run a little cool. I pushed water, ginger tea with honey and lemon, vitamin C, and clementines. **Side note: clementines are my new obsession. Nature's candy!! So delicious!!** I filled my vaporizor, climbed in bed, and watched "White Christmas" to soothe my spirit. I would not let the Plague win!

And then I awoke Sunday morning to the dreaded realization

               that the Plague

                                   had won.

My head was pounding, my ears were achy and kind of draining a little, my sinuses felt as though there was an anvil on my face. And my throat was so very dry and scratchy. So I did what any Gen Xer would do -- I turned off my alarm, rolled over, grabbed my cat to snuggle me, and went back to sleep. For four hours. I made more tea, heated up some soup, and headed back to bed. 

I spent all of Sunday babying myself, drinking tea, eating soup and my beloved clementines, and alternating between napping and watching documentaries on Netflix. I began, slowly but surely, to feel better. The pain and pressure have subsided. And in retrospect, Plague or not, that might have been the best way to spend a snowy Sunday at the tail end of my Christmas break!

That's about all the news for now, my angels! Tonight is the first Stitch 'n' Bitch of 2015 at Rogers Park Social. I'll be there the first and third Monday of the month. And don't forget that my Toddler Music Jam starts this Friday morning, January 9, from 10:00-11:00, at The Common Cup. Be well, avoid the Plague, and as always, until next time, Peace, (Radical)Love, and Yarn!

Bring It, 2015!!

Darlings, I'll admit it. I am one of those New Year, New Me people. I'll wait while you roll your eyes. I have always been a firm believer in using benchmark days -- New Year's Day, my birthday -- as the start of a journey to a better me. I'm such a benchmark addict, I remember making a list of changes I was going to make ON MY MOTHER'S FORTIETH BIRTHDAY!! The list was entitled, "Because I Have a Forty-Year-Old Mother". It contained things like organization and weight loss -- all the usual suspects. And lo, these many years later, I'm still a disorganized plus-sized model!!

But this year is going to be DIFFERENT! (Again, I'll wait for the eye-roll.) This year, my resolution is simple: to Just Be Happy. And most of the things that make me Happy are really good for me. Meditation, swimming, yoga, biking, eating relatively healthy foods, journaling, crocheting, making music, making art, hanging out with kids, hanging out with positive and creative people, reading, going to the beach, dancing.... I assume that a heightened level of organization and time management would also make me Happy, and I'm enough of a fan of the scientific method to try that out. I'll report back on my progress in a month or so. Pizza, ice cream, and bourbon also make me Happy, but sometimes a gal needs to fall off the wagon -- and take pride in getting back on said wagon -- in order to be truly Happy!

In the past few years, I've been creeping toward Happy. I guess when I was younger, I never really felt I deserved True Happiness. But I learned something important once I started moving toward Happiness. The Happier I am, the more productive I am. The more productive I am, the bigger impact I'm able to make. And guess what! That impact makes me Happy!

So this year's New Year's Resolution is simply that: to Just Be Happy. If what it takes to make me Happy changes, so be it. I am a work in progress.

That's about all the news for now, darlings! Stitch 'n' Bitch starts at Rogers Park Social on Monday, January 5, at 7:00pm and at R Public House on Wednesday, January 14, at 7:00pm. Toddler Music Jam at The Common Cup starts at 10:00am on Friday, Jaminary 9. Wishing you a Happy and prosperous new year, and as always, until next time, Peace, (Radical) Love, and Yarn!

Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas, darlings!

It's been much too long! I hope this post finds you happy and healthy and surrounded by people you love! I hope your shopping is done, your stockings are hung, and your eggnog is spiked!

Lately I've really been missing writing this blog, and as I've got a couple of weeks off of work for the holidays, I thought Christmastime was the best time to jump back in. So here I am, ready to regale you with stories of my yarn adventures.

December has been a month of simplification for me. I canceled all of my Stitch 'n' Bitches. I said no to social obligations. On Sunday I deleted the games off of my phone and my tablet and left Facebook groups in which I have lagging interest. No more pointless distractions! No more time vortex. I want to focus on music and art. And yarn. Lots of yarn.

2015 will see the return of The Blog, the streamlined stitch 'n' bitch schedule, the continuation and impeovement of the quarterly Craft-Tacular Art Spectacle, and a new, exciting musical endeavor! I've been learning to play the guitar, and I play for the kids in my Mom 'n' Tots art classes, so I thought it would be fun to do a toddler music time at the Common Cup Cafe, 1501 West Morse Avenue in scenic Rogers Park. The owner, my good friend Ruth Hoekwater, liked the idea too. So starting next month, I'll be rockin' with the babies on Friday mornings at 10.

Here are some projects I've been working on in December. I've been trying to up my game on the things I make, putting my own spin on some tried and true patterns.

Jill Silverman rocking her sassy pastel hat

My new fingerless mitts, fortified with thumbs

Grrl Genius Cathryn Michon plugging her new movie, 

Muffin Top: A Love Story, in her bespoke sport-weight 

fingerless gloves, a gift I made for her Chicago premier

Uber-talented tenor Chase Taylor sporting a heavyweight 

skully on closing night of Lyric Opera's "Porgy and Bess"

Darlings, it's great to be back! I'm so excited about what the new year has to offer. I look forward to sharing my adventures with all of you. May your days be merry and bright. And, as always, Peace, (Radical) Love, and Yarn!

Could it be True??

This morning I awoke to a miracle!! The sun was not only holding court in the sky, it was actually warming the atmosphere in a rather aggressive way! My roommate left the house in a T-shirt and jeans. I was a little less optimistic -- I topped my T-shirt with a hoodie. I was outside in Chicago, wearing a mere two layers! I know, I know -- it's going to be fifteen degrees colder tomorrow, and temperatures will live in the forties again for the next week or so, but today -- today was a miracle!!

Spring Cleaning has begun here in Barbie's Dreamhouse. I started in my room Saturday, and Sarah started her room today. I can't wait til the day when we can fling open our freshly-cleaned windows to allow sweet spring air to replace the stale, sad winter air that has taken up temporary residence here. I'm so ready to leave Winter 2013 behind me!!

Here's the photo spread of the Craft-Tacular Art Spectacle that the awesome Kirk Williamson put in Nightspots magazine.

One of my Facebook friends thought that the Minion hat on my head was Brunhilde braids, which inspired me to design and crochet a Brunhilde hat. I'll be done with it before the next blog is posted, so we'll have pictures of that project then.

That's all the news for now. Come and see me at the R Public House Stitch 'n' Bitch on Wednesday. And until next time, Peace, (Radical) Love, and Yarn!!

Laryngitis

Darlings, I'm sorry this post is a day late. I've been feeling a little sorry for myself since I woke up Wednesday morning without a voice. If you know me, you know that sotto voce does not suit my lifestyle. I had to text in sick -- couldn't call; no voice -- to my Wednesday morning early childhood arts class. I had to cancel Wednesday night's Stitch ’n' Bitch at R Public House, even though I had promised to teach one of the servers to crochet. I had to back out of my Thursday afternoon session of helping to coach my music teacher friend Andy's after-school rock band. Worst of all, I couldn't call my mommy!! About all I could do was lie in bed with my loyal cat nurses, Roxie and Velma, drinking blueberry smoothies and watching Hulu. And not talking. At all.

On the upside -- because if you know me, you know there's always an upside -- I rekindled my love for Aaron Sorkin's late-90's series, Sports Night. The writing is divine. The ensemble is top-notch. The situations are still relevant sixteen years later. I just wish they hadn't had to employ that damnable laugh track! But it was how they did things back then. It would behoove everyone with Hulu or Netflix to dip into this series. I adore Aaron Sorkin!!

Yesterday afternoon I dragged myself out of bed, clothed myself for the out-of-doors, and slogged down to Belmont and Racine to spend some quality time at my favorite urban hideaway, Thousand Waves Spa. I had to steam away the germies that  imprisoned my voice, as though I were Arielle or Rusalka. And like Arielle and Rusalka, I had to get back to the Water! (At this point, I'm dropping the Rusalka simile -- she dies at the end!!) For a mere $20, Thousand Waves gives you three hours of unlimited hot tub, sauna, and steam room, along with relaxation room and tea! They supply the robes, towels, and slippers. It's always my goal to visit once a month. I usually make it once a fiscal quarter. Well, the waters and the steam did me right! I'm able to talk today! And I'm also able to blog from a happy place!

So that's the news for now. Have a great weekend! Create something -- ANYTHING -- this weekend!! And until next time, Peace, (Radical) Love, and Yarn!!

Progress!

Saturday morning I crocheted my first daffodil!! I did it out of white crochet thread with an E hook -- the smallest hook with which I've ever completed a project! I wanted to do a mock-up to see if the size would work for jewelry. This size will work for a lapel pin, hair clip, or embellishment for a hat or bag. I'm going to try -- brace yourselves -- a C hook and embroidery floss. I'm growing; I'm changing.

I also made a visit to Tom Thumb in Evanston in search of crochet rings. They're plastic discs that look like washers, and you crochet around them to make things like this.

I didn't find crochet rings at Tom Thumb, so I swung by the hardware store and got various sizes of metal washers, which I will trace on plastic and cut out to crochet around. I'm getting so serious about this crocheted jewelry!!

I'm also getting serious about the future of the Craft-Tacular Art Spectacle. As of last night, I have venues lined up for my June event, my September event, and my holiday extravaganza!! I'll keep you posted! (The June one is on the 14th at R Public House!)

So that's the news for now! Check back Thursday for more tales from the front! Or come and craft with me Wednesday night at 7:00 at R Public House, 1508 West Jarvis. Until then, Peace, (Radical) Love, and Yarn!!