June already! SHEESH!

Well, latest update for us. We are now officially on Ontario Works (welfare). My doctor has filled out all the paperwork to get me a special diet allowance and also the paperwork for work exemptions. After talking with my worker late this afternoon, she suggested that it might be a good idea to bring the ODSP application package to my doctor and see if he'll fill it out. It would make life a lot easier for us.

At this point, OW covers our drug expenses which is a boon. For the 1st time since I was diagnosed with diabetes I actually have all the tools to take care of myself and it feels wonderful! With drug expenses covered, we've actually got a wee bit of money to spare now compared to none in the past! Let's hope this doesn't come crashing down around us. I know, skeptic, but believe me, if you were in my shoes, you'd be wondering too. I've had the carpet yanked out from under my feet so many times now, I keep looking over my shoulder.

On other news, I'm learning or have learned filet crochet and I love it! The design options are huge! I've got several projects on the go right now involving filet crochet components. Since I plan on publishing these patterns, I'm not going to go into too many details. At least I can say one is a blanket and the other is a woman's top. 

I've also come to learn how to reverse engineer clothing that's already made being displayed in photos. And also to figure out vintage pattern jargon. All these are a tremendous help when designing a pattern. Let's face it, there's only so many ways you can make a top or a blanket or a skirt, etc... so it comes down to stitch choices and colours. I base my patterns more on stitch design than colour since everyone prefers certain colours over others and why limit a knitter or crocheter when there are so many colours to choose from? Same goes for yarn types. Why make someone feel bad because they can't afford the more expensive yarns for specific projects. I'd rather leave the type of yarn chosen to the person who will make the pattern. Personally, I don't have the funds to buy pricier yarns, I depend largely on my daughter and my best friend supplying me with over stocks and low cost yarns or second hand yarns. Why not repurpose yarn which I've done in the past. Buying a sweater that was still quite good but the design was atrocious. I've ripped many sweaters back in order to reuse the yarn, still do when I happen to see one at the 2nd hand store. I doubt I'll ever be a yarn snob since for most of what I design, I prefer acrylic. It's easier to work with, doesn't stretch or shrink and is great for kids clothing. The only time I'd prefer using wool or alpaca, etc is for winter accessories like hats, scarves, mittens, cowls etc.. Nothing beats wool or alpaca when it comes to keeping the cold away from your skin.

Soon I should be able to post photos of these projects as well as others that are currently in the works. The design process is quite organic for me. I have an idea, I write it down and sketch what my mind has conjured up. I leave it for a while since it's not fully worked out yet, and every once in a while, something will pop up and back I go to my notebook to add to the original idea. I liken it to making a stew LOL except that in this case, my brain is the stewing pot!

I've also been rather busy test knitting and crocheting new designs for SmoothFox. I always love testing her patterns since they are so well written out and beautiful and useful. Take the time to go visit her blog. Down the right hand side you will see a huge list of free patterns as well as patterns you can purchase. It will be time well spent.

Another bit of news, although this one is quite sad. A crochet icon passed away yesterday. Jean Leinhauser was a prolific crocheter. She published a multitude of books, co-owned a huge group on yahoo with Rita Weiss called Crochet Partners. She was also very active with CGOA (crochet gild of america) as a judge and reviewer for crocheters applying for their master licensing. She always had time to answer a question relating to crochet. I had the pleasure of receiving a few of her supportive emails over the years and cherish those. She brought crochet to all of us in a simple yet well thought out process. She will be missed by all of us who crochet. Doris Chan, another crochet icon posted on her blog. What she says covers it all as far as I'm concerned. RIP Jean. We will miss you but as Doris said, we will continue to smile and soldier on.

Photos of Jean are rare considering there were only 3 when I did an image search on Google. The one I did find has Jean in the center square where she belongs.

Jean Leinhauser, 2nd from left and her best friend Rita Weiss, far right. The dynamic duo!

If you knew Jean, you also know she loved her dogs. Anyone wanting to make a donation, in kind or items made, please pass them on to your local animal shelter in Jean's name. Thank you

Quick Update: My darling daughter's visit!

I know I promised I'd post photos from my daughter's visit and I have full intentions to do that, just not quite yet. I need to go through all the photos and pick which ones I want to use. I also realised to my dismay that I did not take very many photos and too much video. Bleh! Maybe I can get my darling husband to (not sure how it's done) grab photos from the videos. So I will be back soon with photos!

I do have a few that I did get with my camera.

These are the hot pads, dishcloths and coasters along with a super cute dish washing liquid bottle cover up. The dishcloths have already graduated from the kitchen to the bathroom. She absolutely loves how nice they feel. She was also super happy with the coasters since she'd been looking for some.

Dish cloths, Coasters & Hot Pads

The Caribbean Topper, from the back.

The Caribbean topper that I finished back in August. She finally got to model it! It's an absolute perfect fit! and she loves the buttons I made. One set was used to close the front and one set went to tailor the back. Very pretty.

The Caribbean Topper. A perfect fit!

A super cute jacket I found @ a 2nd hand store

This really cute black velveteen top with a frilled bottom was also a huge success. I came across it at a 2nd hand store and just could not walk away without it. I am so glad I did get it. I was worried it might not have fit but it's a perfect tailor made fit.

Blown up doily throw

Not even quite sure what to call it LOL a top, a short dress, a jacket... I guess it all depends how and where you wear it. So many possibilities and knowing my darling daughter, she will try every mix :)

Blown up doily wrap

She also knew she was getting a nice throw but this was the first time she'd seen it. As you can see by the huge grin, she's loving it. This pattern came from Crochet Soiree, I blew up the Starlight doily into a fantastic looking throw or wrap depending on the mood. Gorgeous color for her too!

She also received some very original cosplay hats. Photos will eventually come to my blog once I publish the patterns.

There were a few more items that again, I won't be posting photos until they are published.

And last but not least, an awesome piece of news. Most of you know I was recently diagnosed with FMS. I did my best to keep up with the chores and errands but as the months went by, things just piled up and I couldn't keep up. I'm still figuring out how to pace myself! My darling daughter after discussing it with her husband has told me she will be coming over to help me every 4 to 6 weeks! That to me is the absolutely bestest news I could have received. Thanks to my beautiful darling daughter :)

A very retro bag

I recently crochet tested a square for SmoothFox called the Lemony lime citrus square. I really liked the way it came out and proceeded to make another using the same colors. Inspiration struck and here is what came of it.

I used various crochet techniques throughout. The side panels and bottom are made of smaller versions of the first 4 rounds of the Lemony lime square and the shoulder strap is made from tunisian crochet (my adaptation using a regular crochet hook) which gave me a super solid strap that naturally curled inwards on itself and gave the effect of a covered bamboo handle. I hand sewed the interior lining and voila! My very own retro flower child bag. I've had many compliments since I started using it this week.

The side panels made up of smaller versions of the main motif.

I did a staggered top stitch to assemble the bag.

I love how the stitches make it look like covered bamboo.

Love those buttons! How retro!!

I needed a way to close this bag that could be used in different ways. I crocheted a separate piece for the closure and found 2 cloth covered buttons that are very retro. i sewed the buttons on each side of the opening and then added the button on closure. This way the bag can be opened from either side and the closure can actually be removed when more space is required.

The next one I make, I will add a cell phone pocket and key fob to make it easier to find the 2 most used items from a bag. And I will also make a pattern for the lining before I sew up the bag. The cloth I used to make the lining had to be french-seamed throughout which made it rather tedious when you're doing it all by hand. At least I know it will be sturdy.

My journey into miniatures

I've always loved miniatures done in crochet and knitting. The movie Coraline really brought the making of miniatures to the foreground with the gorgeous sweaters hand made with tiny needles.

Since I do not have tiny needles like the ones seen in the video, I opted to do my first miniature using a 00 crochet hook. For "yarn" I used embroidery thread and depending what I was working on, I would use anywhere from 2 strands at a time to 8 strands. And since I couldn't even see the tip of the crochet hook I was using, I borrowed my husbands magnification lamp. Following are photos of my very first miniature I made of my own design.

OoOOoo look at the pretty little pannier with a tiny red heart top! 

And such a tiny one too!

I wonder what is in there!

Now who is this peeking out?

Well well well, look who came to play!

Just look at that tail! 

Don't you just love his pretty blue vest?
If little monkey is too warm, he can take his vest off.
Don't forget to tickle his wee belly button!

And he's no bigger than a thumb!

My little monkey in his pannier fits on a toonie!

I hope you enjoyed the photos of little monkey as much as I had making him. It took me 2 days from the construction of his pannier to adding the ball (button) to help stabilize him since I did not want to glue him to any kind of base.

And now little monkey has gone to live with mousie. I know he will be very happy there with all his new friends. Happy Birthday to my soulsister Samm!

Internet DTs!

Wow, amazing how much we depend on the internet for so many things in our lives. 

News - both local and global

Email - keeps us connected to friends and family from everywhere

My knitting and crochet groups - they are my inspiration

So what do you do when your modem decides to crap out on you at 2 am this past Monday? Well, crochet your heart out, review paper editions of knit & crochet magazines and books you've been putting off looking at because you're usually on the internet checking email, and updates from your knit & crochet groups. 

Then you call your internet provider and go through all the different hoops they insist you perform to make sure that it is truly the modem that's crapped out. That took over an hour of various reboots of both the computer and the dying modem as well as deleting internet connections and reinstalling said connections. Switching cables around to ensure that it wasn't the problem. Until finally, they decided that the modem (which was 12 years old) was indeed on it's last leg. It was sending packets but not receiving them. Go figure since I told them right at the beginning of the tech support convo that it wasn't receiving and that indeed it was sending.

It finally came today!!! oh joy!!! After pulling out the old modem, cables, wiring, I plugged in the new one and waited the prescribed time, then started up the computer and waited. Opened the web browser to find that it wasn't connecting, check the little computers at the bottom of my screen to see the same message as Monday's. Little or no connectivity... Ahhh!!!! Again, I go through the wire jungle, switch them for new ones we always keep on hand .... just in case... switch the telephone cord.... just in case, reboot the computer, reboot the modem... still no connectivity. While doing all these various calisthenics..believe me, to get to our computer wire disaster in the making, you require calisthenics  LOL since everything is behind the desk which is against the wall. You may think, what's the big deal... right... try having 2 giant 24 inch crt's on your desk which alone weigh 75 lbs each! the desk itself is made with 1 inch plywood doubled up in a lot of places. (anything less sturdy and the crt's would have been on the floor long ago) This desk is so solid, you can get up on it, jump up and down and dance on it and it doesn't even make a sound...so yes, it's solid! and yes, we know from experience! LOL

Anyway... while doing all this, I unwittingly unplugged the router! Ack! Noooo!!! I quickly plug it back in and all I'm seeing is the single wee green power light. Nothing else is lighting up! Oh geez.. now what?! After waiting a few minutes, the router still hasn't lit up so back to the wire jungle to figure out if something is bent or crimped. Go back to the router, unplug it again and plug it back in, reboot the modem, reboot the computer and wait (patiently? Hah!) to see if all these various bits and pieces of technology will cooperate and give me back access to my virtual world. And while praying to whichever gods of the internet there may be, I watch the little computer icon on the desktop go green! We have connectivity folks, no clue what happened, guess the stars and planets were all aligned properly, but I'm back!!! 

Btw, the one who suffered the worst from this internet breakdown was my darling husband. Poor guy couldn't check any of his groups, blogs, updates, etc... and usually, while he's going through a kidney stone crisis, he'll spend most of his time concentrating on the virtual world instead of the reality pain brings, these past couple of days have been pure hell for him. He will be one very happy guy when he will finally be able to surf again.

As for baby blanket #2, it's halfway done insofar as the top stitching or tambour crochet is concerned. I'll likely finish it today or tomorrow at the latest, then it's photo time! I will be adding this pattern to my Ravelry designs page for a free download soon.

I've also been working on a couple of new crochet designs. One is of a lovely scarf and the other is of a matching hat. 

With my Mom's 71st birthday coming in June, I want to make something special for her. So I've also been working on a design for a sleeveless  zip/button  vest-style for her. I've already decided that she will also get the scarf and hat once I'm done working out the design. 

For a lady who is turning 71, she is in amazing form. She and her boyfriend go out dancing every weekend. They are part of a Senior Sandbag League (baseball pôches (fr)) and their team is leading by over 1000 points over the rest of the league's teams which means they will be travelling to Quebec City again this year for the league finals. She has her own market garden that she tends to and a market stall from which she sells fresh picked vegetables, eggs and local in-season fruits. So my vest design will have to be utilitarian as I can see her wearing it in early spring and fall while working in the garden. She also does supervision duty at the local elementary school during lunch times throughout the school year. I just hope I'm as able as she is when I reach 71.

What do crochet and coral have in common?

Geometry of course!

Although mathematicians claimed that hyperbolic space could not be seen or demonstrated, Margaret Wertheim shows us many examples of these beautiful shapes in nature as well as in crochet during her talk presented on TED tv.

Through math, marine biology, feminine handicraft, environmental activism and a crochet hook, Margaret Wertheim founder of the Institute of Figuring leads a project to re-create the creatures of the coral reefs. Margaret and her sister hope to draw attention to distressed coral reefs around the world that are rapidly dying  from changing ocean saline levels, overfishing, and many other threats.

Crochet Design Woes

I have had this yarn for ages. A tangled mess that didn't seem to have any use. Baby yarn in pale shades of mauve, pink and white. It sat in a bag for the past couple of years, dropped in a storage container and forgotten. A week ago,  I was looking for some soft yarn that I could use to knit boobs for a pillow for my darling husband (whom btw sleeps on it every night now). Once the pillow was done, there was still a fair bit of yarn left. I decided to untangle the rest of the mess and wind it into balls for future use. While I was winding it, I remembered how soft it had been to knit with and things started to bubble in the old brain pan. I visualized a crochet top for my wee sister in law who turned 6 in January. 

I started playing with various crochet stitches, ripping back when I didn't like how it looked, poring over crochet stitch collections both online and in books and magazines to find the perfect stitches. I wanted a summery top, but one that could also be worn over a long or short sleeved shirt for cooler weather. So far I have the skirt part of the top done. It's turned out quite lovely. I love the pooling the yarn is doing. The picture is of the skirt part as well as my second attempt at the bodice section.

Now the trouble started. I did not have measurements for a size 6, nor do I know a size 6 girl that lives near enough for me to use her as a mannequin. What to do. I turned to my favorite resource for answers; Ravelry. In the forums section, there is a group for designers and there I found suggestions of sites that have sizing charts for all ages. Wonderful I thought! I'm including the links here for those who have been looking for this type of information. The first site is Knotions; under the resource tab, there are several sizing charts. Another link takes you to a blog that lists several sites that have standardized measurements.

Well, the measurements helped, sort of. I can't visualise how it would fit so my next step is to go out and buy a size 6 girl's t-shirt top, stuff it and try to see the fit that way. Will update once I have a top to go by.

Crochet Meme 2010

After reviewing my knitting meme, I realised that I had not made a Crochet Meme. So here goes. Blue means planned for 2010, bold means already accomplished and regular is for those to try in the future.

Chain

Single crochet

Double crochet

Half double crochet

Treble crochet

Chainless foundation crochet

Tapestry crochet

Clothing - adults

Clothing - Children

Clothing - Babies

Tunisian crochet 
Doilies

Bag/purse

Shawl

Beaded crochet

Pop tab creations

Jewelry

Create a pattern

Create a stitch

Sell items

Sell patterns

Crochet to make money

Hats

Freeform

Mittens - top down

Mittens - tip up

Socks - top down

Socks - tip up

Participate in a CAL

Slip stitch

Crab stitch

Irish crochet

Moebius strip

Domino (modular) crochet

Toys

Amigurumi

Magic circle

Granny squares

Graffiti crochet (crochet onto or leave behind in public places)

Cable stitches
Lace patterns

Twisted stitch

Publish a book

Teach a child/ teen / adult / male to crochet

Button holes

Fair Isle (stranding) crochet

Household items (washcloth, dishcloth, scrubbies, tawashi, etc)

Crochet for a living

crochet with natural fibers (cotton, soy, corn, milk, silk, wool, etc.)

Bosnian crochet

Spanish crochet

Fulling/Felting

Crochet art

Textured crochet

Front post / back post crochet

Swatching

Slingshot crochet cast on
Entrelac
Crochet with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn

Two-colour crochet

Intarsia crochet

Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Crochet a pattern from an online crochet magazine
Rug
Crochet a gift
Crochet for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Crochet with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Crochet in public
Filet crochet
Motif crochet
Thread crochet
Spiral crochet
Tunisian entrelac
Tunisian entrelac in the round
Crochenit or cro-hooking

Costuming

Afghan / blanket / throw

Time Flies!

Wow, time does fly or so it seems. It certainly doesn't feel like weeks and months have gone by, but they have. The pain I feel in my heart is less, only by a small bit, but still, it doesn't hurt as much. I still burst out crying at the most inopportune moments, but I'm dealing with those as well. I don't think I will ever stop missing my sister, but I will continue to live my life as if she were still around since I know she's not far in my heart.

What have I been doing?

Looking for a job, any job! And there's not a heck of a lot out there. Mostly ads from temp agencies who are collecting resumes. Big whoop! And the few legitimate job ads that do show up every few days are flooded with applications I'm sure. With all the layoffs, I'm not the only one searching for a job. I keep applying with the hope that my resume will be first in line and that someone will actually read it over.

I've been knitting and crocheting a lot! I made wristwarmers for a very special friend's birthday in a lovely shade of blue, her favorite! :)

I'm still working on the Adamas shawl for a friend of a friend. But with the summer heat setting in, worsted weight yarn in a large shawl does not set well on my lap. I've also got another shawl in the works, but again, the heat is not amusing for shawl work.

I've made several more washcloths which will end up in a Christmas package for my Mom. Still have to do something else though. Sending just washcloths seems cheap in a way.

I'm currently working on a dress for Xandy. This will be for fall when she starts school! It's dark pink with a lovely frill of Bernat satin faded glory ombre shade. I'll also be doing the front bodice using the satin as well as a small frill or cap for the sleeves. Right now, the bottom frill is killing me! LOL I have 528 stitches to purl, and k2tog, yo, k1 that is taking forever to do one repeat of! But once the frill is done, I'll be going down to ONLY 264 stitches! That should speed things up.

The pattern I'm using as a base is from Knit 'N Style June 2007, Viva la Violet dress, size range 2T to 6 years. I'm knitting the size 6 just to make sure the dress will be worn more than just one season.

I've been stewing over ideas about what I want to make for Christmas presents. Just have to get them down on paper and actually start making them.

The blanket for my son is slowly growing. I have the 24 outer squares done. Started working on the first of the 24 inside squares last night. Thankfully the squares are small enough 8x8 that I don't end up with a lapful of worsted weight yarn. Much too warm for that!

My darling daughter is looking for yarn for a summer top she wants. She found it in a back issue of Sandra magazine. Model 29 I hope she finds yarn that she likes so I can knit it for her.

I started knitting a curtain. The whole thing started when I spotted a cone of laceweight yarn in a lovely teal shade that was only 2 dollars at the local Talize store! I bought it thinking I could experiment using it on my Passap 201 knitting machine. But, alas, it was not to be. The solid metal workings of the Passap literally ripped the poor laceweight yarn to shreds. So back in it's box went the Passap. Out came the crochet hook as well as several skeins of a white acrylic laceweight yarn that I didn't know what to do with and I combined the two together. I found a lovely lace pattern in my stitch encyclopedia and off I went! The curtain is 24 inches wide by about 14 inches in height at this point. It needs to reach aproximately 24 inches in height and then it will replace the faux lace curtains that are falling apart from old age in the bedroom window. I'll take pics soon! I promise!

I finally found a pattern for a fall/spring jacket or coat that I like. Mind you, it will need some modifications since the collar and lack of buttons doesn't do it for me. But what else is a knitting pattern for except to modify and make it to suit yourself!?! My darling daughter purchased a large number of Bernat Solo which is a chunky yarn and would be perfect for this jacket. The pattern I found is from the free downloads at Knit 'N Style and is called Wrap Jacket.

The oversized collar is going to be turned into hood. I'll be adding a button band since I don't like my coats flapping in the wind. And since I love cables, there will be some added cabling but that remains to be seen. I still have to work out how I'm going to do it.

I love the overall construction, just don't like the collar and closure.

And last but not least, as some of you know, I play Neopets. Last week, the Random contest was called Life sized, and asked members to recreate one of their petpets in a life sized version. I chose my catamara Chewie to be the designated victim.

Using basic amigurumi techniques I crocheted this little guy and submitted pictures. I won! Came in the first place group which really was amazing! And this is what my little guy looks like.

Art & Crochet

ART The standard definition:

The application of skill to the production of the beautiful by imitation or design, or an occupation in which skill is so employed, as in painting and sculpture.

That leaves out a lot doesn't it.

In my opinion, art is the physical manifestation of the sights, sounds that your mind interprets, your thoughts and feelings. This can be expressed in the usual ways, as above, through paint and sculpture but also in a thousand other medias or mix thereof.

What of the native beadworker. The work produced is viewed as functional yet it is art. Never 2 pieces will be exactly the same even on the same piece of clothing or adornment. Each piece has it's own power, it's own small piece of the beadworker's soul in it.

What of the knitter or crocheter. The clothing designed by hand knitters and crocheters are again works of art and beauty. They are an expression of the designers thoughts and feelings. What I find of larger interest is the artists who use fiber to express themselves. I came across one such artist while searching for crochet patterns for flowers.

She produces some of the most original, fresh works I've seen in a long time. She takes events and interprets them with yarn and crochet. For instance, her feelings over the big solution on keeping terrorists out of the US, The Fence. Ceci created vignettes from crochet showing the lunacy of this solution. She has found ways of expressing her views using only yarn and a hook as the media and manages extremely well in conveying her thoughs and feelings on a variety of subjects. Take a look at her book completely done in crochet. How can anyone not call this art?

Another piece she executed and donated to the Empty Bowls fund raiser in Houston. The piece entitled "Let Them Eat Soup" was exquisite in it's expression of how empty a bowl or life can be and reminds us that not everyone has a full belly before bed.

She also participates in a challenge group known as Textile Tuesday. The group has weekly challenges where each participant endeavours to produce an artists view point of the challenge of the week. One of the pieces I especially enjoyed is Forest Tea. I love her compositions done exclusively in crochet. Each part of the finished piece is expressive and beautiful to behold.

And speaking of expressing emotions, she crochets the most intriguing faces. Each one is different, expressive and is a window into the artist's soul.



You must go and see the rest of her work here! Leave comments, how else is an artist supposed to know if people like her work?

Falling in love with Crochet once again

Yes, it has happened. Something I thought I'd never go back to, Crochet!

I did crochet as a teenager, self taught using a Stitchionary. I wasn't very good at it. The yarn I used really wasn't the best but it's all I had. The problem was that I wasn't happy with the feel of the finished projects and after 10 years or so, gave it up in my mid twenties and moved on to sewing for my kids.

Last week, my girlfriend became a grandma for the first time. A gorgeous little girl born 1 minute to midnight on March 31st. Almost an April Fool's baby. Right then and there, I decided to knit a welcome to the world jacket for the little princess. I found a very nice pattern for the jacket but did not want to use ribbon since I find it's fussy and inhibits the wash n wear you need for baby clothing.

I substituted said ribbon for flowers. I searched high and low for some really nice knit flowers and leaves but most of what I found had to be felted. Since I don't have wool in my stash, that was out. I figured maybe I could find something nice in crochet. Shouldn't be too difficult to do and I have much better yarns now than I did as a teenager.

Searching through Ravelry's patterns for flowers, I found some I liked, but still not THE flower. I then turned to the internet, typed tiny crochet flower pattern and the 3rd site listed on the page was Attic24's. I clicked on the link and it brought me to the prettiest little flower patterns that I had ever seen. Also included with the flowers was leaves! simple ones, no fuss, no muss. So off I went looking for a crochet and some yarn small enough to do some flowers for the jacket.

She also had a pattern for a double petaled flower which I really liked and found the perfect spot along with a leaf to keep it company. I wanted to add a bit of weight to the hood and that was the perfect spot for that flower and leaf. Something pretty to look at from the back.

The flowers and leaves came out gorgeous and were the perfect addition to the jacket. I even used 3 of them as buttons! The leaves still need to be appliqued, but you get the idea.

I have to say that her blog is amazing, she has the simplest instructions, lots of very good photographs of how to do specific crochet stitches. She also lives in the sweetest village in the UK I've ever clapped eyes on judging by the photographs she posts. It all seems so quaint, reminds me of idyllic pictures you see of an era gone past. Add to that living in a 100 year old Victorian house and there you have it.... my dream.

I'm also going to give her ripple tutorial a go since I love the way it makes the colors pop and no holes!

So all this just to say, go check out her blog!!!!