crocheted flower skirt

Yes, you do have to wear a slip with it! I had problems finding a slip to go under this skirt when I wore it to a dear friend's wedding. I did eventually find one in a vintage store, but even Victoria's Secret wasn't carrying slips at the time.

Crochet and knitting go well with writing, but 'tis pity you can't do them at the same time. I made this skirt while writing a book about a small business start-up. I would bribe myself with promises of picking up the skirt, which sat in a pile at my side, where I had to keep defending it from the cats. I'd finish a paragraph, do a row, write another paragraph, do another row, and so forth.

we find wood good

My friend Marilyn picked out this gorgeous wooden button. She's one of those people with an innate flair for detail, and spotted this button while we were shopping at the Ball + Skein knitting shop one afternoon. When I was living in San Luis Obispo this was my favorite getaway spot, right across from the amazingly scrumptious Robin's restaurant, in the seaside town of Cambria. This simple, really fast little sweater pattern came from the book Hollywood Knits.

best-laid plans

This purse started out in life as a hat, but changed its mind halfway through. Lucky for me, the soft linen-colored cotton makes a nice bag, all single crochet. The granny squares are leftover from the first rendition of the flower skirt, which happened to match as well as fit perfectly around the top of the bag. I love it when a plan comes together in spite of me.

purls of perfection

Baby hats are so small, you can practically start one after dinner and be done before its time to brush your teeth. Unless you are obsessed with making the perfect, complicated, flawless hat, in which case it may take you twelve days of knitting, ripping out and starting over ceaselessly. Once again I am reminded about the relation between time, total immersion in a creative project, and the foolhardy notion of perfection.