I had a waking dream last night.

One of those visions you sometime receive right as you are dozing off, but before you have completely lost consciousness.

So this vision involves my Halloween costume. The one I have been wanting to construct ever since I got "Macadamia Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer" the wonder Chihuahua. By the way, we all call her Mia for short.

So, back to the dream. I've been wanting to desperately go as little red riding hood for Halloween, and Mia go as the big bad wolf with her little black leather studded collar that I have for her. *GIGGLE* Maybe I can get the guy down at Leather Forever to custom make her some little black leather paw cuffs too. I can carry her around in my wicker picnic basket. All of this has been previously thought out. What the little waking dream revealed to me was that INSTEAD of the little allice in wonderland dress I had been planning to go under the FABULOUS crushed red velvet cape edged in wide satin red ribbon and lined with red moire silk; [Did I mention I'm a bit of a seamstress?}

I need to do some kind of gaudy �Little red riding hood all grown up' kind of dress. I'm thinking of a clingy silk lame number. Of course I'll need a corset, oooohhh and one of those black lacquered cigaret holders. I'll be Betty Davis incarnate Little Red Riding Hood.

OH MY!

WAIT!

What about DOMINATRIX Little red riding hood!

Um, nah, that stuff is expensive, but wouldn't it be fabulous?--

Hmm... Maybe an Elviraish kinda little red riding hood!?!

Yes!-- I think that may just be the ticket!

It would be sooooo much easier to just rent one of those little allice in wonderland dresses that EVERY costume shop always seems to have.

So, yes I'm feeling rather seamstressish lately. This always happens when I get that frantic creative edge in my life. It splinters out into my many available talents. If I would just focus on ONE creative outlet I'd probably make much more of an impact.

So lately my creative urges have included crocheting a wool sweater. I don't need a pattern! And I'm tired of trying to find a men's pattern. Evidently designers think only women wear crocheted items.

I'm sooooooooooo not talking tacky crocheted, doll faced, toilet paper holders here!

GAG!

No, no, it's just that I prefer crocheting to knitting.

I've been crocheting longer. I learned crochet when I was 4. I think my first projects were pot holders, isn't everyone's first project always a pot holder? Hmm... seems a popular choice.

It was another year before I would pickup knitting.

I was stitching the basket weave, continental stitch, and french knots on scraps of my moms needle point canvas before I could read.

My Barbie and my friends Barbie had one of a kind hand made wardrobes by the time I was 6. Malibu Barbie looked FAB in her handmade crocheted tube dress, a Madrigle original. That was probably the most modern piece. Most of the other little frocks looked more like something out of the gay nineties. I was fascinated with bustles. It had something to do with that animated Disney short, Pecos Bill.

Funny. I don't think I ever gave poor Ken a stitch to wear.

Let's see, later acquired needle arts include quilting [including hand piecing techniques, as well as strip and paper backed methods.] primitive rug hooking, [please don't confuse this amazing folk technique with it's bastard offspring, latch hooking.] But my sister is the rug hooking diva in this family so I'll leave that needle art safely intrusted in her hands. [She recently had her first showing at the Chamizal National Memorial where her rugs were a big hit]

Oh yeah, so I think I will worry about the cape for now. It has to hang just. . . so.

And be precisely floor length, even though riding hoods actually are much shorter ending about at the level of the kidneys on your back. I don't care. A floor length swishing number will be so much more dramatic.

I can't wait to get started. I'm going to go stop by a little shop I know today.

Maybe I can stumble across the fabric district again too.