These past two months have been such a whirlwind for me. I had the goal to get all the patterns for the book to the pattern testers by the middle of July and to get all the preliminary text files and photos for most of the patterns  to my wonderful friend, the super talented Sylvie by the end of last week. It was a tall order, but somehow I did it! The three new patterns that I created this month were accessories for the squirrels: an apron for Podge, a baseball cap for Hodge, and a jet pack for Eric. They were all surprisingly easy to make and I was very relieved that I was able to work up the designs quickly. Even Eric’s jet pack, which looks complicated, is pretty simple. The hardest part is pinning on the rockets in the right place and sewing them on. But really that shouldn’t be too much trouble.

I also put together the new and improved squirrel pattern, which will be featured in the book. I’m very excited about this pattern, because it is a culmination of several years of trial and error and testing. I feel very confident in this pattern now. Because of this, I’ve decided that next January I will take the squirrel pattern (as a freebie) off this site. I just don’t think it would be wise for the pattern in the book to have to compete with the free one on my own website. I’m hoping instead to provide the squirrel pattern alone (or with a few accessories) as a PDF for sale or as a thank-you for a donation. I’ll keep you posted as I work out the details.

There is another important event that has been happening in my life these past two months that I’ve been remiss to share with you. I got a new job! Somehow amidst all the activity of designing 15 crochet patterns, running the blog, and going to a wedding on the East Coast (which I still need to share with you too!), I left my job of seven years with the greeting card company to begin work as an editorial assistant with the Geological Society of America. This past week was my first at the new job. First days are always a little stressful, but the crowd at GSA has been so warm and welcoming. I already feel right at home.

I’m still caught up in the transition of things, filling out paperwork and working out my schedule, so it’s best if I take a break from the book for a few weeks until I get settled in. Once I’ve got my schedule down, I’ll start thinking about all the things I need to crochet for the story section of the book. I’ll still be riding the bus, so that will allow me plenty of time to crochet before and after work. I’m very excited for this new beginning in my life, and I want to send a sincere and heartfelt thank-you to everyone who has supported me through this process. You all rock!