"Interwoven," by Val Melius

Constructor's Comments

This theme idea actually came about whilst I was working on another theme idea, and then the thought came to me, "How about adding basketmaking materials within phrases?"  Thus I began my quest in search of various basket types and materials.

It was really fascinating, the different types and techniques used to create baskets—also, how various cultures applied these techniques to other necessities, such as fish pots, table mats, etc.  The intricacies of the design, too, take someone really special to create these everyday masterpieces.

Natural basketmaking materials resonated with me, so I focused on those and incorporated them into everyday phrases.  My initial theme set had a couple of issues, so David and I worked on them till we found something we both liked.  For instance, BASKET CASE was the initial title of this puzzle; David suggested using it as the reveal.  I spent the next couple of days getting the grid design and fill right—think I created, like, three or more grid designs till I came up with this one.

Was an interesting couple of days—this was a really fun project.  Hope you had fun solving it—I've got a couple others in store. :)

"Swindler's List," by Val Melius

Constructor's Comments

This particular puzzle actually started out quite differently—wasn't focused on various elements of a casino, was a bit of a mess, had LOADED DICE paired with HIDDEN CARD—these just wouldn't work.

Spoke to a friend, and he was, like, how about MARKED CARD and focusing on items used for cheating.  I was, like, hmm . . . that could work.  Spent the next couple of days doing research and was amazed at all the tricky ways to cheat—they were literally evening the odds.

Spent a couple days on grid design, creating multiple iterations of the fill and overall black square pattern—all whilst listening to some EDM [electronic dance music] and nu jazz.  Music tends to keep me motivated, especially when the grid doesn't work—starting over is easier whilst listening to some tunes; each black square movement feels playful, making you want to get a lot more creative with the design.

Like switching it up in the design phase—won't stick to the regular black squares; they might be gray, blue, green, etc.  Tend to gravitate towards the gray squares, though, since I like Cruciverb.com’s puzzle preview.  Anyways, enough of my ramblings—hope you guys had a great time solving this one; looking forward to creating more amazing stuff.

Editor's Comments

I've been fascinated with casinos since I was six years old.  My family was visiting Las Vegas, and my mom decided to teach me a lesson about gambling by feeding a nickel into a slot machine.  "See," she said, "we're going to lose our nickel."  To her surprise, the slot machine spit out five dollars worth of nickels!

Today's puzzle thus hits the jackpot for me.  In fact, the theme is so narrow that I'm impressed Val was able to come up with four examples, let alone ones that can be arranged symmetrically.  He also did a great job keeping the fill Monday-smooth—he even classed it up with an ESCARGOT.  And finally, Val hails all the way from Saint Lucia, which makes today's puzzle extra-special.  Happy Monday, everyone!