Happy Year of the Dragon!

🐉✨ May the new year bring you an abundance of love, peace, happiness, health, and wealth! (I didn’t finish making my dragon in time, so Froggie stepped in to help hold the lantern this year. 🐸)

Knit frog pattern: Dot Pebbles Knits, Crochet Chinese lantern pattern: Ollie Holly Crochet, Yarns: Patons Classic Wool and Caron Simply Soft

My Sweater and Sleep Socks

Been spending more time offline these days - it’s amazing what I can get done when I’m not scrolling. Working on some projects for my shop, and also treated myself to a little selfish knitting time. Made this cozy sweater and some comfy couch socks. Sofa socks? Sleep socks. All of the above!

I hope you’re well and enjoying the last days of summer!

Patterns: Marly Bird, Yarn: Lion Brand Heartland

The Light We Carry

I admire Michelle Obama for many reasons, and I love her even more for sharing her knitting journey. She’s asked fellow knitters to share a project we’re proud of and why we enjoy knitting.

For me, yarn crafting is meditative, healing, calming, and can also be challenging in a good way. It helps me focus and relax at the same time. I love the peaceful process of every stitch and the feeling of accomplishment when I’ve completed a project or learned a new technique. And it’s so rewarding when something I’ve made with my own hands makes someone smile. I also love the portability - I can take yarn therapy with me anywhere.

It makes me so happy and proud that my Mama was the first person to use these little knit coasters I made. ❤️

Pattern: Megan Goodacre, Yarn: Knit Picks, Needles: Knitter’s Pride

Love ❤️

Thankful 2022 was full of love and happiness! ❤️ I’m so grateful for my husband and our loved ones. Wishing you all peace, good health, prosperity, contentment, and lots of love in the new year and always. Have a happy 2023! 🥳

Rose and Fernando Reunited

My contribution to the Betty White Challenge! ❤️🐾

I have always been a huge Betty White fan, and when she passed, I felt compelled to honor her through yarn art somehow. My first thought was to make a Betty doll from an existing pattern, but when I couldn’t find one that matched the image in my head, my family encouraged me to design my own. On New Year’s Eve, my sister was watching season 3 episode 1 of The Golden Girls, called Old Friends, and she reminded me of one of the best Rose Nylund moments ever. I was inspired by the image of Rose getting her teddy bear Fernando back. She looked angelic (even though we know what she just did to get him back), and so joyful. I wanted to capture that. I like to think of Betty this happy now, reunited with her beloved Allen. I like to think that her little bear represents her big love for animals.

So this has been my design challenge for the past couple of weeks, and I’m so glad I completed this special project in time for Betty White Day, her 100th birthday. This little hand crocheted doll is one of a kind and close to my heart, and I will miss her when she is auctioned off. But I’m hopeful someone will love her as much as I do and help raise money for homeless pets at the same time.

(Fernando is removable, but I wouldn’t recommend taking him from Rose. 😆)

Thankful for the Crafting Community

As someone who was always shy about sharing what I make because it’s not perfect or as good as others’ work, the past couple of years’ worth of health struggles, plus the pandemic roller coaster we’ve all been on, has taught me there’s no point in hiding. And crafting has been helping me get through it all. I’m so grateful to the crafting community for the kindness and encouragement I’ve received as I share and continue to learn, and to all the designers for amazing patterns! I pour a lot of love into each stitch, and it makes me so happy when these little plushies make people smile. That is everything. ❤️

Crocheted bear pattern: Yarn It Darn It, Crocheted bird pattern: Stacey Trock, Knitted puppy pattern: Knits by Sachi, Knitted heart pattern: Studio Knit