Today a friend asked, “What’s Josie’s favorite toy?”

Foxie! She’s had it with her since we picked her up as a puppy four years ago.

Something to fight a little bit of darkness: Here is a delightful instance of invented spelling by an adorable 1st grader.

Uma Janre sounds like a cool friend.

My mom said a polite “no thank you” to #latchhook pillows, so I offered one to my aunts. Debby looks pleased! Did she actually put it in her house? I’ll never ask! Let’s assume yes!

I thought this pattern could also be a gift, but I was not expecting such a… bold? unsettling? drastic? shade of orange.

So what would MY returning project be? I found a site aptly named “Latch Hook Crafts” and settled on making a gift for someone who wouldn’t expect one - the lady who befriended my mom when she moved to Petaluma. A die-hard Baltimore Ravens fan.

You may be wondering - are the kids any good at latch hook?

Kind of?

Two girls were very into it and asked to take the kits home over break. In the time-honored tradition of break-time optional projects, one didn’t do much and the other keeps forgetting to bring it back. 😆

This horrific regime may mess with my #latchhook content. I may end up un-latchhooking projects so I can do them again.

The last project I was working on was the skyline of Amsterdam. We moved before I finished, and I didn’t have a well-lit space in the new living room where I could keep stitching. Plus I n ended to update my glasses prescription.

But that was not the only “extra” stitch to trip me up. There was another facial feature I put off adding. You should figure it out by Frida Kahlo.

I believe it was my terrific in-laws who gifted me with the Feminist Icon Cross-Stitch patterns, and I was excited to start making more embroidered art I would surely frame! I did RBG, but was dismayed to find I would need another KIND of stitch for the glasses - and so she remains in this state.

It started out great! I can’t recall if I dove right into the BB-8 because it was my favorite pattern in the kit, or the Stormtrooper Sampler to make sure I still had the hang of this.

I also made a Fozzie Bear pillow - turns out it ALSO had different yarn lengths for shaggy ears. I must’ve been very skilled.

I thought this pic found on eBay was for said kit and I was poised to buy it - until I saw it was already completed. A used #latchhook pillow is significantly less fun.

I was especially proud of the Animal pillow because it had different lengths of yarn to make him extra shaggy. I’m still mad my mom made me give it away — or maybe I didn’t want to take it with me when I was an adult, in which case I was clearly wrong. #latchhook

I started doing #latchhook as a kid growing up in the 70s. You could buy kits that came with a pre-printed fabric mesh, a hook, and all the yarn you’d need packaged in adorable squishy cylinders.

Here is my first post, a blatant attempt to go viral. Check out my new goofy hobby - latchhook! Like coloring, but with yarn.