For this month’s project for the Lily Doll woven on the Mirrix Chloe loom, I designed a teeny tiny book, because after all…. books are treasures, right?

The links to buy the kit and pdf are:
Happy weaving and happy book binding and happy reading!

We have a tradition in our family of making little Christmas ornaments for our circle of family and friends.

The Laughing Stars in my book, Crochet Stars (available at all online booksellers) are perfect for ornaments.



You can make other stars from the book to slip in with holiday cards as a sweet little gift when you send cards to friends and family, too….

I wish you joy in the making! ❤

This month, I designed a Shoulder Bag to weave on the Mirrix Chloe Loom for the Lily Doll as part of the Lily Doll Project- a co-creation with Mirrix Looms.

It’s a VERY tiny purse, just perfect for a 6 inch tall woven doll to carry her wee Teddy Bear and other little treasures!
Here are the links to order the kit and the PDF- Happy Weaving!

September is such a lovely month with clear blue skies and crisp temperatures, and oh yes, shorter days- perfect for overalls, right?

So I designed these fun overalls for the Lily Doll project.

They are woven on the Mirrix Chloe loom.

Oh so cute for Lily Doll and all her friends in the Lily Doll Project.

Check out these and the whole Lily Doll collection.
https://mirrixlooms.com/pages/lily
People have asked me how to weave a Boy or a Gender Neutral Doll using the Lily Doll Kit.

They also asked for gender neutral doll clothing, so I have been focusing on designing clothes that work for girl, boy and gender neutral dolls. (Jeans earlier in the summer, this month’s shirt and shorts and Overalls for September’s project).
I also show how to make glasses for the dolls in the Shirt and Shorts pdf and kit. All the kits are available from Mirrix Looms. LINK
I have just uploaded a video to YouTube that shows how to customize the Lily Doll kit and pdf to make your dolls be exactly the way you want them to be.
Happy Weaving! ❤
Last week, we went to a baby shower for friends who are soon to be parents.
I was so delighted to see how many handmade gifts were given to this soon to be among us little sweet person!
Quilting, sewing knitting and crochet were all beautifully shared by the extended family. Delightful!
What did we give to the new baby?
Well, since his parents love space and planets, and have decorated the nursery with all many of space and planet images, it seemed like a good idea to me to give Lil Baby a Star Mobile…. yup… from my book: Crochet Stars. With love, of course! ❤




The other day when I was out in the yard photographing some inkle weaving, a bee landed on the loom and ambled around. She didn’t seem bothered about me and my camera and she let me photograph her.
I was concerned that she might be having a hard time in the heat, so I sat my camera down so I could bring her a little dish of water, but she flew off and started nuzzling tomato flowers.
I hope that she and all her sisters are doing well, and I am grateful to her for stopping for a little visit.
Life is full of little blessings that make our hearts sing, isn’t it?
❤
I was so touched and grateful to my friend, Gwen Blakley Kinsler for her lovely review of my book, Crochet Stars ❤
Thank you, Gwen!

Here’s the link to it: https://crochetqueen-royalramblings.blogspot.com/2024/07/book-review-crochet-stars-by-noreen.html
Filed under book review/book/books, crochet, crochet stars
The Lily Doll Project that I am designing for the Mirrix Chloe loom is all about imagination.
So to celebrate imagination, I designed a Mermaid costume to be woven on the Chloe loom for the Lily Doll.

The Mermaid Tail slips onto Lily Doll’s legs so she can have adventures in a Mermaidly way.
But it struck me this morning that the Mermaid Tail and the Lily Doll pattern could be ‘mashed up’ to weave a doll that is a Mermaid and not a little doll with legs, dressed as a Mermaid.
There are always so many options, aren’t there?

Here are the links for the Lily Doll kit and pdf pattern:
I hope that your day is full of Mermaid musings and imagining all manner of sweet things!
Happy Weaving! ❤
I have worked with my dreams all my adult life. I use the images, stories, and themes that happen in my dreams to shape my art and artisanship.
After my beloved son in law died suddenly from a heart catastrophe brought on by Covid, I had incredibly powerful dreams in which I was able to talk with him and listen to his new stories about his journey after this death.
He told me that I absolutely HAD to write a book about finding my way to hope and grace in living with the all encompassing grief unleashed by his passing…..
I was also having many dreams about Star Babies….. I have been dreaming about Star Babies for more than 30 years… I dreamt, over and over, about how the Star Babies were the most amazing experience of joyous, innocent, contagious and delicious laughter. Dreaming about them and their new adventures was incredibly healing. They lead me to keep finding references to how the stars offer us laughter and connection and hope, which I felt was synchronicity working it’s finest magic.
I was finding so much comfort and solace in my crochet, and talked with my wonderful editor at Stackpole, Candi Derr. We agreed that we can heal our broken hearts with lovingly creating small, but significant things that wrap up our love. And as we talked and I designed, and crocheted, crocheted, crocheted, it became clear that stars were meant to be the metaphor, and pardon the pun, but the STARS of this book.
Of course, I had to begin with the Laughing Stars that evolved from the Star Babies, and that seeded this book, Crochet Stars-

And then, I found all kinds of ways of creating more and more stars….
Some of which act as frames to embrace the memories of those we love, but who now dance among the stars-


And some of whom crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but still live on in our hearts….


I added a little lace to the pupster’s pics, and played with colors on the back of the stars:


It’s lovely to think of them all playing and laughing in amongst and with the stars, and the Star Babies, too!

Crochet Stars is now available from all the online book sellers! Yay! Happy Crochet! ❤
Filed under book review/book/books, crochet, crochet stars, grief, personal stuff