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?
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 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! ❤
It’s such a joyful moment when a box appears on the porch and it’s my new book!
I was thrilled last week to see Crochet Stars up on the online book sellers, but, to have the book in my hands is pure joy!
Crochet Stars is so dear to my heart- it is a small book – a new format with my wonderful publisher, Stackpole, which feels just so right on so many levels.
Writing this book was a journey of healing on the path of grief. It is full of so much love and is all about finding healing and laughter and hope through the joy of making small but sweet and precious things with our hearts fully infusing our hands as they create gifts of connection and love!
This little Laughing Star is based on a series of delightful dreams that I had over many many years, and it is, in a lot of ways, for me, the ‘Star’ of the book…. but then, I LOVE all the stars that I designed for the book!
Stars are such a powerful metaphor for the light of love, laughter and healing that flows through our lives.
I deliberately designed several very small stars so that people can give them freely and happily as gifts to say to people: Thank you for being here, and I appreciate you and oh my goodness! You matter! ❤
Joni Mitchell had it so right when she sang that we are stardust and we are golden.
I hope that this book, Crochet Stars, will bring golden stardust to life in so many ways! ❤
Lily Doll, Millie, Lally, Teddy Bear and Sam Dog The Brave decided that they needed to investigate the flowers in the trees. The flowers smelles so delicious and inviting!
Lily Doll and Millie Doll have new jeans, which made them feel extra adventurous.
Lally doesn’t have jeans yet, but she wasn’t going to let that slow her down!
Lily and Millie scrambled up the pear tree to snip the sweet smelling blossoms. They didn’t notice that Teddy Bear and Lally weren’t with them.
They heard a little ‘Squeak’ and Millie climbed down to see what it was…. oh no!
Teddy Bear thought that he might find some honey in an inviting looking tree cave…. but, nope.
No honey, but suddenly, he felt that everyone had climbed too high and he didn’t like it at all.
Millie called Lily….
And, Lily talked kindly to Teddy Bear
And they both rescued him.
Lally called to them to see what she had found…. so while Lily comforted Teddy Bear, Millie scrambled higher up the tree.
A Faerie window!!!!
Teddy Bear said he was tired and hungry and that he really didn’t want to open the Faerie Window, Just in Case…. (it could be scary, after all).
Brave Sam The Wonder Dog hadn’t bothered with climbing trees.
He was much more interested in the Faerie Door at the base of the tree!
He called them down and they took a selfie and decided that it was time to go inside.
Lally thinks that it’s unfair that she doesn’t have jeans, so I have promised her a pair.
(But in a different color, she said…. to go with her hair).
The pattern for the jeans as well as all the other patterns and kits are all available at:
Here is a collection of one of a kind sculptural hand carved wooden spoons that I created a few years ago and am now selling…. I’ve held onto them long enough and now it’s time to let them go out into the hearts and hands of other people. I hope that they will spark delight in people! They CANNOT be used with food, but can stir up creativity and delight and good wishes and fun and blessings and all good things.
Please send me a message if you would like to buy any of these magical spoon sculptures.
I made a little video showing how they look when they are held in my hands.
There are too many photos to put them all in one blog post, in full size, so please go to the video to see the spoons in more detail.
The list of the available spoons with their height and price is below the video.
1- Granny Rules: approximately 7 inches (17 cm) tall: $150 + insurance and shipping
2- Mermaid: approximately 8 inches (20 cm) tall: $150 + insurance and shipping
3- Kitty with a Bird on Her Head :approximately 9 inches (23 cm) tall: $150 + insurance and shipping
4- Large Dancer with the Wind in Her Hair (Rose on her skirt, Compass Rose and Sun and Moon in the spoon) :approximately 9 1/2 inches (24 cm) tall: $250 + insurance and shipping
5- Small Dancer with the Wind in Her Hair (Rose on her skirt, Blue Butterfly in the spoon) :approximately 6 inches (15 cm) tall: $100 + insurance and shipping
6- She Dances with the Moon in her Hair: approximately 8 1/2 inches (22 cm) tall: $175 + insurance and shipping
7- She Dances with the Stars in her Hair: approximately 9 3/4 inches (24 cm) tall: $125 + insurance and shipping
8- The Little Book of Kindness: approximately 6 1/2 inches (16.5 cm) tall: $125 + insurance and shipping
9: Wisdom Owl: approximately 8 inches (20 cm) tall: $100 + insurance and shipping
10: Fairy Door: approximately 7 1/2 inches (19 cm) tall: $100 + insurance and shipping
11- The Heart and Hand: approximately 6 1/2 inches (16.5 cm) tall: $175 + insurance and shipping
12: Star Baby: approximately 5 inches (12.5 cm) tall: $100 + insurance and shipping
13 and 14: Two Girls with Sweaters: approximately 5 inches (12.5 cm) tall: $100 each + insurance and shipping
15, 16 and 17: Three Little Girls who have hugging arms and who inspired me to create the Vasilisa dolls. # 15 is approximately 5 inches (12.5 cm) tall: $150 + insurance and shipping
# 16 is approximately 4 inches (10 cm) tall: $150 + insurance and shipping
# 17 is approximately 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) tall: $150 + insurance and shipping
18: Another of the ‘Vasilisa Doll’ style but she doesn’t have the hugging style arms- she is approximately 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) tall: $100 + insurance and shipping
19- Thank you to the Trees and the Forests!- approximately 4 inches (10 cm) tall: $100 + insurance and shipping
Tottie Talks Crafts Blog 