Oh for the love of PUMPKINS

2020 caught us all by surprise. I stopped by my office yesterday to do some administrative work that I could only do there and I noticed my calendar on the wall was on March 2020. Our first day of remote work was March 18th.

Things we hoped to do in 2020 didn’t happen. Travel of all kinds was cancelled. No conferences to attend, vacations and cruises for much needed R&R were postponed, and definitely no festivals to enjoy.

That last part was a bit sad but also a bit of a relief for me. I was finishing up my Master’s degree in December and in the past year had ZERO time to work on inventory for the fall festivals I dearly love to participate in.

But welcome 2021. Vaccines for COVID-19 are being administered as we speak (or write) and maybe, just maybe, festivals will come back this fall. Even if we have to wear masks to go to a festival, at least, perhaps, we will have them. And now that I’m finished with school, what do you think that means?

Pumpkins!

Yes, yes, I know it’s February and now is the time to make Valentines hearts (which I do have in my shop … complete with attached key-chains and carabiners). But I want to be most certain pumpkins are available in every size and fiber and style for home decorating. I want to have enough happy faced pumpkins, angry faced pumpkins, and even no-faced pumpkins to appeal to everyone who might stop by my Hooked on Whimsy tent during the Newport News Fall Festival – IF it will happen (oh please let it happen). I want to have enough little kid-friendly plush pumpkins and pumpkin magnets to display in my tent during the Bluebird Gap Farm Fall Festival – IF it is held (crossing fingers!).

So I continue to make a variety of pumpkins in February, intermingling them with owls, bees, scarves and other items as the mood hits or as people ask for them. Indeed, my true love for pumpkins of all varieties make them oh-so sincere — even Linus would approve! (reference from “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”)

My tools for pumpkin making are circular looms, a knitting machine or crochet hooks.

I don’t use my knitting machine often but I’ve found that with the perfect yarn for the machine, I can make some pretty cool pumpkins! Like this one which is listed on etsy:

Circular looms are awesome for making pumpkins with soft and chunky yarn.

I also like to use my hook and any number of methods and fibers and colors to create pumpkins. Although this particular yarn and colorway would be amazing for a fall or winter scarf, I’m really digging the way it’s working up to be a PUMPKIN!

And if the festivals are cancelled again this year (noooooo!), I still have my Hooked on Whimsy shop on etsy where everything gets posted, even if pumpkins are a bit out of season. But I’m reasonably sure that my festival inventory this year (or next, if those who make these determinations, uh, determine) will be outstanding!

Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun!” So here’s to having fun being creative! Thanks for reading!