The next few weeks will be super busy for me as I attempt to crochet everything needed to tell the story of the Big Acorn Race. This includes all the props and even some of the characters themselves. It seems like I’m crocheting everywhere I go. I’ve been crocheting on the bus, on my lunch breaks, in line at the store. But if you know me, you’re probably thinking Weren’t you doing that before the book came along anyway? Yeah, you’re right. But now I feel like I’m crocheting with a purpose. Although it’s felt a little frenzied at times, so far I’ve been successful not to let the pressure take the fun out of it. That’s very important, you know.

And let me tell you, I’ve gotten a lot done! I even remembered to photograph some of my work to share with you.

One of the biggest accomplishments was making the dragonflies that Hodge will use in the Big Acorn Race. If you can believe it, he is a dragonfly wrangler of sorts. I’m planning to include the pattern for these dragonflies in the book as well. They are really fun to make! My favorite part was picking out the beads to use for the eyes. Aren’t they cool?

To give them some stability, because they will need to fly, I doubled up 22 gauge wire and sewed it to each dragonfly’s belly.

Then it was time to assemble Eric’s workbench. I had crocheted the top and crossbars a few weeks ago. I dunked these in a glue and water solution and blocked them flat. Then I sewed 12 gauge wire to the underside of the crossbars and sewed each to the end of the tabletop. I also glued cardboard to the underside of the table to give it some stability.

I was even able to coerce Eric into leaving the laboratory for a second to help me. In the end, I think he is really happy with his new workbench. Seeing as I’ve had some experience with miniature crochet, I’d like to try crocheting a hammer, screwdriver, and wrench for him. Thanks to my friends over on Squirrel Picnic’s Facebook page, I have a lot of options to think about regarding their construction.

Finally I crocheted a new Mayor Snack Frog. I wanted to make him in a brighter green than I have used in the past. I think his features show up better than did his predecessors’. It’s funny to me that each Mayor I’ve made looks so different from the one before. But always they have the same personality. It’s in the droopy eyelids I think. Someone on social media said that he looks like Mr. Peanut. I think I agree! All he needs is a monocle and cane!

Next week I will be crocheting everything for Podge’s garden, which I’ve been picturing as the showpiece of the story. I can’t wait to share with you what Podge has got growing. See you then!