Hodge | Squirrel Picnic

Did you know that Hodge and Podge have their very own mailbox? They don’t get much mail though and sometimes that makes them feel a little down. They do enjoy hearing from you, whether it’s through the blog or their email account, but you have to admit there’s just something exciting about opening that old mailbox and finding a letter or postcard inside. These squirrels are happy to admit, they’re a little old fashioned that way.

If you’d like to become a Squirrel Picnic Pen Pal, send your letter or postcard to

Squirrel Picnic
P.O. Box 740463
Arvada, CO 80006
USA

They love making new friends and discussing such important topics as comics, crafts, video games, movies, and candy. And they’re really good at writing back, so be sure to include a return address. Since it’s one of their favorite things to do, you’ll receive a personalized postcard from Hodge and Podge several times a year.

We look forward to hearing from you!

February 4, 2016
by JO 6 Comments

Make a Squirrel-Sized Valentine

This week Hodge came to me with a special request. He really, really, really wanted to make a valentine for Podge and he needed me to show him how to crochet one. Of course, I would show him how! I couldn’t say no to that sweet face.

And while we were at it, we decided to create a video so you could follow along stitch-by-stitch as well. The pattern is pretty quick and simple. You’ll need to know basic crochet techniques like chaining, working in the round, and making slip stitches, half-double crochets and double crochets.

I introduce a new technique in the video as well: the alternative join method or needle joining. It’s a nice alternative to the slip-stitch join because it creates an invisible join in your final round.

We hope you enjoy the video, make lots of valentine hearts for your squirrel friends, and have a very happy Valentine’s Day!

Continue reading →

July 9, 2015
by JO 7 Comments

The Big Acorn Race Update: Tall ‘n’ Fast Flowers

The past six weeks have been all about flowers – well, one flower in particular. The Tall ‘n’ Fast Flower is a very special one that is native to Squirrel Picnic. In “The Big Acorn Race” story, Podge has to grow a flower, fast. Luckily she has a packet of seeds that will do the trick. Sure enough, her Tall ‘n’ Fast Flower grows both tall and fast. You’ll have to excuse my cryptic description there – I just don’t want to spoil the story.

What I can tell you is that just like many of the items in the story, there will be patterns to make your own Tall ‘n’ Fast Flowers. This month I designed a Tall ‘n’ Fast Flower barrette, wall hanging, and 14” round pillow. I even designed a seed packet phone case! So far these are my favorite patterns from the book. I hope you enjoy these photos of them… Continue reading →

August 11, 2014
by JO 12 Comments

Bringing the Picnic to Cut Out + Keep

I’m so excited to tell you that I’m being featured as the Knit and Crochet Superstar on Cut Out + Keep this week. Each day they will release one of my original patterns for their fun-loving community to enjoy. I’m not sure they are quite aware of the extreme cuteness that is in store for them!

Cut Out + Keep is an online community of over 180,000 members who share free step-by-step crafting tutorials. I’ve had a wonderful time exploring some of the 69,000 projects available in a variety of craft categories like jewelry making, sewing, baking, even home décor and beauty.

As I mentioned, I was asked to select 7 of my patterns to be featured throughout this upcoming week. Boy was it hard! Trying to choose these patterns gave me the opportunity to think about what this blog means to me. At the end of the day, I really hope that I’ve added a touch of joy, and maybe a little silliness, to the world. My favorite patterns are the ones that continue to make me smile — so those are the ones I chose for their feature. I hope that being a member of Cut Out + Keep will help me make a few more people smile too.

Be sure to check out my interview and the super-kooky photograph I provided with Hodge and Podge. If you’d like to look around Cut Out + Keep, I recommend typing your favorite item (for me, it was robots) into their search engine. You’ll be amazed by what the members of their community have been up to. And of course, if you like what you see, you should become a member too!