My 3 year old is obsessed with Octonauts right now. He spends all day, every day "sounding the octo-alert" and looking for his mission. Almost all of his imaginary games involve at least one character from the show and he loves to tell me about all of his favorite sea creatures from the "Creature Report." Lately, he's been asking me to make him a GUP (one of the submarines the characters use). A more normal response probably would have been to buy a plastic toy, but I couldn't resist the crocheting challenge. And thus was born the GUP-A Plushy! 

Time for another Designer Spotlight! This week we're shining the spotlight on Rose from Loopingly Made. I've been following Rose on Instagram and I always love seeing her posts. She has a knack for creating the most beautiful textures in her crochet pieces. Rose designs a range of different patterns, from wearables to amigurumi (and posts them for free on her blog!), so be sure to go check out her work; I'm sure you'll find something you love. But first be sure to check out her interview below, get a glimpse of her work, and learn more about her as a designer. 

Confession: I don't like crocheting blankets. I guess I'm just impatient, but I get boooooored with making afghans. It always turns into an exercise in willpower...that I almost always lose. I will, however, make an exception for an occasional baby blanket. Partly because I like making gifts for friends and family members who are expecting a new arrival, and partly (okay, mostly) because they're so much smaller than an adult-sized blanket.

​I bought a couple of yarn cakes a while back, intending to make them into a blanket, but wasn't really happy with any pattern ideas I came across and I was more than happy for an excuse to procrastinate any/all blanket making. After tiring of them glaring accusingly at me out of the top of my yarn stash, I decided that the time had come to actually use the yarn cakes. And I'm so glad I did, because the texture on this blanket is incredible. It definitely makes this blanket worth the time it takes. 

I almost don't know what to say about this project. On the one hand, I'm really proud of it and I feel compelled to share it with you all. On the other hand, it's somewhat personal and I'm not terribly confident yet in walking the tenuous line between authenticity and oversharing. Sharing any project always feels somewhat vulnerable. One of the most beautifully terrifying things about sharing my creations is knowing that I'm exposing some small piece of myself for others to poke and prod at; I can only hope that others will be kind or, perhaps more importantly, that I can be confident enough not to let any fingerprints blossom into bruises. And, in a way, that's exactly what this project is. 

My 3 year old has been getting excited for Valentine's Day and has been wanting to make some valentines for his friends. His drawing skills are fine for a toddler, but he's not quite at the "recognizable heart drawing" stage, so I put together this super simple heart stamp for him while his brother was napping. He loved it! It may not be fine art, but I love this DIY because it's quick, doesn't require any pinterest skills, costs nothing, and it's perfect for little hands.