Read Across America, Bear Puppets

To briefly recap our Read Across America fun, first we made the Erin Puppet and Shalock the Lion, to go along with the book, Shalock and the Cloud of Bad Dreams. Then we celebrated a classic with Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. The final installment of our Read Across America Crochet-a-Long, is featuring my bear puppets design, which was written for The Hook Nook, in conjunction with JoAnn. This pattern can be used to make 3 different kinds of bears!

I was given the amazing opportunity to write this pattern for The Hook Nook. This pattern was written to promote her amazing new line of yarn! I don’t think I have ever been more excited to write a pattern in my life! Jessica, of The Hook Nook, is seriously one of the sweetest people in the industry, and her products are truly amazing.

Review

Guys, I cannot begin to express to you the jumble of nerves I was, when this opportunity presented itself. I had enjoyed working with Jessica for the year prior, writing puppet patterns for her blog. When she asked me to come along with her on this journey, I was completely floored. What if I wasn’t good enough? Other designers she chose make accessories and garments, which require great accuracy, and detail. I make silly toys.

Then, another thought occurred to me. I’ve used very few yarns and products in my time as a crocheter. I have stuck to most of the same brands. What if I got my box full of Hook Nook goodies, and couldn’t work with them? What if, God forbid, I didn’t like them. *gasp* I KNOW! But the thought did occur to me. It was never that I thought her products wouldn’t be good, but I wondered if they would work well for toys.

I had absolutely no need for worry. The second I had this yarn in my hands, I had more ideas than I knew what to do with. This particular yarn, from her Yummy, bulky selction, is so soft. It makes puppets work up quicker and softer than worsted weight yarns. The colors are perfect for making animal puppets. The possibilities are endless!

When I tell you there is nothing out there like this yarn, I mean literally, there is no yarn on the market, comparable to this Yummy collection. The soft, fluffy feeling it has on the fingers, makes it feel like a much lighter weight yarn, but it still maintains the integrity of a bulky, sturdy yarn. The puppets I have made with this yarn, thus far, have proven very durable through play and use, and very much loved.

Bear Puppet Pattern

You can find the pattern for these bears HERE! 

I did not make this pattern with this book in mind, but afterwards, as I was reading this to my youngest for the hundredth time, I realized just how perfect this would be! Use the brown bear pattern with The Hook Nook, Yummy – Like a Dove color, and you have a polar bear!

I reached out to the author of I Love You Even When, Donna Keith, and she was kind enough to respond and tell me a little bit about the book. All profits from the purchase of I Love You Even When go to support Rachel House, in Kansas City, a crisis pregnancy center. She also gave me permission to read her book LIVE on Instagram!

Join me at 1pm EST, March 31, 2020 for the live reading of I Love You Even When, with puppets! That’s today!

In the meantime, you might like to place an order for that Yummy Yarn!! You won’t regret it!