Finding New Inspiration

Hello, My Readers!  After a hiatus of so many months, I find myself drawn back to Lil Creates.  I hope this crisp, sunny day finds you folks healthy and safe.  An important advantage to being a crafter during Covid is that I am rarely bored.  There is always one more project to start or another technique to learn.  Fortunately, I am gifted with family and friends, large and small, who are pleased to receive my pieces.  Crocheting and knitting have truly been a blessing for me.  You may have wondered why I paused writing and posting.  While I have have completed many projects, both simple, and more complex, I underestimated the appeal of my articles.  I felt that I did not have significant ideas and themes to share. Also, I felt pressured to produce the pieces that formed the basis for my written work.  As I develop a more workable schedule, I hope to publish on a more regular basis.


Then two events took place.  First, I received an e-mail from my blog host, Weebly, alerting me to renew my blog.  While I had stopped writing for some time, I realized that I did not want to give up Lil Creates.  Later the same day, I was scrolling through the internet to locate some of my favorite crocheting and knitting blogs and websites.  Top 100 Crocheting Blogs and Websites and Bloggers to Follow in 2021 (https://crochetpenguin.com/crochet-blogs/) caught my eye.
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Happily, I ran down the list of websites, copying down my favorites in my phone list.  When I was about 1/3 down my mouth gaped open in surprise.  The words Lil Creates by Lillian were before me in bold print.  My photo, cuddling my preemie granddaughter, gazed back at me.  The author of the 100 Blogs post caught the essence of my blog.  "Lillian loves experimenting with new designs, colors, and yarns.  Crocheted flowers or a cuff with button are  a feature of her designs".  In the What we Love section, she stated, "Lillian loves to share her crochet projects, and she clearly loves to write.  Her posts are engaging."  It couldn't have been more complimentary had I written the words myself.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Jodie Morgan. You have given me a wonderful present and have renewed my blogging inspiration to write about my crocheting and knitting adventures.

Where am I now?  I have already photographed many of this years projects and plan to upload them to my website gallery. You will find several pictures of my work throughout this article.  I have not been idle.  

​I am going back to my original theme list as I add new titles based on current and future design trends.  I am lucky to have 3 granddaughters  2, 4, and 5 1/2 for whom I can create garments , accessories, and toys.  Once I decided that I preferred to crochet and knit for pleasure, for gifting, or for charity rather than for sale, I became much more relaxed and creative. During 2020, I have crocheted about 60 hats for homeless shelters.  I also created about 75 comfort dolls or Peace Pals to add joy to children who needed a doll to hug.  The Power Nighttime Fairy keeps my 4 year old granddaughter company at night and holds back forces that might frighten her. (You can see her wings if you turn her over.)

was My teenage grandsons haven't been neglected.  I made a striped afghan / throw  in navy, gray and off-white for my college bound boy,  He was polite when he received the piece.  However, I later learned that his dorm room was cold at times, and he was quite happy to wrap himself up in his personal cozy blanket.  I used a half-double V stitch to construct the blanket, and I felt that the project would never end.  When I decided to make a blanket for his high school age brother, I went back to my favorite extended granny square. However, I chose masculine navy, medium blue, and white to feature a dramatic, but cozy piece fit for an adolescent boy.  I can not wait to give it to him..  We are on hold because of covid social distancing.

I filled my time with several crocheted and knitted matching sweaters.  Some even had matching hats.  I even persuaded my 4 year old grand daughter to modele me. When asked to chose between a flower or pompom for the hat, she chose "pompom."

Currently, I am knitting hooded sweaters for the three girls.  I have completed 2 out of the three.  When I am done, I will photograph and apply my experiences toward a theme for a
future article.

I look forward to communicating with friends in the crocheting and knitting worlds.  As always, I welcome your comments and reflections.