Forget the Top Hat

I basked in the glow of student adulation over the Jeffy puppet for about one whole day. Then it was back to business as usual. Back to reality and the typical way my students act when it comes to my crochet.

So, coming off my Jeffy high, came the low of being taken for granted. I finished off the emoji purse for my third grade girl and she happily accepted it and was on her way. No problem there. Seeing her happy with her purse was thanks enough (really😁).

Then, it was time for the top hat for my 2nd grade boy…but he changed his mind. He didn’t want the top hat anymore, he wanted a puppet. Well, of course he did. After hearing how much the 5th graders loved the Jeffy, he wanted his own puppet, one that looked like him, no less.

I explained that time was running out and there was no way I could finish a complicated puppet like Jeffy. It would have to be something much simpler. He said that was fine. And typical, it didn’t take him long to start asking if I was finished. I mean, he immediately started asking if I was done! By the end of the same day that he made the request, he asked if I was done. I know they think I have a magic crochet wand (hook) that I can just wave around and abracadabra, there’s a completed item. I chuckled and let him know that I hadn’t had time to even start it yet.

The next few days were like going on a trip with a child in the back seat who keeps asking if we’re there yet. I kept hearing, “Are you finished yet, are you finished yet, are you finished yet?”

He was also very critical of my work! Everything I was making, he was complaining about. Let me tell you, there’s nothing like being critiqued by 2nd grader. He didn’t like the eyes because they weren’t eyeballs. What? It’s too late now to change the eyes. I told him I could add a white dot to the eyes and he said that would make it look blind. I assured him I would NOT make it look blind. No faith!

He kepts asking about arms and legs even though I told him there might not be time for that. It’s not complete but he’ll ask why there’s no nose, or no hair or not this or that. He said it didn’t look like him. I reminded him it’s a puppet and it isn’t going to look exactly like him and it’s not even finished yet. He said he needed hair. I added hair and he said it was too long. I gladly gave him some scissors and told him to give the puppet a haircut.

An hour later, you guessed it, he asked if it was finished yet! In my head, I was screaming, “Noooo, it’s not finished yet!” However, what came out was my patient teacher voice reminding him it takes time. I was on the verge of telling him to pick something else but I  promised him a puppet and I’m going to finish a puppet. If he doesn’t like it when I’m done, I’m sure there are plenty others who would scoop the puppet up.

I think he’s cute! That’s a twinkle in his eyes. No blindness!

That’s the hair cut the student gave him so he wouldn’t look like a girl. Did I mention that he complained that the puppet looked like a girl?

As if I needed more crochet pressure, I have a 5th grade girl who also wants a puppet. I told her I didn’t have time to make another one after the one I’m currently making. She is very clever. Back when I had finished Jeffy and had no pressing projects (did that few days really exist?), I started my own puppet just for fun.

This is how far I got before  I had to put it down. I was just playing around with it. The kids thought it looked like the Mad Hatter. They said I should turn it into a Mad Hatter Hat. 

I had to put it down because of the requested projects. She knew the unfinished puppet was in my craft bag and said I could just finish that one and give it to her. I paused and just blinked at her. Like I said, clever girl! She had effectively catapulted over any objections I may have had and got me to agree. She got me! LOL

Before I descended into madness over what little time I had left, I brought the puppets home so I could finish them. I hate doing that (I like working on my own projects at home) but there’s no other way to get them done before school is out. Was it me that had said I wasn’t taking any more requests? I think it was me. Oh well, there’s always next year to implement that plan. No more taking personal request for crochet from my students.

Does any one believe that? Do I hear laughter?