Crochet can make you cry…

I think I just had the sweetest moment in my teaching career this last Friday. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had many sweet moments with the kids at work, but never from such an unexpected source, in such an unexpected way. Those two 5th grade boys (the advocate and the recipient of Jeffy the Puppet) made me cry today. Not the kind of crying where I want to beat my head in frustration, but the kind brought on by a sweet surprise.

In our program, we have Friday movie day with popcorn and a treat. Since we have no homework on Friday, I allow the kids to share anything they like before the movie. This particular Friday was no different.

Crochet Jeffy The Puppet

Jeffy is done and my student said something that made me glow all pink and rosy today. I don’t think he was necessarily giving me a complement (I’m not sure a 5th grade boy is capable of that, even if he’s thinking it) but it was a complement just the same.

I’ve been letting him play with the puppet in all its levels of completeness (or incompleteness as was the case) and it’s been great watching his genuine joy at seeing the puppet develop. Today, I finished it and he and his buddy were having an absolute blast with it.

I got a couple of candid shots of them playing with him.

I took a group of kids to the restroom and while we were waiting on some of the kids to come out, he said to me that he thinks this is the only homemade puppet that actually looked like the real thing. That it was the best one.

Well now.

Queue the glowy glow happening. You might be thinking that I directed this conversation and was fishing for complements but I wasn’t even talking about the puppet or even talking to the student. It was unsolicited! It was just true happiness on his part that he had the best puppet! Of course, there’s no way to prove his theory on that, but the fact that he believed that only showed how much he loved it. Believing he had the only existing homemade Jeffy the Puppet that looked like the real thing, well, that made my whole year.

Do I think it’s the best and most accurate homemade representation of Jeffy the Puppet? Uhm, no. He could have been better. The eyes are too poppy and I never gave him hands. No shoes either. But I will say this, when  I looked him up to do my research, there were only a handful of images of the actual puppet. I didn’t see any homemade representations out there, period, never mind crochet. Mine might be the first crochet version out there, at least that I could find. So my student might be right. That means I’m ahead of the curve!

Was he a success? For my student, absolutely! For me personally, maybe. I know he could have been better. I definitely learned I like making puppets, almost as much as making dolls. I might just make more puppets (not Jeffy though) of all varieties.

And just a reminder of the real thing.

 

Crochet Jeffy the Puppet Progrss

He’s coming out ugly. That’s ok though, he’s supposed to be ugly. I would be doing it wrong if he weren’t coming out ugly.

I’m ugly and I like it!

I’m not so sure he looks exactly right but my student seems to be really excited about the progress. He hasn’t seen the inside of the mouth or the face yet, but if the way he was playing with just the body is any indication, he’ll be thrilled to see it now. As I slowly build the puppet, his reaction gets better and better. I can see his joy as the puppet is coming alive. It makes all the thought and work (and struggles with eyes!) I put into a project so worth it when I see that kind of a reaction.

The eyes were a bit tricky. I tried a few different things before I settled on the ones he has now. I’m still not totally sold on them but I had a mom who actually knows what Jeffy is and what he looks like. She told me he looked great so far. Henceforth, I didn’t rip out the eyes. He gets to keep them.

Now, he just needs his ears and his helmet. Oh yeah, his hands too. I was hoping my student wouldn’t notice he has no hands or shoes. He hasn’t said anything about the shoes but he casually asked me if I knew how to make fingers, apropos of nothing. He can’t trick me. Even though he didn’t come out an ask, I know he was thinking about the handless puppet! I guess I’ll have to make him some fingers since I do in fact know how to make fingers. 🙂

Hopefully, the puppet will only get better and better too.

Headless Crochet Jeffy the Puppet

I had to share what happened with the headless Jeffy puppet. I took the unfinished puppet to work to finish up the head. I had the WIP in my crochet bag. When the older kids got out of school, my fifth grader who requested the puppet walked in. The first thing he asked me was if I had started the puppet. I told him to go look in my crochet bag, hoping he would like what I had so far. I was dispensing snacks so I became distracted. Next thing I knew, he was playing with the headless puppet! I guess he liked it! LOL He even tried to make him a thingamajig with a pipe cleaner so he could move the arms. I helped him make a better one with a wooden dowel I had in our craft closet.

It always feels good when you make something for someone and they truly love it. Meeting someone else’s expectations can be daunting, even if it’s a fifth grade boy’s expectations, especially if it’s a fifth grade boy’s expectations! Let’s see what happens when the head is done.

Progress Last Minute Crochet Projects

The Crowns

The crowns are done and my queens loved them. They picked really cool yarn colors that worked out really well. They keep trying to convince me to let them wear them now. Nope. They have to wait until it’s their week to be queen. Cruel, I know. 🙂 But in the meantime, the doll gets to wear them.

I get to wear the crown!

I might keep this one.

Jeffy the Puppet

This is what I’m working with. (Image courtesy of Pinterest) My version of Jeffy will have no diaper or pencil shoved up his nose. I refuse!

I started work on the easiest part of the  puppet, his t-shirt. I made a yellow tube in single crochet and embroidered his name on it. The yellow yarn I picked might not be exactly right but I think it’s close enough. In some pictures of Jeffy, the shirt looks bright yellow but in others, the yellow has more of an orange cast. I don’t think my student will complain about the color of the yarn.

My first attempt at the shirt came out a little wide so I ripped it back and tried again. I made it smaller, was happy, added the name, and then realized the first attempt was better. 😂 Oh well, I’m committed now.

The arms and legs came next. I didn’t feel like stuffing arms and legs, so I crocheted rectangles and rolled them up. Gives it dimension without having to stuff. I probably should add hands but I’m not sure I will yet. I guess it depends on how much time I have. He is supposed to have shoes but that might not happen either.

Don’t be alarmed by my headless body! It’s in the works.

I’m leaving the head for last. I’m not sure how I’m going to do it yet. Different ideas are marinating in my head and I’m almost ready to get started. I’ll probably take this part back to work with me and finish the head there. That will give the student the chance to say something about the hands and shoes. If he doesn’t, it stays the way it is. 🙃

 

 

Crochet Jeffy the Puppet Request

What have I gotten myself into? The kids’ memories have deep roots! Their memories are lousy for most things but then, one of them will remember that last year I made so and so such and such and why can’t I do it this year too? I’m blabbering so let me explain.

Today, I got unexpected pleas to make crochet items. The kids are always requesting things, and this year, I’ve moved away from making crocheted items for individuals because it was hard to keep up with demand. This year, I made things at my leisure and threw them in our prize box. I got good at saying no, sorry, can’t do it. Eventually, the requests started to taper off. I thought, “Good, they’re starting to forget.” Every now and then, one of them will remember we had a year where I made them all crowns when they made it to king or queen (an incentive on our star chart where they are the king or queen for the day and they get to pick our treat and what movie we watch on Friday). But that was several years back and I was counting on them forgetting, which they mostly did. I would happily make the crown for those that did remember because they were few and far between.