The Hooks Are Busy for a Cause

If you could peek into my workspace right now, you would find tiny chenille fibers everywhere. And I do mean everywhere.

Sitting next to me is a bin overflowing with festive Halloween colors, just waiting for their turn on my hook and their chance to become something amazing. Purples, greens, oranges, blacks and all those wonderfully spooky colors are slowly being transformed into a growing crew of handmade friends with a much bigger purpose.

Production for this year’s Paul Leeder Project Fundraiser is officially underway!

This year, Paulie the Opossum and Freddie the Fish have gotten a Halloween makeover, with four special fundraiser friends joining the lineup: Zombie Paulie, Witch Paulie, Vampire Freddie, and Pumpkin Freddie.

And right now, I am officially in production mode.

The September Production Goal

My goal is to have a full crew ready well before the Paul Leeder Project Fall Festival on October 31, so I have given myself a pretty ambitious September production schedule:

🧟 September 17: 5 Zombie Paulies complete
🧙 September 21: 5 Witch Paulies complete
🧛 September 23: 4 Vampire Freddies complete
🎃 September 28: 4 Pumpkin Freddies complete

If everything goes according to plan, that will give me 18 fundraiser friends completed by the end of September, leaving October available to replace friends as they are adopted, make any additional friends we need, and prepare for the big fundraiser finale on October 31.

Of course, some of these friends aren't even making it to the finished inventory pile!

The First Paulies Have Already Found Homes!

One Zombie Paulie and one Witch Paulie have already been adopted.

Those first two Paulies will be leaving the production crew almost as quickly as they joined it. They are scheduled to be packed up and on their way to their new homes by Friday, September 18.

And that is exactly the kind of problem I am hoping to have!

There is something extra special about watching these little characters emerge from a pile of chenille yarn knowing they are being made for much more than filling a table at a fall festival.

Each fundraiser friend is $35, with 60% of every sale donated to the Paul Leeder Project to support the work they are doing within our community. This year's goal is to find homes for 25 Paulies and Freddies by October 31, raising $525 for the Paul Leeder Project.

Come Behind the Scenes With Me

This time, I don't want to wait until there is a perfectly arranged pile of finished friends to show you what I have been working on.

I want to bring you along for the whole process.

This What’s on My Hook is going behind the scenes of fundraiser production. I'll be updating this post as I work my way through the September production goals, so you may see bins of colorful yarn, piles of strange little crocheted pieces that don't quite look like anything yet, friends waiting for assembly, chenille fluff covering everything, and eventually a whole crew of Paulies and Freddies staring back at me.

You'll also get to watch that finished pile grow as we work toward 25 adoptions by October 31.

So welcome to my slightly fuzzy, wonderfully colorful, handmade chaos.

There is a bin full of Halloween yarn beside me, a hook in my hand, and a whole lot of Paulies and Freddies waiting to come to life.

Last night was a late one around here. My hook was busy working through the first batch of Zombie Paulies, and everything was moving along pretty well...

until I looked at what was left of my purple yarn.

Apparently, I had decided to play a very dangerous game of yarn chicken with my Parfait Chunky in Iris.

And the yarn won. 😂

I made it so close. I am literally down to the last two rows of one body, with one more full Zombie Paulie body still waiting to be made.

The good news is that more Premier Parfait Chunky in Iris is already on order and should arrive Wednesday, so this is only a temporary pause in Zombie production.

After placing my emergency yarn order, I finally called it a night.

A Fresh Start After School

This morning, after we finished schooling, I came back to my fuzzy little production area and switched gears. Since I couldn't finish the bodies yet, it was time to start bringing some of those Zombie Paulies to life.

Faces!

For now, all five Zombie Paulies have gone about as far as they can go until their missing Iris yarn arrives.

Once that package gets here Wednesday, I can finish those stubborn last two rows, crochet the fifth body, attach the final two heads, and give the remaining four zombies their faces.

They will humble you every time. 😂

For now, the Zombies are waiting patiently for reinforcements, and I'm moving on to whatever I do have yarn for while we wait!

Want One of These Little Zombies for Yourself?

It is not too late to adopt your own fundraiser friend!

Zombie Paulie, Witch Paulie, Vampire Freddie and Pumpkin Freddie are all being made as part of this year's Paul Leeder Project Fundraiser. Each friend is $35, with 60% of every sale donated to the Paul Leeder Project.

Every adoption also moves us one friend closer to our goal of 25 adoptions by October 31.

So while you're following along and watching this crew come to life behind the scenes, remember that one of the Paulies or Freddies you see taking shape on my hook could be headed home with you.

Remember that very close game of yarn chicken from the last update?

Reinforcements have arrived!

My Parfait Chunky in Iris showed up, which meant there was nothing standing between me and finishing this week's Zombie Paulie goal.

Those last two stubborn rows were finally finished, the fifth body came off my hook, heads were attached, and the remaining little zombies got their faces and personalities.

And I am VERY happy to say...

All 5 Zombie Paulies are complete! 🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟

That officially checks off the first goal on my September fundraiser production schedule, and we hit it right on time!

✅ September 17: 5 Zombie Paulies COMPLETE
⬜ September 21: 5 Witch Paulies
⬜ September 23: 4 Vampire Freddies
⬜ September 28: 4 Pumpkin Freddies

There is something incredibly satisfying about looking over and seeing five finished little purple faces staring back at me after they spent the last couple of days as piles of chenille pieces waiting for yarn.

Of course, I won't be admiring them for too long.

The witches are up next!

The Halloween yarn bin is still sitting beside me, the chenille fuzz certainly hasn't gone anywhere, and there are plenty more fundraiser friends waiting for their turn on my hook.

One production goal down. Three to go.

And remember, these friends aren't being made just to sit on my table. They're looking for homes! Zombie Paulie, Witch Paulie, Vampire Freddie and Pumpkin Freddie are available to order for $35 each, with 60% of every sale donated to the Paul Leeder Project.

We're working toward 25 adoptions by October 31, and every little friend that finds a home gets us closer.

Now... I suppose I better go find my witch hat.