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Beautiful work, I hope you enjoyed the fair, please do let us know xx

I just thought of an AMA. I’d love a little show and tell of some of the woollen things that are dear to your heart. I just saw your lovely woollen table covering in the other video. And your knitted animals. Now I want to know more about the cabled cardigan you’re wearing in this video! It looks like the perfect fit.

Wishing you luck on your first market! Your table is beautiful. I love your hand embroidered sign. It would be lovely to find a way to attach it the front of your table somehow. I can’t wait to find out how it went!

Fran! I've been meaning to message properly for yonks, and haven't yet managed it. But I had to message here to say how wonderful your wee knitted animals are, and how lucky I feel that somewhere in my folks' house there is a wee Friesian cow you knitted for me at uni! I like to think I'm the proud owner of one of the original (~18 year old!?) prototypes! Your talent and generosity have only grown since then ❤ Hope the market went well. Much love, Amy xx

Beautiful creations Fran good luck with the craft fair wrap up warm and enjoy hope your busy 🌹💕🌹

Oh my gosh, your animals are just beautiful and the dolls are adorable, good luck with your craft market, I have everything crossed for you that it will be great 🎄💜

What absolute magical walk! Here in Berlin we have had snow, but only really one flurry of it and it was only snow whilst in the air as it melted right away when landing on the ground. Funnily zi was cycling just in that moment h after work;) and as I arrived in our flat no one else had seen the nice icicle sky and I only had my wet self to show for it …. Hopefully this Christmas I can go to snow narnia and breathe easy and feel the magic like you did in this cute vlog. Many hugs darling Fran, c u soon … xxx

Wishing you good luck for the fair! It does not matter if you sell, experience is everything! 😊

Thanks for the peaceful time. It was lovely.

SO CUTE! Having my hands busy at the fair was wonderful. Something simple that you can almost do with your eyes closed and pick up and put down without losing your place is ideal. Maybe little garter scarves? I was just making flower crowns. :) This is going to be so lovely!

The dolls and their clothes are so sweet! Trust all goes well, Fran, at the market. I have always wondered about the education system where you live. I am an educator and am always fascinated about what different countries do for education. I also wonder about the festive celebrations where you live- what do the French do for Christmas and New Years? What are the favorite festivities or traditions your family enjoy during this season? I am really enjoying my visits with you, Fran! Our oldest daughter will be flying from Canada to be with us for two weeks over Christmas and New Years in Tokyo and we will take a short trip to Seoul Korea together. We have booked a cooking class to learn how to make some Korean recipes and we are looking into visiting a traditional Korean spa to experience a head/scalp treatment :<) Should be fun.

Fran you asked for questions we may like to ask . My questions are , what are your earliest memories of your crafting journey and who most influenced on you making things. For me my earliest memory was quietly playing with my Grandmothers button box when I visited her, as a child, and she was always knitting. Your dolls are adorable , its been so lovely seeing them come together and dress them. Happy sewing x

Hi ….. so enjoying your vlogmas ….. I wonder is you could help me ….. I would love to make a doll like yours for my granddaughters first birthday …. Could you recommend a kit I could get as I don’t have individual materials at the moment? Thanks in anticipation. Also a question for your Q&A video ….. what is your favourite fort of French culture that differs from British? Xxxxxx

I don’t remember if it was last Vlogmas or even the year before. You put a lit candle on the breakfast table and the room was still quit dark. Your candle holder was clearly hand made by an artisan. In that moment I felt so grounded. For my one Christmas present that year I ordered myself a handmade ceramic candle holder from Etsy. Later that year I also bought two hand poured beeswax candles. When I lit one for the first time last Solstice, I felt so rich, in all the important, non monetary, ways. So thank you!!

Your dolls are beautiful!! Hello to you from California, USA!

Proud of you for getting the trousers done! It brought back a good memory. My Oma always used a safety pin to pull elastic or draw strings through. I thought it was magic at the time!! 😂

I have a question. I’ve noticed your children speaking English several times. I’m not surprised, because you do. But I imagine it isn’t very common in the village? Only in larger cities?

Im curious about how you came to live in the pyrenesse. I have only seen pictures on TV but wow. What a beautiful part of the world.

What is your favorite way to keep projects stored while you are not working on them?

❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❤ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ I feel like I can just breathe watching this !

What a fairy tale village! ❄️

Can you tell us how you began making your soft toys? I am well acquainted with my seam ripper too any time I sew anything. Sometimes I do need to step away and take a break.

I’m behind on watching so not even sure if the craft fair has passed. I wanted to suggest maybe take the two dolls you’ve made (and maybe even one or two of the children’s) and some clothing pieces and show them as samples of what you can make. Customers could then place an order. Maybe not as good as walking away with a doll in hand, but it would get you to the fair to answer your curiosity and establish your presence in the village for future purchases.

It’s a joy when things go well 👏🏻

I am enjoying seeing you make your sweet dolls. They really are beautiful. How long do you think each doll takes to make in total?

We had a pink candle in church today to mark the change from reflection into joy . It is sometimes called the shepherds candle 🕯️ this is the first advent/Christmas for us as church goers and it’s lovely to learn the traditions. We can’t have candles inside because I’m too absent minded 😊 but have a lantern for outside

I’m glad your appointment went well Fran ❤

Hooray! ;)

Would love a Q and A episode too! 👍 hearing about your knitting/spinning with natural French wool and being a family with two languages and cultures (?), would be really interesting to me 🙂🤎

I enjoy your posts very much. I would love to hear about how you and your family came to be in a small town in the Pyrenees. I am intrigued about how one makes a living in a remote rural town. Both my children attended Waldorf school in the states, and we have several handmade dolls like the ones you are making, they are absolute treasures.

Your doll making has inspired me to make some dolls again. It's been almost 20 years so I'm hoping my skills aren't too far gone. But I'm wanting to try at least. Q&A are fun! You do answer a lot of questions in your videos already that I would ask. I deeply appreciate you talking about your health journey. I have struggled with chronic illnesses and mental health my entire life and the care and stigma in the US are quite awful. I hope your systems of care are much better there.

So beautiful. I agree completely with your sentiment. My children are grown-up now. Our most enduring and happiest memories are of time spent on the Outer Banks in North Carolina in the days when it had seen minimal development. Long days spent beach combing, kayaking in the sound, exploring Alligator River, and fishing for crabs (then throwing them back :-). There are many areas of immense natural beauty in the USA. As a family, we decided to explore these rather than Disney World and its ilk.

Lovely to hear your positive news! And it was fun to see the chickens enjoying the park. I’d be very happy for a q and a. One thing I’ve wondered is how often you swap from speaking French or English with your children - it’s fantastic that they are growing up to be bi-lingual! ❤

What a beautiful day for you 😊 I live on the southern coast of Maine (US). We’ve had only the lightest dusting of snow, now gone. In my childhood we could always depend on lots of deep snow by now, but the last few years it hasn’t really snowed until January. I love snow, fingers crossed that we’ll get some soon! 😊

I would love a q and a. Sounds like fun.

❤

Glad your appointment was positive today. Your dolls look like they take lots of work to make but are so lovely.

Okay Fran I actually need to comment because I have been watching all your Vlogmases for the past few days and they have been a little haven of peace during these harsh pre-winter days. I find your voice so soothing, and your whole posture so raw and true and it just feels like we're friends and it feels like oldschool youtube, you know? As it turns out, you were one of the people who inspired me to do a youtube of my own because of how simple and humane you make yours. (In the best way) Anyways. I am so glad your doctor's appointment went well. I am very grateful for your openness talking about your mental health. I adore your bears ! And the other day you were talking about the branding of your dolls and bears. Maybe WoolenHearted could be your overall brand, and Woolen Folks could be a product name, derived from the brand WoolenHearted? And then both can coexist, on a same insta, etc etc :) But do as you please. OF COURSE :) Also I have a question : I sew little mice (inspired from the maileg mice). Would you recommend presewing like you did before cutting them out? Have a lovely evening ❤ And thank you for everything you share and the warmth and comfort you bring me ❤

It is indeed like Narnia! So magical ❄️✨️ Thank you for taking us along!

Thank you for sharing the beautiful scenery and your family time. What a special time with your kids!

I live in the USA on the east coast. We have not had any snow yet and don’t get as much as many years ago. The place you live is exquisitely beautiful and I wish your health was better so you can enjoy it but you all seem very happy. I hope you have success at the fair.

Hi I’m in New Zealand and it’s a very hot 30 degrees today, too hot for middle aged me! Enjoy the snow, it looks so lovely and Christmasy 🎄

Only a dusting of snow here in southern Missouri USA. Thanks for taking us along. It’s beautiful there!

I attach my doll arms differently than you, but I love how yours are able to hug (mine go up and down!), I’m going to try your way next time.

Oh Fran I love your dolls and that you are taking it step by steptwerds the craft fair…. Love how you said it’s an itch you feel you want to listen to- 100% understand that… so nice to see the stages of your doll-making & the crafting all coming together:) many gentle hugs and cheering you on . Love, Mimi

I adore these magical glittery snowy landscapes! ❄️ Very occasionally we get them in the hills above Lake Constance (getting so rare😢) so if I can, I love to try getting to the Lower Engadin/Grisons for a dose of my personal Narnia 😍 Definitely agree about the time spent with parents. I had an odd childhood in some ways but basically good memories and good relationships with my parents (who I am lucky to still have at 60!) ❤

No snow here in Australia - it’s been so hot this December with extremely high humidity and lots of rain. In fact Ive never seen snow in my life 😢 Maybe one day

I live outside of Nashville TN USA and we have had a dusting of snow one night so far. Snow up in the mountains of TN. I would love for you to take us to the village stores, churches etc so we could see what they look like

Curious about what kind of bush at the church is blooming with it snowing??

So great to see you and be spending December with you! Sending love!!!