CKC’s Board of Directors was charmed by the bears and Marilyn’s story. Board members asked if she would write a crocheted bear pattern for CKC Members to download. Marilyn wrote instructions for the crocheted bear and also for a knitted version. In June 2023, CKC called for volunteers to test the patterns.

I volunteered to test the crochet pattern, and that’s how Pinky Bear came to be. Within weeks, knit and crochet patterns for Marilyn’s bears were available free of charge to CKC Members. To promote CKC’s free knit/crochet bear patterns, I posted Pinky Bear’s many Fall 2023 adventures on my own and CKC’s social media platforms.

In October we went to the Texas Fleece and Fiber Festival in Kerrville. At my TextileFusion booth, Pinky Bear clowned around with a crocheted butterfly which I believed was stiffened with wax instead of starch. The result: a Waxwing Bear Fly. Pinky Bear visited with Rose, the crocheted sheep mascot of Yellow Rose Fiber Markets. He stood on her left shoulder.

A few days later, we carpooled with friends to the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, and yes, we did find yarn there. Pinky and I loved Dusty’s Buttons and More, where vintage buttons were sorted by color. Since then, Pinky Bear has been at home on my desk.