Crocheting for the galaxy…a very special gift…

Yesterday I hooked up with some friends I’ve met through our crochet hobby. The appointment to meet each other was already there for a long time, but due to personal reasons, it didn’t happen till last weekend! They told me they still had a nice present for me which they would like to give me in person and so this happened. And what a gift it was…..

Maybe some explanation and background are needed to understand this story. I am a huge fan of comics and Marvel characters. It is just about getting out of the real world for a moment and getting lost in a dimension where things are happening that never could happen in real life. I met Simone and Lenneard in person last year at the biggest craft event in Holland – the Kreadoe. There I was presenting and signing my book Journey. They already had a copy of it but visited me to still get it signed. When opening the book, there was an envelope with a card in it. And it was a hand-drawn card made by Lenneard. As Lenneard is a very good drawer in his free time. He likes to draw comic things and characters – but always personalizes them. Like he did with the card I received. This is the card:

He definitely made the card personal by adding Spidey reading my book! I was so impressed by the fact that someone who didn’t know me by then just took the effort to draw something so special for me. From that moment he also got to know my love for Marvel characters and in special – the Guardians of the Galaxy. So a plan which I didn’t know started in his head…ending in a very impressive and overwhelming new gift.

The gift I received yesterday from Lenneard and Simone was this amazing piece of art. A hand-drawn Marvel comic book cover – totally personalized for me. I was literally blown away by this drawing and still am up till today. I am sitting and looking at it all day with the feeling I bought an amazing piece of art out of the gallery. And there is so much detail in it, which obviously I will tell some about – in case you must some important parts.

Let’s start in the left corner. Here is a portrait of my mother holding my book. The portrait is actually made from a photo she took on the day she became 60 years old. If you would go up above the portrait a little you will discover a market stand full of balls of yarn. The name of the stand actually holds the Instagram name of my mothers account: Dutch-Silence. But…there is also a little blue flag with the title: MadebySiem – which is the Youtube channel of Siem, the wife of Lenneard. She makes Youtube videos about crocheting and all related. I will put the link to it at the end of this post.

Then there is the other side of the drawing. Where is another market stand including my name and full of Journey books. In front of the stand is even the Rainbow Subway blanket included which is on the cover of the book. And have you seen what Drax is holding? Normally he hands knives, this time he holds his very own crochet hook!

Then the top of the drawing. As this is a comic book cover, the Marvel logo and official label are included. But again a personal touch! The price is in euros and the barcode under it holds my birthdate! And if you look to the middle you will also discover Groot holding my book. Upside down…yes…but Groot can’t read so don’t blame him 😉

But the most fun part of this all is me. I have become Starlord himself in his red jacket and special guns. But…Lenneard did a marvelous job adding a very important detail to me. As I am a huge fan of Queen, he made me wear the shirt with the movie poster on it. The resemblance of Freddy is so iconic. And another fun detail, instead of wearing the Ravagers emblem, all members are wearing now an emblem with a ball of yarn.

The title of this comic book cover really finishes this piece of art. Even the fondness for the letters is the exact same.

Although I have said so many times “thank you” to Lenneard and Simone, I truly want to say it again. As it feels so special to receive such a personal, handmade gift. Each of us is special in its own way with the talent that is given to us. For me, it is pattern designing, but we all can agree that this Lenneard’s special gift, right?! If you want to see more of Lenneard’s work, I will post some links here:

His IG page: https://www.instagram.com/its_just_lenneard/

And he also has a Youtube channel:

And if you are interested in crocheting and want to see a fun channel, his wife is having Youtube channel -MadebySiem: