Off the hook since 1987

My family called me Jellybean when I was a little girl. Rita was my loving grandmother. She taught me how to crochet when I was ten.

What Rita showed me was more meaningful than I could have imagined back then, gripping the hook and yarn tightly with my small, sticky fingers, following her direction. It taught me the joy of making something with my own two hands. It showed me how making could be meditative, healing. I saw how much happiness my creations brought to others. It felt magical and it was something that only my grandmother and I shared.

I remember quiet afternoons sitting alongside her under piles of granny squares stitched with deep reds, mustards, vibrant greens and aquas...quietly double-crocheting the day away as the sun filtered through the blinds behind us, lighting up thousands of fibers. It was mesmerizing.

Somewhere along the way, as an adult (and mom) I started to believe that crocheting and making things with my hands was a luxury for which I didn’t have the time. There was so much more that I could be doing with my spare minutes - cleaning up the house, catching up on life's tasks, reading about parenting, diving more deeply into my activism...always something more that I could be working on.

And then I realized that I had lost this thing that I loved and that always brought me so much joy and peace. I want and need more of THAT in my life! We should all have more of that feeling in our lives, especially during times like these.

So - here is Jellybean & Rita. I make to bring more joy to my life and to the lives of others. I make with my grandmother's teachings in my heart and the love and calm of those days on the couch when I was ten.

What you'll see in my shop are crocheted (and sometimes knitted) things to wear, baby hats and toys, and things to brighten up your home. And because I am old school, I will also be making stationery for those who still like to send notes of love and appreciation to their people like I do. You’ll also see a lot of my daughter, Lucia. She is my self-appointed model, designer and PR person - this is a multi-generational endeavor. :)

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that what we have made here brings you as much happiness as all of it has brought us to create it.

Jen Chau Fontán
Founder and Maker
jen@jellybeanrita.com

Lucia Izzy Fontán
Model, Designer and PR
lucia@jellybeanrita.com