Freeze-Dried Special Request

Thank you for considering Candy and Crochet by Fortville Hookery!

Crochet Special Orders

We request minimum of 50% down payment prior to us beginning work (or purchasing supplies/patterns) for crocheted special requests.

Returns

We do not accept returns.  Our goal is for you to smile every time you see your “Freeze-Dried Sweets and Crocheted Treats”!  If something is wrong, we will make it right.  If there is a problem, please let us know right away!

Plastic Eyes

Plastic “safety eyes” are NOT SAFE for children under 3, animals, or people who put items in their mouths. They are a REAL choking risk. Embroidered eyes are a SAFER option.

Please take the toys away from children if they become damaged.

Important stuff about candy

Google tells me that the grammatically correct thing to do is hyphenate freeze-drying, so that’s what I’ll do.  I don’t like it.

The freeze-dryer April uses is by HarvestRight.  I would encourage you to learn more about freeze-drying, it is extremely interesting.  It’s very sciencey.  It is really for food preservation - the candy is a really great byproduct.  Food is frozen to very low temp, then a strong vacuum is applied.  This removes the ice and changes it to a vapor, bypassing the liquid stage.  I’m a little fuzzy about what happens then….but you end up with food that is extremely lightweight and shelf stable for up to 25 years when properly packaged.  The food can be easily rehydrated and returns to its previous state, without impacting taste or nutritional value.  This includes meat (raw or cooked) and almost all foods.  “Preppers” LOVE freeze-drying!

Candy is different.  Rather than being frozen, candy is warmed and the vacuum applied, which causes the incredible texture changes that happen.  My candy, of course, is intended to be enjoyed soon.  However, if you want to be sure you have Skizzles in 2045 or so, we’ll be happy to do that - just let us know!

Unless otherwise clearly noted in the description, the candy is just that - candy from the manufacturer, with nothing added.  No nutritional changes occur.  Starburst are gluten-free, and so my Starblasts are also gluten-free.  If you’re allergic to the almonds in Bit-O-Honey, you are also allergic to my Honey Bites!

One exciting characteristic about freeze-dried candy is it can make SOME forbidden candy available to people wearing braces.  4 out of 5 dentists agree (maybe!).  But check with your orthodontist!

This is a large machine that is typically kept in a garage - that’s where April’s is.  No cats out there!  

Each item will have a sticker stating “This product is home produced and processed and the production area has not been inspected by the State Department of Health.”  Additionally, the appropriate certifications have been obtained. This fulfills the Indiana laws for selling freeze-dried foods, both at farmer’s markets and online.  

Because the product is essentially 100% dehydrated, it is extremely susceptible to moisture, including moisture in the air.  Any amount of water will affect the texture.  Please be sure to seal the containers tightly!

More stuff about crochet

We know - crochet is REALLY expensive.  We think so too!  Crochet is art, and art is always considered luxury.  Assembled crochet items take a LONG time to make.  The least complex items take us a minimum of 2 hours - and we are both quite fast!  Items with many pieces can take 20 hours or more.  It’s enjoyable time - we love it! - but it’s a LOT of time!  We charge the minimum we are able to charge to cover increasingly expensive materials and a small fraction of the value of our time.  If crocheted items cost more than you were anticipating but you LOVE the products, we would encourage you to check out TikTok or YouTube for beginner crochet videos.  Here are just some of the videos that we have learned from. There are many “crochet along” videos for beginners, which is a really fun way to learn. We promise, you can do it too!

You may be surprised to learn that micro crochet and giant crochet are made from the same patterns - just bigger or smaller yarn and hooks!  So a large item and a matching small item actually require the exact same number of stitches.

For custom requests, ‘hookers’ generally require full payment up front due to the time commitments involved with pattern planning and customization.  We will communicate with you throughout the process via email.  We can either send photos along the way, or you can see it as a surprise - both ways are fun!

If we are creating a custom item for you, we’ll want to know the purpose of the item - will it be displayed, or will it be played with by a child?  Items that are being displayed allow us to use techniques that are not appropriate if the item will be played with.

Plastic “safety eyes” are NOT SAFE for children under 3, animals, or people who put items in their mouths.  Please let us know if any of these apply to you.

April has cats and Jaclyn has a dog, and they are all snuggly.  If you have extreme animal allergies, we are probably not a good fit for you!  Of course, items will be cleaned before you receive them, but there will inevitably be cat and dog hair woven into the item, even though you can't see it.  

Items that are already completed are made with a mixture of yarns from our “stash”.  This is…balls.  Balls of yarn, that is!  This includes cotton, acrylic, polyester, wool, and others.  Unless otherwise noted, we are not able to accurately provide details about the yarn or materials used.  If you would like a customized product made from specific materials, of course we’re happy to accommodate that!

...no blankets.

Thank you for considering our small town small business!

April & Jaclyn

Fortville Hookery

Fortville, Indiana