Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten, Fiber Artist

03/19/2026

Makin' giambotta for tomorrow.

03/08/2026

No idea what I am going to use this for, but I had to get it!

01/23/2026

Throw your arms 'round this honky-tonk man. Always makes me think of Uncle Chubby. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. ❤️

12/26/2025

At approximately 8 a.m. on the morning of December 26, 1776, General George Washington's Continental Army reaches the outskirts of Trenton, New Jersey, and descends upon the unsuspecting Hessian force guarding the city. Trenton's 1,400 Hessian defenders were still groggy from the previous evening's Christmas festivities and had underestimated the Patriot threat after months of decisive British victories throughout New York. The troops of the Continental Army quickly overwhelmed the German defenses, and by 9:30 a.m.Trenton was completely surrounded.

Although several hundred Hessians escaped, nearly 1,000 were captured at the cost of only four American lives. However, because most of Washington's army had failed to cross the Delaware the previous day, he was without adequate artillery or men and was forced to withdraw from the town.

Although the victory was minor from a strategic perspective, it bore tremendous significance for the future of the Continental Army. Washington needed a success before his solders' enlistments expired on December 31--without a dramatic upswing in morale, he was likely to lose the soldiers under his command and be unable to recruit new men to replace them. The victories at Trenton and a few days later at Princeton proved to the American public that their army was indeed capable of victory and worthy of support.

The image of ragged farm-boy Patriots defeating drunken foreign mercenaries has become ingrained in the American imagination. Then as now, Washington's crossing and the Battle of Trenton were emblematic of the American Patriots' surprising ability to overcome the tremendous odds they faced in challenging the wealthy and powerful British empire.

02/11/2025

https://alvbfiberart.com/gearing-up-for-2025-setting-fiber-goals/
Hi all, remember me? I’m back! Now in 2025, I’m ready to get back to , , , , and more.

Gearing up for 2025: Setting Fiber Goals February 10, 2025 Andrea Leave a comment Hi all, remember me? I’m back! Last year was very busy. Some great, some not so much. My big project was writing my first book, The Italians of Newark: A History. It was released in October of 2024 and has been well ...

05/17/2023

Over the last year or two, I have been making a concerted effort to reduce my plastic and single-use product use. I’ve moved away from traditional laundry liquids to plastic-free laundry products (still trying to settle on a product I like). I been looking for products packaged in . I’m using dryer balls instead of the usual fabric softeners. One item I haven’t been able to kick is the use of . That is, until now.

One item I haven't been able to kick is the use of dust mop sheets. That is, until now. I've finally developed a reusable dust mop cover.

05/14/2023

New pattern on its way! Stay tuned...

05/12/2023

Sounds like an awesome time!

04/03/2023

Spring is starting to peek around the corner. The temperature is staying above freezing (for the most part), the crocuses are starting to emerge, and plans for the have been announced!

Spring is starting to peek around the corner. The temperature is staying above freezing, the crocuses are starting to emerge, and plans for the Wool Walk have been announced!

03/13/2023

https://alvbfiberart.com/aquatic-crochet-art-imitating-life/
As I was mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook feed yesterday, I came across something that was actually pleasant and artistic. Moreover, it was on a page I would've never expected to see patterns - the .

As I was mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook feed yesterday, I came across something that was actually pleasant and artistic.…