The Dauntless Dandelion Crochet Pattern
Written by: Kristen Moore
Published on 03/27/2024
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The Dauntless Dandelion
For those of you who don’t know, the month of April is also known as Month of the Military Child. It’s an entire month dedicated to recognizing the challenges and strengths of military children, who are represented by the dandelion flower.
Before I talk more about the Dauntless Dandelion design specifically, I wanted to share a little bit about myself and my background growing up in a military family.
My dad’s career began and ended with the military. I grew up moving every 2-3 years and experienced some really cool places in the U.S. and overseas. My siblings and I collected cool mementos from each duty station, learned about other cultures, held friendships all around the world, and went on some amazing trips I’ll remember forever.
I’d say the biggest challenge though, with being a military kid, was knowing your parent’s job came with the potential to be put in dangerous positions or situations. Whether you moved around a lot or lived in one place…your military parent could still be called away at a moment’s notice to go wherever the military wanted to send them.
Military members get to choose to put themselves in positions of sacrifice when they sign up for the job, but their kids are usually born or brought into the lifestyle without a say for themselves.
However, with all of it’s challenges, I wouldn’t change the way I grew up for anything. I was and still am proud to have grown up being part of a military family. I’m proud of my dad for choosing to serve our country and proud of my mom who supported him and made many sacrifices as well.
Me and my dad, COL John McHugh.
Photo taken in 2008 after his return from a 1-year long deployment to Kuwait.
When I was 17…my dad finished his career by paying the ultimate sacrifice when he was killed in action in Afghanistan during a suicide bombing. As a military kid, the one fear I grew up with, and any military family’s nightmare, actually came true for our family.
Our lives changed drastically the day we got the news on our doorstep. I remember sitting at our dining room table, doing my math homework as usual, when my mom looked out the window to see a car pulling up to our house, followed by two men in uniform somberly walking towards our door.
When I saw her reaction, I immediately knew what was happening. However, during that exact time my dad was working in Afghanistan, my older brother was deployed to Iraq. For just the few seconds before the casualty assistance officers told us the news, I was left wondering who was taken from us. Was it my dad…or was it my brother?
Looking back, the fact that I even had to ask the question shows the heavy weight that military kids, and military families in general, hold on their shoulders. I was only 17 years old, and I had to wonder which one of my family members had just been killed.
When my dad left on his trip, I didn’t know it was the last time I would ever get to hear his voice and give him a hug. Honestly, while the weight of dangerous possibilities was always there in my subconscious, it wasn’t the first thing I thought of when he left for that trip. I knew it was dangerous, but I didn’t think it would happen to us. I didn’t actually think I’d be picking out a black dress and choosing the music for my dad’s funeral just one week later.
I now get to hold dear the many memories of my dad. I can still picture him singing aloud to Third Day songs in the car. Kicking the soccer ball with us at the fields. Reading his Bible at the kitchen table every morning. Holding hands with my mom in church. My dad was a constant in my life until he wasn’t.
Thankfully, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. I wouldn’t be where I am today without His grace, and I wouldn’t know about His grace if it weren’t for my parent’s devotion to Jesus and teaching me what it means to accept a gift I’m not deserving of.
Because of this gift, the gift of Jesus, I know without a doubt I’ll see my dad again someday. And it’s this hope that keeps me going. It’s this hope that makes my life still have purpose even when horrible things happen. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s eternal life with my Savior and the loved ones I’ve lost here on earth.
Now, I get to pass the legacy of sacrifice and honor on to my own two military kids. I get to share stories of Grandpa John with them as I teach them what it means to serve a country as great as ours. They get to watch their own amazing dad serve and be taught by the example of his strength and leadership. It’s a lifestyle I am so excited I get to watch them grow up in, as memories of my own military childhood flood into my mind.
Military kids have to adapt and adjust to a lot of different circumstances. They have to live with fears they sometimes don’t even realize are present. But it’s also a life filled with great honor, adventure, and joy.
We’re getting ready for our next big move, and it’s the first one that our kids (5 & 3) are beginning to understand. They’ve spent the last 3 years making friends and forming an amazing community here in Alaska. It’s the only world they know and remember since they were so young when we first moved here. Our daughter is having a hard time knowing that her next birthday won’t be spent here with her friends. It’s a bittersweet time, since we’re excited to live closer to family but facing the difficult emotions of leaving a beloved home.
“Military children are resilient, strong, and dauntless.”
With all of this said, military kids hold a very special place in my heart. That’s why I wanted to use my love of crochet design to create something special for them during Month of the Military Child.
That’s when the idea of the Dauntless Dandelion was born.
The dandelion is the official flower of the military child. Like military children, dandelions put down strong roots wherever they’re planted and are extremely difficult to destroy. They are carried by the wind and beautifully bloom wherever they fall.
Military children are resilient, strong, and dauntless.
I am so excited to be able to express my appreciation for military kids with my love of crochet pattern designing! I love it when I can pull my life experiences and circumstances into new ideas and create from a story.
And, I’m honored to donate 50% of April’s proceeds from the Dauntless Dandelion pattern and flowers to the Johnny Mac Soldier’s Fund.
The Johnny Mac Soldier’s Fund is a non-profit organization founded in 2014 in memory of my dad (COL John McHugh). It began when a group of my dad’s West Point classmates got together to raise college funds for my siblings and me. Over the next several years, the organization grew at an amazing rate and has continued to help veterans, military members, and children of our nation’s fallen and disabled with education scholarships to reach their goals.
I’m so excited to be able to give a portion of the Dauntless Dandelion proceeds towards helping other military kids reach their goals! It feels like a full circle moment and I’m completely here for it.
The Dauntless Dandelion is an intermediate level pattern and will be released in my shop and is available now!
Find the pattern in my shop here!
https://junebugandjames.etsy.com/listing/1690706538
Instructions for the purple ribbon are also included in the pattern. With purple being the official color of the military child, I knew I needed a place for it to be incorporated! Of course, you can make the ribbon any color you want, but I am partial to purple!
I’m excited to say the Dauntless Dandelion pattern is completely no-sew as well! You begin with the flower and work your way down the stem with no ends to weave in except for your very last end. The pattern is written with size 6 super bulky yarn in mind, but you can make this pattern in any weight yarn you choose! All you’ll need to do is adjust the hook size to your preferred hook for the yarn you’re using and you’ll be good to go!
Here is the full list of supplies you’ll need to make a Dauntless Dandelion!
Color A - Bernat Blanket size 6 super bulky yarn [100% polyester, 27.3 yds/25m per 1.3oz; flower color]
Color B - Bernat Blanket size 6 super bulky yarn [100% polyester, 14.7 yds/13m per 0.7oz; stem color]
Color C - Bernat Blanket size 6 super bulky yarn [100% polyester, 14.7 yds/13m per 0.7oz; ribbon color]
Hook: size L-11 (8.00mm) & 7.00mm
Other recommended yarn options:
Loops & Threads Chenille Home Slim (size 6 super bulky yarn)
WeCrochet Dishie Cotton (size 4 worsted weight)
WeCrochet Brava Worsted (size 4 worsted weight)
Hobbii Rainbow Cotton (size 8/8 light worsted weight)
Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn (size 4 medium weight)
The Dauntless Dandelion
Yarn: WeCrochet Dishie Cotton (flower), Hobby Lobby Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek (stem).
Hook: 4.00mm (flower) & 3.75mm (stem)
I’ll be sure to link the pattern in this post once it’s officially released! I would love it if you could share the word for this pattern either by sharing the link in your Instagram and Facebook stories or sharing this blog post so people can read more about the meaning behind this pattern!
Thank you SO much for the support you’ve shown for the Dauntless Dandelion! I hope it’s able to be made by and for military kids all around the world. If you do choose to support my business and the Johnny Mac Soldier’s Fund by purchasing this pattern, I would LOVE it if you could share your work on social media and tag us!
And as always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or pattern assistance needs. I truly enjoy getting to know my customers and building new crochet friend relationships! My inbox on Instagram, Facebook, and email is always open!
XOXO
Kristen
