Ozark woman channels two decades of teaching art into retirement hobby, business

Draping the fabric across the back of a dining room chair, Dottie Lash unfolds a nearly 8-foot-long blanket that displays a peacock. The handmade, crocheted blanket is made entirely of metallic yarn and glistens in the sun beaming through her window. From the bedroom, Jeff Lash carries out another handmade blanket, this one depicting a 1957 Chevy 210, his first vehicle, and a 1957 Chevy 3100 Short Bed.

While these blankets are part of the Lashes' personal collection, there are countless more ready for new homes. Since retiring in June 2021, designing and crocheting blankets has become a bit more than just a hobby for Dottie. Speaking to the News-Leader on Thursday, Lash said she's crocheted about 110 blankets, one hat, one egg apron and several pillowcases over the past three years.

On June 6, Lash attended the Ozark Farmers Market at Finley Farms as a featured artisan for the first time. She only sold one blanket, but as the farmers market was her first public sale, she was happy to make a sale and connect with interested customers.

Originally from Nebraska, the Lashes, who have been married 47 years, moved to Ozark about 15 years ago. Upon arriving in southwest Missouri, Lash took a job as a trainer for American Greetings, where she worked for 11 years.

When she retired in June 2021, Lash said the last thing she wanted to do was sit around and watch television; she didn't want to get bored. A friend recommended she crochet some blankets and donate them to a local children's hospital. So she did. She donated 25 to 30 handmade blankets to the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals at CoxHealth in Springfield. But that wasn't enough.

"I got really bored because I only know one stitch and so everything looked the same," Lash said.

With a background in art, Lash began to draw up her own blanket patterns on graph paper. For 22 years, she taught tole painting, the folk art of painting atop wooden surfaces. Several of Lash's original pieces of artwork feature throughout the Lashes' home.

Since designing her own patterns, Lash has made blankets featuring various sports teams, animals and seasonal imagery.

Each blanket features a custom care label Lash purchases online and an original poem that relates to the design on the blanket.

"It's not just a blanket, it's kind of like it comes with its own little story, just to add a little bit of something different," Lash said. "I figured, anybody can make a blanket, but if you can throw a little three-, four-line poem in there with it, it just elevates it a little bit."

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Lash crochets two sizes of blankets: small, 3-by-4-foot lap blankets and larger, 3-by-6-foot blankets. Lash said it takes about one week to make a lap blanket and between two and a half to three weeks to make a larger one. She sells her lap blankets for $150 and larger blankets for $350-400, depending on the size and design.

There are two reasons why Lash enjoys crocheting blankets. The first is how she is able to turn a vision into reality.

"The most joy for me is I see it in my head and I can bring it out through my fingers," Lash said. She enjoys visiting fabric stores, looking at the different colored yarn and getting inspired for new designs.

The second is how it feels to gift a handmade craft.

"The greatest joy is when you give it to someone and they're not expecting it," she said.

One of Lash's favorite stories is when she gifted a blanket she made to her sister's granddaughter, Harley. The blanket depicted her name and the Harley-Davidson logo, as she works at the local shop.

"When I showed it to her, she cried and she said, 'No one's ever done anything like this for me before,'" Lash recalled.

In addition to blankets she crochets based on her own designs, Lash is open to making custom blankets. Folks interested in learning more may contact her at dottielash@hotmail.com.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ozark woman keeps busy, finds joy in newfound retirement hobby