Motivated New England Resident Knitting Their Negatives Into Positives

This is news to absolutely nobody, but life can be super hard sometimes. There are times when everything is amazing -- almost too good to be true -- but unfortunately, there are also trying, challenging times.

Ideally/hopefully, the good times super outweigh the bad.

That may be true for some, but not always the case for others. Look no further than the countless homeless encampments that are constantly popping up, being shut down, and popping up in other locations in Portland, Maine.

And, unfortunately, there are usually two types of reactions when "the going gets tough" -- those that struggle and possibly crumble, and those that become determined to crush and overcome every obstacle.

For Vermont resident Aspen Harper Kobetitsch, it's the latter.

According to Aspen, they have been knitting for over 13 years, but only recently started taking commissions for work over the last few years to help with various hardships in their personal life.

First, to help my dog that was paralyzed, to raise money for her care.

Unfortunately, Aspen's pup has since passed away, but that didn't stop the obstacles being flung their way.

Now, my partner and I were no-cause evicted and very urgently had to find a place to live. It took six months, but we finally found somewhere, and the move is EXPENSIVE.

"Expensive" is probably putting it lightly, too, as Aspen said it cost them and their partner $2600 for the deposit, another $2600 for the first month of rent, and an additional $1200 pet deposit.

And it doesn't really matter who you are, spending $6400 (plus needing a washer and dryer on top of that) all at once is a lot of money to spend -- it can be debilitating and account-draining. But that's where you have to have an extra amount of respect for Aspen and their drive.

Because while they could just add to the insane amount of GoFundMe pages on the internet (and no judgment to anyone who has made one, by the way), they are using their talents to try and ease their bank account being blown up by providing items for others with the cool weather here and the subzero temps just around the corner.

The most amazing part of all this, too? Sure, Aspen uses the money they get from these knitting commissions to help pay their own bills (it's a side hustle to help make ends meet, after all), but they also look out for others -- when they're able to, they donate some of the proceeds to various charities, as well.

So it's not just a purely self-serving, money-making hobby.

Someday, Aspen hopes to be in a position where they can churn out a full, New England local line of hats, scarves, and the like, but for now, they're all about fulfilling those custom commission requests -- anything from funny lines to cat hats, and everything in between.

Have an idea you want to see come to life? Hit up Aspen's Facebook page for everything you need!

And, also, let this be a lesson that there's nothing you can't find a way to overcome. Because Aspen is proving that it's absolutely possible, you just need to fight.