Frannie Zellner sits on her pull-out couch inside her RV, contently crocheting away to make her newest hot pad. Despite the severe arthritis in her hands, she creates around three a day. She sold over 100 in three months last year, each one a unique, colorful design.

The dedicated 56-year-old crocheter sells her hot pads on Facebook Marketplace with the help of her sister, Annette Zellner Titlow. They only ask for donations to buy more yarn and to cover shipping fees. Although some are missing stitches, they are what her sister describes as “perfectly imperfect.”

“I think it’s probably what keeps her nimble,” Annette said. “A woman at church wanted to teach us to crochet, and Fran was just sitting there while we were all struggling to learn, she just picked it up on her own.”

The homey RV is adorned with painted walls, a small chandelier, and brick wallpaper. A big basket full of balls of yarn lies beside the pull-out couch in the back where Frannie sits. An additional bundle of yarn is tucked away above the couch in the walkway. Annette playfully calls it “Frannie’s Hot Pads World Corporate Headquarters.”

The pair have lived in the RV since Annette sold her Houston home after her husband passed away. They now travel around the United States with a group of widow RVers but consider the RV park in the small city of Jarell their home base.

“The house was just too big for the two of us,” Annette said. “She is my co-pilot, except she is not really good at reading the maps.”

“No, I’m not,” Frannie replies as they laugh together.

The sisters have five other siblings but were always especially close growing up because they were the closest in age. Annette spoke with their mother about having Frannie move in with her before she passed away. After moving in, Frannie helped raise Annette’s two daughters, who consider her to be a second mother.

“Fran likes to go shopping with my daughter because she lets her buy the (junk) food she wants (which I won’t let her get),” Annette said.

Frannie has other hobbies and interests apart from crocheting. She sang in a choir that traveled across the U.S., swam in the Special Olympics, traveled to several countries, and is an avid poker player who especially enjoys a game of Texas Holdem.

“I have really good hands,” Frannie said.

Still, crocheting while watching reruns of “The Love Boat” remains among Frannie’s top pastimes. She regularly insists on bringing her prized collection of yarn wherever she goes. When reminded of an upcoming trip upstate to help watch Annette’s grandchildren, Frannie had an immediate thought.

“No, thank you,” Frannie said. “I’m staying home, keeping the TV going, making more of this stuff.”

For those who desire an original work by Frannie, the sisters encourage people to reach out to them on their Facebook listing “Frannie’s hot pads,” where you can request a custom color or let Frannie pick the design. In one post on Frannie’s page, Annette explains why both the pads and her sister contain extra love.

“She wants the world to know that having an extra 21st chromosome only means she has extra love to share”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas woman loves to crochet unique hot pads despite her arthritis