MILWAUKEE— Crocheting and knitting is a fun hobby for Katie Carr of Milwaukee. 

She’s made a lot of different things throughout the two decades she's been stitching away.

“I started with little household things, but I like to do some toys for my kids,” Carr said. "Now and then they might have some Pokemon they really are into or whatever it might be.”

After the picture of Sen. Bernie Sanders at President Joe Biden’s inauguration went viral, Carr thought she’d try her hand at crocheting Bernie himself. 

“'Katie, you need to add this to your repertoire,'” she said to herself when she saw the pattern for sale. 

She bought the pattern and got to work. The Bernie doll includes the now-famous mittens, a face mask, and even wispy white hair.

“It’s just acrylic yarn,” Carr said. “The bottom is weighted, he has a bunch of buttons in there, so he’ll sit down nicely.”

Carr said it took about 10 to 12 hours to finish the doll, a project she worked on while her kids were attending class virtually. 

She posted a picture of her Bernie doll in a Facebook group, asking if anyone had a little chair for him to sit on. 

Someone suggested Carr crochet more dolls in Sanders’ likeness and sell them, something Carr didn’t want to do. 

“People were offering to buy Bernie, and everyone was saying, 'Oh will you make one for me? Will you make one for me?’ I didn’t really want to make a business out of it,” Carr said. 

Instead, she decided to put the doll and chair on eBay for auction, with the proceeds from the sale going to Hope House Milwaukee. 

As of 5:00 p.m. Thursday, the asking price on the auction was $247.50. 

That’s exciting news for Wendy Weckler, the executive director of Hope House. 

"It makes me feel great,” Weckler said. "Obviously, it’s nice to have your work appreciated and it’s wonderful when someone’s willing to devote so much of their time to something that will help so many more people. It’s really appreciated.”

If you’d like to place a bid to buy the Bernie doll and help Hope House Milwaukee, the auction is open on eBay until 5:00 p.m. Saturday.