#knitting troubleshooting

[that-cheer-up-anon]

PLEASE HELP NE TROUBLESHOOT MY KNITTING

It's a ribbed scarf of 6 knit, 2 purl.

I have tried unraveling the affected stitch and laddered up, but it still looks like I've lost rows in that one stitch making a big hole.

Right side view

Wrong side view

[exculis]

ohh okay good news: if i pay myself federal minimum wage instead of new york minimum wage (which is almost twice the federal minimum wage) then suddenly it would be viable to sell socks again. smile :)

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Here's a two-parter idea for hc (idk this time if it's a full or a Mini, I'll let you choose ;) )

1. How do the M6 hold babies? Who's a natural and who has the stiff "toddler who's meeting their baby sibling for the first time" hold? Who likes them & vice versa? Who's the person you hand a baby to & then immediately have to take it back bc something about their aura immediately made the baby freak out?

2. Similar vein; like the wands in Harry Potter, we all know kids pick and choose who they like & nobody has a choice in the matter. Which of the M6 do kids like? Who's a natural child repellent? Who do the kids always undyingly attach themselves to even though by all means that person seems like the last parson the children would fall in love with?

Feel free to include the courtiers or any other side characters too if you like, I think that'd be funny

The Arcana HCs: M6 with Kids

~ @themushroomgoesyeet this started out as a mini-hc and then I got so carried away I turned them into a full series. XD thanks friend! ^.^ - brainrot ~

Julian

Loves kids!! so young! so small! so full of life and energy!

Kids tend to be initially cautious when approaching him (he's so tall, and edgy-looking, and kind of loud)

But as soon as he notices them he's folding up his gangly legs so he can crouch at their level and make eye contact and ask them about their day and introduce himself to their toys

And oh my, the stories he comes up with - it's not uncommon for you to lose him in the marketplace and come back about thirty minutes later to find him seated on a crate, about fifteen children of varying ages sitting in front of him, hanging onto his every word with stars in their eyes as he props up a toddler with one hand and wildly gestures with the other

Depending on how enthusiastic his audience gets and how much time he has to work with, he may or may not teach them the basics of improv and catch them up in acting out his story

It's impossible to pull him away once he's appointed different kids to their roles and gotten them started on his fantastical adventure

Remembers all their names and faces and preferences and goes out of his way to wave hello to them if he ever spots them while he's out and about

Asra:

Kids love the look and smell and feel of them but they rarely approach them because of how generally detached they seem

He's quite fond of kids himself, and they will straight up worship him if he puts effort into connecting with them, but most of the time he's too lost in his own wanderings to get around to it

Has strong feelings about their well being though, and will drop everything if they see one in need of assistance and not receiving it

Always accidentally ends up in a teacher's role (it's his infinite patience), he's just bad at knowing what might or might not be a good idea to teach them

How to knit? Wonderful! Now they have a new, soothing, productive hobby and skill set

How to pick a lock? No!! Now they're going to apply their scary levels of creativity and tininess to getting access into spaces they really shouldn't be in!

Known to randomly distract them during scary public things (you found them putting on an impromptu magic show in an alleyway for all the kids in the street right after a nasty cart crash)

Has an easier time with kids than with babies. Babies can't talk, if something's wrong they just cry while you try to troubleshoot

Nadia

She regards them with distance and respect and they do the same for her

It's much easier to care for them with improved infrastructure and accessible education than it is to learn what kinds of bodily fluids are normal on a child and what kinds aren't

(spoiler alert - snot is normal. snot is expected. snot will be everywhere. snot can never be fully cleaned up.)

Kids pick up on this, and are generally more likely to admire the very pretty lady from a distance than they are to walk up and start talking to her

Every now and then, though, some precocious child will start following the trail of her perfume, which will lead them to her skirt, which they will bury their snot-covered face in because it's soft and smells nice

And every time, without fail, Nadia will pause what she's doing and bend down to politely introduce herself and ask for their name without a single though to the mess on her clothes

She actually does better with babies than with kids, because it's easier for her to hold and physically protect a baby than it is to try to have a conversation with a child and quickly discover just how different Toddler Logic is from Adult Logic

Muriel

Small children congregate around him in droves and he has no idea why

They are small, they are fragile, they are living creatures who do not deserve to be hurt or abandoned, why are they crowding around his feet instead of holding onto their parents???

From a child's point of view, it's quite logical

Man is tall. Man is quiet. Man stands still. Man has gentle aura. Man provides shade. Man is clearly a tree (for chilling next to, and attempting to climb on, and occasionally bringing flowers to)

If Muriel can muster enough courage to break his initial "freeze" response, he'll find a corner to sit in so he can be extra stable and not run the risk of accidentally crushing someone

You found him like this once at a party, sitting still as a stone, with two kids chatting with each other on his lap, one scaling the sheer cliffside of his back, one perched on his shoulder sticking flowers in his hair, and two more playing with his hands (which are easily the size of their faces)

He gave you the same look you'd expect from someone stuck with a cat sleeping on their lap

Will listen to and remember any story he gets told and mention it later in conversation

Portia

Loves kids!!! x2

Unfortunately, she tends to scare the shy ones off at first with her intensity, which does make her cry herself to sleep sometimes

She has both the physical energy and the delightful imagination that perfectly suits her to joining into any game the kids around her come up with and making it one of the most exciting experiences of their tiny lives

She's also brilliantly prepared to comfort a child through any burden their small souls carry

Runny nose? She's got a handkerchief. Skinned knee? She's got band-aids. Dehydrated? She's got a water bottle. Hurt feelings? she gives the best (seriously, the best) comforting hugs

Nobody can mediate squabbles like she can (she brokered a trade deal with Firent, she can easily handle playground territory fights)

Over the years she's become the confidant of many tiny ones and you've caught her more than once mending a torn skirt or fixing a broken toy for a kid who didn't want to have to confess to their parents and face the consequences on their own

Does she fill you in on all the little one's gossip and drama? Of course. Does she take it just as seriously as her job? Absolutely

Lucio

He likes kids more than he thinks he does. Unfortunately, they're not usually fond of him at first

When he looks at kids he just sees tiny people who aren't quite big enough yet to go to real parties or do anything interesting with him

That said, he also likes to help people. In the past it was partially to show off, but he genuinely enjoys making someone else's day brighter and knowing he was the reason for it

Plus, kids are considerably easier to impress than grown ups are

Children, on the other hand, are more likely to see a very loud blonde man with a scary metal arm and walk in the other direction

Lucio does not like it when anyone, child or otherwise, takes one look at him and walks away

He must convince them otherwise

Usually resorts to sweets (he's got his own weakness for cookies, even if he still has no idea how to make them)

You've watched him win the admiration of about thirty tiny people in fifteen seconds flat when he loudly proclaimed that he'd be buying any treat any children wanted from the baker's stall

To say that he was still talking about the stars in their eyes when they looked at him three weeks later is an understatement

[milkweedman]

That almost sounds to me like what happens when I try knitting toes on needles that are too big--the big needles create big, slack stitches that get all weird and warped as I knit in that small area at the start. (It is happening here a little bit actually, but not so bad. The yarn is slightly thinner than I might normally use on these needles).

Have you ever tried doing the toe (or just the part of the toe that gets fucked up) on much smaller needles with lighter tension, and then switching ? I wonder if that would fix it ?

Favorite part of sock knitting, especially if im knitting around someone else. 10 spikes no clear fabric and everything looks like it's about to fall out. It literally scares people so bad when I tell them I'm just knitting a sock lol

[beanie-bami]

really love that troubleshooting in knitting/crochet is either “do this!” or “don’t worry about it!”

[guardevoir]

Fiber....... something? update

Still didn't take photos for a Stash Update or the cool shawl I got (or the cool scarf I now also got) but I did use a pin loom to fix my mom's knit alpaca socks! so, here's a very un-aesthetic update for the day.

Didn't knit or spin the socks as such, because no, but the square things on the heels are 2-ply southdown patches spun and pin-loom-woven by yours truly.

(and yes, the holes were enormous. Mom does not touch sewing stuff, so these things were both walked through and unraveling, and most of the heel was just gone. I also don't know how to fix socks, but I'm reasonably confident in my ability to learn new shit, and I had the Crocheting Friend for troubleshooting. Incidentally, the size of the holes is why I patched and didn't try to darn, because the entire 3D structure was gone. Also I've tried darning before and hated it, so! Different approach this time, worked much better)

The patch on the right was spun up on a supported spindle real quick because my drop spindle is full of sparkle merino and I didn't bring my wheel to our craft afternoon (and it's also full of sparkle merino anyway). Afterward I realized that the Crocheting Friend still had (wheel-spun) southdown yarn I made a couple weeks ago, so I yoinked that back (with friendly permission since she had no current plans for it) and used it for the second patch.

I fixed the patches on the outside with sewing thread and a (very vertical) whip stitch, and then caught and secured all catchable loose knit stitches and then whip stitched the edges to the patch with left-over yarn (and a much more diagonal stitch).

The official order was "fix the holes please, no need to make it pretty", so the aesthetics were kind of ignored for this; I don't think it turned out too badly, though. I also managed to preserve the socks' elasticity by sewing the patches on diagonally.

[witchofthesouls]

(How the Camien nurse got more attention if the D.J.D. had to be around the regular forces of the faction:)

Vos had no idea what would happen at this particular docking. All optics were glued to Peaceful Tyranny, hungrily tracking everyone's comings and goings as mechs try to get a good look at the D.J.D.’s medical acquisitions and the recent additions of newsparks…

But the gunformer hadn't expected to be pelted from the ceiling of gun range showers.

Tarn's vindictive dovetail stares from above, stripped down to a courtesan's suit, optics sharp and pale, and Energon slowly drips out of the opened vent to trickle down to the floor.

“Can you get me down? And hail Nickel?” A frown pulls your features, distaste and annoyance as you click your glossa. “I've been set up and need to finish a job.”

Two private comms, one vexed Prion, and one helpful and giant Tesarus equals a naked Camien that's indifferent to the crushed, dangling left arm and leaking wells.

Vos shares a long, meaningful look with Tesarus. The X-shaped optic sizzles in a slow blink of agreement, blades creaking in his gnashing pit.

Tarn won't be happy.

Vos recognizes the technique: it's meant to cause as much pain across your neuralnet without destroying the most important connective points, relays, and sensory equipment in your servos.

A common tactic to force compliance in those with specialized sensors, like medics and engineers.

Nickel welds your arm back into proper placement, clipping and soldering the snapped lines, prodding the torn, frayed musculature to knit back together, and picking out the debris and fragments.

You barely grimace, breathing slow and deep as you test your left arm's flexibility, hand clenching.

Your plating for that arm is a lost cause, but at least the rest of your body is covered again.

Nickel and you fall under a grey area. Not pledged to the Cause but under D.J.D.’s direct protection.

No one should have been able to demand your presence at the base's medbay, even as one of the few skilled medical professionals on board, neither you or Nickel have the proper creditionals to log into the Medical Department of the faction.

The destroyed access panel to the medbay unit that trapped you is sparkling's play to Tesarus’ raw strength to brute force it open.

And there lies a delightful sight of Overlord sprawled in the medberth, unconscious and completely unaware of the world.

Before Vos was initiated into the Justice Division, he was the personal weapon to a field engineer. The mech had long been dead, but Vos remembers many tricks from those clever servos.

And his credentials as the terminal accepts Troubleshoot's login.

You bark out a laugh as the medberth comes to life and proceeds to maneuver the Phase Sixer.

Vos spots something shiny in Overlord's mouth, and you smack his hand away to use the forceps.

A dart. A tiny sliver of a dart. Bright pink against the dark mouth, secreting a thin fluid.

“Trade secret,” you say with that strange half-smile, taunting them with unreadable optics, and Vos wonders if he can get Kaon to plot a venture to Caminus if it produced creatures like you.

The medberth finally manages to pry open the downed mech's ports, screens pop up as information is retrieved.

“You know,” you say, very conversational as you read the running scripts of medical glyphs. “The patient here hasn't had any decent diagnostics since the last writer. Someone named Rossum?”

When you relay the date from that writer, Nickel spits out a curse that impresses Tesarus to belt a laugh, the cavern in his chassis hiccups from the force.

“Overlord here hasn't done a proper check up for so long, we should correct it, shouldn't we?”

Oh, Vos can read that savage gleam under that professionalism. It's the same glint you get when you give Vos a live demonstration on the traitor’s corpse - flaying nervecircuits and fuel lines from Deadzone's protoform mass, exposing the endoskeleton in clean, surgical cuts.

(Vos learned a few new tricks, especially after you neatly explained how to pull the lines without breaking them. You keep Deadzone’s frame in a constant cycle of punishment and repairs, showing Vos by flushing out the dead mech and carefully exposing the grey, swollen tubing.

It's very informative.)

Nickel may be the size of an Energon cube, but her returning grin is absolutely feral. “Yes. Yes, we will. And there's quite a few things we should add.”

______

Ever the consummate professionals, Vos and Tesarus get kicked out.

Vos hasn't been this disappointed since he found out Rumble and Frenzy had a type, and it's not him (or Kaon).

He doesn't give into the juvenile feeling to skid his pede on the flooring, nor climb into the vents where you found him to watch the operation.

Instead, he makes himself comfortable in a nearby rolling chair, cleaning and oiling the drills of his mask as Tesarus stands guard by the crumpled door.

Between the grinder's churning sink and Vos’ ghoulish underface, any mech that attempted to step foot here immediately backtracked the way they came.

Time drags and no one hails them, nor does any other medical personnel come to check on the occupied medberth.

The medbay door grinds open, spluttering a rain of sparks. You and Nickel come out with a satisfied air of accomplishment, and Vos can only make out Overlord’s prone frame under a cooling sheet before the door grinds to a full close, and their medbay crew slather the remaining cleanser foam over their arms and hands.

“Done and dusted.” It's one of the strange phrases you have a habit of saying after a procedure or operation. A sense of ritual finality.

Nickel doesn't spit on the floor, but it's a near thing as she sneers, “What's the point of all that downpour if no one is willing to maintain the dam!?”

[eyes-inthe-dark]

Hi Hello I actually make things sometimes

I don't know if anyone who follows me is interested in this stuff bc I very rarely post things from my own life, but I decided to be a little more active on here besides reblogging funny shit regarding my current hyperfixation.

So, here is the (incomplete) crafting diary of a neurodivergent trans person surviving christmas with the family and the dark and dreadful times (winter) in general by making shit! with my hands!

First: fiber stuff

I picked up tablet weaving over the last few months of 2023 and made my first pair of somewhat mistake-free shoelaces over the holidays! Only got the pattern completely right on the second try with the red but both laces now get to add a fun little detail to my shoes.

Next I tried a more complicated pattern and experimented a lot, hence the irregular pattern and troubleshooting at the start of the band. I'm now repurposing it as a camera strap and I learned a lot from it tho.

My current setup is basic cardboard tablets (I had to make extra ones so I had enough for the last band with 30 cards), tying the warp to something sturdy like a bookshelf, and sitting down with a backstrap belt on the other side of the room. I used thin wool yarn for this, which stuck to itself quite a lot, but not too much to be unmanagable, and I really like how the finished product feels.

If anyone's interested, I could make a longer post on how I made the shoelaces, I think it's a very beginner friendly project.

I managed to get my hands on a drop spindle and gave that a try, but I ran out of wool after making a very small amount of very chunky yarn and am currently working out where to best get sth local. It was fun tho!

I also finally finished the knitted scarf that has been in my wip pile for... approximately three years? I started it when I was still in school, feels like an eternity ago. It's just a simple (although very long) red wool scarf, but it keeps me nice and warm in this cold, harsh- *checks weather* ...5°C and neverending rain.

Next up: woodworking!

Noodled around with my grandpa's old dremel that we still had lying around, which resulted in this truly terrifying weapon:

Behold! I named it Toothling. It's great for poking friends and family when they least expect it.

This was more of a test run to see if it all still works and to try out doing small scale work with wood, now I gotta think of something fun to make. (I say, as if I didn't already have 50 different ideas)

Before that fuckery, I made this magnetic dice box/rolling tray for my lovely partner's birthday.

Though I don't feel like I can take credit for working the CNC magic on this, I did all the hands-on work with the sanding, assembling the magnets, shellac coating, and whatnot. I'm pretty sure wood is some sort of fruit tree, since it smells strongly of what I suspect might be plum or cherry.

Last but sure as fuck not least: embroidery

This I actually get professional instruction for at uni. I've kinda lost patience for it atm, but mostly because I cannot resist making unnecessarily complicated pieces with tiny little stitches and then am forced to finish it because I do actually kinda need to pass this class. My lecturer keeps telling me not to go so detailed, yet I have proven resistant to her good advice. But, I figured if I have to make two full pieces of embroidery to be graded on and put hours of work into, I might as well choose designs that I can turn into patches for my jacket:

Catha and Ruidus! I love me some big moon little moon imagery. The prompt was to incorporate most of the techniques/stitches we've learned so far. Added the little gold chain stitch around ruidus for the arcane latticework. It came out a little wonky shape wise, but I love it nonetheless.

And my most recent wip, a stained glass window design with the Ninth House skull and Gideon's sword behind it, to feed my current Locked Tomb obsession.

And that's it!

[therealvinelle]

Oooh! Knitting and embroidery are so cool! You should share some pics :)

Will do!

I mostly knit, but as I give away or wear almost everything I make (otherwise it gets put in a box, “I’ll give this as a Christmas present to someone. Oh no, Christmas came and went and I forgot to give it away. Oh well I’m sure these won’t pile up”) I don’t really have a lot of pictures.

The hat was supposed to have a round thing in the top, hence me not bothering to close it properly. Still, it shows off the patterns I like to make and I was able to find it so included in the post it gets. And the dress is for a baby, unfinished though we're only missing the hem and the sleeves.

As for embroidery, I literally only know the cross stitch and troubleshooting once you’ve fucked up embroidery is a pain, so I don’t do it a lot.

(The blob on the last one is because I couldn't crop my initials)

[zahroreadsthings]

Crafting...

Question: Do you let Isla make the jacket?

Response: Yes. They do this for a living, it'll turn out better.

Check notes for previous instalments

'There's nothing wrong with it, I just wanted to make him a nicer one - but if you're sure it's not too much trouble?'

Isla's eyes sparkle. 'I would love to. What a fun little project!'

They shoot questions about cut and colours at you but you say, 'It doesn't have to be fancy. I wanted to make a warmer version of what he has now.' You hope Isla doesn't ask why it has to be warm - you don't want to disclose the haunting situation. 'Um. And I wanted it to match my jacket.'

Isla drums on the table with their fingertips. They nod. 'I can have it done in a week. I have some other work to finish first.'

'Thanks,' you smile.

They leave you to your knitting and turn to Zulfiya. She's twirling her crochet hook between her fingers and glaring at the mass of yarn in her lap.

'Are you stuck?'

'I don't know what I did,' she says bitterly. She jerks the net closer to her when Isla leans towards it.

Isla sighs. 'You're a natural, dear, but it's a bad habit to shut out a helping hand.'

'If I don't do it all myself it won't work.'

'That's nonsense, the net will be a net no matter who -'

'The witch tool won't work,' she amends impatiently.

'You witches are all the same, aren't you?' Isla says with a shake of their head. 'I can't help you fix it if I can't see it.'

Zulfiya reluctantly lets them see the net and slowly follows Isla's troubleshooting.

You look down at your own mitten. It's coming along nicely; the thicker yarn means you're already starting the sigil. But if Zulfiya's reaction was anything to go by, another pair of hands doing your stitches for you will weaken the mitten at best.

You pick up on other conversations - helping out with patterns, complaining about work and family - but don't have it in you to jump in. The things you have to bitch about are things you shouldn't discuss in front of other people.

As the evening progresses the group drop out one by one. Isla packs up their embroidery and shows Zulfiya how to keep her place. You finish your row, then stuff your work into your jacket pocket.

'Send my love to your mentor, dear,' Isla whispers as they stand up.

'Yeah, of course.'

[that-cheer-up-anon]

Finished making a cat ear beanie for my partner!

Figuring out the stitch placements to construct the ears was a pain. I couldn't follow the pattern for how I wanted them to look, bc I didn't want the long stitches to show behind the ears like they do in the pattern. I tried to make the ears curl in like a real cat's and not puff up like it had air inside looking like horns.

Their head is a lot bigger than mine and I had to try to adjust the pattern as best as I knew how. Bc it's so big it doesn't look completely right on me, but still! I think it's pretty good for my first completed knitting project in a long time.

[luthiest]

I’m sorry if you’ve already been asked this, but how did you learn to knit? It’s something I want to try.💜

eh i don’t think i’ve talked about it before?? my aunt taught me how to cast on and the knit and purl stitches when i was really young, but i didn’t understand the application or how to cast off, so i didn’t get very far using that.

i googled how to cast off at some point, but a year or two ago, i jumped in with a pattern trying to make a balaclava. ended up doing an unholy amount of troubleshooting and googling at every turn, and i DID eventually complete the project—though it is not something i consider wearable now lolol. since then, i’ve basically just chosen patterns of increasing difficulty that include only one or two new isolated skills, and then learning those from youtube videos.

something that i found super important while learning knitting skills and applications is understanding the concept that any given maneuver fits into. why the needles move the way they move, the relationship between knitting/purling and needle size/fiber qualities, things like that. so, spending a lot of time making swatches, watching how the loops behave and form, developing an understanding for what your work and mistakes tend to look like—paying attention to these things can be incredibly useful for learning how to fix your mistakes without giving up, because if there’s one thing i know about knitting, it’s that i’m always making mistakes lolol

as far as advice goes, once you’ve got the basics of cast on/knit/purl/cast off down, there’s this youtube account called sowoolly that has nice short video tutorials of easy repeat patterns that are really good for practicing and swatching. definitely a fun way to get comfortable with applying the basics but also challenge yourself and keep the brain engaged.

happy knitting !!! also, lmk if you’d like a second opinion on tools or gadgets or whatnot, knitting can get expensive pretty quickly, esp if ur not sure what u do and don’t need 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

[hyba]

Troubleshooting: Marie/Elise and Mystery Writing

In an attempt to help me figure out if my current M/E plot is satisfactory (God I hope so), I've decided to analyze it against this checklist from Novel Suspects:

Okay, so I know that I shouldn't be so focused on playing by the rules because realistically, in writing fiction, there are very few rigid rules. But this is mostly to troubleshoot for Marie/Elise. I'm hoping that by doing a few of these "analyses", I can maybe finally see what it is that's still bugging me about my revised plot.

So, how does M/E stack up?

1. Know your murderer before you start writing.

😬 Did not do that right off the bat. I kept changing my mind about 6 different times throughout over 12 different drafts so...

But I know who they are now. For this draft. That counts, right? 😁

2. Don't know your murderer before you start.

Sounds more my speed. Essentially the same thing I did totally consciously: set everyone up as plausible suspects... but I had a hard time choosing who it would be when it came time.

But again, I know who it is now, so we're cool. 😎

3. Your hero should have some flaws.

So there's 2 "heroes" to this story: Adrian and Marie. Adrian has a whole basketful of flaws, so we're okay there. 😂 Marie is deceptively perfect - as in, she can be good at something to a fault. Kind to a fault. Generous to a fault. Noble to a fault. I figure that's a pretty big flaw.

4. Your hero should be infallible.

Yikes. Okay, so that's not how it works in M/E. Mostly because for this point it seems the author is talking about detectives and sleuths that are always right (Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, etc.). The only thing is the MCs aren't really sleuths. They're just people. One of them is the prime suspect and just wants to clear his name. They're messy and perhaps just a bit too trusting and a little too personally involved... I wouldn't say they're infallible. But also - not the way these characters are supposed to work.

I'll give myself a pass here 🤭

5. Mysteries have a formula; follow it.

Okay! Good news! I'm already following a murder mystery formula. I analyzed my earlier draft of M/E according to it and have tweaked it to better fit the formula. I do take some creative liberties in the sense that certain things may happen simultaneously or later than they would in the formula (the one I have is a chapter by chapter thing).

Okay, so maybe that means I didn't stick to it all the way, but I give myself some flexibility because it's not the usual detective mystery 😅

6. Break all the rules.

👀 You don't have to tell me twice! In addition to... well, all the exceptions I made to the previous rules, I'm hoping the elements I've decided to include in this story help portray some of the themes I really want to include. Like how the internet and technology today affects criminal investigations, to say nothing of media and gossip.

This is gonna affect the formatting of the story and create new situations for characters that wouldn't have otherwise happened. When a crime happens in a tight knit community, it can't be investigated in complete isolation.

🤔🤔🤔

I guess M/E passes this test? Nevertheless, something is off about this story and I need to put my finger on it! It's just a teeny bit frustrating to feel like this with each iteration of the story. I must put an end to it 😤

[somethingwittyorother]

Creative goals 2024

Thank you Lauren @kingsofeverything for tagging me on these every year. Kind of helps getting some order where there isn't any 🤣

These will be mainly knitting goals. haven't done crochet in months (apart from troubleshooting my daughter's) and there's not enough hours in the day to pick up another hobby (even though embroidery keeps winking at me.)

1. Finish my WIPs

Currently have 4 WIPs

- Shrug. This is my car knitting because it's simple ribbing. No brain required knitting. It should be finished this week as we have a trip planned.

- Cable sweater. This has been on sleeve island for months and it's ridiculous cause I actually really like it. Just like the idea of super long sleeves with cable all over far less. Going to give myself until the end of March to finish it.

- Shawl. Started this on my last trip abroad and probably won't touch it until the next one. Don't need it or particularly fancy it but it's good travel knitting.

- Black and red sweater. Only started in December. Halfway through the body. Will go back to it when I feel better.

2. Next cast-ons

I have the yarn and the pattern for the following so they should be next on the list. I am mainly knitting garments as I'm still trying to replace all the jumpers/cardis in my wardrobe by handmade ones.

3. Dream big

Unlikely to be done this year but in a corner of my mind nevertheless

- jenny vneck cardigan

- mosaic crochet blanket

- more neutral basic jumpers

- more hats for the homeless

I think the main goal is actually to do all of 1 and 2 so my stash can decrease a bit. I'm on a self imposed yarn ban right now. Let's see how long it lasts.

I'm pretty sure everyone I know has been tagged but if you haven't and want to do it, go for it!

[finalfrontierpublishing]

4, 7, 8, and 20 for the bookbinding meme 👀

hey ril!!! thank you for your questions. i've answered 4 and 8 prior to this - the answer can be found here.

7. What’s your favourite type of binding? (coptic, stab, fine, Bradel, etc.) i've had the opportunity to try coptic, stab and bradel bindings. my personal preference is the standard case binding done in the squareback bradel style, which i've done frequently enough that it mostly goes smoothly. i do like how the stab binding looks though, so i've done a faux stab binding before because it's really gorgeous.

20. If you had to give past!you one advice about bookbinding what would it be, and is it the same advice you give newbies?

oh boy- it would definitely be to tell past me that joining renegade bindery would be the absolute best thing that happens to me, and that there are tons of really lovely folks there who are now my people. case in point today, despite binding for more than a year, i was able to troubleshoot an issue with book construction today thanks to more experienced friends. would definitely recommend anyone interested in fanbinding to join renegade bindery if you're interested in bookbinding and a close-knit community of people who are supportive and so encouraging, with a deep love for fandom and a strong belief in gift economy.

Again, thank you so much for your ask!

[binaryeclipse]

Send this to people you’d like to know better!

thank you @lowkeyanakin and @coldwaughtered for the tag!!! 💖

What book are you currently reading? The Secret Commonwealth by Phllip Pullman!

What’s your favorite movie you saw in theaters this year? LOL I DIDN'T GO TO THE MOVIE THEATRE. Half because there was nothing I wanted to see and half because I would rather spend my money on other things

What do you usually wear? In the fall/winter/spring my go to is skinny jeans, knitted sweaters and high heeled boots! I'm trying to get out of my flannel era

How tall are you? 5'2" (157cm)

What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event? I'm a Virgo and I share a birthday with Frodo and Bilbo Baggins.

Do you go by your name or a nick-name? Irl I go by my name, any variation of a nickname based on it will get shot down immediately and if you try to call me one I will fight you. However, my dad does sometimes call me isobel. But honestly Isolde/Izzy has become as much of my identity as my real name.

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child? Heck no. I wanted to be an archaeologist and my mom's co-worker was an archaeologist and when I met her she told me she worked the job she had, which was not archaeology, so she could do archaeology on her off time and my dreams were crushed. Working a job to do another job? No thanks.

Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one? I am in a relationship and she's wonderful 💖

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at? I'm good at writing and cooking and troubleshooting mechanical shit. I'm bad at advocating for myself.

Dogs or cats? I love both and yet I want neither. Let me play with your pet so I don't need to look after one! I just know my lifestyle isn't conducive to owning and caring for a pet in the way they need. I never had them growing up so I never learned how to organize my life around something that relies on me.

If you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favorite picture/favorite line/favorite etc. from something you created this year? Let me just slap down the entirety of KNIGHT ERRANT here.

What’s something you would like to create content for? It's less that there's something I wish I could create content for and more a way I wish I could contribute. I stopped working on my art skills when I was 18 and while I know I can technically go back and improve I don't have the space or time to dedicate to that (and there's a lot of bad memories tied to that time in my life and that activity specifically) but I kinda wish I had kept it up and then I could have contributed cool art to the obikin fandom.

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with? O B I K I N

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year? My parent's visiting in September. It was nice to see them and introduce them to my girlfriend (and they liked her! she got the dad hug!) but they were so busy with friends and stuff that I never got one-on-one time with them. We didn't get to go on the cool hikes I had planned. It was just not what I wanted that visit to be.

What’s a hidden talent of yours? I'm a very good artist when it comes to landscapes with pencil and ink. Oh, and I can fold a fitted sheet.

Are you religious? Nah

What’s something you wish to have at this moment? Executive Function derp

tagging @elysian-prince, @zimriya, @rhaenyratargeryn, @anakinspraisekink, @magic-owl