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angelsandacceptance · 4 years

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The Day of the Black Sun

Usually, when the girls woke up, they didn’t see a man standing at the edge of their beds, staring at them.

Chase wakes up, and upon sitting up, is greeted by the sight of Castiel, the look on his face the constant confusion he seems to wear. Chase lets out a shriek, causing Harley to bolt up, ready to fight whatever might be there.

Harley looks very surprised to see only Castiel there.

“What the actual Hell are you doing?” Chase demands.

“Heaven has a job for the two of you,” Castiel says simply.

“And heaven can’t wait for us to already be awake?” Chase sighs. “How long have you been watching us, anyway?”

Castiel blinks. “I’ve only been watching for an hour.”

Harley looks at Castiel in disbelief. “Right. An hour. That makes it totally okay then.”

“A seal is dangerously close to being broken. You need to stop it from happening.”

“I thought you had your fellow angel soldiers protecting the seals,” Chase says, climbing out of the motel bed. Castiel watches her carefully, and she can’t tell if he looks more annoyed or tired.

“You really think this is easy. More of my brothers have died in this past week battling for seals than in the past two thousand years.”

“Didn’t you say you haven’t been on earth in two thousand years?” Harley asks. “That makes your statistics skewed.”

Castiel gives her a harsh look.

“Okay, so heaven has a job for us. Can we at least get dressed and eat or something?” Chase asks.

“Of course.” Castiel stays staring at them.

“Um, Cas?” Chase asks.

“Yes?”

“Can you, you know, come back after we’ve changed?” Chase asks, making a shoo-ing gesture. He narrows his eyes at her.

“Bye bye, my angelic acquaintance.”

“I will be back,” he says. Castiel then disappears, leaving the girls staring at the wall, blinking in confusion.

“Doesn’t poof, my ass,” Chase snorts. She shakes her head and starts to change. By change, she simply shrugs on a flannel over her tank top, slipping her loose jeans on. Harley on the other hand has to wiggle into her skinny jeans and throw on a band tee. There wasn’t really a reason for Castiel to leave, other than Chase wanted to talk to Harley alone. “So, what do you think he wants us to do?”

“Save the world. Risk our lives. Y’know the usual.”

“How very typical.” Chase pours herself coffee. “Do you think he’ll let us get pie first? Even a muffin would suffice.”

“He better. I don’t get my pie, I start ripping throats out.”

“See, even though I know that’s a legitimate thing for you, I gotta say. I totally agree with that mentality.”

“What’s the point of being a vampire if you can’t make light of it?” Harley shrugs.

“No point that matters.”

“I am back,” a deep voice says.

The girls turn to see Castiel in the same place as before, as though he’d never left.

“Man, you gotta loosen up,” Chase says. “Ever tried looking more, y’know, human?”

“No.”

“Cas, that really wasn’t that long. You’re lucky I mastered getting dressed in under a minute because I was always late to school. Poof like that and you’ll be labeled a perv.”

“I do not understand. I do not have any intention of seeing you in a less than modest state.”

“Again with the need to loosen up,” Chase says with an eye roll. “It’s a joke, Cas.”

“Kinda. Seriously though, lengthen your poofing periods.”

“You’ve been given time. Now, you have a job to do.”

“What is this job?” Chase asks.

“A seal is being broken. A ritual you have to stop, that causes a solar eclipse. You must find the demon performing this ritual, and stop it.”

“Any other information you can give us?”

“No.” Cas turns away slightly, concentrating on seemingly nothing. “Time is almost up. I will send you there now.”

“Pie. We need pie. I don’t get pie, I start ripping throats out.”

Cas looks vaguely startled, looking at Harley strangely. “You get physically violent when you do not have pie?”

“She does,” Chase says, shrugging. “Can you blame her? Pie is life.”

Cas’ eyes narrow, and he just takes an unnecessary breath, blinking slowly. “I do not understand.”

“I’m a vampire, kinda, sorta. It’s complicated. But basically cherry pie is the only thing that can assuage my thirst for blood.”

“I see,” Castiel responds, nodding slowly. “But, as for your job. I will send you there now.”

Before either girl can protest, Castiel has closed the distance between himself and them, placing three fingers on each of their foreheads.

***

Chase and Harley suddenly find themselves standing on the sidewalk of an old looking town, each holding a piece of pie by the crust which promptly breaks and falls on the sidewalk.

“Well,” Chase starts, looking down at her now empty hands. “At least he got us the pie.”

“Too literal for his own good,” Harley sighs.

“Okay, so first things first. We find a lead on wherever this demon might be. I say we start at the local diner that this town has got to have. What state are we even in? They better have apple pie, because I am not in the mood to mourn what is currently at my feet.”

The girls begin walking around town, getting their bearings and looking for a diner. Finally, they spot one.

“Brimstone Diner. What are we? In medieval times?” Chase jokes.

“I think it sounds cool, but then again I am a sucker for a renaissance festival.”

“Oh, yeah, that sounds like a must for us sometime. Dean would totally be down for it too. He’d probably get way too into it, but like, on the down low.”

Harley nodded and the two friends went into the diner and ordered some pie. Apple for Chase and cherry for Harley.

“So, what’re you girls in town for?” the older waitress asks them. “Oh, don’t be surprised, dear. We don’t get a lot of new folk, so it’s easy to spot ‘em.”

“Oh, uh,” Chase starts. “A friend sent us here. Told us about some fantastic spots to work. We’re journalist photographers.”

“Stupid question, but where are we?” Harley asks the waitress, who according to the nametag is called Agnus.

Chase shoots Harley a look. So does the waitress, though it isn’t the same look.

“Did your friend not tell you?” She asks, slightly concerned. “Why, you’re in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.”

Chase laughs it off. “He did tell us, but Nova here probably wasn’t paying attention.”

“I’m just really forgetful.”

“Well, that’s quite understandable, dear. My memory ain’t what it used to be either.” The waitress laughs slightly, waving her hand. “Anyway, let me go grab you your pie and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Thank you,” Chase says, trying to be polite.

“Thanks, Agnus, lovely meeting you.” Harley says, waving goodbye.

Agnus brings them their pies and goes off to talk to another customer.

“So I guess we should head to the library after this? Find out what ritual can cause a solar eclipse.”

“Good idea,” Chase says, taking a bite of pie. She looks down in surprise, suppressing a moan of delight. “Holy God, this is good pie.”

Harley takes a bite of her pie, “Oh yeah, the best.”

The girls eat their pies, suppressing many a moan.

***

Our awesome, badass heroines spend hours at the library combing through book after book. They had tried so many different sections, trying to find the information in lore, religious texts, and mythology. Hell, Chase had even tried looking in historical cases just in case - even though this seal has obviously never been attempted before. She was simply desperate.

“Hey, I think I found something,” Harley says, looking up, “By the souls of these seven victims I bind the sun and moon to my will. The moon shall block the sun and the seal shall break.”

“That’s foreboding,” Chase says.

“It doesn’t specify what the seal is, but I think this is our gig. It calls for, get this, three virgins, two orphans, one fetus conceived out of wedlock, and the soul of a witness to the supernatural.”

“Okay. Wow. That’s a lot of human sacrifice,” Chase says, absorbing the new information. “Also, an unborn kid? That’s just gross.”

Chase walks over to Harley’s side of their table to read the specifications of the seal. “Harley, look at this part. Because it’s an entire eclipse, it has to be on a full moon, right? When’s the next full moon?”

“Tonight,” Harley groans.

Chase lets out a long sigh. “Of course it is. Thank you, Castiel. Your timing is, like always, impeccable.”

“At least if we prevent it tonight it’s another month till they can try again?”

“True, but does this mean it can be attempted monthly? Because I did not sign up for this. Castiel can kiss my foot if he thinks I have the time, energy, or patience to deal with this every single month just to stop the apocalypse.”

“Maybe they’ll just give up on it if we stop them?” Harley says, hopefully and unsure.

Chase shrugs. “I guess we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.”

“Damn demons. I swear Lillith is the bane of my existence.”

“I mean she is, quite literally, the bane of everyone’s existence. Honestly, she should get a hobby. I’m going to suggest knitting the next time I see her.”

“Knitting may be too hard though. She might go on a murder spree to vent out her knitting frustrations. What about crocheting.”

“Yeah, but isn’t she currently going on a murder spree to vent out her like, daddy issues? Crocheting is easier, true.”

“True, but a hobby is supposed to distract from that, not make it worse.”

“True. Wait, how did we start talking about this again? Moving on, where do we start in stopping this demon from breaking this seal?”

“First things first, I think we should look for potential victims.”

“Okay cool. I would say we do what we normally do, but considering Cas sent us here with no supplies, I guess we’ll have to do it the hard way. By gossiping.” Chase fakes a shudder, but is smiling nonetheless.

“God, I hate gossiping with strangers. Shall we start with the town’s gossip column?”

“Sure.” Chase stands, overdramatically stretching. “Let’s get this bitch over with.”

***

Chase and Harley make a quick exit from the library and begin walking around town, on the lookout for anywhere they might find a newspaper, or signs for missing people.

Finally, after wandering around for a while, Harley spots a newspaper stand. Quickly scanning through articles, there’s a prayer request filed under the town gossip section. It’s an anonymous request for a woman named Jessie Salinas, who has found out she is pregnant, and is also not married.

Chase looks at the little article in disgust. “What a shitty thing to do to her. She’s obviously found out not too long ago, so you submit an anonymous ‘prayer’ request basically outing her situation to everyone? And it’s not even to ask for help! Just “keep her in mind”. People are so gross.”

“The worst part is they were probably ‘friends’ if Jessie told them.”

“Ouch, you’re right. I swear, if you were to do this to me, I’d probably hurt you.”

“I would never!” Harley says in mock offence knowing her friend didn’t actually think she would do it.

***

“Oh, look,” Chase says. They walk over to a tac board, where a missing person sign was hanging. “Thank God. I mean, not thank God, or. You know what. Whatever.”

The sign shows a picture of a boy around thirteen with blond hair. The name reads Jacob Stevens, and he was reported missing four days ago.

“Well, I guess we have a couple leads?” Chase says questioningly.

“Now we just need to find five more. Should we head to Jessie’s place? Make sure her baby’s still kicking.”

“That’s probably our best bet. It’d be harder to figure out everything else first,” Chase agrees. “Where do you think we’ll find her?”

“If we can get our hands on a computer finding her address shouldn’t be hard.”

“True. Back to the library?”

“Libraries, a hunter’s best friend.”

Chase laughs and they turn around, heading back the way they’d come.

***

Chase groans, hitting her head against the desk. “No address with that name pops up when I search it and- Oh my God, I’m an idiot.” Chase frantically backspaces, then types it in again, but this time searches for Jessica Salinas, and then grins proudly at her friend. “Found her. She lives not too far from here. West side of town, near the church.”

“Good, I’m not a fan of walking.”

“Tell me about it. He could have at least sent us with Jack.”

“When does our angel friend think things through?”

“Fair point. So he’s a friend now? Versus an ‘angelic acquaintance’?”

“He at least tried to give us pie.”

Chase shrugs. “Fair enough. Now, onto finding Jessie.”

“Off to find the Jessie, the wonderful Jessie of Oz.”

***

Chase and Harley stand on the porch of an older looking house, the paint peeling on the outside, but the garden of poppies looking very cared for. Chase reaches out a hand and knocks on the door.

“I have my badge on me still. If you want to play cop.”

Chase reaches out and knocks once more, this time a little louder.

“Sounds good. You can introduce us then. Remember, I gave you the fake name Nova earlier. Best be consistent.”

“Coming!” A frantic female voice calls. Chase gives Harley a sideways glance, shrugging and taking a step back. A woman suddenly opens the door, her brown hair messily framing her face where it falls out of a haphazard bun.

Her eyes are wide, but her smile wide and friendly. “Hi! Sorry, do I know you?” She asks, looking back and forth between the two girls.

“Hi,” Harley says, flashing her badge, “I’m agent Nova, this is agent Barry. We’re just asking around about the disappearances. Are you Jessie Salinas?”

Jessie, at most in her early twenties, looks confused for a moment. “Yeah, I am. Of course. Has there been another disappearance from the orphanage?”

Chase glances at Harley. “We are looking into the ones that have taken place. As far as you are aware, how many have there been?”

“Just the two I know of, oh, silly me. Would you like to come in?” Jessie opens the screen door, gesturing for Harley and Chase to enter the house.

“We’d love to,” Chase says. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Jessie leads them into a small, but cozy, living room and gestures for them to sit on the couch. “So, you are searching for the two orphans right? Jacob and Nathan?”

Chase shoots Harley a glance, a silent plea to say something, because she herself is unsure of how to proceed.

“Those are the ones. Have you been smelling any odd smells? Maybe rotten eggs?”

“Um, excuse me?” Jessie asks. “You mean around my house or around town in general? Because the old bar always smells like something went bad, but I don’t see how that’s got anything to do with those poor children.”

“Sulfur was found at the scene of the abductions. It could be an environmental clue. It could lead up to the kidnapper.”

Jessie nods. “Oh, okay. You’re only looking into the orphans, right?”

Chase nods. “Yes, though if you have knowledge about any others, we can pass it along to our partners. Have there been any other signs of sulfur that you know of?”

Jessie shakes her head, frowning. “I’m not one to ask about that. Though you could always ask the Crawfords. Their daughter went missing a couple weeks ago, but we aren’t sure if there is any connection between the two.”

“Of course. I’ll be sure to pass along the message.”

“If I may ask, where did you learn that I may have any knowledge on the disappearances?”

Chase casts a long sideways glance at Harley. “Well,” she starts slowly. “We have reason to believe that another abduction might occur, and we wanted to investigate any of the younger adults in town. There seems to be an age progression with each kidnapping.”

Jessie shifts uncomfortably. “I’m sure I have no reason to worry. If you’re asking around town, I’m sure you’ve heard about my, uh, situation.”

“We believe your situation may put you at higher risk.” Harley says regretfully, “Our Unsub might see it as a two for one.”

Jessie lets out a nervous laugh.

Chase leans forward, propping her elbows on her knees, trying to seem more open and comforting. “Is there anyone you know in this town that has given you any reason to fear for yourself or your child. An ex-boyfriend. A friend. A random person that hurled an insult at you. Anything of that sort?”

Jessie shakes her head. “No. I mean, there are plenty of underhanded comments, but only what you would expect from a small town this conservative. But I don’t think I can name anyone that has threatened me.”

“Has anyone shown more interest than you would deem normal? Like, I don’t know, an old teacher or mentor. Anyone you trust based on circumstance, but wouldn’t have thought would normally reach out to help you.”

Jessie pauses. “Not really, no. The only person that I really talk to about the baby is one of the supervisors of our church. She has been great help, because she herself has had three children. Just some advice on how to take care of myself. But I don’t really talk to anyone else about it and no one else has reached out.”

“What’s her name?” Harley asks.

“Vanessa Wali.”

Chase nods, sitting back. “Well, thank you. And if you do hear anything from anyone that seems out of the ordinary, let us know.”

A phone rings from the other room. “I’m so sorry. I have to get that, it might be my doctor.” Jessie gets up and leaves the room.

“Do you want to stay with Jessie or go question Vanessa?”

“I can go do the questioning if you want to stay here. One thing I do have to wonder though. I thought the person we’re looking for is a demon, right? Jessie says she only meets up with Vanessa at the church. How is that possible?”

“Maybe the demon isn’t working alone? I don’t know. It’s our best lead so far.”

“True. That and the bar. Jessie mentioned there’s been sulfur smells there. I can check out both. I’ll call you after I meet with Vanessa, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan partner.”

***

Chase finds herself in an old Methodist church fit with everything stereotypical, from wooden pews, to a bell in the bell tower on top of the steeple. She hesitantly opens the doors, praying to the God she now knows is out there somewhere (though she isn’t sure if she should take Castiel’s certainty to heart yet) that Vanessa is there today.

Scanning the room, she spots a pastor near the altar, shuffling papers, likely sermon notes. She approaches him cautiously, a hand in her pocket, ready to grab the knife at a moment’s notice.

“Hi, can I ask you a question really quickly? Sorry, I don’t mean to disturb you,” Chase says, keeping her voice quiet in the mostly empty room.

“No, no, always happy to help a child of God.”

Chase flashes a smile, hoping it doesn’t look as forced as it feels. “I was told I could see a Vanessa Wali. Is she here today?”

“She actually isn’t. What did you need her for?”

“Oh, I was told to see her to pick up some medication for Jessie. You know, Jessie Salinas? Do you know where I can find Vanessa?”

“She should be at her house, across the lane where the cherry trees are.”

“Thank you! Have a nice day.”

“Of course!” He exclaims in a bright tone. Chase waves, taking a quick exit. She rushes over to the large house across the way, the aroma of cherries strongly taking over Chase’s senses.

Chase immediately recognizes the sickly sweet smell of Valerian Root hidden in the cherry scent. Chase shakes her head, pinching her wrist to stay alert, hoping the Valerian Root is coincidence. Of course, when has anything in her life been purely coincidence?

A symbol scrawled hastily over the door looks like it could pass as religious, but Chase immediately recognizes it as an occult sigil. Well, shit.

Turning on her heel, Chase redirects herself from the front porch. Pulling out her phone, she hurriedly calls Harley, already booking it back to Jessie’s house. Harley’s answering machine picks up.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Harley. You better be fine, or I’m going to actually kill you.”

The door is ajar when Chase rushes up the porch steps, blanching. The room smells of Valerian Root, a thickly sweet scent that makes Chase’s eyelids droop, and she curses under her breath.

“Harley, I swear to God.”

***

Harley noticed a sickly sweet smell creeping into the house and turned to Jessie. Jessie’s eyes began to droop. Harley managed to fight off sleep a little longer before collapsing. When Harley came to, Jessie was still out and they were both tied to a pole in what looked like a basement.

“The bar,” Harley mutters under her breath, realizing the demon knocked them out with... Valerian Root?

That doesn’t make sense. Valerian Root is more of a witchy thing. There were seven other people in the room, but only two were free. Two women were standing by a table. They were conversing over a large pewter bowl. Harley couldn’t hear them. She started undoing the rough rope behind her.

“Hey assholes, why don’t you untie me and we’ll see how this plays out,” Harley says, pulling the witch and demon’s attention away from the ritual and onto her.

“How are you awake already?” A woman in her late thirties with short light brown hair asked, “The Valerian Root should still be affecting you?”

“I’m not exactly normal.” Harley spit out.

“My, my, you’re a fun one,” The other woman says. She was in her twenties with long black hair. Her eyes flashed black for a second. “I’ll almost miss you when you’re gone.”

The demon crouches down to Harley’s level, “I’m Hazel. These are your new friends. Rueben, Stephanie, Evangeline, Jacob, Ray, and you’ve already met dear sweet Jessie,” Hazel listed off the names pointing to each corresponding person. “But who are you dear? Hmm?”

“What’s your pay grade? Must be pretty low if you don’t know who I am.”

“I want to hear it out of your pretty little mouth.”

“You aren’t too bad yourself. Are you the one that tied me up? I’m not opposed to bondage.”

“You wish. You’re vermin that’s wandered into my trap. The dirt on my heel. You’re a disgusting worthless halfbreed.”

“And I’m damn good at it.” Harley sneers. She gets free of her bonds, grabs Hazel’s head, and slams it down onto her knee dazing the demon. Harley pulls her gun out and shoots at the witch hitting her in the shoulder.

***

Chase rushes into the bar and sees Harley shoot a woman with short hair in the shoulder. Another woman straightens and goes to attack Harley from behind. Eyes widening, Chase rushes up in time to stab her short pocket knife into the back of the woman’s neck.

“Harley, the demon blade!”

Harley spins around and quickly assesses the situation, taking her demon blade and stabbing the woman in her stomach. The woman’s body collapses, the demon now gone. With a quick shot to the head, the witch is also dead.

Chase breathes heavily, putting her gun back into its correct place in her waistband. Harley starts untying the kidnappees. Chase shortly follows suit.

“I’m hungry. Wanna head back to the diner?”

“That sounds like a great idea. Let me drop an anonymous tip to the local police and I’ll be ready to go.”

After doing just that, Harley and Chase find their way back to Brimstone Diner.

“How is it that you manage to get kidnapped by a demon and a witch?” Chase teases, Agnes, the same woman who served them earlier, walking away with their orders. “Losing your touch?”

“That witch made a Valerian Root knockout bomb.”

“I figured. Cherries can only hide the smell so much. Honestly she should’ve known better. The Valerian mixed with the cherries just made the entire place smell like it’d been drenched with cough syrup.”

“I’m just lucky I came to when I did. Guess it’s one of the benefits of being a halfbreed.”

Chase wrinkles her nose at the word. “I suppose.”

Agnes comes back with two orders of pie, gives a smile, then walks off to serve other customers.

Harley and Chase immediately begin to eat, the day’s efforts having made them extremely hungry.

“You saved the seal,” A male voice says. Chase and Harley snap to attention, startled by the sudden appearance of Castiel. Castiel sits next to Chase in the booth, and stares between the two girls inquisitively.

“Can you stop poofing everywhere. You’re gonna give me a heart attack,” Harley complains.

“I do not poof,” Castiel replies sternly.

“‘Cept you do.” Harley fires back.

Castiel just sighs knowing that it is a waste of breath to argue with her.

“Why do you sound surprised, anyway? About us saving the seal?” Chase asks.

Castiel looks at them both carefully. “I did not predict the outcome of this attempt to be successful.”

Chase looks at him, vaguely annoyed. “You sent us on a hunt you thought we’d fail? Then why even send us?”

“My brothers and sisters were busy.”

“Well next time let us grab weapons and stuff. We barely scraped by on what we had.” Harley says, annoyed.

“It was best you go immediately.”

Chase rolls her eyes. “Well, if you wouldn’t mind taking us back once we’re finished with our food, that’d be great.”

Castiel nods slowly. “Alright.”

***

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to poofing,” Chase says, disoriented after being transported back to the motel. “Also, quick question, you did tell Sam and Dean where we were, right?”

Castiel suddenly looks more uncomfortable than normal. “They were both otherwise engaged. Dean should be able to fill you two in on what happened to him.”

“And Sam?”

“Sam is an unreliable source,” Castiel says evasively.

“How is Sam an unreliable source? We’ve known him longer than you,” Harley questions.

“Dean is about to leave to find Sam. You can catch up to him easily, since he only now left.”

“Okay, thanks. Wanna tell us where we’re going?” Chase asks.

“425 Waterman,” Castiel responds quietly. “But, I’m warning you. You won’t like what you find.”

#AngelsandAcceptance #AaA #supernatural #dean winchester #sam winchester #bobby singer #chase winchester #harley pawlak #castiel #cas

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clockwaysarts · 4 years

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I was just wondering with all your artistic knowledge, if there are some art hobbies or mediums that are easy to get into? Lock down has got me bored already :(( love your work!

Oh man, yes though this is a little hard to answer because it depends a lot on what you’re looking for! I see needs falling into a few categories:

Repetition- how much do you want it to be something repetitive your mind can shut down on verses something that gives a focus

Exploration- do you want something that’s really step by step so you can’t mess it up or do you want to have complete freedom

Knowledge- are you alright having to learn a good bit just to get a finished product or do you want to know your first work will be a ‘success’

Expense- I’m going to assume keeping the expense lower lol but there still is a range in that. But let’s say $20-$50 is okay to spend

So let’s look at a few options! My fellow artists, I’m making some HUGE generalizations here assuming this is from a beginner view point, no offense is meant!

Highly Repetitive, Low Exploration*, Low Knowledge:

Fiber arts my darling! Fiber arts! To start they’re usually cheap, you only need a few tools, and there are instructions to follow!

Kitting/Crocheting- so while yes, have some fundamental differences listing them together because they’re both good at only needing one tool- knitting needles or crochet hook- and one supply- yarn- to start. You can start out with cheap versions of both and spend next to nothing and if you like it upgrade. They’re highly repetitive/meditative so good for zoning out some if you like that. And for beginner project levels, you can start making your finished product with a 30min youtube tutorial. Go. Make a scarf. If you like it, boy howdy then can you ramp up to some crazy skill levels.

Cross stitch- this is my personal one of choice. I love how illustrative it is and it’s just enough focus of counting colors that it meets me need. (I can’t stand the total repetitive nature of 101 knitting.) Really you have to know ONE stitch and you’re good so you can start on something finished right away. If you get a cheap bamboo frame you can even leave the finished piece in that and instant wall art or gift! Cross stitch has seen a huge revival lately and there are lots of great modern patterns out there. But start small!!! Don’t start with a whole garden scene, start with one flower.

Sewing/Plush Making- this is great because if you have old sheet or such it’s basically $5 to start. Start with something small and simple- like peaches the mouse! This is also just a good life skill.

Low Repetition, High Exploration, Moderate Knowledge:

So my top suggestions would be watercolor or sculpture because you can start relatively cheaply. But you have to be ready to need to learn and honestly be frustrated.

Watercolor- Get a little travel set like the ‘sketchers pocket box’ here there’s of a decent brand (those are a good student grade), and some brushes- a round 6, a wash, and maybe a liner. And some paper. Grab a spare jar or glass and a rag and you’re ready to paint! Now water color is (usually) a very loose style so that can frustrate some people. You can draw ahead of time with pencil or even ink with pens. It is a highly versatile medium and buy buying a small set like that you can really keep the price down!

Sculpture- there is something so therapeutic about just moving around clay for me that I have to recommend it. With oven bake clays you don’t even need any special equipment or anything. Pick up some sculpey in some colors and a few tools and just.. make things! Tiny dinos! Moths! Cats! There’s also tons of cute videos on things like instagram of people making charms and things.

SO hopefully some ideas from that? I tried not to make this too long so it’s a little general, but those would be my recs depending on what needs you want to meet! Have fun arting!!

#long post #Anonymous

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goldenleaffilms · 4 years

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The idea and planning behind Ami & Gurumi

Act 1 – Gurumi is born

· We establish an atmosphere of a rainy day and a young woman named Sally is busy doing some housework. Once she’s done she starts crocheting. Once she’s finished Gurumi is made.

· After Gurumi is created he springs to life and explores his current room until he bumps into Ami

· They develop a friendship and visit the entire world around them.

Act 2 – Ami and Gurumi are lost

· While exploring they end up lost in a dark place, Ami is terrified that she won’t be able to leave

· Gurumi finds a way out. After escaping he learns he was made as a gift for a friend of Sally’s

· Ami while disappointed she want’s to make his last day here a good one so they dance around with Sally’s other crochet creations to celebrate his new ownership

Act 3 – Goodbye Gurumi

· Both are interrupted by Sally coming back and picking up Gurumi

· Ami is sad but happy for Gurumi that he’s going to a happy home

· They say their goodbyes and Ami returns to her crocheted friends.

This is a very ambitious project to make for only 3-4 months. Animation especially stop motion takes twice as long which is why the animation aspect of the film will be 5 minutes long and the live action sequences will take up the other 5 minutes of the film. I was able to find a free program to make the stop motion sequences and during the rest of December until the beginning of February I’ll hopefully have all the animation sequences ready and then start and finish the live action sequences during the last month of filming and then edit the entire thing. Budget wise this film will not use up much money since I already own a professional quality camera and a tripod that can achieve different angles. There’s only going to be one location in the entire film due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, how I’ll make this work is by using one location for the animation sequences and one location for the live action sequences. Majority of the footage will need to be filmed when it is bright outside because of the location being very dark even with lights on. However, I could work this out through editing by adjusting the exposure and maybe use my chosen aesthetic to help give the film that autumn style look.

3-month plan:

December 2020 – During December I will be working on the character models for the two main characters and add more animation screen tests to test out the models durability and steadiness when manipulated for animation. When making the models through crochet I will need to purchase the right yarn for each character, cotton yarn which is the most used type of yarn fibre for making these dolls would cost £1.89 per 50g ball and since both of their designs use 4 different colours of yarn it would cost £7.56 to make these models. Regarding equipment there won’t be much of a budget since the camera used and the tripod are owned by me and have not been borrowed. Once both script and models are ready filming will begin after Christmas. I’ll be using different lighting for each sequence and will need to calculate the approximate time it will take to make one minute of stop motion animation. I predict before the end of December I will have finished at least a 30-second sequence of the film.

January 2021 – During production I will have finished the first sequence of the film. Each set used will take place in my own home in case of any further self-isolation due to covid-19 soon. I will also be in contact with my voice actors that will be in this short film from the narration to any background voices. By January they should be done with recording their lines and send them over via email to me to add during pre-production. During this time I’ll also record the first live action sequence of the main character Sally doing her chores, There will be a lot of editing involved in the live action sequences since I will be the only one working the camera, acting as one of the characters, editing and the sound design.

February 2021 – In February I will be working more on the animated sequences. I’m hoping by February at least half of the film will be ready and I can continue working on the second half of the short. During this time I’ll be getting the end credits song ready. The song I’ll be using is Tonight You Belong To Me by Christina Perri but to avoid potential copyright issues the song will only be in instrumental and sang by me. Each day I will work on 30 seconds to 2 minutes of animation depending on any circumstances that might pop up during February half term.

The idea for Ami & Gurumi came to me after I took up a crochet hobby and I thought it would be a fun idea to make something related to crochet. By September I found out my late Nan passed away and it was a sad time for all of us. While she was mainly did knitting she also dabbled in a bit of crochet and after her passing I decided to take the idea of crocheting along with one of my favourite film techniques and create a cute and heart-warming story in dedication to my Nan. I went with the name Ami & Gurumi, now some may be confused on the Japanese sounding names and that’s because the two characters named are a pun on the word ‘Amigurumi’. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crochet doll making and has been a popular form of crochet in many parts of the world especially in the US and the UK. The aesthetic I decided to go for in this short is an autumn warmth theme, not only because it’s a personal favourite aesthetic but I want the audience to feel that warm and loved feeling.

Bibliography:

Celtx Blog. 2020. Write The Script: 5 Basic Steps - Celtx Blog. [online] Available at: https://blog.celtx.com/write-the-script-5-basic-steps/ [Accessed 9 November 2020].

A + C Studios. 2020. How Long Does Stop-Motion Animation Really Take To Make? - A + C Studios. [online] Available at: https://www.aplusc.tv/blog/stop-motion/making-stop-motion/ [Accessed 8 November 2020].

Blog - Explainer Video & Whiteboard Animation | By Video Explainers. 2020. Time To Create A 5 Minute Animation Video. [online] Available at: https://videoexplainers.com/blog/5-minute-animation-video/ [Accessed 8 November 2020].

Perri, C., 2019. Tonight You Belong To Me (Sing-A-Long). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwKgvmuo2sg [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Williams, M., 2007. Amigurumi Knitting Tutorial (Plus Free Patterns!). [online] DIY Life. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20140511182953/http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/07/diy-definitions-amigurumi-with-tutorial/ [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Beckerman, H., 2003. Animation: The whole story. Allworth. pp 10

Marx, C., 2010. Write your way into animation and games: create a writing career in animation and games. Taylor & Francis. pp 192

Mou, T.Y., Jeng, T.S. and Chen, C.H., 2013. From storyboard to story: animation content development. Educational Research and Reviews, 8(13), pp.1034

Mou, T.Y., 2015. Creative story design method in animation production pipeline. In DS79: Proceedings of The Third International Conference on Design Creativity, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Glebas, F., 2012. Directing the story: professional storytelling and storyboarding techniques for live action and animation. CRC Press. pp 330

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nyalisa-landale · 6 years

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someone tell me if i already whinged about this fuckin sweater project; i sure thought i did, but i might not have actually posted it (or tumblr mobile ate it)

SO i have five (5) skeins of malabrigo sock in abril (my favorite color) which is... more than i need for socks. a lot more. so i’m gonna do a sweater. am i going to need more yarn? yeah probably it’s fuckin fingering weight and i’m crocheting it, plus you’re supposed to alternate skeins to avoid really weird pooling (i don’t think malabrigo even has dye lots to match, but even if they do you’re still not guaranteed matching within dye lots) and five (5) is an odd number (although one skein has been split into two, so i could make it work if i had to)

anyway the point is that i have ~2000 yards which, if i were knitting, would probably be enough yarn? crochet takes more yarn though so i’ll probably need at least one more.

i was really dead set on a v-neck sweater, and i can’t find any v-neck crochet seamless sweater patterns - or, rather, i can but they’re... kinda weird. i didn’t like them. i do know of a v-neck cardigan pattern that i could modify, so i set to work on a teeny prototype. the big sticking point was that the pattern starts in rows (to shape the V) but switches to rounds (after the V has been established). because this is crochet, and crochet stitches are three-dimensional (compared to knit stitches, which are... technically also three-dimensional - the best kind - but not really, as far as we’re interested) you can actually see the difference between fabric worked in rows and fabric worked in rounds. so the biggest reason for the prototype was to see exactly how much of a difference that was, visually speaking.

i did actually get that far, but i wasn’t very pleased with the fabric - it’s basic double crochet, and i... guess the hook i’m using is maybe a bit bigger than i’d like for the yarn, tbh, although i am absolutely certain it’s the same size as when i attempted something similar with a thinner fingering weight yarn. so next i had to figure out a stitch pattern that 1) would work and 2) would hopefully not take up that much more yarn. (it is absolutely going to take up more yarn.) i was thinking shells. so i had to figure out which shells - there are a lot of different kinds of crochet shells.

anyway so i figured out how i want to do the shells, with some possibility for accent dc rows for... idk visual interest i guess... and also completely gave up on the v-neck thing. just plain pullover for me, thanks! i think the stitch pattern would still work fine with the rows of the yoke (...actually... no it wouldn’t) but since i’m already doing a stupid number of mods to the base pattern i figured it would be easier if i weren’t modding the base of the base pattern.

now the fun part is figuring out if the base chain i need is 148 or 160. i don’t actually know! (also it may actually be one stitch less. or two. the base pattern is written for dc, not hdc, so that’s something else i have to take into consideration.) and that’s, uh, a lot of stitches, so... i will inevitably end up doing it >=3 times, cursing all the while. (yay!)

#azu also crochets

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a-weird-blog-in-general · 7 years

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In the Heights God Au

Yep. I went and did this, and it’s long. And it’s a bit of a mess. And long. This is going to be Part 1 of hopefully one 2, to avoid making this post too long. And of course, you are all free to take your own creative liberties with this; what I’ve chipped in is only what I’d like to see, nothing more.

Overall this may seem like a jumbled mess and I'm sorry for that.

The way I have it, each character is going to have their God based on an already existing deity/myth, and they all vary in origin and cultural influence. Cause I wanted to do more than just Greek mythology. They all reside in varying places in the world too.

Usnavi => God of Stories and Storytelling

Based on Anansi the Storytelling spider of the Caribbean

Resides on an a relatively small, floating island (it's his island), all pretty and stuff, and it's spider central (but like cute spiders not those big hairy ones Usnavi would probably freak if he saw one of those)

The spiders provide the stories Usnavi collects; if there's one he really likes he'll go out and get the story himself.

He met Vanessa by chance one day, had a conversation and hit it off and he fell so hard for her; he’s made it his mission to seek Vanessa out and see her again.

He weaves the web to catch Vanessa when the wind blows by, but she always slips through => he tries to fashion better webs; it never works out.

His little island tends to orbit where Sonny lives so he can be close and watch over little god Sonny.

Creative liberty => Usnavi could totally have multiple arms if you wanted that in a design; I think that’d be really cool

Vanessa => Goddess of Wind and Flight

Vanessa lives in the clouds and sky, that being her domain, so she can fly and be free.

She would be based off the Aztec wind god Quetzalcoatl => light and beautiful dress, but strong and bright colors and she's adorned with gorgeous feathers.

She flies across the sky, carrying the winds with her where she goes => She can just fly on her own

She likes Usnavi, and thinks it kind of funny that they keep playing this game of “Catch the Wind,” but once she starts falling for Usnavi oh boy => She blames Carla for it (you’ll see why)

Sonny => God of the Sun

He resides in an open tower made of clay with plenty of openings for him to fly out wherever he wants

Based off the Incan god of the sun Nuit with plenty of Inca cultural influence in dress manner => I love the idea of Sonny having physical wings here

Bright and energetic, a protector of the people, but hot-headed (get it?)

He kinda really very much loves the moon and wants to meet her and see her and have a conversation with her => Can't really have time to do any of that because the moon and the sun can't be in the sky at the same time; he tries anyway => Sonny chases Nina across the sky the moment the sun is supposed to rise to catch at least a glimpse of Nina before she disappears for the day

He'll never actually catch her, though

Nina => Goddess of the Moon and the Minds

Most definitely based off the Greek god Athena => Much Greek influence in design

Resides in a Greek style pantheon, which happens to be in a mountain

Sonny chases her to catch her, but she ends up falling in love Benny who does catch her

She wants to have some freedom from the confines that Kevin has placed upon her

Pretty solid relationship with Lincoln even though Kevin disagrees; Lincoln can always cheer her up somehow and does indirectly help Nina and Benny hook up (You’ll see)

Benny => The Mortal who Caught the Moon

He's a mortal who falls in love with the Moon, but he can never see her because she's too far away and he can't stay awake long enough to draw her attention

So he sings to the moon until he can no longer stay awake (Lincoln provides the slightest drop of inspiration, leaving the rest to Benny) => Nina hears it and looks for the source and she does find it => She leaves a note

Every night they leave each other gifts and notes and they slowly fall in love => one of those gifts is knowledge, specifically the knowledge of how to catch a god => using the other gifts he crafts a makeshift net, everything held together by a single string made of his love (Carla and Lincoln help with that, you'll see how later) => He catches Nina with the net, pulling her down as gently as possible cause that's a god you've got Benny a pure divine angelic being you better be careful and they're adorable together and they kiss, sealing a bond between them

Lincoln => God of Death

Resides at a shrine located in a graveyard => Graves of the Nameless; people/mortals come to pay their respects to Lincoln and the dead unknown => He takes the unknown deaths/souls under his wing because he can relate to their loneliness

He is the closest to the mortals and practically in constant contact with them

Inspiration from San/Santa Muerte with a strong cultural influence => contributes to his musicality and isolation

He provides the inspiration for music and art

He creates death as something that is not to be feared, but something to be celebrated => Makes that happen by connecting music and liveliness of cultures to the celebration of death

Kevin’s not the biggest fan of that ideology, and they disagree on the aspect of death and how it should be addressed

Abuela Claudia => Goddess of Heaven and Sky, Lord of Constellations, Mother of the Gods

Inspired by the first Mesopotamian god AnuShe lives everywhere; you ask for her guidance she will just appear

She likes being with the mortals, and often disguises herself as a mortal to check up on the world => bless those doing good and punish those who are not

She takes the souls of the dead and places them as stars in the sky

Also takes time to feed the birds

She foretell events that will occur, but she cannot influence the event in such a way that completely changes the course of fate

The Rosarios => Divine Arcana

Camila => The Empress

Kevin => The Emperor

Camila focuses on health and bounty, values and ethics => Kevin focuses on authority and control => Both serve as judges over the worldInspiration from the tarot arcana of the same name, along with traditional Catholic influences/imagery

Reside in a mountain which inside has the most palace (like a "King Under the Mountain" type of place) and in the center, there's this beautiful grotto and garden with an opening in the ceiling to the sky => that's where Nina is

Kevin built it there to keep Nina close and happy but Nina wants to be freeKevin has so much responsibility it can get overwhelming

Pete => The Boy who Calmed the Sun

Takes inspiration from the demigod Maui => Feel free to take creative liberties in design

Pete's a demigod (in some circles, this can be a bad thing) who receives a from a strange woman (guess who => it's Abuela Claudia helping out fate) asking him to seek out the sun => So Pete goes to find Sonny

Here's why:

Sonny is NOT happy that Nina and Benny are a thing => He's basically lost his only possible chance to have Nina notice him and boy is he salty

So out of anger, he refuses to obey any natural laws and literally starts heating up the whole earth => that's how mortals explain how the earth got deserts

So someone's got to talk some sense into Sonny but he won't let anyone near himHe gets help from Vanessa to be able to find Sonny quickly => Most Gods want to help Pete because no one is benefitting from Sonny’s heatwave

He does find Sonny, but Sonny isn't gonna deal with anyone so he books it => Pete finds a conveniently placed cord, uses it to catch Sonny and ties him down=> So Sonny’s floating in the sky with his hands bound to his sides and he is not happy => He desperately tries to use his powers against Pete in some way but because of Pete’s demigod blood he’s not really affected by any of it

The whole thing that happens is based on the Maui myth about slowing the sun, just without attacking the sun to the point of weakness

They do start to get along on the way back to Sonny’s home => Pete becomes the therapist friend who helps Sonny vent and talks all the anger out

They get back to Sonny’s tower and Nina’s there => she worked around a few rules to be able to talk to the sun => Sonny so desperately wants to be mad at her but he can’t => they talk it out, actually get to know each other, make amends, etc. => Pete you did a good => mortals and Gods are like “whoa damn man you just snagged an angry God out of the sky like whoa”

Carla => Goddess of Love and Matchmaking

Inspired by the Chinese god Yue Lao, who ties the red string of fate around those destined to be together; or people she thinks should be together => fate works the way it does => Normally does the tying after checking with Abuela Claudia on fate’s say in the matter; sometimes she gets an answer, sometimes she doesn’t => Only she can see the stringReally into knitting and crochet => thanks @boopliette !

Whenever two souls end up together, people normally blame Carla => they did for the whole Benny and Nina thing; she’ll never admit that she did tie them together

The two souls she ties together are supposedly soulmates => mortals don’t always follow what she’s made and that’s okay => sometimes people can be a little stupid

Likes being in the thick of humanity with Daniela, mostly cause it’s her job to watch over the soulmates she ties

Daniela => Goddess of Beauty and Femininity

Inspiration from the Egyptian goddess Bastet, Goddess of Felines, women, and beauty

She and Carla go hand in hand => Carla hooks up the people, Daniela plays out the game of life with the two

Daniela sometimes fools mortals and orchestrates the drama that entangles them

Protective of women, but she does it in a subtle way => Blesses them with beauty, gives them confidence, and tries to steer them away from poor choices

Also into cats

She prefers to stay around humanity for the drama; she likes having something to talk about

As I’ve stated before, creative liberties are open! Please, you have all the right to dabble into this with your own ideas and stuff. I’d love that. And hey, if you ever want to talk about this, I’m open for conversation. Part 2 will hopefully come with more of the world stuff; how humanity is, and other little things about being a god/divine.

#Ahhhh christ #this is long #and exhausing #but hey #now it's out #in the heights #god au #in the heights god au

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nevernotknitting · 7 years

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Just Learned How to Knit (or crochet)? We Want to Be Your Friend!

So you’ve just decided that you want to learn how to make beautiful loopy fabric with some sticks. Or maybe you’re using a hook, I don’t have anything against crocheters, I just personally prefer knitting :P

You might be wondering how to find other people who can give you tips and tricks and discuss patterns and techniques with you. Well, look no further because I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about the knitting community, online and in your local area. We’re a pretty friendly bunch, so don’t be afraid to meet someone new!

Join Ravelry. Do it. Right now.

Trust me, if you don’t have one already, you’re going to want a Ravelry account. It’s like Facebook for knitting, only way better. This’ll be your one-stop shop for patterns, keeping track of your own projects, and connecting with other crafters across the globe. I could go on and on about all the features it has but it’ll save time to just check it out yourself. You’ll be surprised how much time you might spend looking at and queuing up pretty patterns instead of knitting!

Look up Knitting/Crochet Tumblrs, Blogs, etc.

Tumblr, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram are your friends. Embrace them and embrace the people you meet through them.

Join a KAL.

If you go on Ravelry like I demanded strongly suggested and you see the letters KAL, that stands for Knit-a-Long, which is when a bunch of people all decide to knit the same project, usually around the same time. This can be great for both meeting new people and getting tips on specific techniques because everyone will be struggling through difficult parts together. You won’t need to worry about not understanding the pattern, either, because you’ll have tons of other people to ask. Anyway, knitters love helping, so ask away!

Visit your LYS.

More acronyms! This one stands for Local Yarn Store - any store that specializes in all things yarn (100x better than your local Joann or Michael’s). Some yarn stores will have classes or groups that you can attend to meet other knitters/crocheters in your area. Plus, the staff are generally friendly and knowledgeable so you can ask them anything about problems you’re having or yarn substitutions you might want to make for a pattern.

Find a Local Stitch ‘n Bitch.

That’s a fancy term for knitting club, but I think Stitch ‘n Bitch sounds way more fun and less like you’re in middle school. For this, you can look on Ravelry, find one through your LYS or even through Meetup and other similar sites. It can be a really fun time to mix your crafting hobby with socializing, if that’s your thing.

Enter in County/State Fairs

If you’re in the US, you might have a nearby county or state fair that goes on during the Summer where you can submit entries in knitting or crochet (and much more!) You might even earn a few dollars or an awesome ribbon for your efforts! In my state, there’s also an opportunity to volunteer at the exhibit itself, which basically entailed sitting at a table for a couple hours and knitting so that people can see the process that goes into making the projects on display.

That’s all I have for now. Hopefully I’ve given you everything you need to get started with meeting other knitters and crocheters.

#knitting #my stuff #knitting community #crochet #crochet community #ravelry #knitters #crocheters

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wulfiesessentials · 4 years

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Caron Simply Soft Tweeds

I had originally purchased this yarn a few years back. It grabbed my attention, as it was so unique and of course I bought a few skeins with no real plan on what to use it with, sooo its been sitting around.

This was our first winter in about 4 years that It actually got down right cold and snowed a few times. I was on the hunt for cold weather yarn in my stash when I stumbled upon my skeins of Tweed. Is it bulky … No, not really but I had a new stitch I wanted to learn and thought that the Tweed would actually work well.

My thoughts were correct. This yarn is so versatile!! You can use a bulky type stitch to make a “thick”, warm garment… or use a normal stitch for your average day and a open mesh type stitch for those warmer days. This yarn is super soft, has a nice flow to it, doesn’t get super weighted down. Before I get too carried away lets get the technical stats done first…

As you can see by the picture above…

This is a Medium Weight (4), Made with 97% Acrylic & 3% Viscose

(Viscose is a semi-synthetic type of rayon fabric made from wood pulp.)

5oz /141g … 240yards / 219m

Recommended Hook 5mm , Knitting Needle 5mm

This is a Machine Washable and Dryable. As I usually state, I would wash with delicate laundry soap, cold water and lay flat. If you need to dry in dryer .. Low setting. With any article of “clothing” you want it to preserve it as well as possible.

Tweeds comes in 2 colors. Grey Heather, Taupe and Off White. It can be found ..

Online at.. Yarnspirations

Online & Store.. Joann’s , Micheals and Walmart

When I got into my project with the yarn I realized I was going to need more. I was alittle concerned as most of the places I looked were completely out or only had one color. I was however able to find what I needed at Joanns, but this brings to mind… Are they going to be discontinuing this yarn. The date on one of the skeins I already had was 11/2017 eeekkkk

I have searched all over the internet and could not find anything stating Tweed was going to be discontinued, however I have checked and it still seems places are low in stock or out of stock. I really hoping its do to our shelter in place during Covid-19.

The reason I’m a little distraught is I really like this yarn. The look of it was what grabbed my attention so much and the softness got me hooked.

Left picture shows you a close up of the “tweed” effect in this yarn. Its soft little tufts of yarn here and there throughout the skein. Some are small and tight into the yarn strand, others are bigger and loosey goosey. It gives character to this yarn.

The right picture is a break down of the yarn. There is a main ( little thicker) strand that is alittle fuzzy and it is surrounded by a few thinner and smoother strands. The yarn is then basically twisted up together.

Because this is a twisted together type yarn, those that plan to do small, tighter stitches may get alittle upset at this yarn. It does tend to split easily as you work with it. It does not however do it when your doing looser/ big stitches. *Note.. I’m notorious for tight stitches, Its just the way I’ve always crocheted. Could be my tension or the way I hold yarn & hook… no clue, it’s just me lol *

With that being said, I did not have any other cons to this yarn. Well I take that back… maybe a few more colors lol

Pro’s..

Neutral color with speckles of brown, white and what I’m going to call rust making this yarn fun, stylish and unique.

Soft… did I mention its soft? lol Its snuggly, feel good on your skin kinda soft. This twist type yarn also allows for a little give. Its not much of a stretch but there is a tad.

Durable… With stood several froggings and did not split, fray or get tangled up. It handled going threw my washer and about 20 mins of medium heat dryer time. It did not “warp” the stitches, loose any color, etc. Basically came out looking the way it did going in.

I laid my project flat to finish drying. It did take over night but I believe it was also due to the type of stitch I used.

All in all.. This yarn has earned a spot in my permanent stash section. I will be restocking it, hopefully, when I find them available. I will also update this post If I do find out this yarn will no longer be made.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you Have a Wonderful Day

WulfiesEssentials© is neither paid or affiliated with any persons &/or Business mentioned in this post. Any “review” is solely my opinion based on use of the Item mentioned in this post.

Review Caron Simply Soft Tweeds Yarn Caron Simply Soft Tweeds I had originally purchased this yarn a few years back. It grabbed my attention, as it was so unique and of course I bought a few skeins with no real plan on what to use it with, sooo its been sitting around.

#caronsimplysoft yarnspirations #Featured #review yarn

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knitknacksph-blog · 6 years

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Introduction (How it all started...)

Hi Everyone!

My name is KC and I am from Manila, Philippines. As mentioned in my description, I am a self-taught crocheter and knitter.

I learned how to crochet when I was in grade school/elementary. I wanted to make those cute and colorful cellphone sleeves back when we still have those bulky cellphones like the Nokia 3310. I guess I’m not really a self-taught crocheter, technically, because back then, my aunt taught me the basics of crochet and helped make my very first phone sleeve. I was very proud of my work.

I thought this was going to be a new hobby for me but alas the timing wasn’t right. I didn’t have any money to buy the materials since in elementary, my mom didn’t give me any allowance and it would be a burden to my mother if I ask her to buy my materials. So I had to let go of that hobby. *cries*

Fast forward to end of 2015/beginning of 2016, I just graduated from college and recently landed myself a job. I am officially an adult. But it seems that I am always bored when I am at home because I don’t have any homework to finish. Then I thought to myself, “You need a hobby, KC.” During that time, calligraphy was very “IN” as a hobby for people but then I remembered that I used to crochet back in elementary school. So it was between calligraphy and crochet. Obviously my choice was crochet and the reason is that I wanted a hobby where I can use the finished product in my everyday life and with crochet I can make clothes and accessories (although I don’t wear much) that I can use. And since the last time I crocheted was in elementary school, I had to relearn it. And where do people go when they want to learn something quickly and for free? Youtube of course! I relearned the craft quickly since it is a lot like riding a bike, you never really forget how to do it (I don’t know how to ride a bike lol!). I was able to make small projects like coasters and hats then eventually transition to a bit bigger projects like a shawl I made for my mom.

I was enjoying re-discovering crochet and also learning a lot of new things about it. I followed a lot of makers on instagram and constantly browse pinterest for pictures of crocheted work. Whenever I do this, I can also see knitted projects that are very beautiful since most makers, if not all, know how to crochet and knit. I wanted to make a lot of thise pieces and I think knitted pieces are more suitable for my country since it is thinner (my country has a very hot weather).

Now for crochet it was easy for me to learn but knitting was another story. I, of course, used Youtube as my platform to lern how to knit. I started with the garter stitch since, I think, it’s the easiest one because it’s all knit stitch. It was really hard for me because I was so used to using one instrument wit crochet and I’m not sure how to hold both needles while holding my work while doing the stitches. I almost gave up and was thinking of enrolling myself in a knitting workshop but then I visited the Gantsilyo Guru store and asked Ms. Trey, who is the owner of Gantsilyo Guru, if she knows someone who teaches beginner knitting. She suggested a few but she mentioned that I should try going to Youtube first, which I already did but I didn’t tell her that. So I have it a try again and I guess eventually I got the hang of it.

Nowadays, I prefer to knit more that I prefer to crochet but I still do some crochet work especially when friends ask me to make them something. I guess I prefer the challange of knitting since it’s so new to me and there is still so much more to learn about it.

Currently, I am trying to learn how to knit a garment, preferably a pullover, since I think it is one of the most complicated things to knit. I hope, eventually, I would be able to knit beautiful pieces of clothing and (not sure if this is possible) write my own patterns when I have enough experience.

Thanks for reading my story and hopefully it’s not too long (it is 😓) and I hope you enjoyed, learned something and would come back to my blog.

#knitting #crochet #knit #maker

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aoi-sakura · 8 years

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Year In Review (Part 3) ...Maybe Only A Few Weeks Late

Somewhere along the line, I read about how announcing your plans makes you subconsciously believe that you’re already halfway to accomplishing them. This isn’t the same article but it’s the first on Google.

In my experience, it’s 100% true. Back at the end of May, I stepped on the scale and said “Fuck. This.” I started losing weight, eating healthier and not eating (and simply not buying in the first place) so many snacks. Mindless eating everyone, that’s what my guilty pleasure had been for a very long time. I didn’t tell anyone my intentions until probably the end of August or even September, at that point I had lost almost 20 pounds and my pants were definitely getting too big for me. If you hadn’t seen me for a while, the change was probably obvious at that point. Now why are you writing this Amy? Why are you telling us your plans before they happen?

Because I have very little direct interaction with anyone that might read this. That’s why. This platform is more an open field to run through, a cliff face to scream off while the wind buffets your face. You get the idea.

Now if you had read my Year In Review post you know that were a couple bullet points I didn't address in Part 2, they were:

Improve the relationship I have with my long term boyfriend

Get a credit card, start building my (nonexistent) credit

Be more creative

To start off, I decided against trying to salvage the train wreck that was my last relationship. He was an asshole with no aspirations in life to keep it short. I never once felt like I came first or that he was really trying. But the biggest thing that I simply could not deal with any longer was this.

Him: *watching me play with friend’s baby* I think you’re ready to have kids, I know you keep saying you don’t want any but I really think you’re ready.

Me: I’m not having kids, I’m only 25, stop bringing it up. (Yes, I said this verbatim. On more than one occasion.)

Later that day...

Him: *trying to be sexy and get me in the mood* I really think you’d be a great mom, let’s go make love, can we not use a condom?

Notice how he never once mentioned that HE was ready to have kids? Yeah, me too. Not. A. Single. Damn. Time. Did he mention that he, himself, was ready to have children. His actions reflected this.

Me: Blake, stop grabbing my glasses...ugh stop you booger. *hands him to Ex*

Him: *visibly cringes at the concept of having to hold a baby and deposits baby safely elsewhere ASAP*

Yeah. So that was a lost cause. I ended it a couple days after Christmas because I didn’t want to be the dick to end it on a holiday, besides, I had presents for him that I wanted to give him when I bought them so it wasn’t like I was going to bother trying to return them and try to retract the sentiment.

Six years. Gone. Just like that.

...

On to the next bullet point. Getting a credit card, actually I did that back in the summer. I now have a car payment and a credit card where I had nothing before and basically didn’t exist as far as credit went. Now my credit is considered “Good”, not even close to “Excellent” but I’m getting there and I’m looking forward to refinancing my car in a couple months to hopefully lower my interest rate and have an overall lower payment, not that I’ll be paying any less. The term length is RIDICULOUS at the moment and it needs to be paid off sooner rather than later. I might be getting another credit card dedicated to one expense, like gas or groceries which are the big two to help boost it more but right now I like not having a bunch of cards floating around.

Last bullet point, be more creative. Well, that’s vague. What I mean is, do more in my free time. Write reviews for the books I’ve read, actually analyse what I’ve read instead of just enjoying it (or not) and leaving it at that like I have been doing for the past few years. How sad is that? Not sharing the beautiful with people? The wonderful. The terrible that still needs to be shared even though you don’t agree with its values or standpoint. Use the writing prompt blogs that I follow. Actually USE them. See what they are offering up and USE it. Activate my mind and getting WRITING. Like I always have, and sadly haven’t enough in the past few years. Create shit with my hands. Crochet, knit, paint, built fairy houses in the forest. Weird shit. Beautiful shit. Awesome shit. Maybe take a few pictures while I’m at it and share what I find beautiful even if I had no part in creating it. The fact that I’m sharing it is part of the amazing aspect of living in this world today. I’m taking a picture and sharing it with the world. Simply because I can.

We live in a beautiful world. I want to share that people. I want to add to it.

That is why I want to be more creative. My aspiration is still vague, but it’s slow coalescing into a more concrete idea as I go forward.

#2016 in review #new years resolution #part 3

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freemygypsys0ul · 8 years

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Hobbycraft Knitcraft Social 5-1-17

Couldn't make it to this week's Knitcraft Social at +Hobbycraft Milton Keynes? Catch up on all the gossip with Emma Harrison-Brown @pidgmaleon's awesome new weekly review.

So, the very 1st Knitcraft Social at +Hobbycraft Milton Keynes has really taken off and I am absolutely loving hosting it!

I only wish more of you around the world could come!!

But you can still join in the fun by tagging your work every Thursday 11am to 3pm across social media with the tag #knitcraftsocial... me and +Hobbycraft love to see what you are working on!

Since November, our weekly meeting has forged real friendships and with one member missing for 3 weeks on holiday at the start of this year, gorgeous lady Emma @pidgmaleon decided it would be a fun idea to write a little note to Jude every week to keep her updated on our crocheting shenanigans...

So I thought maybe you guys would also like to know what yarny-mischief we get upto for 4 hours a week playing hooky and knitty nora, so every week you can now catch up on the gossip with Emma's weekly Knitcraft Social review.

Knitcraft Social Thursday 5th January 2017

I was a little nervous about coming to this week's social because it was so busy before Christmas – both in terms of +Hobbycraft itself and people shopping and asking us questions whilst they are choosing yarn, and also in terms of having quite a few of us around the table all competing for Miki’s attention in making the baubles!

And what to bring to work on – I wonder how many granny squares Jude has whipped up out there in the sun? I really like crocheting in different places, I feel like you are stitching memories in a way, you can look at the squares you have made and remember where you were when you made them. So, I didn’t know what to bring to work on because last time we were doing the baubles altogether, and sometimes in the nattering environment I do find it quite hard to concentrate, so I wanted to bring something that was not going to take too much concentration or counting.

Then, there was a lady called Kate coming along who Miki knows through the social media app Instagram. And you know, this social media business is all a bit UNSOCIAL sometimes really – I think that people invest so much time in putting things on facebook and Instagram accounts and taking perfect pictures that it takes away from real life socialising which is why the knitcraft social is so special because it happens in real life with real people like you! And I wouldn’t have met Jude, Peggilini and more wonderful ladies through Instagram! Kate @lanaboushop and Miki had never even met before in real life!

Miki and Kate and I got on together really well which was really nice because neither Miki nor I had met Kate in person only chatted on Insta. Kate runs an online shop 'lanaboushop' through Etsy here, like Miki does and sells some absolutely amazing jewellery and crocheting bits and pieces, Click here after you have read this. Kate is very good at crocheting, but like the rest of us sometimes, did struggle with the old concentration with all the giggling and me talking lots and lots! Oh... and I did do the impression of the shark head on the trigger stick and the groan tube for her so she was up to speed!

Acrylic Crocheter necklaces £10 + P&P lanaboushop Etsy

The manager of +Hobbycraft Milton Keynes – Levi, had been busy over Christmas and put a lot of effort into making our space more spacious so now we are right in the corner and less disturbed by people shopping. I think you will really like it and if you visit us you will be able to make some nice crochet decorations to help brighten it up even more!

When I arrived, Kate and Miki were already there and of course, already crocheting. My adoptive Granny Peggilinni had a terrible cold so couldn’t make it... I was gutted, I was ready for my big granny hug squeeze and to make her laugh with my shark head on the end of a trigger impression!

I sat down and got my chosen project out – I am making a scarf. It’s in very boring colours, the colours of the Harry Potter school Hogwart’s house Slytherin... panels of silver and sludgy green. I am really hoping that you know about Harry Potter from your own reading, children or grandchildren, but basically in Harry Potter the school has houses in an old boarding school style. When you first start at the school of wizards and witches, you put this mad hat on (there are patterns to crochet one of these!), the hat is called the sorting hat. The head teacher – Dumbledore – sticks the hat on your head and it determines which house you go into....

You know those quizzes in magazines, that determine whether you are (A) mostly A’s you a mad fer it party animal and may need to think about rehab or (D) mostly D’s – yawn are you still awake isn’t it past your bedtime and have you had your Horlicks? Well... Depending on how you answer a number of questions, the author of Harry Potter, JK Rowling has done the official sorting hat quiz on her website to determine what house you go into in a sorting hat style... You tick the answer that you find most applicable to you in a given scenario, an example might be that you encounter a troll under a bridge do you (A) give the troll a bear hug (B) fight the troll (C) run away from the troll (D) bellow “who's that trip trapping over MY bridge”.

Which one would you pick?? I went for fight the troll! I went through and answered all my questions and waited, and do you know what?! It put me into Slytherin! How rude. Slytherin is the house that the bad wizards and witches are in! Powerful black magic wizards! Which is better than being in Hufflepuff because they are a bit of a waste of space in magic circles, but still! I volunteered to fight that Troll and that was how I was repaid?! But then I decided to embrace my inner-Slytherin and I am crocheting a Slytherin scarf.

I am a bit bored of it, it’s been kicking around the lounge since I started it mid September, but I want to finish it for two reasons. One, if I finish it David the husband will take me to Harry Potter world, and two, I have lost count of how many bloomin scarves I got about a quarter way through when I was a slow scared knitter and then abandoned. I think I need to complete at least just one scarf in homage to all the abandoned knitted ones that never got finished!

Levi the manager also found time to sit down with us and Miki put her amazing crocheting teaching skills to practice and taught Levi to do a chain – remember when you did your first chain? We were saying today how we've now had a few graduates!

We also had someone who needed a tape measure and Kate had one in her trusty pencil case of hooks and crocheting bits and pieces. I really think that having balls of yarn on the table and hooks in our hands makes people more sociable and talkative to us – everyone wants to tell us what they are making or thinking of making when they are looking at the yarn, you just don’t get that sort of interaction in other situations! I think it’s a great ice breaker, say you were going somewhere and were a bit nervy, whip out the crochet, gives nervous hands something to do and people are always bound to ask what you are making or tell you a story of someone that they knows crochets, or say that they wish they knew how to crochet. It’s great that we have something that brings us together, chaining friendships, literally and metaphorically.

Towards the last hour of the social, Kate had to head off, and we were joined by another +Hobbycraft customer who wanted to learn to crochet. She was a left handed knitter like Jude! Miki has perfected teaching left handed knitters and this lady left the store well on her way to crocheting lots of granny squares and did say that she would return next week!

So, all in all, it was much less manic than the social before Christmas. I did miss Jude, we all missed her actually – the lady that was learning, it would have been brilliant if she had been there because she was giving herself such a hard time as she was learning – just like Jude did – and if she had been there Jude would have been able to say “I was just the same and look where I am now” – hopefully she will return and everyone else will get to meet her.

I hope you are all having a great week and getting lots of time to crochet!

Lots of love

Emma xxx

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#Blogger #Crochet #crocheting #friendship #INSTAGRAM #knitcraft social #KNITTING #love #Social Media

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