#or in crochet its hooks but Still considering the setting

[twosroos]

All Grown Up [ch. 9]

roos says ! i edited this chapter like seven times bc i hated each plot i was giving it— its better now, hope it was worth the wait—!pleaseeee leave feedback i love reading what people think >:)! (pls someone find me more bob gifs i feel bad having to use rhett-- and a soft reminder that reblogs mean more than likes!)

desc: Bob drops by for a late night conversation, and the next morning he follows you. The Rodeo also begins.

notable characters: robert "bob" floyd

TWs: drunkenness

ao3 link ! last chapter ! next chapter !

You'd only really had time to wash your face and brush your teeth before there were knocks on the door to your house. Carole had opened it, graciously, inviting a very tired Bob in from the dark. By the time you'd made it downstairs, Bob was telling Carole in a soft voice that she was fine while Carole insisted on something else. Using your phone's flashlight you made your way down the ladder that led to your loft and turned to the two.

"What's goin' on?" You asked, trying not to sway on your feet from the amount of liquor in your system.

"I forgot to give myself a place to sleep." Bob flushes, "The basement isn't cleaned out yet, so I can't sleep there. I was gonna steal your couch but the Bradshaw's are usin' it."

"I can move to that little chair, hon!" Carole messes with the little half-finished crochet bunny in her hands, trying to hook her crocheting needle on something, "I'm small enough."

"No, it's fine Carole. I'll bring Bob up to my room. We grew up sleepin' in the same bed, it won't be weird or anything." You laugh softly, and Carole nods. She bids a soft goodnight to the two of you before she walks over to sit on your plush couch as you grab Bob's arm and bring him over to the ladder.

"You climb this all the time?" Bob laments, and you snort, pushing him.

"Aren't you in the Navy? Come on, or is it too hard for you?" You tease as you grip the ladder and hoist yourself up. It's a bit hard considering you feel tipsy and giggly. You eventually make it up and plop down on the little overhang.

"No, I'm just surprised you don't have stairs!" Bob defends himself in a whispered shout, and you roll your eyes as he takes his turn to climb up too.

"Haven't had time to map them out yet. Which is why, when you go into my room, watch your left side. I've got boxes stacked with knick-knacks and stuff." You explain as he comes up next to you, so you pop back up onto your feet and wave him over to you. There's a small sliding door you open and walk Bob into your hayloft-turned-bedroom loft as you explain your plan to have stairs that also act like shelves for all your pictures, knick-knacks, and such. Bob listens to you ramble as you fall back on your bed, hands lifting to point around your room at various posters, plants, and pictures.

"It's nice up here." He murmurs, and you laugh, curling up in the various blankets tucked up on your bed, the fan blowing on you with the addition of the already cold air conditioning.

"It took a lot of hard work, but it's home." You mumble as you tuck into the blankets, kicking a leg out so a stuffed animal flicks off your bed and hits him. He pauses, laughing softly, before tugging off the Navy sweater he wore. An idea popped into your head with the thought of the spare sweater he'd given you a few days ago. You shoved it aside for now.

You roll onto your stomach, watching as Bob carefully tucks himself into the blankets and pulls off his glasses to set them on the windowsill above his head. You murmur in a low voice, "Where did everyone end up? I know the Kazansky's are in Asher's old room."

"Payback and Fanboy took your bed, with Coyote and Hangman on air mattresses on the floor. Don't ask me how we squeezed them in, I'm still surprised. Amelia, Halo, and Phoenix took Avalon's room since it was the bigger of the twin's rooms. Mav and Penny took Gisele's. Your siblings went with my mom and Tom home, my mom's gonna put the girls in Molly's room, and Avalon and Gisele in my room. No clue where Asher and Robyn will be," He explains, yawning halfway through. 

"That's a lot of people to keep watch of," you say, and he nods with a soft laugh as his eyes bore into yours. The two of you lay there and stare at each other for a few moments before he opens his lips.

"What's on your mind?" He whispers against the chill of the fan running across your skin, "You've been kinda fidgety and spacey."

You sigh heavily and roll through the blankets to be so close to him that you can feel his body heat as his leg brushes against yours under the covers. You pretend to not notice how his face flushes.

"My siblings kinda thought I still was mad at you because the last time I talked about you to them was almost right after you left. They kinda just assumed we weren't on speaking terms anymore." You sigh, "And with Mike being back and my whole meltdown the other day... I've had a lot on my mind that I just kinda don't think of on the regular."

"Mike's not gonna do anything to you," Bob murmurs, his pupils dilating when the two of you make eye contact, "I promise."

"Between you and Jake I don't think he has a chance." You admit, giggling against the soft pillows by your head, "But it still worries me, you know, what he could do if he gets there. Or if he fights back... but, I know I'll be safe. There's a lot more than just Mike I'm thinking of."

"What else is on your mind then?" Bob asks and you smile softly. With exaggerated movement you begin to ramble about your rodeo tomorrow and how it can make you eligible for the NBHA Open. So, you felt like you were competing to go to what you considered the Olympics of Barrel Racing. You told him mostly about your three students competing tomorrow, Elane who was competing for the first time at nine years old, Talya who was just coming back from an injury, and Harper who was also trying to make it into the Open like you were. You told him,

"It's so dumb to be so stressed and terrified of something I could do with my eyes closed! It almost feels irrational, like being afraid of dating again."

Then, Bob confessed something to you.

"I'm terrified of dating again."

It makes you pause, and you cock your head at him. He flushes and waves his hands around.

"Hear me out!" He laughs, turning so he's almost flush against you, and you can smell the faint whiskey on his breath as he sighs, the breath filtering across the bare skin of your chest from where your lowcut tanktop sits.

"I'm hearing." You tease, and he sighs.

"Dating someone in the Navy, or vice versa is a huge commitment. It's worse if you marry them too. You have to give this person all of your trust. You just have to sit there at night knowing they're probably praying that you don’t end up dead somewhere, or that you don’t cheat overseas. You're also praying the same for them, you want to be able to go and help them and hold them but you can't because you're so far away. I've seen so many relationships that would usually thrive, break off and die in the Navy and it's so upsetting. I just can’t imagine having to leave someone behind. Even with my few exes since I left for boot camp, that was always the hardest part."

"Leaving?" You whisper and he nods, and you try to bite back the bitter comment of 'it wasn't hard for you the first time we kissed' that fights its way up. You don't have a real desire to be bitter anymore. When Bob hums back a yes, you sigh softly and almost try to burrow into your pillows a bit more. Your hand comes up to rest by your pillow, and you accidentally, or mostly accidentally, ghost it up his chest, barely touching his skin. He shudders but keeps his eyes locked on yours. 

You're not sure if you had made a mistake, or if your subconscious was asking for more. Your eyes sparkle with the dotted fairy lights hidden in the various decorative objects on your walls as you whisper, "Would you ever do it?"

"As soon as I can get the girl I’m after to trust me, yes. A hundred times over, even if it ends in flames." He flips onto his back slightly, one arm keeping him raised. In the dim light, you can see the scar on his shoulder in the difference in the way his skin looks against the twinkle of lights. You want to kiss him, to pull him down to you and pray that you're the girl he's referring to but bile builds in your throat at the realization that you're probably not that girl. He probably met some sun-kissed bleach blonde babe in Cali. Your heart pounds for a second before you begin to roll over as you spit out,

"I have to be up in a few hours. Night."

And though Bob also says goodnight, you can feel the bitter tone in his voice.

--

You wake up around four, your alarm beeping in your ear, and you quickly slap it to shut it off. After laying in silence and mentally contemplating if you needed to wake up this early, you felt a weight near you. Oh, right, Bob. You shifted to look over, the sun's rays just starting to make the sky a slightly lighter hue and thus making it a bit easier to see. Once the dark focused in your sight, you watched Bob as he tightened his grip on your waist. His lips parted in deep, slow breaths as he laid next to you and hogged most of the blankets. He looked more peaceful than you had ever seen him, not a wrinkle of worry on his face, and you smiled to yourself. 

Once you'd wiggled out of his grasp, you made your way to your closet and grabbed two outfits, the one you'd wear around the carnival and the farm, and another for your ride later tonight. Then, across the room, you found your bathroom door in the dark after almost rolling your ankle on a spare shoe you'd forgotten to tuck away. Slipping into the room, locking the door, and then flicking on the lights, you blinked harshly against the new florescence in your eyes as they adjusted. Leaning down, you grabbed a box labeled 'Rhinestone Cowgirl' in a beautiful calligraphic font and set it on the counter with a huff. 

As your mother would say, "It's time to get dolled up, cowgirl." 

This was a tradition you'd started with your mother when she'd gotten you into riding in college. When you'd gone to your first event, you had a job interview only a few hours later at another barn. Despite your mother's warning, you'd gone with your hair and makeup done, won, and instantly made a name for yourself as 'Rhinestone Cowgirl.' The nickname was because of you wearing a diamond-studded necklace during the event (even though you weren't supposed to.) So, from then on, you'd made it into a tradition to wear makeup and do your hair for rides, which slowly became a sort of selling point for your career. You became a sort of... niche micro-celebrity within the world of barrel racing. 

So, it was time to get dolled up.

When you emerged from the bathroom, Bob was still asleep. Uncharacteristically quiet,you quietly grabbed the tote you'd put all your stuff into the night before and threw it over your shoulder before descending back down the ladder to the main area of your barn-turned-house. Trying your hardest to keep quiet, you slipped into the kitchen and grabbed a little prepacked smoothie out of the fridge. You quietly thanked your past self for making these in advance and popped it open to take a large gulp, before slowly exiting through the side door in the kitchen instead of the one in the living room. You didn't wanna wake anyone up, since there was no specific time to be awake by. The walk to your Mom’s house is as calm as it usually is on an early morning like this, the birds idly whistle as they wake up and you can see a bit more of the sun starting to lighten up the sky’s ink-black color. There’s a slight blue gradient over the trees, and it makes you huff under your breath with a realization that the day has officially begun.

The back door squeaks a small bit as you open it, your mother pausing her humming to look over at you. A pot in her hand is full of eggs, and the pan in her other hand has what you think are the vegetarian patties from the night before. She sets the pot down as she gives you a warm smile.

“Morning Hon.” she says, “need more to eat?”

“I think I’ll survive on my smoothie today, I’m pretty sure one of the moms said she was gonna bring me food as a thank you. Like she does every other rodeo.” you smile softly, thinking of your students as you plop your head between your mom's shoulder blades as she clicks on the stove and you hear the sizzle of the pots as they resume heating up.

“Don’t stop overthinking your show now, darling.” She warns and you groan, stepping back and popping the top off your smoothie to take a large gulp hoping it will calm the nerves you feel gathering in your gut.

“Too late.” You sigh, "I'm just grabbing my truck keys and the barn keys so I can load up the trailer and such."

"Alright." Your mother says, before turning back before you can even take a step towards the door, "Be safe today, okay?"

"I always am, Momma," You snort and she rolls her eyes softly, leaning onto the counter with one hand, the other being placed perfectly on her hip as you lean up to grab the keys beside the door.

"You know I have to say that." She teases, and you laugh, letting her pull you over for a tight hug before she's waving you out to the path. Captain and Lieu both decide to come with, and you trek across the property to the small barn where you know you'll find your horse. You let Fuego out to run around and get herself to wake up, and in the meantime, you grab stuff to wash her off, and some equipment you need for the show. You manage to get Fuego washed and in the trailer before the sun rises, and the sound of second set of boots caused you to look over from where you’re standing.

“Mornin’ Bob.” You call over to him, smiling softly. He walks over slowly, downing the rest of a coffee. 

“What’s the plan for today?” he says and you shrug, turning to him and watching him stop dead in his tracks. He whistles low, and you laugh, brushing your hair back out of your face. His cheeks are red as he walks up to you, a small smile on his face, "Well, damn."

"What? You all bothered?" You smile, setting down the bucket with a slightly overdramatic bend. Just because. It gets the effect you want, Bob's eyes become dinner plates.

"No. I just... you look beautiful." He says bashfully and you flush, stepping forward to adjust his collar.

"I only get dolled up for rodeos, so this is a limited-time view." You smile at him and his hand slowly wraps around your waist. Your hand comes to fall at his chest and a loopy smile appears on his lips as your other hand adjusts your stetson as you whisper, "you look at me like I'm the only girl in the world."

"You are to me," He whispers and your face probably looks like a whole cherry tomato as you cough to try and hide it. He smiles, adjusting his stetson.

"Come on then!" You shout, whistling for Fuego, "Let's see if you can get a barrel mare to take a simple little bath."

"Something about your smile tells me this won't be as easy as you're pretending it is." He gives you an odd look as you hand him the bucket of supplies you'd curated from around the barn. So if he ends up looking way more attractive than he should with suds all down his white shirt… you are happily enjoying the show.

--

"Naomi! Can you help Olivia with her horse, please?" You sigh, looking over at your eldest student. She quickly nods and rushes across the small barn area to one of your youngest as she helps her finish tacking her horse. You look around the temporary stables, absentmindedly shoving a bit more hay towards Fuego until you put away the rake and sigh.

"Miss L/n." a voice calls, and you turn to see Shannon grinning at you.

"Hey!" you smile, rushing over to give her a tight hug, "I hope you're here to give me some good news?"

"Mike shouldn't be at the party, he's got a job on the 5th in Georgia, so he probably won't make it," Shannon says, and though ideally, you would feel a weight lift on your shoulders, it stays in your heart.

"Are you sure?" You ask, and she sighs, running a hand through her dark hair.

"Well... almost. I don't know fully, but there's no way he'd risk his job over a party." She admits, and you huff. Inside, you feel knots making your stomach twist and sick. Bringing a hand to your hat, you readjust it and bite your lip as you look away.

"So he could-"

"Hey! Rhinestone Cowgirl! Come help us with this!" A voice calls from behind you, and you look over to see one of the event organizers waving at you with a sense of urgency.

"I don't have time for this, Shannon. Let me know if he's coming or not. I'm over the dance around." You snap before sharply turning on your heel and slipping into the crowd of workers, rodeo competitors, horses, and other animals. Shannon watches you go with an anxious look but doesn't say anything as she flips a small black box in her hand as your figure gets smaller and smaller as you meet up with some staff members.

[enderspawn]

grizzly offhandedly mentioned dakota was teaching the children how to crochet in s2 ep8 and i cannot stop thinking about it

HOW could you say this to me now i am going to be plagued w bl;orbo thoughts......

[aseioh]

The day the earth stood still pt.2/3

Author’s Notes: Striking a deal with an Eldritch being has never been so easy

 Bela was numb.

Kneeling by the foyer of the house, she stared at the crystal remains in front of her. The whole house was in disarray, dolls once lovingly caressed now lay broken on the floor. Angie, Donna's favorite doll and pseudo-self was missing as well. Bela wanted to stand and investigate to see what had happened to cause all this devastation, but the thought of leaving Donna alone even for a second grounds her in place.

'She was alone' Bela thought, she was alone even in death. Poor Donna Beneviento the mysterious doll maker, in life and in death alone in every sense.

"It must have been hard for you, you couldn't stop him. You must have known that you couldn't stop him, only stall. Stall for a little more time" Bela talks to the crystal remains. Standing up Bela walks around the first floor of the house, she sees the fresh blood smeared on the walls.

'there must have been a chase, Angie's favorite hide and seek' shattered dolls littered the floor, sewing materials scattered on the table, books toppled from their shelf.

Bela stops by the foot of the stairs and looks at the portrait of Donna.

---

  She remembers the time Donna came to the castle for the portrait commission, how she was fidgeting on her seat as her mother sketches. Donna was nervous even with her veil on her head, the fact that someone was looking at her so intensely was making her sweat.

 "Now, now Donna no need to be nervous. It's just us girls here." Alcina tries to calm the nervous woman. "Look even Angie is calm" pointing at the doll Donna is carrying.

 "Relax love, no one will see you here. Even then it's just Cassandra and Daniela, they'd like to see you and Angie later. Daniela will definitely want to play with Angie, and Cassandra would probably ask you about crochet patterns." Bela giggles at Donna's surprised look.

 "Yes Cassandra's trying to learn crochet, when she learned that it involves stabbing things to make something she got this grin and started asking for crochet hooks" Donna giggles the sound so soft that everyone in the room can't help but smile. Alcina gives her daughter a small smile, thankful that she has managed to ease the nervous woman.

 The rest of the day went by, with Cassandra and Daniela later stopping by to chat with the woman.

---

That portrait now hangs by the staircase the most prominent thing you first see inside the house. Donna's soft smile and Angie's grin captured perfectly on canvas. Bela was so lost by the portrait that she didn't hear the door open at first. Quickly sensing that something was different around her she swarms to Donna's side ready to kill anyone that dares disturb her lover's sleep.

Standing by the door is the last person she thought she would see.

"I see you've reunited with Lady Beneviento" The Duke stands by the foyer, leaning forward with the use of a silver walking stick a suitcase by his leg. The very fact that the portly man stands in front of her unnerves Bela, that and she realizes that The Duke towers over her although not as tall as her mother.

She immediately goes on a defensive, her body shielding Donna's crystal remains.

"What are you doing here. There's nothing for you to steal" Bela sounded furious how dare this man come here and barge into Donna's home. Readying her sickle she makes a move towards The Duke.

Sensing the tense atmosphere radiating from the young woman, The Duke lifts his hand in a stopping motion. "Before you continue in this destructive way, may I suggest you listen to my proposal first" The Duke enters the house and sits at the first available seat, Bela follows the man's movement never taking her eyes off him.

"Come and sit Miss Dimitrescu, I find it easier to bargain when both parties are sitting" Bela follows the man near the table but refuses to sit. "I'll stand thank you"

"Very well, now, about my proposal. I have been a proprietor of all kinds of wondrous items, and in my life I have accumulated fantastical and often occult objects that an average man would sell his soul to obtain-" at this The Duke looks at Donna's remains then looks at Bela letting the implication of his words sink in. "Objects that can curse its owner or grant wishes that beyond your wildest dreams."

"And I would like to extend my services to you, Miss Dimitrescu" The Duke finishes. Bela was quiet as she considers the man sitting in front of her.

Was this real? can she really bring Donna back to life. But as she hopes for the miracle presented to her another thought comes into mind.

"What's the price?" at that The Duke's smile broadens. "I always knew you were a smart one, Yes, as with all things in this world there will be a price to pay. Something of equal value for starters"

“Anything” Bela says without hesitation

“Ah but I haven’t even told you what the price is. Will you still be willing to exchange once you know?” The Duke prods Bela looking for any hesitation within the woman's feature and sensing none.

"Very well, I can help you revive Lady Beneviento but the price would be steep. Both of you will have to pay for it, for your part you will have to give up half of your life to sustain her. For Lady Beneviento she would have to give up her memories of you and any lingering feelings along with it. I would guarantee that she would have a new life away from here, a new start." The Duke ends laying down the terms of his proposal.

Bela listens to every word "And your telling me that what you've just proposed is an equal exchange?"

"I did say that it's just for starters, as you are in no position to give me anything of value, I do believe that I'm the one who can determine the terms and conditions of this bargain."

Bela considers the man's word and thinks of what her mother would have done. "If I do agree with what you said" she says carefully, "What proof do you have that Donna would be safe? Why are you helping me?"

"I'm just a humble merchant, I go where I'm needed, and I can't pass up on a good business deal." The Duke said with a sharp glint in his eyes. He almost seems inhuman. "And I can assure you, I don't renege on a deal. Lady Beneviento will be taken care of."

"And what if I want second opinion from mother?" Bela questions

"I'm afraid you can't do that. This deal is between you and me. The moment you walk out that door I will be gone and you're beloved will stay dead."

Bela steels herself and walks towards Donna's remain one more time. Kneeling down and gently placing her hands on the crystalized faced, Bela thought of happier times with her beloved. "I'll make this right Donna, No matter what happens I love you. I want you to find happiness, even if I'm not in the picture."

Standing up Bela faces the merchant. "I agree to your terms, but I want your word and proof that she will be taken care of. That you will bring her outside of this damned village and away from this madness. I want your word Duke."

The portly man stands up and walks towards Bela, extending his hands and offering to seal the deal with a handshake "Well then we have a deal."

Bela accepts the proffered hand and feels herself grow weak, a few more moments and the young woman faints her last thought of was of the smile of the mysterious doll maker.

The Duke nimbly catches the young woman before she hits the floor, surprising considering his rotund body. Carefully placing Bela on the floor, he moves towards his next client "Now Lady Beneviento, I will be taking the Cadou from you and there will still be minimal scaring. Hopefully with your new identity you will forget all the pain this village has caused you." He places a white circular object near Donna's torso near her heart. Like magic the crystalized remains of Donna began to form into her old body, checking if the woman is breathing, seeing as the woman looks to be asleep.

Moving towards the door The Duke retrieves Angie from a suitcase and gently placing the doll near Donna. Satisfied with his work, he moves towards Bela, scooping up the young woman he makes his way towards his carriage. Making his way towards the castle, he spots Lady Dimitrescu at the steps of the castle foyer. The Lady has recovered enough to be able to stand and wait for the return of her daughter.

"Good evening Lady Dimitrescu, I've brought your beloved daughter back. Do not worry she's merely tired, she'll awake in no time" The Duke greets the matriarch of the castle with his usual flair. For Alcina's part she eyes the man wearily sighing "You've done something to them haven't you? I will not ask the details as I know your ways merchant. I just want to know if my daughter will be safe."

"Do not worry madam, she will be fine, as well as the newly revived Lady Beneviento."

"So she did perish, alone. My poor Donna"

"I believe she tried her best to stop Mr. Winters, but alas, the man's willpower to get his daughter back is stronger than anything. I believe you also understand that"

"I do, my daughters are everything to me" Alcina said with a hard edge and finality in her voice.

The Duke carefully opens his carriage and retrieve the sleeping woman, gently giving her over to Alcina. Alcina brings Bela closer to her embrace to ward of the cold. As The Duke makes his way towards his carriage he turns to the Lady of the castle. "I shall now return to house Beneviento to retrieve Lady Beneviento and will get her to an associate of mine that would set up her new life. after that, I do believe we have our own deal to make."

"That we do" a thought crosses over Alcina "Why help us?"

The Duke considers, this wasn't the first time he heard that question and he deals the answers in half truths "There are forces in this world that exist that even science cannot explain, the old Gods have left but few remained and continue to slumber on. Some are sympathetic to human and would grant wishes when asked. I believe that is what happened with your Mother Miranda. My associates and I keep the balance in check." the surroundings behind The Duke starts to get fuzzy and dark, static sounds seem to come from everywhere. and as soon as it starts it ends everything comes back to normal and The Duke is back to his pleasant self. "I hope that answers your question, 'til we meet again my Lady"

Alcina understands that there are some things in the world that should be left alone, this is one of these. "Yes until later then. Thank you" Alcina makes her way back inside the house, nursing Bela near her breast. Cassandra and Daniela greets them by the door, concern in their face.

"Is Bella alright, Mother?" Daniela asked

"She'll be fine my dear, we all are. When this day ends everything will be made clear and the ashes of the damned will scatter in the winds" Alcina answers cryptically as the three women make their way further inside the castle.

Inside the carriage The Duke considers the days event, chuckling to himself 'and the Day isn't even finished yet. There are many more plans to move forward and a struggling parent to help'. His thoughts came to the lovers he just helped, the bargain was just he thought. He just hoped that he had a satisfied customer.

Smiling broadly he hums a long forgotten tune, his thoughts on the sleeping woman he brought back in the castle. If his predictions are right and if Miss Dimitrescu is as smart as he thought she is, then she would be able to find the loophole that was inadvertently placed.

Donna may have lost her memories of Bela as payment, but if they were meant to be together, then Bela can simply find her again.

Better send her an address then just in case. after all he wasn't one to just put everything in one basket, a little push on the right direction should be enough.

   Now dreams run wilds, as lovers find their way        Through the nights, not a care in the world        And over there, over the twinkling of the lights        Harbor lights, say goodnight one more time 

----

Notes: Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion tomorrow!

[maxismatchccworld]

Welcome back to our latest - and last! - Deep Dive into the gameplay of The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack. I’ve really enjoyed sharing the designs and development of this pack with you, and I hope to continue doing these sorts of posts in the future. It’s been a super cool experience, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these! In today’s post I’ll talk about the feature that is core to everything in this pack, Knitting! Once again, I have to remind you that we’re still in active development on the pack and so some things may change between now and the final game. Now, let’s talk about some nifty knits!

READ IT I PROMISE YOU GONNA LIKE IT!

In order to start knitting, you’ll need to purchase a Yarn Basket from the Build/Buy catalog. You probably remember voting on these baskets a while back. This was the winning design, presented to you now in all its colorful glory! Don’t like color? That’s okay, because we included a solid black and white variant.

We have one more knitting basket coming too! Remember this one?

The basket acts as the crafting catalyst(neat term, huh?) similar to the Easel or Woodworking Bench in The Sims 4 base game. But unlike those examples, the Yarn Basket is meant to live in a Sim’s inventory so that they can take their knitting anywhere they want to go. Knitting itself is relatively straightforward: click on the Yarn Basket in your inventory, OR, with the basket in your inventory, click on the chair you want to sit in while knitting (perhaps a rocking chair?) and select the Knit interaction. Your projects are saved to your Sim, so you can pause your progress at any time and resume later, and even juggle multiple projects at once. Starting a project costs a small amount of Simoleons for the cost of yarn, but nothing too outrageous.

(Children can knit too!) As a Sim levels up their knitting skill they’ll have access to new patterns. They’ll start with knitting socks and beanies, but as they grow more skilled they can tackle more challenging projects like sweaters and toys for kids. But if you only want to specialize in one thing - perhaps knitted mailbox cozies? - that's fine too! Just keep knitting anything and everything, and you’ll be level 10 before you know it. Speaking of knitting skill, sometimes your skill is reflected in your knitted work, or rather your lack of skill. Knitting projects can fail, and when they fail they can get weird. But it’s all subjective, and maybe you’ll end up accidentally knitting the cutest derpy companion, or the perfectly itchy sweater. No mistakes, only happy accidents!

(Just own it.) One of the niftiest parts of the knitting skill is unlocking the ability to Teach to Knit, where Sims sit down together and have a knitting pow-wow. We wanted this to feel special, so we got a really sweet animation for it (Thanks Haeju!). Now that you can infect other Sims with the knitting bug, no yarn ball will be safe!

(The knitting needles aren’t finished on the Teach To Knit interaction yet, but trust me it's SUPER CUTE.) So, what can you do with all these knitting projects? Lots of stuff! Not only can knitted objects be listed on Plopsy, but you can also Donate them to charity. If you want to surprise a loved one, try Gifting a knitted object too. If you want to destroy all traces of your knitted failures, you can Frog the object and start again! If it's a particularly nice Sweater that you made, consider Adding it to Wardrobe to make it available in Create-A-Sim to all family members.

(Everyone appreciates a nice gift!) We want Sims to be able to knit something for their whole family. Not only will Sims be able to knit Toddler Onesies, but Baby Onesies as well. So put your little grubworm in a handmade knitted outfit. I’m sure they’d thank us if they could! (And if they didn’t like it I’m sure they’d be polite about it.)

(Here’s a sneak peek at some of the concept art for new clothing for the littlest of Sims!) It also felt like a good idea to add an Aspiration to tie this passion for knitting all together. So if you want to master the fuzzy art of knitting, consider signing your Sim up for the Lord(or Lady) of the Knits Aspiration. With yarn running through your veins, there will be no knitting mountain too hard to conquer! Master the Aspiration and you’ll be rewarded with the Sacred Knitting Knowledge trait. What does it do? Lots of stuff! What does it unlock? Something special! Am I being vague? I am! Come on guys, I can’t share all the secrets quite yet.

As I’ve mentioned previously, we’re trying to get as much cross-pack functionality for knitting as we can. Cats can play with Yarn Baskets and Yarn Balls, there will be new Club rules for Knitting, new class electives at University, and knitting counts for Emotional Control, just to name a few. I’m hoping Knitting feels nice and snug alongside our other gameplay systems. Now let's have a chat with our lead Object Modeler, Beth Mohler! Conor: Can you tell us a little bit about what an Object Modeler does on The Sims 4? Beth: As an object modeler I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to make objects work in The Sims 4. This is actually a very involved process, and somewhat different from the wonderful work our environment team does. We work with designers, concept artists, engineers, animators, vfx artists (basically everyone!) to make sure that Sims can use an object properly in an animation, or that all of our objects will work with each other. Once we understand the design for a new object, we will create a rig, a block model (a very generic version of the object used to help us make more of the same object in the future), and a footprint (tells us where the object can go and how Sims move around it). Once those are tested by animators and other disciplines we can model the final version, create UVs, and add textures. We also hook up and test everything in the game to make sure it all looks good. There is a lot to think about when it comes to making objects because we know players can find so many interesting ways to place and use them in game. That makes it a very fun challenge to make them work with everything else we’ve built before. Conor: What feature are you most excited to work on in Nifty Knitting Stuff? Beth: I’d say I am most excited to work on the rocking chairs! I love that we are bringing them to the game and can’t wait to see them in some cozy living rooms or on porches. Conor: What are some of the challenges you are facing working on this pack? Beth: One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the knitting itself looks good and is fun to watch! This is a challenge given that it needs to work for everything you can create. Figuring this out takes a lot of iteration between modeling, animation, engineering, design, and art direction so that we come to a conclusion that will work the best given our time and technical constraints. Another interesting “challenge” is the fact that I crochet as a hobby myself! When you are knowledgeable about something (yarn!) in real life, working on it in the game it can sometimes be hard to separate the things you know and may expect in reality from what is possible or best within a video game. I have to make sure to keep a balance and to conceptualize how we can best convert the knitting experience into The Sims 4. As someone who also generally enjoys interior design and architecture, this is actually one of my favorite challenges and one of the things I love about working on objects in The Sims 4. Conor: What is your favorite feature you have ever worked on in The Sims 4? Beth: I think it has to be a tie between the mini fridge or the robotics table in Discover University. That pack was the first time I got to really take an entire feature from start to finish. I’ve been with Maxis for a while, but I’m relatively new to The Sims 4. Both of these objects had some complex features we wanted that required a lot of iteration. I learned a ton about the technical aspects of our game during the process as well. I’ve also worked on a few very cool things between then and now, but those can’t be shared yet ; ) As a fan of The Sims since the very beginning I am so happy to be able to share a little about what I do on a daily basis on The Sims 4 with you! I haven’t been on The Sims 4 for quite as long overall, but some of you may also recognize me from my time on Sims Mobile where I shared some of our workflows on Twitter for making a juice bar. Thanks! Conor: You shared a screenshot of the In-Progress Rocking Chair in our Rocking Chair Deep Dive. Can you share an updated screenshot now that the Rocking Chair is further along? Beth: I would love to! I hope everyone has been enjoying seeing the progress on this object so far! Here it is a little further along. This program allows us to set the rules for the object materials, footprint size and rig it should use, as well as all the color variants and swatch colors you see in the catalog.

Thanks Beth! By the way, Beth is on Twitter @SimGuruBeth, so be sure to Follow her! And thanks to all of you Simmers for following this pack’s development, this has been a really fun project in a very crazy time. A big thank you to my Stuff Pack teammates, and especially SimGuruSarah who edited my inane ramblings and wrangled the miscellaneous bits for these posts. While this concludes my design Deep Dives, we still have more forum posts with development insights on the way! Keep checking the Community Stuff Pack forum and we’ll have more fun stuff to show off in the weeks to come. Until next time, SimGuruConor

Source: The Sims Forum

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting: Knitting Deep Dive

SimGuruConnor has released a forum post providing details on The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting!

Welcome back to our latest – and last! – Deep Dive into the gameplay of The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack. I’ve really enjoyed sharing the designs and development of this pack with you, and I hope to continue doing these sorts of posts in the future. It’s been a super cool experience, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these!

In today’s post I’ll talk about the feature that is core to everything in this pack, Knitting! Once again, I have to remind you that we’re still in active development on the pack and so some things may change between now and the final game.

Now, let’s talk about some nifty knits!

In order to start knitting, you’ll need to purchase a Yarn Basket from the Build/Buy catalog. You probably remember voting on these baskets a while back. This was the winning design, presented to you now in all its colorful glory! Don’t like color? That’s okay, because we included a solid black and white variant.

We have one more knitting basket coming too! Remember this one?

The basket acts as the crafting catalyst(neat term, huh?) similar to the Easel or Woodworking Bench in The Sims 4 base game. But unlike those examples, the Yarn Basket is meant to live in a Sim’s inventory so that they can take their knitting anywhere they want to go. Knitting itself is relatively straightforward: click on the Yarn Basket in your inventory, OR, with the basket in your inventory, click on the chair you want to sit in while knitting (perhaps a rocking chair?) and select the Knit interaction.

Your projects are saved to your Sim, so you can pause your progress at any time and resume later, and even juggle multiple projects at once. Starting a project costs a small amount of Simoleons for the cost of yarn, but nothing too outrageous.

(Children can knit too!)

As a Sim levels up their knitting skill they’ll have access to new patterns. They’ll start with knitting socks and beanies, but as they grow more skilled they can tackle more challenging projects like sweaters and toys for kids. But if you only want to specialize in one thing – perhaps knitted mailbox cozies? – that’s fine too! Just keep knitting anything and everything, and you’ll be level 10 before you know it.

Speaking of knitting skill, sometimes your skill is reflected in your knitted work, or rather your lack of skill. Knitting projects can fail, and when they fail they can get weird. But it’s all subjective, and maybe you’ll end up accidentally knitting the cutest derpy companion, or the perfectly itchy sweater. No mistakes, only happy accidents!

(Just own it.)

One of the niftiest parts of the knitting skill is unlocking the ability to Teach to Knit, where Sims sit down together and have a knitting pow-wow. We wanted this to feel special, so we got a really sweet animation for it (Thanks Haeju!). Now that you can infect other Sims with the knitting bug, no yarn ball will be safe!

(The knitting needles aren’t finished on the Teach To Knit interaction yet, but trust me it’s SUPER CUTE.)

So, what can you do with all these knitting projects? Lots of stuff!

Not only can knitted objects be listed on Plopsy, but you can also Donate them to charity. If you want to surprise a loved one, try Gifting a knitted object too. If you want to destroy all traces of your knitted failures, you can Frog the object and start again! If it’s a particularly nice Sweater that you made, consider Adding it to Wardrobe to make it available in Create-A-Sim to all family members.

(Everyone appreciates a nice gift!)

We want Sims to be able to knit something for their whole family. Not only will Sims be able to knit Toddler Onesies, but Baby Onesies as well. So put your little grubworm in a handmade knitted outfit. I’m sure they’d thank us if they could! (And if they didn’t like it I’m sure they’d be polite about it.)

(Here’s a sneak peek at some of the concept art for new clothing for the littlest of Sims!)

It also felt like a good idea to add an Aspiration to tie this passion for knitting all together. So if you want to master the fuzzy art of knitting, consider signing your Sim up for the Lord(or Lady) of the Knits Aspiration. With yarn running through your veins, there will be no knitting mountain too hard to conquer! Master the Aspiration and you’ll be rewarded with the Sacred Knitting Knowledge trait. What does it do? Lots of stuff! What does it unlock? Something special! Am I being vague? I am! Come on guys, I can’t share all the secrets quite yet.

As I’ve mentioned previously, we’re trying to get as much cross-pack functionality for knitting as we can. Cats can play with Yarn Baskets and Yarn Balls, there will be new Club rules for Knitting, new class electives at University, and knitting counts for Emotional Control, just to name a few. I’m hoping Knitting feels nice and snug alongside our other gameplay systems.

Now let’s have a chat with our lead Object Modeler, Beth Mohler!

Conor: Can you tell us a little bit about what an Object Modeler does on The Sims 4?

Beth: As an object modeler I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to make objects work in The Sims 4. This is actually a very involved process, and somewhat different from the wonderful work our environment team does. We work with designers, concept artists, engineers, animators, vfx artists (basically everyone!) to make sure that Sims can use an object properly in an animation, or that all of our objects will work with each other. Once we understand the design for a new object, we will create a rig, a block model (a very generic version of the object used to help us make more of the same object in the future), and a footprint (tells us where the object can go and how Sims move around it). Once those are tested by animators and other disciplines we can model the final version, create UVs, and add textures. We also hook up and test everything in the game to make sure it all looks good. There is a lot to think about when it comes to making objects because we know players can find so many interesting ways to place and use them in game. That makes it a very fun challenge to make them work with everything else we’ve built before.

Conor: What feature are you most excited to work on in Nifty Knitting Stuff?

Beth: I’d say I am most excited to work on the rocking chairs! I love that we are bringing them to the game and can’t wait to see them in some cozy living rooms or on porches.

Conor: What are some of the challenges you are facing working on this pack?

Beth: One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the knitting itself looks good and is fun to watch! This is a challenge given that it needs to work for everything you can create. Figuring this out takes a lot of iteration between modeling, animation, engineering, design, and art direction so that we come to a conclusion that will work the best given our time and technical constraints.

Another interesting “challenge” is the fact that I crochet as a hobby myself! When you are knowledgeable about something (yarn!) in real life, working on it in the game it can sometimes be hard to separate the things you know and may expect in reality from what is possible or best within a video game. I have to make sure to keep a balance and to conceptualize how we can best convert the knitting experience into The Sims 4. As someone who also generally enjoys interior design and architecture, this is actually one of my favorite challenges and one of the things I love about working on objects in The Sims 4.

Conor: What is your favorite feature you have ever worked on in The Sims 4?

Beth: I think it has to be a tie between the mini fridge or the robotics table in Discover University. That pack was the first time I got to really take an entire feature from start to finish. I’ve been with Maxis for a while, but I’m relatively new to The Sims 4. Both of these objects had some complex features we wanted that required a lot of iteration. I learned a ton about the technical aspects of our game during the process as well. I’ve also worked on a few very cool things between then and now, but those can’t be shared yet ; )

As a fan of The Sims since the very beginning I am so happy to be able to share a little about what I do on a daily basis on The Sims 4 with you! I haven’t been on The Sims 4 for quite as long overall, but some of you may also recognize me from my time on Sims Mobile where I shared some of our workflows on Twitter for making a juice bar. Thanks!

Conor: You shared a screenshot of the In-Progress Rocking Chair in our Rocking Chair Deep Dive. Can you share an updated screenshot now that the Rocking Chair is further along?

Beth: I would love to! I hope everyone has been enjoying seeing the progress on this object so far! Here it is a little further along. This program allows us to set the rules for the object materials, footprint size and rig it should use, as well as all the color variants and swatch colors you see in the catalog.

Thanks Beth! By the way, Beth is on Twitter @SimGuruBeth, so be sure to Follow her! And thanks to all of you Simmers for following this pack’s development, this has been a really fun project in a very crazy time. A big thank you to my Stuff Pack teammates, and especially SimGuruSarah who edited my inane ramblings and wrangled the miscellaneous bits for these posts.

While this concludes my design Deep Dives, we still have more forum posts with development insights on the way! Keep checking the Community Stuff Pack forum and we’ll have more fun stuff to show off in the weeks to come.

Until next time, SimGuruConor

[prettylittlelyres]

2020: My Year in Reading

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- Part 6 -:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

I also re-read “Midnight” by Jacqueline Wilson, which was even better than I remembered. My sister and I have been re-reading a lot of Jacqueline Wilson’s books recently, and, in doing so, have found that all our hang-ups about them were actually… just a bit twitty. They’re great stories, they keep you turning the pages, and the pure sass of some of the characters just goes right through the roof. “Midnight” however, is a story I’ve always loved – no silly hang-ups could ever touch it – in part, I guess, because Violet just feels so Sapphic-coded, and also because she had a room full of fairy dolls that she’d made out of love for her favourite series of books, “The Flower Fairies” (sadly fictional, but I would quite frankly die of happiness if Jacqueline Wilson wrote and published even one as a novelty!). That might seem an odd reason to love a book, but, when I was at primary school, I was obsessed with the “Rainbow Magic” books by Daisy Meadows (by several ghost-writers, actually, but I digress) when I first read it, and had my very own “India the Moonstone Fairy” doll, which my mother had helped me to sew! As far as I was concerned, I was Violet, minus the horrid (misunderstood) big brother, and plus a lovely (the best, actually) big sister. Didn’t hurt that I was a baby gay, either, and that I had a close friend who played dolls with me (and with whom I might have been a bit in love). I’m seriously considering writing to Jacqueline Wilson to tell her how much I adore “Midnight”, even at 22. (I’m just not sure how to do that without coming across as a sycophant.)

Somehow, I’d managed to forget how heart-breaking “Vicky Angel” and “My Sister Jodie” were (also Jacqueline Wilson), but re-reading them at the beginning of December brought all the Big Tears flooding back. I managed not to cry outwardly, but these books hit me hard! I loved the Gothic atmosphere of “My Sister Jodie”, though – it was quite a bit like “Midnight” – and all the references it had to “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett (which I need to read, actually; I’ve only ever read the Ladybird version). The descriptions of Melchester College as the family sees it for the first time, and then looks around their living quarters, are great, such a strong contrast between this beautiful vista and the drab dreariness of life-behind-the-scenes.

I took December to make my way through my small (but growing!) library of writer’s craft books, with “Writing Deep Point of View” and “Fiction Pacing” by Rayne Hall, and “Writing Your Story’s Theme” passing a few hours on a rainy afternoon by reinforcing all I learned at A’ Level and teaching even more, and “Ghost Stories and How to Write Them” by Kathleen McGurl giving me a much clearer idea of how to craft something spooky, as well as how to market it. I don’t really write many short stories, but that’s something I want to change, so I thought it would be a good idea to start with some craft revision! Further to wanting to write more spooky stories, I also took December to finish “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James (more popularly known since the brilliant Netflix series as “The Haunting of Bly Manor”!), and the novel we were set in our French class, “Et si c’était vrai” by Marc Levy (the basis for the film “Just Like Heaven”, which I adore).

I’ve been trying to get into more subgenres of Alternate History and Fantasy, as I’m really enjoying “Kushiel’s Dart” by Jacqueline Carey, but I’m painfully aware that it’s Eurocentric in the extreme. I’m so glad I made an effort to push my reading horizons further this year, because I loved reading “Daughters of Nri” by Reni K. Amayo, and I’m looking forward to reading “Children of Blood and Bone” and its sequels by Tomi Adeyemi. I tried to read the first one two years ago, but my brain was mashed potato at the time, and I couldn’t concentrate on it at all. I’m doing much better now, so it’s on my reading list for 2021!

I also finally read “Alone: A Love Story” by Michelle Parise, which is the novel-version of a podcast with the same name. It helped me through a horrible time a few years ago and is just so beautifully written that – despite it being attached to some nasty memories – I really love it, and still listen to it to go to sleep. Obviously, I knew exactly what was going to happen, because it follows the same “storyline” as the podcast, but the book is just as excellent. They are both the author’s memoir, focussing on how she’s learned to enjoy living alone, being single, and carving out an independent life for herself. Suffice to say, it was the first step on my ladder to “feeling OK”. Steps 2, 3, 4… 10, 15… 86, etc. were spontaneous day trips to Winchester, where I would proceed to hole up in a coffee shop with a ball of yarn and a crochet hook, sipping tea while I worked, and tried not to think about what was making me sad. Those steps were not as good as the first one, and if I’m going to recommend you pick just one, I’d say, “Pick Step 1, and read or listen to “Alone: A Love Story” by Michelle Parise.”

For far too long, I’ve had “On Beauty” by Zadie Smith, and “The Returnees” by Elizabeth Okoh on my Kindle app (I don’t like Amazon, so I’m looking for alternatives!), and hadn’t read either one of them through to the end. I’d picked them both up on occasion, but only on short bus journeys, or while I was passing time, waiting for tea to cool; it made it hard to get into them, but I decided I’d sit down and read them both from the beginning, and not stop until I reached the end, and they’re both fabulous. I love Elizabeth Okoh’s painting of life in Nigeria, and as a British-Nigerian, and Zadie Smith’s lavish descriptions of everything are just wonderful. I can’t wait to see what Elizabeth Okoh does next (“The Returnees” is her debut novel), and I’m looking for my next read from Zadie Smith.

More speculative fiction finished off my reading in December! “Gone” by Michael Grant is perfect for fans of “The Society” (Netflix – please renew it! I would so love to see further seasons!), and “Q” by Christina Dalcher was deeply upsetting, but a gripping read. At last, I also finished “The Left/Right Game” from the r/NoSleep subreddit. I stayed up late, late, late, and then woke up early, early, early, to read the last chapters, on the morning of New Year’s Eve.

So, there you have it; a condensed overview of books I read in 2020. Condensed? Yes! Condensed quite a bit! This article is over 6,000 words long as it is, so I think I shall split it up into several posts, and queue them to be published, one per day.

I hope that I’ve helped you find something to read, or that I’ve reminded you of a favourite book you now want to re-read! Happy New Year to everyone, and may 2021 be much better!

[wehavethoughts]

Upcycle! Review!

Upcycle! Turn Everyday Objects into Home Decor: 50 Easy DIY Projects By Sonia Lucano English: Sarah Levin Photos by Fréderic Lucano Weldon Owen, 2016. Originally Détournez les Objets du Quotidien (Hachette Livre) Farrow & Ball thanked for the paints

RATING: 3 out of 6 sweet geese

What an attractive cover, especially for Millennials! Fruit crates are painted white and assembled like building blocks to form a unique, quirky bookshelf, housing books with aesthetic bindings and a random assortment of small house plants in a seemingly-found collection of pots. Peaking into the frame is a wooden chair. The two pieces of furniture have ‘vintage' patinas, not too crisp but not dusty and dank. For the eye that lingers long enough, a multi-wood shoe horn sits quietly on a low crate.

Upcycle! An exciting word for those committing themselves to a more sustainable lifestyle. Smaller but still centered are the famous letters, DIY, a huge keyword for young poor people today, although unfortunately mostly limited to young educated white women who seek the satisfaction of making something on their own (which is totally fine). I have many words regarding 'DIY' which-- to your luck-- I will save for another time. I bring up the loud and large Upcycle! because the word in particular excited me to select the book in the first place. That excitement grew as the subtitle informed me that I would learn how to turn “everyday objects into home decor.” I love home decor, but I also love using what I already have. For me personally, resourcefulness is a product of being conditioned to avoid waste, that is, to use or eat or do what you had paid for, because money was precious. 

Upcycling is a great 'movement' and concept: rather than produce more STUFF, we can use what we already have. It's different from simply thrifting because you often change the material object's intended function, though not necessarily. Thrifted objects are found; upcycling requires work. DIY projects similarly require work, but don't necessitate that the materials are all found (e.g. "just buy some twine and you're all set!").

The social momentum building up DIY and upcycling is positive in America because Americans really ought to have stopped consuming and producing STUFF yesterday. Additionally, there’s a widening class gap, and more people are having to 'make do' with what they have. I don't make this distinction lightly: there are founts of these same design practices that are wealthy and artisanal, whereas others are, simply put: provoked by poverty. The former isn't "wrong" or "bad," and I don't think it's helpful to make these kinds of value judgments. However, this discussion brings us to my most critical reaction to this book: nobody has this sh*t at home!

The book Détournez les Objets du Quotidien couldn’t have been published with the everyday person in mind, even though the subtitle (in English) informs the potential reader that they would learn how to transform 'everyday' objects. Many of the projects, as aesthetically pleasing as they are, require absurd supplies, including: bell-shaped metal lamp hanger, strips of natural leather, plaster, “black hanging-lamp light cord with socket and light bulb,” carbon paper, wax pellets, number stamps for leather, bags of cotton filling, an S-hook, “dusty-rose matte wood paint,” “11 mother of pearl buttons 11/16 inch diameter,” 80 x 40 inch quilt batting, canvas luggage straps, and porcelain light bulb socket with mounting bracket. Additionally absurd are some of the required tools: electric screwdriver, crowbar, jigsaw, an auger bit, an awl, a double boiler, a label-maker, 1-inch diameter drill bit, 1 1/8 inch crochet hook, plaster, leather-craft roller, sewing machine, and staple gun.

You might be saying to yourself: I have some of those, you're being too harsh, DesignMod. But I too have some of these objects. What you are noticing, though, is your privilege. (Don't be scared, just breathe.) You are in a position where you have things, things that arguably you would only need for the specific project at hand. That's all. But this is my problem with this book: the projects and designs require non-ordinary, non-everyday materials. The book in its mission is a) deceitful and b) not accessible to a large audience.

My frustration can be summed up looking at the preface:

"While recycling today is trendy, I want to take it even further...not by decorating our homes with second-hand objects, but by starting with everyday objects that we have at home or can find easily." 

Great, sounds good!

"I propose that you 'upcycle' or repurpose these objects, so common and ordinary that we lose sight of their decorative potential: crates, wood pallets, white cotton sheets, glass jars, wine bottles, tin cans, white dishes, lampshades, and more." 

Okay, I need to stop the author here. WOOD PALLETS?? I don't have bonus wood pallets laying around the house. I can understand empty wine bottles if someone in your household drinks. The first chapter starts off with wood pallets as the base material, suggesting that you go out asking grocery stores if you could take extras (definitively not at home). Other supplies come with recommended stores (e.g. white boxes from IKEA) which is also antithetical to using your own objects and inadvertently capitalist in it’s promotion of specific large retailers (as opposed to an individual artisans or ‘your local vendor’). 

"Here are fifty ideas for easily transforming these objects into budget-friendly design creations that will add a 'rustic chic' flair to any home's decor. No need to be an expert in do-it-yourself crafts. All that's needed is the desire to implement the projects in the book." 

This gets me to my final criticism: the book lacks creativity. Whereas the author or designer is creative (yet still adhering very much to trends), they do not encourage creativity whatsoever on the part of the reader. Materials are suggested with specific colors and dimensions. The back pages include any lettering printed out that you can tear and copy onto your project, exactly like what you see in the book. I don't see this as a positive: a) we all end up with the same stuff, b) the reader isn't learning anything in terms of lettering but also in terms of figuring out how they'd do a project, and c) the book subconsciously promotes consumerism by denying the reader the opportunity to determine their own project.

The book does offer a few guidelines for those attempting the projects, such as estimated duration, difficulty level, and technique applied. Ultimately, suggesting you add "since 1775" arbitrarily to a white plate implies a greater devotion to the superficial aesthetic of contemporary design, rather than actually considering where objects come from, how we engage with them, and our broader systems of production and consumption.

Overall, I did learn upcycling tips from this book, but in the end, I was profusely disappointed. If you really need very strict guidelines in your creative projects, as well as have the financial resources to gather all the required tools and materials, then you might like this book. I find it quite narrow, unoriginal, and inaccessible. I rate it 3/6 geese, because it is easy to read, the aesthetic is current, and there are lovely photos. 

With loving curiosity, 

DesignMod

[classlesstulip]

Solstice

Pt. 1: Last Minute Gift

(A little seasonal thing. Will be a 3-parter, with a part focusing on each man seperatly, and finished with the actual gift exchange.)

Pushing through the crowds, Julian tucked his chin into the folds of the scarf twined around his neck. His eyes watered whenever the wind blew, and the few times his nose peaked free of its warm, wooly prison, it was stuck back in, tingling from the cold.

Argh, I should have done this sooner! Right now, it was only days away from the Winter Solstice, which would host Neptunia's Midwinter Feast. It was traditional for gifts to be exchanged at the height of the day, before the feasting truly began. The Winter Market was in high swing, with hundreds of shoppers and vendors crowding the town squares, hawking food, drinks, and wares to the buzzing crowds.

Unfortunatly, this winter has been an unkind one, and Julian had been unable to find the time to shop for a gift for his husband, let alone spend any sort of quality time with Ty. Winter came early this year, causing all sorts of issues: everything from the usual aches and pains of the elderly, slips and falls, and a most HORRID flu season.

Hence why he is only just now braving the market. While Ty would understand his being unable to shop for a gift, Julian knows the man has been busting his ass making something to give to him. It just wouldn't feel right for Julian to unwrap a wonderful gift only to respond with a 'sorry! I've got nothing!' in return.

Oh, but he could do without these crowds!

*****

It's been HOURS. And he's empty handed.

With all of the selection laid out for him, with the sheer variety of goods available, and all at different prices, he's still without a gift. Every time something would catch his eye, he would soon find a reason to not buy it.

Jewelry? Eh, while nice, it's a tad too impersonal. If he had had the time, Julian would have rather sat down with a goldsmith and designed something.

Clothing? Ty's already a MASSIVE clotheshorse. Finding something that would be to his tastes while also not being something he already owns would be...difficult.

And don't even bring up food; the man's a master in the kitchen. Julian honestly can't think of any edible giftbaskets that would even meet Ty's standards.

This is going to take a while.

*****

Julian had been a bit iffy about his latest idea, but he was out of options at this point. If he can't come up with anything here, he's done for.

He had briefly entertained the idea of HIM being the gift, but considering how often they have sex already...

...yeah, that would be a cop-out. And Julian was many things, but a quitter wasn't one of them.

Lucky for him, there was a vendor who sold a great deal of the ONE thing that was guarenteed(!) to make Ty as happy as a clam:

Yarn.

And LOTS of it.

And a bunch of accessories for knitters and crocheters, but that's a bit of a sidepoint right now.

Under a large canopy, enclosed in a tent, was a series of tables and baskets. All were overflowing with skein upon skein and ball upon ball of wooly goodness. Every color Julian has ever seen (and a few he, until now, had only imagined), in hues going from the barest kiss of color to a shade a hair off from the darkest dark, exploded in a riot.

And it was QUALITY. From the thinest lace to the bulkiest, rope-like single-ply arm-knitting thickest, each skein had a defined twist and neat appearance. Not a pill to be seen, not a slub to be found. Some shimmered with a hint of silk, others softened with a fine halo of kid mohair.

He had let out a quiet whoop when he stumbled upon the tented stall, but was too happy to be embarassed by the chuckling owners. The moment he realised what they were selling, he had stripped his gloves off and started fondling all the yarn he could.

Ty is goning to be so happy!

*****

The couple who owned the stall had left Julian in peace for quite some time, they themselves being long familiar with a person doing a 'yarn crawl'. The woman (and possibly wife) of the duo had gone back to her own knitting while the man/husband continued doing some paperwork. Aside from some quiet but warm greetings, they left Julian be.

For about half-an-hour.

"You seem a little lost, mate."

"HNGK!" Jumping, Julian nearly took out the yarntree he had been examining. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the man and winced. "Oh, sorry, but um, yes, or well, no. I'm not lost per se, just uh," he trailed off helplessly.

"Too much to choose from? I'm Lars, by the way, and the vision over by the checkout table is my wife, Lirsa," the newly-named Lars said in good-natured amusement.

"Ah, yes, you could say that. And I'm Julian."

After a quick handshake, the two men started discussing all things yarn, Lars trying to help Julian narrow down his gift choices and being pleasantly surprised at the others yarn knowledge.

Of course, the married couple laughed when Julian mentioned being married to a Principia.

"You know, instead of yarn, maybe a new set of needles or hooks would be best," Lirsa suggested from her seat. "It sounds like your hubby already has quite the stash, and one can never have enough good tools."

Julian hummed, a bit torn. While he knows enough about Ty's yarn preferences to make educated guesses about what he would like, needles are a bit more difficult. "I certainly wouldn't say no to looking, but my darling can be a bit picky about things such as needles."

Pulling open a display bureau, Lars fetched a few things before coming back over. Julian could see several needle shafts clenched in a calloused hand, different colored woods mixing together.

"I mean, not trying to be disrespectful or anything, but my Tiberius has incredibly high standards. His current favorites are a kit made out of snakewood and- oh my stars," Julian's eyes lit up upon seeing one particular set of needles in the bunch. "They're perfect! How much for a full set!?"

*****

Leaving the tent with a wave, Julian started trotting home. Under one arm was a long, flat, rectangular wrapped box, and hanging from his hands were several stiff paper canvas bags, splashes of brightly colored yarn peeking over the top. He hummed an old, half-remembered shanty under his breath as he went, eyes darting about. Reaching the end of town, at the spot where flagstones gave way to old, smooth cobbles, he stopped.

The sun had long since set, leaving only the warm light given off by the wrought-iron gas lamps as his guide. The lights from the full houses and busy shops behind him backlit everything, growing his shadow long as he stared out at silvered darkness. Going down the lane towards home, lamps were posted every twenty feet or so, creating little pockets of light, a barrier between him and the sapphire night.

Every year he sees this, he becomes so thankful that Ty decided to settle here, in Neptunia. Every Spring and Summer he is surrounded by violently vibrant life, and every Autumn he watches again as nature prepares for the Long Sleep.

But Winter? That time of year where frosty clouds of white blankets the fields, where dark and bare trees become dressed in their best snow and icicles, and where the world becomes soft and quite with every fresh new snow?

Winter is second only to Summer, in his book.

[thedistantstorm]

Keep On Rising (Until The Sky Knows Your Name) 11

Found Family | Zavala is Tower Dad | Father-Daughter Relationship | Childhood Trauma and Recovery | Canon-Typical Violence | Amputation

A story about how an orphaned Amanda Holliday comes to belong in the Last Safe City and the family she finds along the way.

(Or, the story of how Commander Zavala finds himself responsible for one Amanda Holliday.)

Chapters: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10

This time: Late night cuddles and contemplation.

-/

Amanda wakes to the sound of thunder, the slap of rain against the glass windows. Her gasp is muffled by the rolling boom, the flash of lightning making her bolt upright in surprise. She’s not terribly afraid of thunderstorms, but the added stimulation is only nightmare fuel for the terrors that beckoned in her dreams tonight. Her exhale is a frantic one, though it does not make much sound.

She hears a zooming flourish to her left, and looks over to see the white-blue shimmer of Zavala’s Ghost in front of him. It evaluates him with a shift of its segments and tuts something almost mothering.

“You’re a mess,” The Ghost drones gently, affectionate. Her voice is regal sounding. Another whoosh and a delicate spin later, the crochet hooks that had slumped against his chest as he’d fallen - and stayed, for once - asleep disappear along with the blanket he’d been working on with a shimmer of Light. She drifts down and nudges the lever on the reclining chair with her whole body. “Thank the Traveler someone thought to replace that awful plastic chair,” She muses as the lever slowly activates. Once he’s reclined, she transmats a blanket over him, quicker than the flash of lightning that paints the sky outside.

Baby blue eyes peer over the rail of the bed, watching him sleep in long, slow breaths. He looks peaceful, Amanda thinks, curling in on herself.

“Hello, sweetheart,” The Ghost says, when she shifts and grimaces a few minutes later. “I was hoping you’d go back to sleep. No luck?”

Amanda sighs. “Bad dreams,” She admits softly. “You Zavala’s Ghost?” The girl already knew that she was, but it seemed like it was only right to ask.

The white of her shell spins quick. “I am. Want to talk about it?”

She pulls the pillow from behind her back and wraps her arms around it. “I’m ok,” She tells the little bot.

“Want me to wake up the big guy?”

“No, y’just got ‘em comfy,” She tells the Ghost, confused. “That’d be mean.”

“He’d be more upset if he finds out I didn’t wake him,” Shiori floats up to eye-level with the bed-bound child. “He’s a worry-wart, you know.”

“I know,” Amanda answers, soft. “I’ll be okay.” A flicker of lightning makes her tense up, squeezing the pillow hard as the thunder crackles, close and loud.

The Ghost doesn’t give up. “Why don't you get comfortable,” She instructs, changing tactics. “How about I tell you a story?”

“But…” The child looks bewildered. “We ain’t got any books.”

“I can download any book you want, but I know plenty of stories.”

“What’s Zavala read?” She asks, repositioning herself with a tiny grunt. It's clear she's uncomfortable, but it's hard to be anything else with her injury.

Shiori sets to casually drawing the shades, by catching their pulls in the joints of her shell, basking the room in darkness. Her fins push out with a pale glow that doesn’t bother the child or wake her partner. “He likes poetry. Shakespeare. History,” She informs Amanda.

“Sounds like school,” Amanda says.

Shiori laughs, and it sounds like a bell. “Close to it, sweet girl.” She looks at the child. “Cozy?”

Amanda nods, flapping one of the blankets to cover her better. Though she never flailed around a lot in her sleep, they always got so tangled. “What kinda story?”

“I was going to ask you that.”

The girl yawns. “Somethin’ happy,” She suggests. “Animal stories end happy.”

“I think I can work with that,” The Ghost says, making an array of muted rippling sounds while she searches her databanks and consults the City archives.

With the thunder yielding, Amanda falls back to sleep to the elegant drone of Shiori's voice and the pitter-patter of rain against the windows. Zavala wakes, hours later, to a dark room and the small light that is his Ghost, clutched in both of the girl's hands, making soft sounds when the girl fusses and frowns in her sleep.

"Not a word," Shiori whispers.

Zavala blinks, their blue gazes meeting. "I'm not saying anything," He replies.

"You're thinking plenty." 

"Aren't I always?"

"Fair,” She supposes, with a brief chuckle. “This is a rather compromising position for me. You know I don't like being touched."

"I do."

Shiori phases through Amanda's hands in motes of light. The girl groans and clenches her fingers, clearly noticing the loss. "Scooch over, sweetheart," She tells the girl. Her eyes blink open once and stay closed, asleep, but impressionable. She listens, flopping over. "It's okay."

The Ghost flits to Zavala, who looks bewildered. "Oh, for Light's sake, Zavala, hold her."

"But-"

"Zavala. If I can let her cuddle me, you can certainly comfort her, too. You are far less averse to human contact and dare I say it: more cuddly."

"I suppose," He says, mind spiraling away to thoughts of perception, and how it's hardly appropriate, considering his position.

"Calm down," The Ghost chirps. "She's sick. You're comforting her. There's nothing embarrassing about this. It's a kindness this little one sorely needs." She pauses. "It's something to get used to. Kids are…" She shudders, "Tactile."

"You keep saying that like it's a done deal," Zavala murmurs, barely audible in the silent room. Even so, he's lowering the side rail of the bed to slide in beside her. The second he's committed, both feet leaving solid ground, she's curling up into his side like a kitten, making some baby-soft sound.

He looks uncomfortable for the first moment, still overthinking. But then he's reminded of the way she'd clambered over him, that first time they'd really met, half asleep and longing for that feeling of safety that he very obviously provided. Was that terribly different?

No, he realizes, plucking her up gently, mindful of the few cords still attached to her, and the wrap around her stump. She settles against his chest with a sigh, humming something he can't understand before unconsciously settling her ear against his heart, reassured by its steady beat. One impossibly small hand covers the single arm he's wrapped around her.

It dawns on him: This is no different. There is an immediate difference in the room with her in his arms. The heart monitor dulls to a quiet blip that's softer than the tiny snores that come from the girl. She's warm and soft, soothing. It feels… right, Zavala thinks. He wants to console her, to chase away that which threatens to upset or harm her. 

"She's already ours," Shiori whispers, looking down at the pair, sometime later. Zavala doesn't hear her, that's how single-minded his focus is, stroking Amanda's cheek and looking down at her in undeniable adoration. "Whether you realize it yet or not."

The Commander might not be paying attention to his Ghost’s late-night musings, but he’s thinking about the possibilities. About what the Speaker said about wants and needs, and how they align. He knows that despite how awkward he feels when the nurse comes in, audibly expressing her elation with a comment of how cute they are, or how Ikora might feel about him taking in a child, when he gets down to it, none of it really matters. It might bother him in anticipation or hindsight, but in that moment, the awkwardness or self-consciousness, his position, none of it really matters. He wants to put her first. Even if he knows it will be difficult, there will be conflict, and even if he ultimately feels like he has no idea what he’s doing, he still wants to try.

Zavala does not sleep for the rest of the night. He deliberates, going through the doubts in his mind. When the matron arrives in the morning, he asks her, “How do I begin the process?” 

Karena smiles.

[chevalier-on-the-wall]

Story: No Small Token

((Happy Dawning, Guardians! I guess you could call this little fic a “Holiday Special”. Enjoy!))

If Torch was being honest with himself, he was, perhaps, just an eensy weensy, teeny tiny, little itty bit completely and totally panicked.

It all started innocently enough. The Dawning had come to the City, and both Guardian and civilian embraced it with gusto. They had a lot of triumphs to celebrate, and a lot of horrors to forget. And so the snows were allowed to accumulate atop the Tower, lights were hung, decorations were set, lanterns were lifted into the sky.

Days before the celebrations started, Torch was a bundle of nerves for what was ostensibly a very good reason. It was his Guardian’s first Dawning, and he wanted to--no, he HAD to make it a good one.

“The Dawning is a time we look back on what we’re thankful for and welcome a brighter new year,” Torch explained. But he didn’t get much farther than that before Reynault decided to roll in a snowbank like an oversized dog. He probably should have expected as much; the Titan had done this on his very first Cosmodrome patrol, an event that seemed so long passed, despite having been less than a year ago.

Less than a year ago, he was alone. Torch hadn’t even bothered celebrating the last...what, seventeen Dawnings? Now he had a Guardian, he’d watched his Guardian grow by leaps and bounds, he felt like he knew his Guardian better than his own internal file structure. And now he was introducing Reynault to a holiday he hadn’t celebrated in so long, and he had to make it memorable. No pressure, right?

He’d brought Reynault to a frozen pond down in the City. “Ice skating is a popular activity in the wintertime,” he explained.

Reynault cocked his head to the side. “I thought only Titans could skate?”

“What? ...No, no, ice skating! You put on these boots with blades on the bottom, and then you...then you….” Torch trailed off. Of course he didn’t know how to ice skate. He hovered everywhere.

Before he could look up any worthwhile instructional material, Reynault had already taken off, Titan skating across the ice.

And then, when Torch had finally caught up, Reynault asked, “Hey, you think it’s too late to get Ikora something?”

“I...what? Get her something for what?”

“There was that big pile of presents by her in the Tower. I figured it must be her birthday or something.”

Torch momentarily froze up as he realized he forgot all about one of the most important Dawning traditions of all. “Oh, no, those aren’t all for her. They’re for a bunch of different Guardians. Exchanging gifts is part of the Dawning.”

“It is?!” Reynault brought himself to a stop. “Oh la vache, we’ve got to go get gifts!”

The rest of the day was spent in a frantic whirlwind of shopping and shaping steel. Some gifts were crafted or purchased and mailed out the same day; others had yet to be finished. Gifts for friends, acquaintances, and just about all the usual suspects around the Tower; Reynault was particularly concerned with getting a set of steel crochet hooks exactly right, and he’d put a lot of care into shaping a medallion engraved to look like a pizza. He had even sent Torch off to procure some adhesives at one point while he bothered Master Rahool about Traveler-knows-what.

And that brought Torch to the present moment, in the early hours of the morning, where Reynault was finally, mercifully asleep. Reynault was certainly going all-out on the gifts, and Torch had nothing to give him in return. So the Ghost was maybe, just maybe, a little worried, and by a little worried he meant several internal processes were printing nothing but “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”.

Okay. He knew Reynault pretty well by now. What did Reynault like? Armor. Punching things. Working with his hands. Reynault liked him, but Torch hardly considered himself a gift. Commander Zavala. The view from atop the Wall. Electronic dance music. Minestrone, pizza, brioche, and beer. Tactile displays of affection. Absolutely none of this was inspiring any gift ideas--

The view from atop the Wall.

Torch diverted his internal screaming to different memory sectors as he began searching himself for images and recordings. After nearly half an hour of processing, he settled on one still image from his memory: a clear night, the Traveler resplendent with its self-repairs, and the tall City buildings twinkling with all the lights in their windows. All as seen from on top of the southeastern Wall.

It took him a few minutes to gather his courage before he slipped out into the night. Torch made a beeline for a print shop, had the image printed out in a standard poster size, then stowed it and slunk back to the workshop as the sun was rising.

Safe at home, Torch was taking a moment to collect himself and consider his next move, when the unexpected happened: Reynault came in the front door behind him.

“Oh, there you are!” Reynault didn’t sound upset in the least; he still flinched like he expected to be scolded. “I wondered where you’d gotten off to.”

“I’m sorry,” Torch replied on instinct.

“Sorry? What for?”

Torch silently cursed himself; there really wasn’t a reason to apologize, was there. “I was just...picking something up for you.”

“For me? You know I would’ve been happy anyway, right?” Reynault had one of those grins that made the room seem brighter than it really was.

Torch hoped he’d stay that happy. Without any fanfare, he deposited the rolled-up print in front of Reynault.

The Titan picked it up, unrolled it, and a wave of relief washed over Torch when his eyes lit up. “Woah! This is beautiful! Can we hang this somewhere?”

“Anywhere you want.”

“I’m putting this somewhere in my room!” Reynault rushed off toward his single-room apartment, giddy as a young child during, well, during the Dawning. At least the gift had gone over well. That alone brought Torch’s anxiety down several notches.

“Hey, c’mere!” Reynault called from his room. “I got something for you too!”

What?

“...What?” Torch gave voice to his inner thoughts. He should’ve expected it, considering how gifty his Guardian was, but it still caught him off-guard.

He entered the little apartment to find Reynault holding his work tablet and stylus, with a portable external drive plugged into it. “Got this from Rahool,” Reynault explained. “Go ahead. Scan it.”

Torch glided up beside his Guardian and connected to the tablet. As he processed the contents of the external drive, he didn’t quite know what to make of it. They were...games, all games. Farming games, city builder games, sim games, a few survival and adventure games, and all of them together made for a surprisingly tiny archive size. A good percentage of these games were likely pre-Golden Age, Torch hypothesized, as he scanned the files again.

“Soooo?” Reynault looked between Torch and the tablet. “What do you think?”

“They’re games,” Torch replied. “You got me...games?”

“Not just any games! I asked for stuff you could run on your own--y’know, when I’m asleep and you’re bored, or something. And you can beat all of ‘em without fighting anything. I know you don’t like fighting unless you’re hiding in my armor.”

His Guardian had thought to get him a gift, and that gift was a collection of games, picked out just for him. He hadn’t expected any gift, much less one chosen with such care. He’d never even dreamed that any Guardian of his would ever….

No, there was a time he did dare. Long ago, amidst tents and campfires huddled in the snow beneath the Traveler, the people who would go on to found the City exchanged gifts, and he dared to dream of receiving some small token from the hypothetical hero he imagined for himself.

But this was real, and this was here, and this was no small token.

“I love it,” Torch managed at last, his voice wavering with emotion. “I love it. I didn’t think...thank you. Thank you so much.”

Reynault set the tablet on the foot of his bed and sat beside it. “I’m glad. Wanna try them out?”

“Now? Could I?”

“Yeah, now. I wanna get a few more hours of sleep before patrol time.”

Now it was Torch’s turn to feel giddy. He nestled into one of the pillows and booted up one of the city building games in his internal processes. A few minutes later, Reynault flopped down on the bed, pulled the blankets up over them both, and dozed off.

[beachaccessories-blog]

10 Trendy Beach Accessories for Women

How does the thought of going to the beach in style sound? It is an amazing experience that any beach lover would want to have. The best thing about being trendy and stylish at the beach is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money. All you need to do is find the right accessories to take with you at the beach and you’ll be good to go. Some accessories will go for less than $10, but they’ll make you stand out and look cool as you enjoy your time at the beach.

At NicheForBeach, we are crazy about beach accessories for women. We have lots of accessories for women that love to go to the beach. But we also love sharing some quality information. If you are planning to go to the beach and you want to stay trendy and cool as ever, here are some accessories you should consider carrying.

A Hat

Anyone that thinks of going to the beach without a hat is like a soldier going to the battlefield without a bulletproof vest. When you go without the hat, you are vulnerable, and Mr. Summer Sun will show you no mercy.

You have to have the proper hat that will keep your face well protected against the harsh sun. Ideally, go for a straw hat that will not keep your head hot as you wear it. A straw hat is breathable enough, and it also blocks the sun perfectly.

Even in ancient times, the straw hats were used to cool off. These hats will still keep you cool as they block the sun rays from damaging your face. As a woman, nothing beats stylishness than having an oversized floppy hat. With such a hat, you can enjoy the most sun protection, which covers your face fully from the UV rays. But you can still go for a non-floppy hat, as long as it still offers the needed protection to your face.

There are also other types like the Panama hats and the fedoras, which still keep you cool while protecting you from the sun. But if you plan to play some volleyball at the beach or run around, go for a hat that will stay on your head while offering the needed sun protection.

Beach Bags

Another type of women beach accessories is a beach bag. The beach bag will serve many purposes. However, the most obvious reason would be to carry items when going to the beach. With the beach bag, you can comfortably carry whatever you want without ruining your style.

Since you want to look stylish and cool at the beach, ensure that you choose a beach bag that looks classy enough. It should be big enough to carry all the items you will be taking to the beach and even have extra pockets for storing the valuables.

If you are going for a flashy beach bag, ensure that it also matches your bikini so that you don’t kill the look. The dull colors might not stand out as such. However, a beach bag with dull-colored clothes would still look cool as you enjoy time at the beach.

For a good beach bag, ensure that you go for one with multiple pockets. This way, you can keep various accessories at once while sorting them. Some bags come with small inner pockets and even key hooks for keeping your keys and storing your small valuables.

Don’t forget to go for one with a strong material that is both sand and waterproof.

Sunglasses

Who would want to go out in the sunny summer afternoon without a good pair of sunglasses? Not everyone would be comfortable without some eyes protection. Now, the worst thing you’d want to do is go to the beach without any protection for your eyes. The sand and the water will reflect the sunrays, which can cause some serious damage to your eyes. That is why you need some protection as you go to the beach.

A good pair of sunglasses will let you enjoy the seashore view the beach without worrying about your eyes. Since summer is just around the corner, it’d be great to get yourself some pair of colorful sunglasses. You can go for the bright colors and patterns that will leave you looking stylish enough.

If you want, you can go for the classic sunglasses or oversized sunglasses. Regardless of the brand, you intend to choose, just make sure that you find yourself the perfect set of eye protection while at the beach. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to match your sunglasses with the color of your bikini or beach bag.

Beach Shoes/Flip-Flops/Sandals

You won’t be rocking your stilettos at the beach, would you? Certainly not. Instead, you will need to wear the right shoes for the beach. You need a pair of shoes that will not sink in the sand or soak up water at the beach.

When choosing the right shoes for beaching, it is all about considering what you will be doing at the beach. Will you be basking in the sun, walking on the shore, or playing beach ball? If you will be moving around or you’ll be excessively active at the beach, you will want to go for a pair of shoes that will stick to your feet tightly. Flip flops won’t be the best choice if you will be playing or be active at the beach.

But if you plan just to lay back and enjoy the sun at the beach, wearing some sandals or flip-flops wouldn’t be a bad idea. This also lets you jump in the water anytime and put them back with ease. For the flip-flops, you can go for the sustainable bamboo that has vegetable-tanned leather. These flip-flops won’t soak up water, and they also tend to be sand resistant. Sand will not accumulate in the flip-flops as you walk on the shore.

Whether you will go for a colorful pair of shoes or plain design, make sure that you pick the right shoes for the beach.

Cover-ups

As the name suggests, these are just attire to cover your bikini when you don’t want to show some flesh. For instance, you can get a maxi dress that you can easily wear on top of your bikini when you want to rush to town or when you plan to go back to the beach later in the day. The cover-ups should be easy to wear and take off so that you don’t have a difficult time. Plus, you can go for a dress that is colorful enough to let you maintain your stylishness.

If you are going for a crochet cover-up, ensure that you wear enough sunscreen and that you don’t wear it for a long time. You can also opt for a sundress as a cover-up option. I recommend the beach Kimono!

Generally, cover-ups are not exactly needed at the beach, but they help you get ready to rush to the city or the shop and back without the need for changing.

A Lunch Box

Well, you will be spending some time at the beach, right? How do you plan to handle your meals? Will you buy food at the restaurant near the beach? Maybe not, because that would be costly – especially if you will be going to the beach every day.

Now, the best way to enjoy a day at the beach, be sure of having something to eat without spending a lot is to have a lunch box. With the lunch box, you can easily carry food from home and have your meals at the beach. The best part is that a good beach bag will have pockets that allow you to keep different beach accessories, including a lunch box.

When choosing a lunch box, go for one that can keep your food cold and fresh in the hot weather. If you want to eat something warm, you’ll have to go for one that can keep the food warm. A good lunch box will come with reusable cutleries to give you an easy time. Ideally, choose a lunch box with plastic cutleries. These cutleries are easy to keep and clean. You can wipe them with some napkins and store them in the bag to avoid them leaving the smell inside. Just make sure that you clean them properly when you reach home.

The lunch box that you choose can also be colorful or as you wish. Remember to pick a size that meets your needs appropriately.

Waterproof Speaker

Well, this is not a must-have beach accessory for women, but it is one that can make you look cool at the beach. If you are with your friends at the beach, you may not even need this accessory. This is a perfect choice if you will be alone at the beach and you are just there to relax. The waterproof speaker will keep you entertained as you relax at the beach.

Make sure that it is waterproof enough to avoid any inconveniences. The volume level of the speaker should be loud enough so that you can listen to your music even when there is some noise at the beach. Other than being waterproof, the speaker should also be sand proof. It should be designed in a way that it can prevent the sand particles from getting inside it. Above all, it should be easy to control. If you want, you can choose a speaker that has some shades of bright colors.

Ideally, go for a speaker that has Bluetooth connectivity to let you play your favorite jams from your phone with ease.

Portable Beach Table

Where do you plan to keep your lunchbox, phone, waterproof speaker, or other items while at the beach? On the sand? Not the best idea. Instead, you should go for a portable beach table that will let you set the small items as you have a good time at the beach. The portable wooden table would make you look stylish enough. It will prove that you were 100% prepared for the beach.

When going for a beach table, ensure that it is easily foldable for easy storage. Furthermore, go for one with features like a cup holder or a bottle opener. The beach table can also hold your laptop if you need to carry it.

Colorful Towel

Okay, this might sound like an obvious thing to carry to the beach, but it is important to have it in your top beach accessories. But you won’t be getting just your regular towel. Rather, you must go for a towel that is as colorful as possible. Plus, the towel should have some stunning patterns to make it stand out of other towels out there. You must ensure that the towel is not plain if you truly want to look stylish. Regardless of the pattern or color theme you choose, ensure that you find the right towel for going to the beach.

Beach Mat

If you want to bask in the sun and you don’t prefer going to the beach table, you can get a beach mat to solve all that. The beach mat that you choose must be sand proof and also waterproof. It should be made of high-quality material to enhance its durability. Plus, ensure that you go for one that is colorful enough. It should be large enough to let you place your sleep comfortably and even place your bag without having any problem. A waterproof mat will allow you to place it anywhere at the beach even on the wet sand. It will prevent water from soaking up and getting to your towel.

The mat should also not absorb sand because that would mean that you will carry sand particles to your car.

You can even go with some bracelet or chain if you want to show off some shiny accessories on you. All in all, carry whatever that will make your time at the beach incredible.

Check out our website to browse the beach accessories for women and choose the one that pleases you. We sell our beach accessories at friendly prices.

[bhealthline]

Tips Keyboard Repair Northern VA

By Jason Kelly

That is why you see support for restoring and ordinarily reestablishing the restore console. Often this is an expedient arrangement, in addition to fundamental tendency and nature about the work. Mishandle kills huge and which makes keyboard repair Northern VA necessary. Not now intentionally, directly for every case, except as a mistaken choice. In a refreshment, there are quite different harmful drops. Nearly everything is in delicate cooling and in the press. The PC keys are the confusing keys to the use of form. Severe house problems are resolved, in addition, the most advanced repairs must be replaced for several minutes at some point afterwards in order to check whether any possible choices are made. Indoors, a free or reduced look settle is promoted if your PC is secured in any case. Reparations from keyboards are not harmful, but before you repair your computer it is a must to always take such precautions. In order to remove the most unlocking keys, a gentle wipe should be removed easily. To use a flat head vector on the angle of button cap. The basis must be fixed at a maximum of four points for the following keyboard clips. See for a broken attachment sign carefully. As you can see, take one of the following steps. Enter a similar size functional button if a screwdriver every corner is not carefully removed. On both keys, compare the link points. If the connecting points are damaged you will be needing a brand new key. Buy one online, ensure it matches the location of your attachment points and your laptop model. In order to insert the latest key, hook up the keyboard with one attachment point, then rub the button with your finger until you hear the two snap loud sound, one on each end. Get rid of the same sized button as you rarely use as an alternative. Put it in the position of the former key. A metal bar and the shift keys are located in the space bar. If the bar is indeed not flat, it may be necessary to connect the little plastic keyboard hooks once again. The lower button should be passed through, while the bar own short arms run left and right to the hooks. Press and test the button cap when the bar is again attached. After the bar has been removed, there are often still minor problems or a chance to slip away again. Consider the purchase of a replacement laptop keyboard or a repair shop for it. If belongs among these keys is installed as a substitute, the substitute comes with its bar. Take off the old bar with a flat screwdriver and slightly lift it upwards. Almost always the loose toggle is responsible for any break to the cap of the toggle or metal bar with big keys. If you are sure the toggle cap may be inside the good shape. Damage from spills, fractured clips or damaged membrane is included. This reduces your computer own chances of damage which actually is a great news to say the least there are few risk of you paying a lot for repairs. Remove from the stuck toggle a flat little head screwdriver. Start with each edge of a toggle and when it breaks off listen to a snap. Repeat till the toggle is taken off in each corner the soonest you hear either snapping sounds of four or maybe two. Use only the pressure of the light. If your toggle does not pop out, try another corner. Lift the next part of the laptop from above to remove bigger keys, just like both shift keys and the spacebar. This can lead to a clamping switch so remove small teetered objects. Remove small objects just like loose dust or pet fur with air compression or you can also do a gentle aspiration tube fastening. Remove the residue by means of a lint free towel when the keyboard has spilled materials. Moisten the cloth together with a little alcohol rubber and gently wipe out the adhesive area. Remove the switch cap until the alcohol is completely evaporated and then the area turns dry. The main retaining clip consist two square thin objects, most often of white plastic, crocheting one another. The keyboard and the other should be firmly fixed. If it is not, remove the clip with a screwdriver, tweaking the corner carefully. Please see the detailed replacement instructions below. Situated below the switch center is this nipple like shaped membrane. Confirm that it stands up and attempts to depress it from a clean and soft object with a careful touch. It needs cleaning and replacement if it sticks down rather than popping up. Do not ever use it with a sharp object or dirty ones. It easily damages this component of the keyboard. Slightly dampened with rubbing alcohol with no lint cloth. Wait until it is dry with extreme care. You will also understand for some time now, that a radical sum of collection can pulverize the fundamental thing. Settle your keys for the complete consolation and trade them again. Do not take a sharp slice and remove the tummy from a torque completely. But your solitary replacement source is usually clear on the layer. In an event, silicone stick to a tooth picked paper and a wide concrete. Locate them and place them on a clapper adhere in a booklet of paper. Make use concerning the glue check for a period of half an hour only if you are off chance do not consider it. Find the unusual pot and key apex for more than 20 minutes. Without a work keyboard the whole set up is worthless. This is an indeed a major problem for laptops because you cannot exchange a desktop PC with the device. Maintenance of computers should be a custom. But issues can still lift their horrendous heads. Here you have to know how to fix your laptop keyboards. It may look like a huge block of productivity on a portable computer without a working keypad but it can be fixed. This could include simply maintaining your portfolio using the hardware and software or handheld repairs. If with one of those corrections you cannot have any joy, not everything is lost. You must and shall be able to repair your laptop with minimum effort if by chance your own laptop is under guarantee or if you know a reputable repair shop.

About the Author:

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[outfittrends]

Newborn Girl Outfits-27 Cutest Clothes For New Born Baby Girl Outfit Trends - Ideas How to Wear & What to Wear

New Post has been published on https://www.outfittrends.com/newborn-girl-outfits/

Newborn Girl Outfits-27 Cutest Clothes For New Born Baby Girl

Newborn girl outfits. The birth of a female baby is such a momentous and joyous occasion.  Expectant mothers often dream about what their offspring will look like and how they want them to dress. It’s often difficult to stop yourself from buying clothing and baby products well before the baby arrives.

A new baby is about new life, fresh starts, dreams, happiness and the future.  It puts everyone in a good mood.  People especially go crazy buying clothes for newborn princesses. Once you give birth to your daughter, you will rarely be buying anything for yourself anymore. Everything looks so much more irresistible and swoon-worthy in miniature sizes.

What Outfits To Buy For Newborn Baby Girls?

Here are 27 of my absolutely all-time favourite items that I couldn’t live without for my own daughter from birth through her first birthday:

↓ 28 – Newborn Girl Coming Home Outfits

Your new addition will never make a fashion faux pa wearing anything pink from Ralph Lauren home from the hospital as you start your new life as a family of three (or more) Ralph Lauren is classic, timeless and looks good on everyone, infants included. It’s also always a great idea to go for matching outfits, so here are 100 Cutest Matching Mother Daughter Outfits on Internet So Far.

↓ 27 – SwaddleMe

I am a huge fan of Mexican food, but as much as I enjoy burritos, I have never gotten good at wrapping them up. Swaddleme swaddles are seriously the BEST swaddles ever! The secure design creates a cosy, womb-like feeling for baby and prevents startle reflex that can wake your infant. The soft fabric wings fasten and readjust securely with hook and loop attachments to create a perfect fit. Swaddleme makes swaddling foul-proof, even for those with three thumbs. You can literally pass off the baby as being wrapped as snuggly, smoothly and competently as when the expert nurses did it for you in the hospital.

↓ 26 – Miracle Blanket

Beloved by hundreds of thousands of families, Miracle Blanket is “one of the most beloved, time-tested and effective swaddling blankets on the market today.” There is no Velcro, which makes annoying sounds and won’t get disgusting in the laundry.  In addition, one size fits all (up to 14 weeks so you can continue to swaddle, along with the Moses basket for 3 months or the “fourth trimester”)  so there’s no need to keep having to buy new ones as your baby grows.  If baby’s feet do not reach the bottom of the foot pouch, simply fold the bottom up so the feet touch the bottom of the blanket.  The other feature which sets Miracle Blanket apart from its competitors is that there are arm flaps. Getting a good night sleep with a baby is truly a miracle.  Thanks, Miracle Blanket for “the gift of sleep.” Night, night and sweet dreams.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

↓ 25 – Monthly Stickers

Monthly onesie stickers are such a fun way to record your newborn’s growth throughout the year. The choices, colors and patterns are endless. They are lots of fun and make it easy to identify just how old your child was in years to come when you look at an old photo which is dated.

↓ 24 – Baby’s First Designer Clothes

A total splurge, but every female, regardless of age, knows the importance of a killer pair of of designer jeans!  Baby can even match Mommy, Daddy and any big brothers and/or sisters. And no, we promise that your diaper does not make your butt look fat. Pair with a onesie or pretty shirt.

↓ 23 – Ten Fingers….

Baby mitts are for keeping those sweet little hands from scratching their innocent and delicate face and to keep those sweet little hands warm in the cooler weather. In addition, many moms have reported, “It helped protect my babies hands from the well-intentioned women and small children that wanted to “ooh” and “aww” over my newest treasure.” We all know how little babies’ hands are and how tempting they are to touch.

↓ 22 – & Ten Toes: Sweetest Socks

Baby feet are so precious and perfect. When you have to cover them up, put them in Trumpette socks. There is nothing as adorable on the market, plus they provide an extra bonus of staying on better than most other baby socks.

↓ 21 – Ruffles

Little girls are obsessed with pink, glitter and ruffles. The sooner you get used to it the better. (If you look closely, you’ll notice she’s also got her Trumpette ballet flat socks on. No shoes necessary.)

↓ 20 – Anything Personalized

Adding the baby’s name, date of birth, measurements and/or other important stats, makes the ordinary baby item extraordinary.  My daughter, Greenlee, has a unique name and therefore will never be able to buy items off-the-rack at the store with her name on it.  (I experienced the same thing growing up).  Our family was so excited to receive this feminine gingham hooded towel from Pottery Barn Baby with Greenlee’s name embroidered on it in pastel pink.  Bath time is such a special bonding time between baby and parents. So many memories are made during this intimate chore and so many bathtub photos are taken to document for prosperity. In addition to the bath towel, you are going to want crib blankets and blankets for the stroller with your child’s name or initials.

↓ 19 – Personalized Leggings

What little girl doesn’t want their name written all over in a fun font (plenty of colours and styles to choose from) in a super comfy pair of leggings! I Know My Alphabet (an Etsy vendor) has become my new favourite go-to gift to get when a baby girl is born. It’s especially wonderful for a child who has older siblings because it becomes extremely obvious then that she is not stuck wearing her big brother or sister’s hand-me-downs. There is no denying these clothes were purchased especially for her and no one else.

↓ 18 – Cute & Funny Outfits

When you have kids close in age, it’s lots labelling the little/baby sister. Other kids in the family can wearing matching “Big Brother” or “Middle Sister” shirts.

↓ 17 – NewBorn Winter Clothing

An adorable snowsuit is a necessity for winter babies. When you bundle your bundle of joy up, make sure she’s comfy, cozy and wearing something warm enough to protect her from the cold, windy or wet climate.

↓ 16 – Ski Bunny Vest

For those less cold days, vests make wonderful layering pieces. They make strong statements and are versatile for all seasons except for the heat of the summer. Neutrals, pops of colour or patterned are all different options. Don’t necessarily buy a pricey vest as its more a novel accessory than a garment that your child will wear on a daily basis.

↓ 15 – Lounge Around in Sweats

Just as you’re most comfortable lounging around in sweats, babies want to look and feel like they’re most comfortable at all times. The littlest thing can set them off. Sweat suits aren’t fussy even when your baby is.

↓ 14 – Hats Off to the Baby

As soon as you announce your pregnancy, identify someone close to your family who knits or crochets and put in your request for baby hats and blankets.  There is nothing like a custom made clothing and accessories to make your precious little one stand out in the crowd.

↓ 13 – Bands

And if you’re not too fond of hats, you can always opt for baby headbands because they look too adorable.

↓ 12 – Bathing Beauty

Every girl needs a flattering swimsuit or two for pool and beach days. Seek swimwear with high UV protection to protect delicate skin. Light colours are preferred as they will keep your child cooler in the hot sun while darker shades tend to attract and hold the heat. Lather on infant sunscreen to protect baby’s delicate and fragile skin. A floppy hat should also be worn.

↓ 11 – Where To Shop

What has grown into the “It” shoe for tiny feet was first created out of leather scraps on a kitchen table in 2009, after Freshly Picked founder Susan Petersen gave up on finding a baby shoe that was cute and stayed put. Known for thoughtful attention to detail, the brand’s moccasins and shoes have become big favourites in Hollywood and around the world. They also offer high-quality leather crib moccasins, soft sole shoes and diaper bags.

↓ 10 – Baby Shoes

Completely impractical, but oh so irresistible. While baby Uggs will never hit the floor, all eyes will remain glued on them (especially Mommy who will have to monitor that one hasn’t been lost).

↓ 9 – Halloween Costume for Non-Walkers

My daughter received lots of attention, tons of compliments and the best reactions to being a mermaid for Halloween.  Everyone comments on her fin and is curious to know if I had made the costume.  I must give credit to Laura Trot of Laura’s Inspiration who has an adorable array of hand-made crocheted baby photo props, along with booties and hats. It’s a great outfit for newborn photos. The mermaid costume was so unique and original that it scored first place in a Halloween costume contest! Here are Top 17 Halloween Costumes for Kids.

↓ 8 – Thanksgiving Outfit

The turkey is going to take second fiddle to your baby’ first Thanksgiving. Dress your ham up in something Thanksgiving worthy. Consider sticky to browns and oranges.

↓ 7 – Some Fancy Outfits

When your baby isn’t wearing a onesie or stretchies, and you’re taking her out and about, you’re going to want her to look like her most beautiful and feminine self. When she’s wearing a dress, no one will confuse her for being a boy. (She can be decked out in pink with a bow headband and still people will comment on what a cute boy he is).  Dresses that come with matching bloomers/panties to cover the diaper are an added treat.

↓ 6 – A Classic Wrap Dress

Every lady needs a classic wrap dress. One season, Diane Von Furstenberg teamed up with Gap for a special line. If only the DVF dress could have grown with my daughter.

↓ 5 – Night Suits

Be prepared for your daughter to have more outfit changes than Beyoncé. You can never have enough stretchies on hand. Your baby will spend the majority of her time in stretchies, especially when she’s home. Pick prints and colours that make you happy and designs that are easy (and quick) to get on your ever-moving child.

↓ 4 – Bibs

No matter how many bibs you stock up on, you will always need at least a dozen more. Bibs are necessary for spit-up, protecting clothes when eating solids, wiping drool, the list goes on and on…..Pick some up whenever you see one that catches your eye and is a reflection of your style.  Velcro fastening bibs are quick to put on/take off are the best design.

↓ 3 – A First Birthday Outfit

Remember your daughter will definitely need a beautiful little frock to celebrate her first birthday in style, because she can’t go out in her birthday suit! This will be the first of a lifetime of birthday celebrations blowing out candles and eating cake. You can also get some awesome ideas from these 17 Cute 1st Birthday Outfits for Baby Girl All Seasons.

And if you’re looking for something other than clothes to gift to anewbornn princess, then here are two of our highly recommended suggestions:

↓ 2 – Baby Rockers

The Tiny Love 3-in-1 Rocker Napper, an innovative rocker and napper that features a one hand switch from sit to sleep.  At approximately two months old, she’ll be at the stage of being bored lying flat on her back day and night.  She’ll begin to take notice of objects dangling within her reach. Once the batteries are inserted, it will massage baby, plays 3 different songs, give the baby a light show and offers volume control.  The mobile does not move.

The design is extremely pleasing to parents that don’t want baby products that are huge eyesores to their home’s design.  Unlike baby swing and many products out on the market, there’s no babyish animal pattern.  The middle reclining position post-bottle is an ideal position to help her digest more easily.

↓ 1 – Books

It’s never too early to encourage your baby’s love of books and learning. Your little fashionista-in-training’s new library picks should include:                                                                                                                                                                   The Birdie Series by Sujean Rim

(The author was the illustrator of the popular Daily Candy website. Jessica Simpson needs to get these books for her baby who will be named Birdie.)

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요즘 또희의 최애책📚 혼자 책장도 넘겨서 볼줄알고🤭 다컸어😭❤️ . . #생후241일 #소희스타그램 #7개월아기 #황금개띠 #딸스타그램 #책육아 #육아 #육아스타그램 #육아소통 #인스타베이비 #baby #babygirl #babybook

A post shared by ye jin (@xoxo_yejin) on Jan 29, 2019 at 8:58pm PST

This Little Piggy Went to Prada: Nursery Rhymes for the Blahnik Brigade by Amy Allen

When Royals Wore Ruffles: A Funny and Fashionable Alphabet! by Chesley McLaren

Beach Babies Wear Shades (An Urban Babies Wear Black Book) by Michelle Sinclair Colma…

June Valentine & the Magic Shoes by Eva Chen (former Editor-in-Chief of Lucky Magazine)

Claris: the Chicest Mouse in Paris by Megan Hess

A huge thanks to my own daughter (now five years old) who modelled for the majority of these photos.

What are your favourite must-haves for your daughter? Please share your finds!

[josephkitchen0]

Drop Spindle Spinning: Making and Using Your First Spindle

By Angela Hammer – I’ve always liked making things with my hands. I learned how to crochet years ago, so spinning became the next logical step for me to take. Why buy yarn when you can make it yourself? I found a booklet for the Michigan Fiber Festival which described several classes. I paid my money, attended spinning for beginners class, and I was hooked. I knew I had to get my hands on a drop spindle.

The only problem was that I was a college student with no extra cash, and couldn’t afford a $300 – $400 spinning wheel. So I put my dreams away for about a year. The following summer I met a lady who ran a spinning shop. About $20 later, I owned a drop spindle and some fiber. Now I was able to spin to my heart’s content. Since that time I have become a member of the Michigan Fiber Festival and work with a group of younger volunteers that coordinates and leads the children’s activities at the Festival.

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By all means, I am not the final authority on spinning. I’m still learning new things every day, just like anyone who first approaches spinning for beginners. This article is an effort to teach the basics as a way of encouraging further study into the world of fiber arts.

Fiber

We need to take a brief look at fiber before we tackle the basics of spinning for beginners. Fiber comes from many different sources. For spinning, we often think of sheep’s wool. Other fiber sources include alpaca, llama, cotton, and even dog. For now, we will just look at sheep’s wool.

Wool can be purchased in two basic forms: unprocessed and processed. The fleece that is sheared from a sheep is unprocessed wool. Unprocessed basically means in its raw form. There are three types of processed wools: raving, batts, and top. Roving, sometimes called a sliver, is a long continuous strand of carded wool. Batts are thick rectangles made of layers of carded wool. Top is like roving but the short and broken fibers have been removed leaving the long fibers lying parallel to each other. When giving tips on spinning for beginners, I recommend starting with roving.

Now that we have talked about the forms of wool, we need to move onto the types of wool. Forget the common misconception that all wool is scratchy because it isn’t. Some breeds such as Lincoln, Cotswold, and Suffolk sheep do produce coarse fibers but the fleeces from Merino, Rambouillet, and Shetland are soft. A medium wool, such as Targhee, Jacob, Corriedale, and Dorset, is ideal for spinning for beginners. At the end of this spinning for beginners’ article are some resources that have wool for sale and some resources that will process your fiber into roving for you to use.

How to Make a Drop Spindle

The following directions are for two types of drop spindles: top whorl and bottom whorl. They are not beautiful, but they are practical. Here’s a tip: Don’t invest a lot of money until you are sure this is the thing for you. The one you make is up to you.

Drop Spindle Materials

1” wooden toy wheel

12” dowel

Sharpen one end of the dowel into a blunt point. Sand it smooth. Sand and slightly round the other end of the dowel.

Put the sharp end of the dowel through the hole in the wheel, leaving about two inches of dowel below the wheel. Glue into place and let dry.

This is a completed bottom whorl spindle. (Fig. 1)

The following instructions are for making a top whorl spindle:

Sharpen one end of the 12” dowel. Don’t sharpen to a point. Sand it for a smooth, rounded, blunt end. Sand and slightly round the edges to the flat end.

Put the flat end of the dowel through the hole in the wheel, leaving about one inch of dowel above the wheel. Glue into place and let dry.

After the glue has sufficiently dried, using a drill or nail, make a pilot hole in the middle of the flat end of the dowel. This is to prevent the wood from splitting when the cup hook is put in. Take the small cup hook and screw it into place.

If you want to, you can sand the part of the dowel above the whorl so it tapers to the edges of the cup hook.

This is a completed top whorl spindle. (Fig. 2)

Important Construction Tips

The most important things to consider when making or buying a drop spindle are balance and weight. Always check for these when buying or making spindles.

When checking for balance, ask yourself these questions: Does the spindle wobble a lot? Does it spin well or is it sluggish? Does it spin freely? Weight is the other important element to look for in a drop spindle. Heavy spindles (over four ounces) work best to create thick, bulky yarn while light weight spindles (less than one ounce) work best to create thin, fine yarns. A medium weight spindle (around two ounces) is a good all-purpose spindle, enabling you to create a full spectrum of yarn from fine, lace-weight to thick, bulky-weight.

Spinning for beginners tip: The most important thing to remember when choosing a drop spindle is – do you like it?

Spinning for Beginners: How to Spin

Before one actually begins putting twist into the fiber, drafting should be practiced. Drafting is the process of pulling the fibers of the fiber supply out to get them ready to be twisted. To learn this process, we will use the “inch-worm technique.” To do this, remember these three words: pinch, pull and release. These words, in a nutshell, are the basic drafting process.

The following directions are written specifying certain hands to be used. You can interchange the directions so the right hand means left and left hand means right if you find it easier to do it that way.

To get started, throw the roving over your shoulder so it lies on your shoulder with one end in your hand and the other behind your back.

Take the end of roving that is in your hands and “pinch” the end of it with your right hand. (Fig. 4)

After you have drafted, keep your left hand holding the fiber. Now with your right hand “release” the fibers. You have just completed the “inch-worm technique.” (Figure. 5)

To keep drafting, continue to “pinch” the fiber at the point of twist, “pull: back with the opposite hand, drafting the fibers to the thickness desired; and “release” the yarn with the first hand, allowing the twist to enter the drafted fibers.

Practice this technique a couple of times until you are comfortable with it. Now it’s time to put it into real practice.

To Spin With a Bottom Whorl Spindle

Take a two-foot piece of yarn and tie it around the shaft above the whorl. This is called your leader. Turn the spindle clockwise a couple of times to wind the leader around the base of the shaft.

Continue turning the spindle but barber pole the yarn up the shaft towards the top. Secure the yarn about one inch from the top of the shaft with a half hitch. (Fig. 6 & Fig. 7)

The easiest way to attach the leader and the fiber together is to knot them.

To begin the twist, hold on to the knot that was just made with your let hand. Grasp the shaft towards the top with the right hand and twist it clockwise. Be sure to give it a good twist.

Once there is a good amount of twist in the yarn, set the spindle down on a table or chair or the ground. This will stop the spindle from spinning the opposite direction.

Now begin to “pinch, pull, release.” Pinch the knot with your right hand, pull back on the fibers with your left hand, and release with the right hand. (Figure. 3, 4, & 5)

You should see the twist enter the drafted fibers. You have just made yarn. Congratulations!

Continue the “pinch, pull, release” process until you notice that the yarn isn’t twisting very well during the “release” part of the process.

Pinch the yarn at this point with the left hand and twist the spindle clockwise with the right hand.

Repeat steps 6 to 10 as often as needed.

You have probably noticed that your arms are only so long and they haven’t grown any longer. Now you need to wind the yarn you have made onto the spindle. Unhook the half hitch and unwind the barber pole effect. Turning the spindle clockwise, wind the yarn onto the shaft creating a cone (wide bottom, small top). Leave enough yarn to barber pole up the shaft and make a half hitch at the top with at least three inches to spare.

Continue with steps 6 through 12 until the spindle is full or you run out of fiber.

(I suggest the process of putting a lot of twist into the yarn and setting down the spindle for a good reason When you are just starting to spin it takes enough concentration to remember “pinch, pull release” without having to figure out how to add “twist” to the equation. When you feel that you are ready, go ahead and add “twist” and don’t worry about setting the spindle down unless it’s needed.)

Spinning With a Top Whorl Spindle

Many of the processes are similar with a top whorl as with a bottom whorl, while some others require a slightly different explanation. In the beginning, spinning with this type of spindle works better sitting down.

Tie a two-foot piece of yarn onto the shaft under the whorl. This is your leader.

Repeat step 2 in the Bottom Whorl instructions. (Hereafter referred to as BW)

Bring the leader yarn up over the edge of the whorl and up to the hook. Pull the yarn through the hook so that when the spindle is turned in a clockwise direction the yarn stays caught in the hook and doesn’t come undone.

Repeat step 4 in BW. To begin the twist hold the know in the left hand and roll the shaft of the spindle with the right hand rapidly up the right leg from knee to upper thigh and let it dangle in front of you until the spindle stops spinning.

Repeat step 6 in BW.

Repeat step 7 in BW.

Repeat step 8 in BW.

Repeat step 9 in BW.

Pinch the yarn at the point of twist with the let hand and roll the shaft of the spindle rapidly up the right leg from knee to upper thigh, letting it dangle until the spindle stops spinning.*

Repeat steps 6 through 10 as often as needed.

When you run out of arm length, it’s time to wind on the yarn. Unhook the yarn from the hook and rotate the spindle in a clockwise direction winding the yarn as the shaft rotates. Wind the yarn on the shaft in a cone form (wide at the top, small at the bottom). Leave enough length to wrap the yarn up over the whorl and through the hook.

Continue steps 6 through 12 until the spindle is full or you run out of fiber.

Joining More Fibers

If you have a break in the yarn or you need to add new fiber, the process is basically the same for both. It works best to set the spindle down so the spindle doesn’t untwist.

Be sure the fiber you are adding to doesn’t have any twist in it. If it does have twist, you need to tease the end of the fiber open for about two inches of length.

Take the new fiber that is being added and overlap the new and the old. (Fig. 8) Hold the end of the new fiber and the point of twist of the old fiber in the right hand. Pull back on the fibers with the left hand. This blends the fibers together.

Three Truths of Spinning for Beginners

After you have been spinning a little while, the “Three truths of spinning for beginners” should be very evident.

If you don’t twist the drafted fibers enough, your yarn will drift apart and break.

If you twist the drafted fibers too much, the twist will travel into the fiber supply, engulfing the whole mass and preventing further drafting.

The fewer number of fibers you draft, and thus the smaller the diameter of the yarn, the more twist you will need to hold it together.

Plying The Yarn

The first yarn that you have spun is called a single because it is a single ply. Most of the yarn you buy in the stores are three-ply or four-ply, meaning that these are three or four singles plied together into its present yarn form. You, too, can ply your singles into a plied yarn. Please note that you do not have to ply the yarn to use it. If you choose to ply, this section will help you do so.

Most hand spinners create two-ply yarns. To do this you need to spin two spindles full of yarn. When you get ready to take the cones of yarn off the spindles, you can do it at least tow different ways. One way is to slide the cones off onto knitting needles. Using a shoebox, poke holes in the sides and put the knitting needles through the holes with the cones of singles inside the shoebox. This is a simple form of a “Lazy Kate.” (Fig. 9) The other way is to wind each spindle of singles off into balls. When you get ready to ply, put each ball of yarn into a jar or bowl. The balls will roll all over the place and get tangled if you don’t try to confine them.

Now we are ready to ply. Prepare the drop spindle the same as before but instead of fiber you will have to strands of yarn to attach to the leader. Knot as before. The important thing to remember is that the spindle, when plying, will spin in the opposite direction. If you spun the singles clockwise, when plied they must be plied counterclockwise. With the bottom whorl spindle twist it counterclockwise with your fingers. Top whorl spindles are rolled down the outside of the right leg form upper thigh to knew to get a counterclockwise spin.” Give the spindle a good twist and begin pinching, pulling, and releasing. You will notice that you can pull back further when plying. Continue plying and winding onto the spindle until the spindle fills or you run out of yarn.

Finishing The Yarn

Whether you have created a single or a plied yarn, finishing the yarn is still necessary.

Winding off is when you take the yarn off the spindle to get it ready to set the twist. You can use your leg to wind the yarn off the spindle. Bend your leg and wrap the yarn from knee to foot and back to knee again. Do this until the spindle is empty. Then take four pieces of contrasting yarn and tie them loosely in four different places around the yarn. Tie them with a figure-8 tie like the figures shown. (Fig. 10)

To set the twist, take the skein of yarn and put it into warm water. You can do this in a five-gallon bucket, sink, or wash basin. Always run the water into the container first and then set the skein gently into the water. Running the water onto the skein can cause it to felt and if you want to use the yarn to knit or crochet, you don’t want it to do this.

Place the skein on top of the water and gently push it into the water. Let it soak for about 10 minutes. Take it out of the water and gently squeeze the water out. Do not wring the skein. Then put the skein inside a towel and squeeze some more water out. The skein will need to be hung up to air dry completely. Hang the skein over the doorknob, a drying rack, or a shady part of an outdoor clothesline.

When the yarn is completely dry, twist it into a skein for storage. Grab an end of this big hank of yarn with each hand and twist the skein until it is firm. (Fig. 11) Fold it in the middle and watch the skein twist back on itself. (Fig. 12) Take one end and tuck it through the loop on the other end. (Fig. 13) The skein is ready for storage. (Fig. 14)

To Use The Skein

To use the yarn in the skein, unhook the loops and let the twist out of the skein. Find the ends of the yarn and untie them. Using either end, wind the yarn into a ball, and you are ready to go.

A Few Parting Words

By learning the basics of spinning for beginners, you have embarked on a unique journey. It is a journey I hope you will enjoy. The first yarn you create will be bumpy with thick and thin spots. But it will be beautiful because you made it. Practice does make perfect and with time the yarn you create will be almost flawless. So take a deep breath and start the journey into the world of spinning. I’m so glad you can join in this exciting journey.

* A top whorl spindle can be rolled on either leg but in different directions. Use Figure 15 to help you figure out which direction to roll the spindle depending on which let you choose.

Originally published in Countryside May / June 2001 and regularly vetted for accuracy.

Drop Spindle Spinning: Making and Using Your First Spindle was originally posted by All About Chickens

[alexmaygoodman]

Beach-combers logbook /  knowing what to take away / knowing what to leave behind

 This week I've been artist in residence at Chalkwell Hall with Metal Southend and I've been spending some time doing research on the beach and in the water. Each day I collected small tokens beach-combing my way from Chalkwell beach to Southend pier.

What follows here is the result of five days looking, finding, collecting and writing.

shell 1. Noun hard outer case of nut-kernel, egg, seed, fruit or animal such as crab or snail or tortoise; framework or case for something, walls or framework of unfinished or gutted building, ship, etc ; explosive projectile for firing from large gun etc; hollow case containing explosives for cartridge firework, etc ; light rowing boat for racing, 2. Verb take out of shell, remove shell or pod from; fire shells at.

In computing, the Unix operating system has a program called "shell". It is the program in which you can write instructions which allow you to access the fundamental systems of the computer. It is an interface layer for the heart of the computer, which protects the computer systems from direct interference but still allows communication.

Day One

A shell can protect something soft or explosive by covering it with something hard and/ or strong. It may contain and encase some potential for life, the living, or the ending of life.  A shell may keep you afloat or protect you from the elements by creating a chamber, hull or facade. A shell can be an empty vessel carrying nothing but the scent of the sea.

Collecting on the tide-line Chalkwell beach is made up of a thousand fragmented memories, each shell a small sea-worn souvenir. Here I find my preferred trinkets, away from the gimcrack the beach shops sell. Each shell is a clue to the creatures hidden in in the mystery of their tidal world as their debris is revealed by the ebbing water.

Here they enigmatically hand us evidence of their existence, only in revealing themselves once their short lives have past they cast their bone-like exoskeletons onto our shores. The flesh of these creatures have melted into the sea, leaving behind for us to find these tokens of existence. Their secret lives lived beneath our feet in a world of unconsciousness, of movement ruled by the watery moon and set to a clock that shifts its schedule to the gravity of the heavenly bodies.

As one of our first experiences of collecting as children, we walk along the sand or shingle and collect tiny pieces of creatures which have disappeared into the watery underworld that rises and swells, slackens then recedes. Archaeologists found that as far back our Neanderthals ancestors we collected shells, using them as mixing pallets for pigments and paint to be used for decorative and ritual purposes both on the walls of their caves and as body paint. Perhaps today it is another unmentioned rite of passage when we walk with our parents, grandparents and alone, collecting shells, picking up the lost pieces of our ancestors out in the landscape and taking them home to hold close to our hearts.

Here I dream of the flood, of a car being washed away as the sea rises below my window. And with it memories are flooding back, waves of loss and the past being processed... the shells and bones of the past year have been washed up at my feet for me to pick through, to draw, hold, line in rows and sing over.

Day Two

The tide is low, and tomorrow there is a new moon. There is a great distance between high and low tide in the silt estuary and I walk the distance it has receded down across rickety planks laid out like a tram track down to the water. Here as I walk, eyes half down the shape of a heart catches my eye down in the shingle and shell. I pick it up and in wonder I realise what the treasure I hold in my hands is - a fossilized sea urchin, like the one my mother had given me some years before. A charm used to protect houses against lightning. After deliberation a friend tells me its either a sea potato, or a heart shaped sea urchin, I know which I would prefer its name to be.

Low tide is a magical time, when creatures hidden by the tide are revealed to us, their shells tightly clasped and locked rigid when touched or disturbed. Giant oysters bigger than any I've ever seen, clumped together in barnacle festivals. Mussels who have lost their anchors, and the empty shells of cockles signalling their presence deeper in the mud below.  

This night I dream of rummaging through second-hand shops, looking at knitting needles and crochet hooks. I picked them up and consider the options, all the different sizes and colours, grey and brown plastic. I was looking for one for my mother, I was looking to buy one for her for whatever dreaming reason, that's why I was here. I picked up one made of wood and knew this was the right one for her. And that was all, a simple task completed during my sleep.

When I wake I think about the women I'd seen down on the beach, walking out from the high tide she carried the sea in her pockets.

Day Three

No longer stranded – cut loose, the sea temperature has risen and I walk down to Chalkwell beach walking along the boulevard just before high tide. I see no-one in the water yet... so I keep walking until I do. Down at the end of the beach there are some older women sitting on towels in swimming costumes and some bobbing around in the water. I wander over and as I pass them I ask the lady I'd just seen emerge from the water – 'Hows the water?' and she replies, 'yes rather nice its the first time I've been in this year.' Feeling bravened by this reply, having dipped myself into the sea, river and rock-pools several times this year at any available opportunity I set down my things and changed into my swimming costume. I got into the water slowly, breathing out in short bursts, as there was a large temperature difference between the hot sun filled air and the cooler water. I could feel my heart rate change as my blood cooled and I edged in. For fear of going into shock I always get into water very slowly, having suffered a lot from being a very skinny child who would turn blue fairly easily. I splash my shoulders and chest to slowly introduce my blood to the change and to be gentle with my heart. Once in and swimming the water was lovely, and I swam up and down the beach calmly with joy in my heart.

Back on land a lady who has just arrives asks me how the water is as she changes into her costume and swim cap and we find common ground mouthing the names of places that had been my homes and haunts in far away Cornwall - Helford, Lizard, Falmouth, Coverack. Here I begin my beachcomb, and after the cool clarity of being in the water I am drawn to the  pieces of sea glass. Later I visit Shoeburryness at low tide with Rob and collect more, finding dark blues and greens and small pieces of ceramic including the handle of a tea cup with a small brown stone wedged inside its curve.

That night I go to sleep with the full tide and a heavy heart, I feel myself in fragments. I think - when I wake these sharp edges will be worn smooth by the flow of water and time as the tide comes in and then rushes away.

Day Four

This day was interrupted by inactivity, and even the practice of beach combing was not very effectively exercised. Worn down by emotional tides I had very little energy to do anything but drift up and down to Leigh. Clare joined me in coming in for a dip off Chalkwell beach which distracted me, telling me about interviewing wild swimmers and installing the recordings in the changing rooms of swimming pools. She told me about her birthday ambition to swim around burgh island in Devon, the place I once visited with Dylan and Sophie, where we watched the tractor emerge through the mist across the receding waters. 

Down in Leigh the seafood stalls where about to close as I looked at their array of cockles, whelks, winkles, potted shrimp, mussels, sprats and prawns. I bought 5 enormous shell on prawns for £4 and sat in the baking sun near the Endevour – an old cockle boat that had been beautifully restored. It was hot and I dipped back inland on the way back to seek the shade of the lime trees along the residential streets picking dog-roses in little nowhere patches.

Walking down to Leigh I picked up fragments of shell easily seen in the brown and grey of the shingle and the silt, objects that reflected white, like the light of the moon. The sky is very clear and I look out before I draw the blinds to see the stars shining brilliantly in the midnight sky. I don't go out to greet them though I feel like I should. Tonight marks a change in the lunar cycle, the beginning of a new one and in astrology it marks a time for clearing and healing to be able to move on and plant new seeds in the next cycle. Its difficult to fall asleep but eventually I do, I can hear a sound which is almost like the sea, perhaps its the wind turbines, or maybe it is the high tide reaching the shore. Maybe the wind has picked up again. In the morning my dreams have fled and I can't remember them, all I find is a mosquito bite on my leg and the bright sun of a new day flooding in.

Day Five

Beach combing is similar to dreaming, if you try too hard it just doesn't work. I pretend to myself that I'm actually just walking across to the cafe, I'm not looking for anything – honest. Its like magic, look with the edge of your consciousness and you'll be rewarded.

I like to watch the ships go past from the top windows of Chalkwell hall and down in the sand. Here I sit and write in a little cafe right on the beach, they've removed some of the windowpanes for the sun and sea foam to enter the space and greet the customers as they sip their beers and coffees.

The ships flow though the mist of the estuary back and forth across the almost invisible line of water.  I'd like to look at an Admiralty chart and see where they are going, to meet the crew in the pub there, to find out where they've been and where they're going next.

The waves breaking down on the shore below are hypnotising as the wind picks up and they dash themselves against the tarred stones.  When its like this in the water the rhythmic waves become something you just have to adjust yourself to, stepping and moving in-time with each one, like tuning into the sea's heartbeat. Either join her song or struggle against it- bracing yourself you try to catch your breath while being slapped wet in the face and geting salt in your eyes.

[marklipinski]

 If you missed our last Facebook LIVE live video, here it is!  Please feel free to leave a question or comment.  All are answered.  xoxom

Here are the links to the subjects we spoke about in this episode:

Not Kid(ney)-ing Around

As my search for a life-saving kidney continues, I find that I am now .2 points from having to start dialysis.  In my research, I have most likely decided on hooking myself up, through the stomach, each day and trying to maintain some kind of life from home.  Those who have been in end stage kidney failure tell me that I may actually feel better than I have been (and it’s been pretty grim on some days) and a friend who shall remain nameless [Marie Bostwick] pointed out that I am the biggest homebody in the universe . . . and it’s not like I ever go anywhere anyway. LOL

So I’m still on steroids so sporting a coffin neck is one thing, but now my chipmunk cheeks eclipse my coffin neck!  Shroud cheeks?    So, while I may look like this:

I feel like this:

MR. ELECTRIC CONTINUES ON HIS BOOK TOUR

Mr. Electric’s book, Who Broke the Vase? finally launched and is available in bookstores (local and big box, like Barnes and Noble, etc.)  and other booksellers (even Wal-Mart, etc) around the country!  If you would like an autographed copy of his book (personalized to you or yours) order yours here:  http://bit.ly/2nI6Rj6

       Who Broke the Vase? Quilt

The Who Broke the Vase? quilt is finally finished and beautifully quilted by my buddy Janice Jamison. The kit will be available for pre-orders by the end of this week (I’m just waiting for a final [brand new] back ordered fabric to be shipped)!  I’ll post here and on Facebook as soon as the quilt is listed in the Pickle Road Studios online store.  Because I’m not a brick and mortar shop, I’m  limiting the number of kit sales, so first come first served.

Up next, patterns for lots of different Who Broke the Vase? projects . . .

and

Mr. Electric;s newest book (published in October 2017), Who Am I?

LEARNING

Book Binding

I took a bookbinding class with Linda Lum DeBono  at the Printmaking Center of NJ located in Branchburg, New Joisey.

  At the Printmaking Center of New Jersey with quilter/author/fabric designer, Linda Lum DeBono.

The printmaking design and class studio…

Bookbinding II class at the Printmaking Center of New Jersey

Samples of the books I produced in the class…

Our teacher, Dave DiMarchi of 9 in Hand Press.

Linda Lum DeBono binding her book

L

Printmaking

Quilters Jill Edwards, Brad Pitt, and Meg Cox in the Printmaking on Fabric class at the New Hope- Solebury Community School in wonderful New Hope, Pennsyltucky.   This class is also taught by 9 in Hand Press owner, Dave DiMarchi.

The New Hope Solebury High School where our classes take place.

Some of the supplies we use in class

Take Our Poll

Our first attempt at printing on paper

My Ugly Angel experiment on paper and baby wipes…

My planned layout of cardboard cutouts that I was to print onto fabric

I dropped the damned apple onto the orange, then the time for clean up began.  Still not finished, but you get the drift.

Jill Edwards and Meg Cox giving their projects the side-eye.

MONDO BAG

Cover of the Quiltsmart Mondo Bag pattern!

A sample of the Mondo Bag I bogarted from Liza Lucy’s studio…

An inside view (it’s super roomy)

Here, Quiltsmart owner, Maddie (whom I love love love), gives a tutorial on how to make your own Mondo Bag using her Quiltsmart pattern!

Visit the Glorious Color website to get your complete kit to make your own version of the Mondo Bag

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COMPLETE KIT

eats

MARK’S OLIVE OIL COOKIE RECIPE

What you need . . .

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon oil

1 teaspoon orange oil

1 teaspoon almond oil

1/2 cup half and half or whole milk

2 eggs

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon meringue powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon flavored oil such as orange, lemon, almond, or anise, etc. (optional)

colored jimmies, colored non-perils, or coarse sanding sugar (optional)

warm milk or water

Directions . . .

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

You can mix this by hand but I use my KitchenAid mixer using the dough attachment. In the mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar and mix it well.  Next, add olive oil, half and half, the flavored oils, and eggs. Turn on the mixer to a medium setting and mix the ingredients together until the dough forms into a ball and away from the sides of the mixing bowl.

Grab small pieces of dough and roll them into 1″ balls and place them on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, about an inch apart. They’ll puff up just a tiny bit during baking. Before putting them into the oven flatten their tops a little by gently pressing the top of each ball with the bottom of a drinking glass – just a little. Bake for 9 -10 minutes.

To Make Icing: Blend vanilla, flavored oil (optional), meringue powder, and enough warm milk to the confectioner’s sugar to form a smooth icing.

Dip the cookies into the icing and dry the cookies on a wire cake rack or directly on waxed paper. While the icing is still wet sprinkle them with colored non-perils, jimmies, or coarse sanding sugar.

HOMEMAKERS COUNTRY QUILTERS

Website: www.homemakerscountryquilters.org

ON MY WAY HOME

My visit with Mother Therese of Jesus

This is the cloister.  It’s huge.  On the bottom left side of the photo, beyond the trees is the terra cotta roofed mausoleum where the nuns are buried.

Some of the Carmelites in the cloister ages ago. I am told that there are only 4 cloistered nuns in the compound, the youngest in her 70’s.

Guess who?  Kinda creepy to me, but many cultures take photos of their deceased loved ones.

The tomb

The Grille

The Turn

One of the most amazing windows inside the shrine.  Each piece was made in Germany and sent to the United States for this building.

The Walmart Fat Quarter and now 3rd degree relic

Kidney Mary and Bonnie on the day we visited the National Centre for Padre Pio in Barto, Pennsylvania, where I created a 3rd degree relic brown fat quarter.

This is the wildest book about “Incorruptibles”!  I bought it, read it, then gave it away at some point. Just adding it in case you’re interested or think I’m cra cra . . . or both.  You can also Google “Incorruptibles” fo,r more information

The Incorruptibles: A Study of the Incorruption of the Bodies of Various Catholic Saints and Beati

SPEAKING OF MIRACLES

Here’s a part of a note I received from North Carolina quilter, Jane Lemley, dated August 18, 2015:

‘. . . Also, wondering if you ended up with my wooden pen that you used to sign 3 issues of your magazine after the meeting.  My friend, Clare, borrowed my pen for you to use.  It wouldn’t matter except that it was my Mom’s and she has passed away.  If not, no worries…maybe it’s on it’s way back to her!

Thanks again for your wonderful program!  May Slow Stitching stay with us always.

Sincerely, Jane Lemley”

JANE!  I FOUND YOUR PEN in my PROJECTOR CASE!!!  

PLEASE CALL ME at (908)876-1208

IF YOU KNOW JANE, PLEASE LET HER KNOW! 

Look what else I found in that darn case!  LOL  No kidding…

I’m going to sew my SUPER FLY on (or else culturally appropriate Mrs. Roper)

CAPE MAY QUILT & FIBER ARTS SHOW

Historic Cold Spring Village Quilt and Fiber Arts Show

June 24th and 25th.

Historic Cold Spring Village; 720 Route 9; Cape May, NJ

I’ll be speaking there both days.  Mr. Electric will be at the Historic Cold Spring Village Country Store with copies of his book and book readings for the kiddies!

Visit the Historic Cold Spring Village website here: https://hcsv.org/

Both days will feature demonstrations and vendors of quilting, textiles, knitting, crocheting, basket weaving, broom making, wool dyeing, sheep shearing and more! On Saturday, visitors may vote for their favorite quilts in the Welcome Center at the Viewer’s Choice Quilt Show, and on Sunday continue to enjoy the display and see the winners.  A rare wedding quilt, c. 1714, handmade by Cape May Countian Sarah Spicer, will be on display in the Welcome Center for its annual appearance. The quilt was restored in 2012 through a grant from the Cape May County Culture and Heritage Commission. Regional vendors are attending with quilting and sewing fabrics, yarn, baskets, supplies, and equipment to help inspire the creation of an heirloom project.

NEW BOOKS

Zen Doodle Calm

It’s out in October!

SENT

Thanks for the laugh, Kathy.

I found out that The Jolly Taxpayer Hotel which was built in 1906 was taken down 7-8 years ago and is now the Jameson House, an office and condo tower that was built in 2011.

Before and after

Before

After

Oh, and it was never a gay bar LOL

CALL YOUR SHOP

Tell your local shopkeeper that the Auriful’s  BEST SELLING THREAD COLLECTION, THE BASICS COLLECTION, is on sale at Checker.  Have you shop order a few.  If you don’t have one, buy one.  You will not regret it.

Yes, I sell them in my online store, but I would love it if you supported (or at least tried to support) your local brick and mortar quilt shop!  xoxom

  CATALOGS & MAGAZINES

Uppercase Magazine

The newest Uppercase issue has arrived!  Get yours here 

Spoonflower Catalog

A catalog? Ask for one here 

Take Our Poll

Sew News

I love this magazine!  There is always something I’m interested in (and I don’t sew clothing nor do I consider myself a “sewist”).  Find out about Sew News here 

      SHOWS

Mary Schaefer

This is the Gwen Marston book I referenced this week.

`

Catch the show, The Mary Schafer Collection: A Legacy of Quilt History at the Mercer Museum

in Doylestown, Pennsylvania until August 13.

https://www.mercermuseum.org

SPEAK YOUR WORDS, OWN YOUR TRUTH

and PUSH BACK AGAINST INJUSTICE and BULLYING

FACEBOOK LIVE with Mark Lipinski and Mr. Electric, May 21, 2017  If you missed our last Facebook LIVE live video, here it is!  Please feel free to leave a question or comment.