#test knitters needed

[classicalsongbirdknits]

EDIT: the test knit call is now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied!

Test knit call!

A hint of fall is in the air, which means it’s time for the City Lights fingerless mitts to be tested! These stranded colourwork mitts are designed to mimic how lights reflect off city streets, knit with two colours to create a speckling effect.

I knit mine in Yarn Ink Classic Sock in the colourways Ink and f*ck off.

I’m looking for testers in three adult sizes. You can find all the yardage and testing info in the application form. The test knit will be run in an Instagram group chat, so an Instagram account is needed to participate.

New test knitters are also encourage to apply! I run very relaxed and welcoming test knits. I hope to see you there!

[sarahdawnsdesigns]

So, I'm still looking for testers for the Mosaic Knit Hat! You can find all the details at the blog (link above), or, on Yarnpond!

Also, if you're a Pattern Muse over on Patreon, you are guaranteed a spot in the test-knitting, and, you can download the draft pattern here!

[pinazee]

Heres a few more random HC’s because i get bored at work!

TGWDLM

Paul has hiked every trail in hatchetfield. He once tried to get emma to go on a hike with him early in their relationship but when he showed up at her place at 5AM (not 5pm like she thought) she nearly ended it right there. Paul spent that day in absolute despair thinking that he ruined things with her but she texted him later and they hung out at a beach instead. He promised to never show up before 10am again- (unless he was sleeping over ;) -emma)

Bill Woodward and Mark Chasity have been in an unspoken feud for several years all because they both brought cinnamon rolls to a church bake sale and it got competitive. They, of course, were polite but would add small comments like, “oh adding orange zest was certainly an interesting choice,” and “wow, i love how large they are! Almost too large! Haha!” For years. Just petty comments.

Black Friday

Tom and Becky are karaoke royalty. It took some time for her to get used to people watching her for the right reasons again, but after tom coaxed her into singing the classic don’t go breaking my heart and receiving a standing ovation, that old cheerleader came right back out. Their most popular request is Lousiana Woman, Mississippi Man by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty as they really make it their own (tom seems like a country fan, but just the old stuff, everyone groaned at first but then they killed it).

Gary was a nerd his whole life but always managed to hang out with the popular kids and college students. He’d let them copy his homework, praise them endlessly, debase himself if he had to- all to be a part of the “right” crowd. Most of his clients are actually old “friends” that he charges up the ass (and i like to think, even if it doesn’t quite mesh with his personality, that he balances this out by doing a fair amount of pro bono).

NPMD

Ruth failed her drivers test twice because she’s too aggressive. Richie never tried, preferring to bike (and plans to move to chicago for college so why bother) Petes been able to drive since he was 13 because ted taught him in case he ever needed a designated driver (he was being responsible! What? You want him to drive drunk and hit some poor old woman just trying to cross the street at 3am?)

Detective shapiro (as a classic detective thriller trope) was secretly working on a cold case from chicago when she moved to hatchetfield. Its the one case that haunted her and forced her to seek refuge in a small island town. After the incident with max though, she finally dropped it, accepting that some things could never be explained. [And just for fun, she’s a fervent knitter. Im talking 2 full closets of just blankets ;) ]

Ruth has auditioned for the local theater 6 times, but they have no idea what she sounds like. They let her stand on stage for a minute, hand her a lollipop as they usher her off, and politely say “maybe next time, ruth.”

Richie was on a first name basis with the local comic book shop. When they heard of his murder, they put up a memorial for him with a display of (almost) all the manga he’d bought from them.

[yourimaginationrealm]

Genin!Sasuke x reader fluff

Just wanted to write that … I rewatched the Original Naruto and became addicted again. Why Sasuke ? No idea… I just became creative with his character…

He cheers you up and I hope you like it…

The crickets are noisy as they chirp in the summer night. You are sitting close to the lake, your arms crossed and your head down in your knees. You want to shut up your surroundings. Tears are flooding down your cheeks like a waterfall and won’t stop. The images of your teammates as they got killed, are playing in a loop. I doesn’t matter if your eyes are closed or open. In the end, how you hold your friends head in your own hands was humiliating and daunting. A never-ending Nightmare. Your fingertips are clenching together as the fabric of your clothing knitters together. 

You passed the Chunin Examen Test of the second part yet you feel that you lost everything. This Orochimaru just killed you closest friends and now you are the only survivor of this team. Actually, you shouldn’t pass the second part of the Chunin Examen. Then, the Hokage let you still pass because you already had the scrolls, make it to the tower and helped other teams getting beaten up by a team from Otogakure. However, it doesn’t feel like you won. You don’t even know if you should continue…

Suddenly, you hear steps on the wooden ground of this dock. You grit your teeth. The steps stops directly behind you.

„Seriously, Naruto! I already told you to let me be. I just need to be alone. Don’t take it personally.“

Naruto felt with you. He wanted to cheer you up but right now, he just worsen your emotions. Somehow, his constant worrying got on your nerves. You don’t hear him leave.

„None taken…“ You shoulders clench together. That isn’t Narutos voice. Too arrogant and deep. „I am not Naruto.“ He continues. After his second phrase, you recognize this voice after he mouthed Naruto. Sasuke Uchiha. „Moreover, I am sitting always here…“ You sigh loud. He is not lying, you saw him often here. He walks beside you as he sits down. 

„What do you want, Sasuke?“ You growl more than you wanted when he blurt his words out. „Thank you for protecting us. I heard from Sakura what you did…. And like said, normally I used to sit here…“ he shows you a side smile but you kept your head down in a frown. You shortly inhale as you recall the moments in the forest. Sasuke was unconscious so like Naruto. She was alone being harassed and attacked. You helped her even after your comrade were killed from Orochimaru. Rock Lee joined your attempt but got knocked out after he used this forbidden Jutsu. You just felt feral at that time and were ready to kill anything…. Thank god, Team 10 arrived and Shikamaru Nara, an old friend of yours could calm you down. 

„I… I .. didnt do anything you should thank Team 10 for helping us…“ Again tears dwell in your eyes. 

„It is not easy to thank you, what?“ Huh? „Before Rock Lee and Team 10 arrived Sakura was alone and even you have lost your Team members you had enough will to help her. I just thanking you for this. And… I am sorry for your loss.“ The last phrase he spokes out, were very soft.

„I am pathetic..“ You mumble as you couldn’t look up.

„….?“ Sasuke seems clueless why you insult yourself as you tell him more. „I cry here over two people and you lost your whole clan.“  The silence is killing you until Sasuke starts to talk again.

„You can not compare this. You shouldn’t align with it…. It is different and still tremendous to lose someone close to you…..“ He seems to be deep in thought. There is silence as you try to keep you tears in. 

„I going to kill this man Orochimaru!“ Sasuke bits his lip as he looks forward and touch his curse mark.

Even you peek out of your arms into the water as you agree with him. You think that tears stopped long enough so that your face didn’t show any clues of crying.

„Me too!“ You look forward determined. He smirks as his eyes looks to the side to your clutched form. 

„So finished with the crying?! You are all red and puffy!“

You gasped and pout. „I wanna see you crying all day and night, how you look! Definitely, not good like now.“ He rest his head sassy in his hand. „So… I look good right now…“ He teases you as you blush. Okay, you found him attractive yet you are not a fangirl! Yes, the night and moonlight add something to his charm. „I won’t answer this to fill more confidence in you….“

He scoffs as he looks from you angered  form away to the lake again.

„Then, let’s agree to defeat him together.“ His voice again softer but serious. 

„Yes.“ You simply state and breath in so out. You stand up slowly and stretch your body. Then, you slap your own cheeks as you out of nowhere jump into the water. Sasuke is surprised and shocked as he watches you.

„What the hell?!“ He kneels over the water to have a look where you were. Did you really just jump into..? As you cut surface again, he calms down his nerves. You swim to the dock and rest your hands-on the shore while looking up into his eyes.

„Sasuke!“ You shout out determined to him to gain his attention. „Huh?!“ He seems a bit out of it.

„I decided to continue the Chunin Exam for the sake of my comrades!“ You boldly state towards him. He smirks as he sees in your face confidence and hope. 

„Thats good to know. Yet, you know that is possible you have to fight me?! Are you ready for that? I am not going easy on you.“

„Hah!“ You wave his taunt off. „You really think that you are a big shot, huh?“You grin as you tease back.

„ I shall remind you that I was better than you in the academy…“ „The academy is long over…“ „Don’t take you mouth too full now, Y/N!“ He closes his eyes confidently with a smirk. He is sure that he can beat you.

You slowly got into position to grab his collar and draw it dangerously close. You hear him gasp when your lips almost touches and directly have eye contact. Maybe, you lips touches slightly when you counter back. „Same goes for you!“ His eyes flicker over your wet lips. For a moment he wants to say something as he stutter a bit. He can not control his flustered state. His cheeks burn red and he breathes hastily.  This surprise of you and the weird desire to touch our lips with his own. How could you be so bold suddenly and draw him down towards you. Moreover, you grin evilly as you see that you got him cornered. All these emotions last only seconds when he… „Huh I- What are you-?!“ Splash!

 … is dragged by you into the water. You laugh out loudly and get fast out or you wanted too. As he arises from the water, you look behind you and just stretch out your tongue. 

„If you are like this in the Examen, I think I can handle you….“ Before you can stand tall on the dock, you feel something grasping your ankle and got drawn back. ‚Oh no!‘ You yell in your head. Even so, you control your Chakra at your feet to stand on the water. Sasuke notices this as he flipped you backwards and you got dizzy while landing into the deep wet again. You dive up and splash him annoyed. „What was that?!“

„Huh, Payback.“ He said cocky. You roll your eyes.

„Wait…“ he focused on your face. „What is it?!“ „Your Headband is gone…“ You touch your forehead and yeah somehow the knot got loose. You directly look into the water yet the dark night doesn’t  help you out with the sight.

„I can’t see it. Damn it.“ The problem is… The lake here isn’t shallow at all. So you have to find it before it hit the ground. You shrieks when Sasuke points out „There!“ And dive rapidly into the water. You can only wait until seconds pass. The moonlight comes out behind some clouds and gifts you a slight chance to see movements under water. Does he got it? You hate to wait and can not do anything. Suddenly, the water brakes and Sasuke inhales loudly. „You got it?!“

He closes one eye and rises one arm out of the water where he hold your headband.

„Yay. You are the be-!“ Ugh. 

„What am I?“ He teases and shakes your headband.

„Thank you, you did well and please hand it over…..“ You spread your arms out.

„Hmm…“ He rises his arms higher as you were about to grab it. „What?!“ 

„What is my thanks?“ He playfully looks away.

„Woah! I didn’t take you for this kind of play. What do you want?“ The water is not freezing could yet the summer night is a bit chilly and just standing makes you shiver a bit. You begin to drench the water out of your hair while pouting. He got you in the end.

His eyes flicker for moment again to you lips as he shyly blush. „I don’t want anything..“ He mumbles bashfully. You cluck your tongue again annoyed. This boy drives your emotion from ‚Oh how nice‘ to ‚He pisses me off‘ again to ‚Oh, how adorable and than to ‚What the fuck does he want.‘ „Seriously….!“ You just swim towards him and try to catch your headband which is still in air. 

„Hey, we didn’t agree..“ He starts his sentence while having his arms stretched out  behind his head and you force yourself onto him. You have an annoyed expression on your face and focus on getting your precious headband back. What is he playing anyway, you thought. He is so out of character. Then, you feel yourself losing the balance and almost fell backwards. You climbed halfway on him. Out of reflex, he grasp your thighs tightly and your hold yourself on his shoulders. Your and Sasuke nose brushing together as you feel your ears getting burning red. You begin to stutter when you search words for distraction. Why is he looking like he is about to-! 

„Hmpf.“ The Uchiha boy close the distance and kissed you lips. How could he not? The whole time, he was drawn to your lips and as they got again so close, he saw the wet lips getting shine upon the moonlight. There was nothing holding him back. (Wait is that not a song xD)

You deepen the kiss when your arms slide over his shoulders and your hands wander over his neck into his hair.  He shivers as your hands rush over his curse mark to his hair. Definitley, one of his sensitive area. You relaxed firstly because he is really warm, secondly  all the mixed emotion you felt from frustration, depression, sadness, it makes you feel at ease in his arms and thirdly his kiss feels just so good. His arms wander  from your thighs to your back. Slowly, you apart from his lips to breathe again. He touches your forehead with his.

„Is it wrong when I kiss you again?“ He breathes with half lidded eyes. You want to say a ‚No‘ but you kiss him already. Now, his hand reaches towards your head to push you more passionately on him. You can only focus one one thing and your thinking stopped. Or you thought so. Then, you push yourself away hastily. „You still got my headband?!“ As nothing roams in your brain, this just emerged up.

„Really, now?“ He shows you his left hand which he still had it. „Thank god. Sorry I thought you lost it because of all this.“ He chuckles when he flicks your forehead. „Ow, Why?!“ You hold your forehead with a hand and pout at him. „Give me more credits.“ He says with a smile. A kind smile. Without sensing  your assault you dip his body under the water as you press you weight on his shoulders. This time, you make it to the shore and hold your arms while you shiver. 

 „Sure, you got me here…“ He groans while climbing out of the lake. Before you wanted to say good bye, you kiss his cheeks. 

„Thank you for cheering me up…“ „You know I didn’t kiss you only to cheer you up.“ „I know but the reason you came here..:“ „Like I said, Its my spot…“

„Yeah, Yeah it is almost morning, Idiot. Don’t tell me you-! AHHH“ Again he pushed your sideways from the shore. With one eye open and a smirk, he just wanna know if you make it back unharmed.

„If I had lost my headband again, I would kill you!“ 

„Show that attitude in the Chuunin Examen, cry baby.“

„I am so gonna beat you!“

„Like hell.“

„I know your weakness, Uchiha!“ Before, he can counter you back, you tease him with stroking his neck by your finger tips. He shutters while grasping his shoulder. 

„Wha-!“ His voice trembles. 

„You really thought I wouldn’t notice-ACHOO!“

„Get your butt better home and take off your wet clothing before you are disqualified because you are sick.“

„Yeah,….“ You groan. „Can I get a good-bye ki-!“ You playfully ask him when two finger move towards your forehead and push you a bit  back.

„Next time, Y/N, when you are not totally drenched.“ With red cheeks you brush you forehead pouting as you look to him up. „Okay.“ You turn your heels and leave the boy in the dark night of the streets.

„Good night, cry baby!“ You glare at him back while stucking your tongue out.

Out of sight, the Uchiha starts to sneeze ,too.

„Damn it, it is fucking cold!“ He embraces himself while walking to his lonely home.

[kimije]

A loom!

This took more time designing than making I think. It's based on an Ashford knitters loom, I was going to buy one and I still might get a bigger one later, but the idea was to make the sides of it all pretty and have multiple cross piece sets to make a loom the width of your current project so if you're making a 2" band you don't need to lug the 48" loom around.

I think most people just solve this problem by having multiple looms.

Each side piece is 2x6mm and one 3mm piece of poplar laser ply which has been glued together. The decorative pieces were cut out of the 3mm layer and painted separately while the rest was stained, after they were glued together it was finished with a Matt clear acrylic spray.

The cross pieces are Tasmanian oak and were not finished beyond a bit of sanding. The bracing pieces were a pain in the neck because they were too long to fit in the drill press and I can't drill straight to save my life so it took a couple of goes to get right. This is also the reason the different sizes are on hold until I need a different sized loom.

3d printing was used for the handles and ratchets and the washers between all of the moving parts

The reed was laser cut out of 3mm poplar laser ply as well, I am wondering if it would have been better to 3d print it, the edges are a little splintery.

Overall it went together a little tight, but with a bit of sanding everything moves as it should.

I don't currently have a long enough stick shuttle and at the price they are to buy vs how much effort it would be to make something even close to the same quality, well, it will be arriving on Wednesday and I'll start actually weaving then.

I tried looking at yarns for weaving some nicer cloth and uh I need to do a bit more research before I get into that (Ne 8/4? Nm 14/4?? 10-18 epi??? What is a sett???? Do I care if it's unmercerised?????????) SO, the acrylic wool from spotlight is ABSOLUTELY FINE for testing the loom.

I'll post more side detail pics later, I ran out of photo slots.

[wigglebox]

Not a copypasta do you know any good resources for knitting I have been trying to learn and I don't understand what I'm supposed to do even though there are instructions 🫠🫠

Sure nonny! I'm more experienced with crochet but I do have my favorite places to go for knitting stuff lol.

So I'm not sure if you're right handed or left handed — if you're left handed just come back and tell me because learning how to knit as a lefty is a little harder, only because you have to read patterns a little differently.

But, to get started, Very Pink Knits is my favorite youtube channel, she's really great at showing how to do stitches. She's how I realized I was accidentally knitting twisted stitches for three years!

This is her YouTube channel.

She has MANY videos on how to do certain techniques for knitting and how to get started, even how to cast on!

Scrolling through, looks like she's starting on Crochet tutorials as well!

But she explains things very well and has a good tutorial lighting set up and everything. However, if you don't find her videos helpful, just keep typing in stuff into youtube and see what video tutorials are out there because there are many! Yarn companies, pattern writers, etc etc, they all have youtube channels. And, in the future, if you pick a pattern and find yourself getting stuck, a lot of the time the pattern maker will have a youtube video for you to follow to help.

I'm useless as making a video to help get started because I'm left-handed and I primarily crochet lol.

ALSO: SIGN UP FOR RAVELRY

There are communities, you can see notes people make on patterns to see if they had any issues you had, you can sign up to test patterns once you're getting good enough, and a lot of patterns are on there and you can really filter what you wanna find even down to the kind of yarn you have and how much of it you have. You can also save them as favorites and when you buy the pattern you can keep it in your library for safe keeping!

But here are some things to know that sometimes they don't tell you in these beginner videos:

When buying your knitting needles, don't use plastic for plastic yarn. If you're getting acrylic yarn, using plastic needles won't provide a kind of smooth working motion you need. Metal needles for plastic yarn. Slippery yarn like bamboo yarn or cotton or baby alpaca/merino wool can go on wooden/plastic needles. If they go on metal, you may have some issues keeping tension. If you google what kind of needles you should buy for what yarn you can also find this advice!

Buy shit yarn to practice with. If you have a Dollar General around you or anything, assuming you're American, get some of that yarn to first practice on. It's polyester/acrylic but it's so cheap that it's good to practice on. Don't get black! Not when you're first learning!

Plastic/budget yarn is okay to make things out of, and don't let any knitter try to tell you otherwise. There's more forgiveness in the crochet community when it comes to yarn type because we use so much of it and make bigger things than knitted things usually are. Therefore, we can't always afford the big fancy wool and baby yak yarn blahblahblah. So don't let anyone shame you for using yarn from Joann Fabrics.

When you're done with your knitted project, BLOCK! Always block your things, even if you just make a hat or a scarf. It helps with the drape and it helps with being able to see the stitches you just made! If you're using plastic yarn, buy a handheld steamer [mine was like $30 on Amazon], rust-free pins, and knitting block foam squares. You don't have to buy them specifically for knitting like you can buy children's foam play squares, but i like the ones specifically for knitting bc they have 1-inch x 1-inch grids on them so i know how much to stretch my blocking out lol. There are tutorials online for blocking. It's tedious sometimes, but it makes a world of difference and IMO, as you're learning, always make a habit of blocking your stuff. I didn't do it consistently until recently and boy oh boy

Always make a gauge swatch. Once you're starting looking for patterns to make, you're going to see stuff that's like: 10 rows x 10 rows stockinette stitch = 4 inches ... or something like that. And sometimes they'll tell you whether or not your gauge should be blocked before measuring. If you get into crochet this is even more crucial because crochet is less forgiving when it comes to measurements especially after you wash and block stuff. I made a cardigan once and didn't gauge swatch and essentially it'd look great on a woman who is 7 feet tall but not so much on me lol.

That also being said, if your gauge is off, sometimes you have to change your needles. It depends on how tightly you knit. I am a tight knitter so I usually have to go up a needle size lol. If you're struggling, google how to correct your gauge and it'll tell you what to do if you have too many rows going up or going left to right. Or, too little rows.

WEAVE IN YOUR ENDS! With crochet, people have found workarounds [even tho i still think weaving in ends with crochet is vital] but it's really vital when it comes to knitting because the fabric is thinner and it's more unforgiving and it's always good to have some extra yarn stashed away between the stitches just in case you ever needed to go back and adjust something. there are videos out there on how to weave in your ends without them showing in knitting. It's tedious if you've done a lot of colorwork especially but it must be done!

Be gentle with yourself - knitting can be hard to learn at first bc you're learning how to work both hands essentially at the same time. Same with crochet. Knitting takes a little longer because your stitches are smaller so use knitting as a meditative practice and just get in the zone.

When it comes to knitting, I find that working on circulars helped me with my hand-eye coordination and my tension. However, that may not be as easy for you to start off with. And yes you can knit flat pieces on circular needles. The weight of the straight needles sometimes made my hands tired. However, there are tutorials out there on how to get started on both! Also, circulars are great for teeny tiny decreases in the round like for sleeves or socks — instead of working with double-pointed needles which are my nightmare lol.

But — you're not gonna be making a sweater likely as your first thing so here are some patterns that I think would be simple for a beginner knitter!

You will be making a lot of squares first lol. But it's good practice, and it's good to do! These are all free:

CARON SIMPLE KNIT OMBRE BLANKET SCARF

I have this yarn and it's very lovely, and the scarf itself is very simple to make and will be good, especially to learn stockinette stitch!

LILY SUGAR'N CREAM GET LOOPED KNIT DISHCLOTH

This is a cotton yarn available at most craft stores. This is a free pattern and you're essentially making garter stitch squares. I actually recommend this first because garter stitch is essentially the first stitch you learn, THEN you learn stockinette. The different being stockinette is when you learn how to purl. Garter stitch is when you're just doing the knit stitch on both sides so you get the little wavy-looking thing.

SEAFARING SCARF

This looks cozy lol and it'll help you with practicing ribbing! And this one is FANCY ribbing called fisherman's rib! This is a little more advanced but they have videos in the pattern explaining things like "knit one below."

If you're done scouring the internet for free scarf patterns and have looked at tutorials on how to work in the round, here are some simple and basic tops you can make [I'm unsure how you like to dress or your gender or your presentation so I'm linking sweaters that are on the more feminine side just because it's what I have in my list lol]

GINGERBREAD SWEATER

This is a basic, simple, top-down raglan sweater. Raglan sweaters are ones i prefer to do lol i like the slant at the arm.

CLASSIC RIBBED BEANIE HAT

I make these so much especially when I don't know what to do with my yarn lol.

If you want to start getting a crack on triangle shawls, here's a good free first foray you can try!

THE AGE OF BRASS AND STEAM KERCHIEF

This has some fancy eyelets but they're not intimidating! I promise!

And here's another basic raglan sweater you can try!

WARM-UP SWEATER

Again, another basic, no fancy stuff sweater that is good to begin with when learning how to make sweaters.

---

I know this is really long, I'm sorry nonny lol.

My favorite knitwear designer is Andrea Mowry who you can find here. She has basic patterns and more complicated ones. I find her patterns very easy to follow and she comes up with fantastic ideas. I was very close to finishing the bee sweater once lol. Find your Fade is a BIG one everyone made but that one is a commitment both of time and money so...

But yeah! If there's anything else I can help you with let me know! I'm more experienced with crochet now since I've been doing it longer and made more things, so if you ever wanted to venture into Crochet I got even more stuff for you xD

Woof this got long. I hope some of this helped!

[snallavanta]

looking for test knitters 🧶

my very first knitting pattern has been tech edited!!! if you'd like to test knit the december vest for me, you can fill in the form here!!!

asking the tumblr bffs first because i love u all & no, you don't need an insta account to participate if you don't want to <3 i'll be posting the official call on insta tomorrow with more pics 😚

[kesbeacon]

Okay yarncraft pals, my search-fu has escaped me.

I can crochet pretty decently, but I hate hate HATE making a starting chain, whether I'm starting with a chain or doing a foundation chain that combines the chain and the first row. So I just sat down and came up with a way to use knitting to do it instead. It works! Pretty well! I haven't used it for an actual project yet but I have a load of tests.

Then, having done a bunch of testing (samples above; 1 is my favourite, 5 is the successful adaptation for where you have to skip stitches), I was like, I should check if anyone else does this because they might have tips and be able to forewarn about issues. They might also understand the topography better.

But can I find it? No. I cannot believe I'm the first to do this, but all I get is how to do the foundation stitch, the alternatives to turning chains (I needed that too, but not right now), and how to crochet a cast-on for knitting, which is the opposite of what I want. (I'm a confident knitter, no problems there.)

So I am asking yarncrafts tumblr if yall know anything about this! I can't be the first, right?

[heavyknitter]

1 - How it started.

Two weeks ago I walked up 'n over to my aunt, who lives next door to me and asked her if she had some knitting needles and wool to show me how to do it. When I get the urge to do something, I need to do it right now, it can't wait, I need to ride this wave - thankfully my aunt is very much the same so she took one look at me, got up from her seat and started rifling through her stuff to find what I asked for. She used to be an expert knitter, but her eyesight is poor these days so she doesn't bother with that anymore - she is also, as I figured out quickly, not all that good at explaining shit. But eh, we made it work. We are both very kinaesthetic oriented learners and for her this is easy-peasy muscle memory and I had to remind her I have no context no idea how to loop what and where and more importantly, my hands may have a lot of muscle memory on various tasks but not this, none of that. So she manipulated my hand a bit until I got the idea of how and bäm. Suddenly I was knitting.

Well. I tried my best. It was a learning curve, thankfully a steep one. See, she cast on ten loops for me and did the first two rows to get me started and I jumped in and somehow made that 13 loops. That was fun because she of course asked me how the hell and I had no answer because we were at the bare bones, how to increase was not even a topic yet so idk what I did there.

Next issue, which I was not really surprised by if I am honest, was the fact that I was knitting too tightly. See, as artist I have the issue of gripping my pens too tight, so tight in fact that I sometimes cut off the blood circulation in my fingers while I draw detailed linework. I have compression opera gloves to mitigate that issue a bit and keep my hands and arms protected while I try to unlearn this. I also started embroidery in autumn of 2022 and there I like to pull the thread tight to make the embroidery neat and even, so.. both of these things worked against me a wee bit. But I worked on this little test piece for like three days straight to get the movement into my system. To get my grip under control. To get a rhythm going. (To make sure I will not add any more loops to a row than those 13 because seriously where the fuck did they come from.)

I mostly tried to get even rows but in the beginning I made some waves between tight loops and trying to loosen them again but eventually it clicked with my hands what I wanted them to do in terms of pressure and pull. My aunt is a darling you know? She said, those knitting needles are shit for the wool she had at hand but it will do for now, good enough to learn at least. And then she ran an errand the very next day and gave me some bulky as hell soft wool that has like.. the same feels as those soft synthetic cuddly blankets you can buy almost everywhere, so, perfect for me. And my first own knitting needles to go with that. And I showed her my test piece and how I slowly get a hang of it and she nodded in approval and praised how even my rows are getting and that made my brain go brr.

And one day after I did go into the city and hit up the store next to the train station and went a bit wild on buying wool - which is a theme for the next couple of days to be honest. I bought a lot of wool because I really wanted to have everything in house when I go wild. And thus I started on my first real project. A scarf that is more like a shawl because I really really misjudged how broad the bulky soft wool makes the thing. But more on that later I guess <3

[kaiyonohime]

I started knitting a cardigan last year.  I was going to be steeked, it was with Shetland wool, and I finished all the body except the bottom 2x2, just needed to do the arms, and realized I don’t really like it.  For some reason the light blue MC was much thinner than the dark blue I was using for the lice, and it just makes the entire thing look awkward and clumsy.  

I spent too much money on the yarn to want to wear something I don’t like.  So I’m frogging it and started looking for a different pattern, not a steeked cardigan, and have found some lovely pull overs with just a little colorwork on the yoke.  Gorgeous. 

I just need to do a gauge swatch to see if my yarn is good, and if it is then I’m just going to do that.  

Now when I’ll find the time to knit I don’t know.  Baby doesn’t like me drawing my attention away for silly things like knitting and eating.  I’m probably going to become a walking knitter, he loves being in the carrier for long walks, and I certainly love to take long walks.  So I’ll just be the walking knitter from now on.

This will be tested tomorrow because I need to walk down to the shops.  Which may or may not be an excuse to hit up McDonalds so I can try the new samurai burger.  It has a hashbrown patty on it!  I love me a hashbrown patty burger.

[classicalsongbirdknits]

Test knit call!

The Mornings on the Flueve socks are ready to be tested! These cozy cabled socks are knit with DK weight yarn, and featured a contrasting heel, cuff, and toe. I’m looking for testers in three sizes: adult small, medium, and large.

I knit mine up in the scrumptious Wildewood Fibers MCN DK, which I highly recommend, but any DK weight sock yarn will work!

If you’ve never participated in a test knit before but are interested, please apply! I run very relaxed and welcoming test knits.

You can find the form here, and all the details are in there. Please apply through the form, and if you have any questions, please ask in the comments or via the space in the form, as DMs tend to get lost.

I hope to see you there!

[sarahdawnsdesigns]

This week's Behind-The-Scenes: K-W Knitter's Fair recap; and Mosaic Hat Testing!

[rhysiana]

For organizational purposes, links to all my writing of the past couple of years, short bits though they may be: (updated 7/3/2023)

Atom no Ko -This Would Be Enough: Tumblr | AO3 (post-canon getting together ft. ace Nayuta)

Old Fashion Cupcake -Meta: the half-generation divide between Togawa and Nozue and how they approach work-life balance -Meta: Old Fashion Cupcake and kawaii culture -Meta: gay characters and office matchmaking in Old Fashion Cupcake and Kinou nani tabeta? -Kawaii ne (Togawa, Nozue, and the power of kawaii): Tumblr | AO3 -Petit Fours - an AO3 collection of post-canon domestic moments (originally individually posted on Tumblr, currently at 6 moments) --“only fools rush in” - a song lyric prompt ficlet --Togawa stuck in a hotel away from home - a winter travel woes prompt fill Semantic Error -Embrace (Chu Sangwoo learns to appreciate hugs): Tumblr | AO3 -Missing a train in France - a winter travel woes prompt fill -5 Times Chu Sangwoo Made a Change and 1 Time He Didn’t Have To: Tumblr | AO3 - post-canon domesticity and learning to live together Under the Skin -Tiny character study: Du Cheng looking at Shen Yi -Tiny character study: Shen Yi being conflicted about his art -“there's a light in your room, and it burns like a shade of yellow” - a song lyric prompt ficlet Nirvana in Fire -Fragments of a Life Lived in Dreams: Tumblr | AO3 | Podfic - what if Lin Shu and Xiao Jingyan started sharing dreams after Lin Shu fell? Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty -New teacher Tang Fan gets rescued from typhoon flooding by neighbor Sui Zhou (modern AU inspired by stupid personal experience, sadly not extending to being rescued by Sui Zhou) -Modern AU where Tang Fan loses his perfect scarf and has to track down the knitter to get a new one -Bad Coffee and Good Company (an unacknowledged reincarnation AU, mostly vibes, fake-to-real dating speedrun): Tumblr | AO3 My Country: The New Age -“all we need is candlelight” - a modern AU Seonhwi song lyric prompt ficlet (now also on AO3) -a Seonhwi sci-fi AU in which Nam Seon-ho had an emotion-repressing implant and Seo Hwi rescues him from drifting in space (this one I did start rewriting in a more polished style, but who knows if it will actually get finished) -Weather the Storm: Tumblr | AO3 - snowed in at the secret shack, a Seonhwi winter travel woes prompt fill -“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love you.” - tiny Seonhwi angst prompt fill Cherry Magic -Off of the Podium, Into His Heart (a winter Olympics AU): Tumblr | AO3 The Untamed -A Shang Chi AU ft. Yunmeng Jiang -Test pilot WWX with a Wangxian romance novel rescue -Chengqing modern arranged marriage AU -The punk club AU: Wangxian 1&2, Wangxian 3, Songxiao -Modern Untamed chained romcom series ft. Sangcheng, Nielan, and Wangxian (whyyyy do I not have enough writing brain to turn this into the glorious fic series it deserves to be?) -In Love with Ghosts (post-canon LXC & Song Lan): Tumblr | AO3 -All the Lotuses in the World (post-canon Sangcheng): AO3 | Tumblr [art post for ch 2] -“not until you return” - a post-canon Wangxian song lyric prompt ficlet -“I'm gonna spouse you and make ya tat' ya ring” - a modern AU Wangxian song lyric prompt ficlet -“Hurts.” “I know. It’s going to hurt some more, okay? Deep breaths. I’m sorry— I’m so sorry—” - a tiny Jingyi/Sizhui angst prompt fill -art class nerdery - thoughts about NHS, WWX, and LWJ as students in art classes I took in high school -Warmth in Winter: Tumblr | AO3 - a Wangxian post-canon winter travel woes prompt fill -Already On It: Tumblr | AO3 - a Chengqing modern AU winter travel woes prompt fill ft. mutual competence appreciation -OYZZ disappears modern juniors quartet AU fic prompt idea free to a good home -Fics I Didn’t Write: Nighthunt Dispatcher NHS - premise for a modern cultivation AU that was going to be a set-up for a Sangcheng sex pollen emergency contact story, but also started b/c NHS being good at a job against his will made me laugh -Fics I Didn’t Write: Nieyao MMA AU - the opening of a niche medical massage therapist/MMA fighter AU I started as a vehicle for my issues with the MMA fetishization of jiu jitsu school pedigree -Two Pollens (Alike in Indignity): Tumblr | AO3 - a Nieyao truth pollen + sex pollen story, cowritten with ritualist (the longest thing I’ve completed in forever!) -3 People Wei Ying Talked to About Suddenly Getting Taller and 1 Person Who Definitely Noticed On His Own: Tumblr | AO3

Word of Honor -Antihistamine-fueled modern college AU ft. Wenzhou as disaffected seniors out to make Prof. Zhao's life hell -Modern AU ft. author ZZS and hairdresser WKX (started as a joke after I watched Hey Sensei, Don't You Know? and then took a swerve into actual plot, another one I really wanted to turn into something more formally written, but as it is it's already over 5k) --Update: Now on AO3 with a title! Persistence Pays Off Guardian -Urban fantasy AU with Shen Wei as a symphony conductor (I 100% forgot I wrote this) Devil Judge -“you can call me villain” - a Gahan Vicious AU song lyric prompt ficlet -Gaon finally makes it to Switzerland - a Gahan winter travel woes prompt fill Bonus throwback content: OMGCP -“this can't be love” - song lyric prompt speedrun version of a long Nurseydex I had in progress before Asian dramas took over -to be myself again - the bits of the longer version that actually got written (post-canon, Dex inherits a house back in Maine, invites Nursey to stay while he works through writer's block), also with notes

[digitalusmarket]

25 Easy and Free Knitting Patterns for Beginners

Are you ready to jump into knitting patterns but not sure where to begin? There are a vast variety of options for free and easy knitting patterns that will have you making all types of fun projects right away. Here is a complete list of 25 free knitting patterns for beginners that are best for gifting your started.

Easy Knitting Patterns for Learners and Beginners

To get started with knitting patterns, all you have to know are some basic stitches. Then add some more skills, such as increasing, decreasing, and working in the round, and you will have dozens of amazing knitting patterns to choose from! Well, there are enough knitting patterns for intermediate-advanced knitters or beginners. So you can easily knit to your heart’s content!

Read More: 25 Easy & Free Knit Dishcloth Patterns

The first thing a beginner should knit: Few of the simplest projects for first-time knitters include baby blankets, scarves, and dishcloths. All these patterns can be knitted up very quickly and require only one or two stitches.

Few things to look for the perfect project

Simple stitch pattern: Most of the patterns will tell you right in the introduction what stitches or skills you will have to know. When you get started, search for patterns like stockinette stitch, garter stitch, or rib stitch.

Increase, decrease, and easy shaping: When you are ready to start for something slightly more advanced as compared to a scarf, seek out projects that make use of skills of increasing, decreasing, and easy shaping. Hats and shawls are the best knitting projects for beginners that commonly use all techniques.

Yarn weight: Few yarn weights are simpler to knit than others. DK and worsted tend to be the easiest to handle. Once you get some projects under your belt, you can start testing with lighter and heavier weights.

Easy colorwork: Colorwork in knitting patterns is the technique of using various types of colors in your project. It might sound arduous, but it can be quite simple. Strips are the easiest type of colorwork for learners. A more complicated pattern will offer you a chart of color.

Clear instructions: Before getting started, read all the instructions. Make sure you have understood the techniques before jumping into your knitting project. This will save you from frustration as you knit. Most instructions for knitting patterns include videos and pictures so you can anticipate what you need to do.

The Best Yarn and Needles for Beginning Knitters

Yarn: worsted-weight yarn and DK are the simplest yarns for beginners. You can see your stitches with both yarns, and they won’t get tangled like other lighter-weight yarns. Each of the free patterns which are mentioned in this post includes suggested yarn weights. Be prepared to see worsted-weight and DK suggestions!

Needle: medium to large-sized knitting needles are perfect for beginners. They are simple to work with and also grip as you practice your stitches. The perfect size of the needle is 8-11 U.S.

As you knit unique projects, you will need to have a collection of double-pointed, straight, and circular needles. You can buy starter packs or a collection of needles to ensure that you have a wide variety of types and sizes of needles.

Read More: 20+ Best Gifts for Knitters in 2022

The List of 25 Knitting Patterns for Beginners to Start Knitting!

Tasseled garter stitch scarf

A scarf is the best knitting project, to begin with, for learners. The fun tassels on this stitch scarf are not tough to make, but it gives it a finished and fancy look. The second color in this pattern also adds to the fashionable look of this easy or simple project.

Baby booties

The simplest baby booties are a cute and perfect gift for a new baby. But these baby boots can be complex. On the bright side, this knitting pattern makes booties simple because it uses single-point needles and does not need any tricky shaping.

Baby sweater pattern

This pattern uses only one simple garter stitch, which utilizes a few simple shaping, one by increasing or decreasing. This is one of the great beginner sweaters, but if you are completely new to knitting, then you might want to save this knitting project until you have a scarf or two under your belt.

Seafaring scarf

With this chunky wool scarf, you will feel like you are cuddled up to the softest sheep. You can choose from almost five natural and dyed colors, in a range from this subtle and soft winter grass to rustic history nut. To make squishy ribs in this scarf, you will need to know the knitting process.

Confetti scarf

The fun colors that fill this Confetti scarf are made by knitting the project using seven unique strands of yarn. Don’t panic; it’s not as hard as it might look since the yarns tend to curl around and stick to each other as you knit. The knitting pattern even includes eight pictures of ideas for your color choices.

World’s simplest mittens

This pattern provides five different sizes of mittens. To make this, you will work in a round and knit from the cuff to the hand. After that, finish with the thumb. This is a basic knitting pattern, but it might not be acceptable for those who are brand new to knitting.

Garter stitch baby cardigan

This sweater is so sweet and cute! For this stitching pattern, you will have to make a few shaping knit button holes and then sew all the pieces together, as well as sew all the buttons on your sweater.

Garter yoke baby cardi

It’s a very simple tiny cardi with seamless raglan constructions and an I-cord button band. Also, it’s a very basic and easily adjustable knitting pattern. To knit this sweater from the top down, you have to use circular needles. If you make a small sweater, use thinner yarn and a smaller needle; if you make a bigger one, use thicker yarn and larger needles.

Flax pullover sweater

This knitting pattern is perfect for more experienced learners or beginners and includes toddlers through adults. Once you knit it correctly, the only problem you will face is that all your friends will be asking or requesting you to knit them too.

Diagonal comfort blanket

If you are searching for a cozy blanket that knits up very quickly, then this diagonal blanket is perfect for you. This pattern is made with medium-weight yarn and has a skill level of ease.

GAP-tastic cowl

This fun cowl project is best for new knitters who want to practice purling and knitting, and it’s also an amazing mindless knit for advanced knitters. With your favorite winter outfit, you can wear it and also give your friend a gift.

Cozy ribbed scarf

This is the perfect ribbed-stitch scarf that you won’t wish to take all winter long! It knits up very quickly and makes a beautiful gift to give your loved ones. For getting the perfect drape, use 100% baby alpaca yarn.

Delightful dishcloths

Making your dishcloths is the best way to make your kitchen feel more like home. These are the simple and most effective ways to create something reusable for your home. Also, this knitting pattern is free so that everyone can enjoy it. With this, you also don’t need to worry about gauge since the correct size is not essential.

Baby mitts

These tiny mittens are so adorable, fast, and best for using up extra bits of yarn. For these simple thumb less mittens, you will have to know how to work and how to increase.

Brick sweater

Brick is a simple and basic pullover as your daily sweater, and it has top-down raglan creation, which allows you to check the fit as you go. Also, this pattern is best suited to an advanced beginner.

Moonbow slouchy chunky knit cardigan

If you know the knitting, purling, and decreasing, you are able to make this chunky and cozy cardigan. When knitting the pieces, you will easily sew them together with a whip stitch.

Garter rib baby blanket

There is enough texture in this ribbed and squishy baby blanket, and it’s perfect for keeping the baby warm and snug.

The age of steam kerchief

This triangle-shaped shawl is made with stockinette stitch and definition with garter knit eyelet sections. You can create it as large or small as you want to create the perfect shawl drape for you.

Sockhead hat

This cozy hat has a ribbed brim that keeps you warm while you sport your hand-knit project. To make this hat, you must know the complete process of knitting, purling, and K2tog.

Chunky hat for beginners

This is another sung and comfortable hat for the winter seasons. You just need to knit in the round until you complete your hat, then make your pompom to keep it fun. This knitting pattern also has video tutorials walking you through the knitting procedure.

Lambing mitts

These fingerless mittens were specially created to keep the fingers of farmers warm as they catch newborn lambs at lambing time. But even if you don’t have sheep, then don’t think too much because everyone can find a time when these gloves are just what they need. Also, this pattern has complete instructions for small, medium, and large-size mittens.

Headband with a twist

If you don’t want to wear hats but keep your ears warm, this fashionable headband is best for you. It adjusts the finished length or width so that it fits your head just right.

Easy peasy socks

This is a worsted weight sock, which means they will be warm and work up quickly. Maybe it’s not the socks you need to wear every day, but you will be a less depressed sock knitter if you learn the basics of a project that you will complete quickly. You can make these socks if you can work in the round, decrease and take up stitches.

Read More: 25 Free Cardigan Knitting Patterns for Beginners

Easy knit boot cuffs

This pattern is best for learning how to knit with double-pointed needles. Alternatively, you can use the method of magic loop. With this easy handmade project, your legs will stay toasty warm.

On the bias throw pillow

Don’t miss out on this fancy or fashionable throw pillow project to fix up your living room. It is a simple way to add color choices to your home, and plus it’s perfect for beginners.

Final Verdict

When you are entirely new at knitting, you may be threatened at first, but after some rounds, you will find your stride. There are various types of beginner’s projects out there, and you get the chance to find the patterns and styles you really want. These 25 free and easy knitting patterns mentioned above will encourage you to use your acquired skills to do projects for your home.

Source:https://hariguide.com/free-knitting-patterns/

[tup-ika-5385]

Summary:

A Sequel to the fic "A Series of Hard Knocks," focusing on Tup and Dogma. Now six months after the trials of Umbara, Tup and Dogma are growing into themselves as well-established members of the 501st. Tup's been training more with Fives and Jesse, set on an ARC trooper promotion, and even Dogma has found a place in medical, where his intense focus and organization are both needed and appreciated. While helping Dogma study for his medic exams, discoveries are made, and help comes from unlikely sources as they unearth a foreboding plot.

Chapter 2 Summary:

Fives, Tup, and Dogma learn more about Tup's condition, and Hardcase makes a new friend.

Chapter 2: Just Sleep Deprivation

Racing down the empty Kaminoan hallway, Kix’s pounding footsteps echoed loudly on the duracrete floors.

He pushed himself faster as he remembered the barely hidden panic in Dogma’s comm.

“Kix, we need you in med-bay. I-It’s Tup.”

The few troopers he’d seen in the hallways knew better than to stop a medic on a tear towards medbay, and the front desk was unmanned when he got there, so it wasn’t long before he was entering the room in question. Opening the door, the first thing he spotted was Tup sitting on the exam table, hand in a plaster cast and tear tracks on his face. There were a few other weirdly-placed bandages visible under his off-duty reds, from what he could see, but the combination of covered injuries made no sense to his medic-trained mind.

“What happened?” He asked, moving closer to take a look at the casted arm. He didn’t know why they hadn’t just stuck it in a bone-knitter if a break was the issue.

Dogma answered first, and Kix was surprised to notice that Fives was present as well. “Tup was helping me study for my junior medic’s exam— he’s not injured, those were for practice. But I was doing the standard assessments, and Tup… he had some concerning results. I thought he was faking at first, for practice.” Dogma wrung his hands together anxiously even as he stood up straight to deliver his report. 

“Can I see?” Kix asked, and Dogma nodded, handing Kix the report before turning back towards Tup to give his hand a squeeze. Tup himself didn’t really respond, eyes worryingly unfocused, although he did lean on slightly to his brother’s touch.

Reading through the results, Kix was quick to agree that something was going on. Troopers didn’t just get… vision deficits and coordination issues without an explanation, and as he shone a penlight in Tup’s eyes to rule out a concussion, his worry increased. 

“Kix…?” Tup asked, wincing at the light, starting to come back to himself a little bit.

“I’m here, vod’ika. Just double-checking some things. How often have you been spacing out like that?” He asked, keeping his tone gentle. If not for these results, he would’ve chalked it up to the late hour, but now that he was looking for it, there were some small differences to Tup’s reaction times, even as he turned towards Kix to form a response.

“I dunno, maybe a couple times over the past few days. Haven’t noticed it myself that much, but I think it happened more when I was stressed.”

Kix nodded in understanding. He’d always worried about Tup’s headaches masking something more serious, given that most troopers didn’t even have headaches, and without Dogma’s exams, it would’ve been easy to miss this… whatever it was, especially because they were supposed to be redeployed in two days, right after Dogma finished his test. But he trusted Dogma’s assessment; something was definitely wrong here, and it worried him.

“Alright, Tup. After looking at the results, I agree with Dogma that something is probably going on, but we won’t know for sure until we take some scans. The Kaminoans like to do stress tests in these situations, but I’ve never been a fan of them personally, so we’ll be doing a more intense brain scan instead. There is a small risk of swelling and worsening of symptoms, but in most cases, it’s relatively minor.” 

Tup swallowed, looking nervous, but after an encouraging nod from Fives, he leaned into Dogma’s silent support and responded. “Okay… let’s do the scan.”

Kix gave him a comforting smile before moving to the control pad on the side of the room to set up the scanner. Inputting his authorization code, he frowned at the panel. “That’s odd. It’s saying that Level 5 atomic brain scans require authorization from either a Kaminoan or a natborn instructor. It’s been a while since I’ve used this type of scanner, I admit, but I don’t remember that being a requirement.”

Kix muttered a curse at the useless machine and Dogma shared a worried look with Tup. Given Dogma’s uncertain status after Krell’s death, they were both uncomfortably familiar with the consequences if the Kaminoans got word of Tup’s unexplained symptoms. 

Thankfully, the anxious silence didn’t last long as Fives stepped in, looking to Kix for permission before getting out a datapad and plugging into the system controls. He wasn’t a natural at programming it like Echo had been, but his hard-won computer skills came in handy more often than he’d like to admit, and it wasn’t long before he bypassed the login, stepping away to give Kix room to work. “All yours, vod.”

Kix smirked, glad that Fives’ ARC training was being used for good, rather than to escape medbay or turn off the bed-alarms like he’d done on one particularly memorable occasion. “And here I thought you ARC troopers were only good for your looks.” 

“What can I say? We’re the full package, vod.” Fives snarked back, moving out of the way for Kix to continue, now that he had access to the scanner. 

After another few seconds, Kix nodded. “Looks like we’re good to go. Are you ready, Tup?”

“Dogma should do it. It’s his practice case.” Tup mumbled, nodding as he laid down on the exam table, giving Dogma a faint smile. 

Kix gave Dogma a questioning look. “You feeling up for it, Dogma?”

Pushing down nervousness and dread, Dogma stepped forward to man the controls. “Yes sir… Fives, could you…?” Almost without needing to be asked, Fives took Dogma’s place keeping Tup company, only letting go of his hand when the scanner started to lower. 

The low vibrating of the scanner whirred unpleasantly as Dogma continued, slow and steady. Kix stood by to assist, just in case, but it wasn’t necessary. He grimaced as he heard a low groan from Tup, but before too long it was done, and the scanner was being removed so they could surround Tup once again. 

Once the scanner had been moved, Tup sat up unsteadily with a grimace. “Well, that didn’t exactly tickle. How long ‘till we see the results?”

“Not long,” Kix responded, waiting for the scans to upload, and finally they did, transmitting to Fives’ datapad so Tup could see them. Now, Tup had never seen a brainscan before, and neither had Fives, but the red circle on the scan didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

“What the kriff is that?!” Fives asked.

“I don’t know, why are you asking me?!” Tup cried, still a little shaken from the scan.

Looking between the screen and Kix, Dogma asked in a low tone, “Is that a tumor?” His stomach filled with dread and his heart dropped into his boots, but he knew what the answer would be.

Kix bit his lip, sending Tup a concerned look. “Whatever it is, it’s pressing up against Tup’s frontal lobe. The swelling is probably what’s been causing all your symptoms, Tup.” He didn’t want to cause a panic, but internally he agreed that it didn’t look good. 

“W-What should we do?” Tup asked, looking to his brothers as his anchor. Fives was quick to put a steadying hand on his shoulder, and Dogma didn’t protest when an outstretched hand pulled him closer. 

Kix opened his mouth to respond when all of a sudden, they heard the rattle of supply crates outside the room and a distinct increase in the amount of traffic in medbay. Glancing at his chrono with a curse, he realized it was nearly 0600, and that their unoccupied corner of medbay wasn’t going to stay that way for long.

“We should get out of here before someone comes looking.”

“B-But what about Tup?!” Fives cried in dismay. Dogma gritted his teeth, clenching his unoccupied fist as tightly as he could, but morbidly, he understood Kix’s reasoning.

“I don’t like it, but the thing in his head isn’t going anywhere, but if the Kaminoans get their hands on him… it won’t be good. We’re not going to leave it in there, but we need to strategize, come up with a plan.” Kix sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Looking up at his worried brothers, Tup gave them a half-smile, mustering up his usual charm to reassure them, despite the sharp pain in his head and the weird disconnect he’d felt since the scan. “I’ll be alright, Fives. Like Kix said, it’s been there for a while; what’s one more day?”

And as they snuck out of the medbay, making sure to wipe the main computer first, Tup pushed himself forward even as he started leaning more heavily on his brothers than he had been before. Probably just sleep deprivation.

________________________

Letting out a jaw-cracking yawn, Hardcase rubbed bleary eyes as he made his way towards his morning rehab session. It would be one of his last ones, at least with Patch, since the rehab medic was finally returning to the 104th after a six-month posting with the 501st after Umbara. 

He’d left Dogma and Kix with enough instruction to continue helping the other troopers with their exercises, and he said he’d always be open for a comm if they ever needed help. But Hardcase was finally starting to get used to riding the waves of his chronic pain, between keeping up with his stretches, meds, and recognizing when his Z-6 just wasn’t in the cards for the day. Even the worst of his hypertrophic scarring was doing a little better since they arrived on Kamino, where they’d managed to pester the Kaminoans into allowing laser surgery that would usually be considered cosmetic and unnecessary. 

Walking down the hallways, Hardcase focused his thoughts on the therapy session ahead. Patch had informed him that the group today would be pretty small, given that the rest of the 501st was halfway to Ringo Vinda, but there’d be another trooper there with pretty similar experiences to Hardcase, with an added dose of traumatic brain injury. 

Maybe they’d have some thoughts on weapon modifications; Hardcase himself had gotten pretty creative recently when it came to modifying his heavy gun, figuring out which components were necessary safety features, and which ones were more kilos than they were worth. The thought brought a grin to his face as he entered the room, surprised to find it mostly empty, save one. Patch must be running late.

Hardcase did a double-take when he glanced at the other trooper in the room, if he could even call them that. Even sitting down, the other trooper easily dwarfed the standard issue chair he’d taken residence in, and Hardcase paused for a beat as he saw the other’s facial scar. It was definitely smaller than his own, but he was surprised to see that their hypertrophic scarring was almost worse than his own. Usually, with access to bacta, most scars wouldn’t look that bad, even in the rehab stage, and while his own difficulties were explained by Krell, the traitorous shabuir who’d denied him basic medical care, timely medical intervention usually helped with the worst of it. 

He noticed the other trooper shrink into themselves a little bit and Hardcase sheepishly realized that he’d been staring. Not wanting to prolong the awkwardness, he approached the other trooper, sticking a hand out. 

“The name’s Hardcase! I’m a heavy gunner from the 501st. What’s your name, vod?” Even with the obvious physical differences, he’d recognize a brother anywhere.

“Uh, my name’s Wrecker– I-I’m from Clone Force 99.” Wrecker responded with a lopsided grin. He pushed down some frustration as his voice stuttered, like it had since his injury. Tech told him that it’d get better over time, and it already had, but he hated how it made him stick out even more than usual, and some of the less-considerate regs had taken to teasing him for it. 

Thankfully, this reg didn’t seem to be one of them, and as he turned around to pull up a chair, Wrecker caught a glimpse of a rather large scar on the back of Hardcase’s head and continuing under his blacks.

“Hey, we match!” He exclaimed before he could stop himself. ‘Pointing out other people’s scars is rude,’ Hunter’s voice repeated in his mind, and he grimaced. That was another thing he’d noticed since his injury. He hadn’t had much of a filter before the accident, but it seemed like every other conversation, he’d stumble across another line, earning his brothers’ ire, or worse, the Kaminoans.

Thankfully, this reg– Hardcase laughed with an easy smile before sitting down. “We do! Practically twins, if I do say so myself.” He said, flexing a predictably reg-sized bicep, earning a returning laugh from Wrecker. Unfortunately, this sparked a few more laughs than he’d been expecting, and the reg’s smile turned a little strained and confused by the time that Wrecker finally stopped, panting a little bit.

“S-Sorry. ‘S from my head injury. Once I start laughing, it’s hard to stop.” He explained, and the reg made a noise of understanding before nodding. “Makes sense; I think there’s a Commando in the 212th who’s got the same thing.”

“Really?! I-I’m a Commando too!” Wrecker grinned, realizing belatedly that he’d stated the obvious, given his nonstandard armor, but too excited to care. 

“Yeah; his name’s Gregor. Only met him a few times, but he seems like a solid vod, if a little chatty. Not that I can really complain though.” He grinned self-deprecatingly. “Kix, my batcher, always says that my mouth moves faster than my common sense, but that’s usually just because he hasn’t had his morning kaff yet.”

“Sounds like my Sarg, H-Hunter.” Wrecker offered.

“Heh, well Kix is a medic, which is twice as bad! My trainers always said there was a leak in my growth tube or something, which made me hyperactive, I guess, but I say it’s just my natural charm. Not my fault he can’t handle all this before 0900.” He smirked, leaning back in his chair, earning a returned smile from Wrecker, who was finally starting to relax in the other’s presence.

“Tech says I’ve got bad impulse control.” Wrecker said, earning an encouraging look from Hardcase.

“Yeah? We've probably got that in common, then.”

“Yeah. He says it’s part of m-my head injury, but he suspects it’s always been there, with my enhancements an’ all.” 

“Enhancements?” Hardcase asked, looking intrigued.

“Yeah! I’ve got extra strength, compared to most troopers. I-I can lift a gunship if I try.” He grinned proudly. 

“I’m a little jealous, vod.” Hardcase returned the grin. “I’ve been working on it in rehab, but on bad days, I can barely lift my Z-6.” He was only in his lower armor for rehab, so he didn’t hesitate to shrug off his shirt to show Wrecker his scar. 

Wrecker gave a noise of admiration as he saw the extent of his scarring, as well as the detailed tattoo-work of a Krayt dragon covering most of it. “I got this blowing up a Seppie supply ship! Still gives me trouble most days, but Patch, the rehab medic, he’s got all these ideas to help manage it, which is great. Speaking of which, where is he?”

Wrecker looked towards the door with a shrug just as Patch ran in, panting slightly. “Sorry I’m late, vode! Kix said he’d wake me, but I guess he forgo– Hardcase, where is your shirt?!” 

Patch asked, looking briefly scandalized, prompting an uncontrollable fit of laughter from both troopers. And as Wrecker wiped tears out of his eyes, he decided that maybe some regs weren't so bad.

[obsesivcreativ]

Sample Curlew Square (needs blocking) in preparation for a 'Knit a Shetland Hat' at @thesillnorthumberland on 25 February, which I'll be supporting. I've tested it in double knitting just to familiarise myself with the design to support knitters on the day. We'll be using beautiful Shetland wool in lovely shades and raise the awareness of curlews in Northumberland. To book for the session look at The Sill's website. ... #knittersofinstagram #knitting #knittedhat #shetlandhat #traditionalcrafts #traditionaltechniques #curlews #curlew #whaaps #intarsia #keepingmeoutoftrouble #northumberland #slowcrafting #slowfashion #knittingaddict #knitstagram #thesill #hat #shetlandwool #handmade #textiles #textileart #textileartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CoSWbu4I27A/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=