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The ultimate bullet journal wishlist

Yeah, that’s right, I fell prey to the stationary gods. Again. (To literally no one’s surprise.) I started a bullet journal in January, and I HAVEN’T LOST IT OR RUINED IT YET. While I don’t use mine for daily tracking, I do use it for long term project planning, and so far, so good.
I’m a list person. I love lists. When I was a kid I’d make packing lists for one night sleepovers, okay? I make lists for my lists. I schedule in my planning sessions: Monday mornings in my schedule says: “Coffee and contemplation: bullet journal check in.” I get my coffee, my breakfast, and my fancy pens, and I have at it.
But.
There’s never enough stationary. I can’t resist a sparkly notebook, fun stickers, or really nice pens. I’m like some kind of papercrafting magpie. And so, I’m here to enable you all to be just as ridiculous as I am and swoon over notebooks and stuff. You’re welcome. (Note: this post contains affiliate links, that just means if you click on the link in the post to buy that thing, I get like .05%. It helps me pay for the cost of keeping up this website!)

Bullet journals

Personally, I have a boring black one that I covered with nerdy stickers. However, after building this wishlist I can honestly say I want to fill mine up sooner so I can get my hands on one of these amazing beauties. I personally recommend bullet journals with dot grids in them, but some people prefer simple lined or line grids. To each their own, but I think these work best!

Cactus bullet journalCactus bullet journal, via Amazon

Unicorn bullet journalUnicorn grid journal via Amazon

Archery arrow bullet journalArchery/arrow dot grid journal via Amazon

Narwhal geeky bullet journalNarwhal bullet journal via Amazon

Galaxy themed bullet journalGalaxy print bullet journal via Amazon

Succulent cacti bullet journal coverSucculent dot grid journal via Amazon

 

Stickers for bullet journals

Who doesn’t love stickers, right? I’m a big fan of stickers: someday I want professional sticker printing equipment, for EVEN MORE STICKERS.

Bullet journal planner stickersPlanner stickers via Amazon

Fancy post it notes for bullet journalsFancy post it notes via Amazon

Rainbow stickers for bullet journalsRainbow star stickers via Amazon

Emoji bullet journal stickersEmoji stickers via Amazon

 
 

Succulent stickersSucculent stickers via Etsy

Really nice pens

Nice journals are no point without nice pens. I highly recommend getting a huge pack of pretty pens to play with!

Bullet journal pensFineliner pens via Amazon

Gel pens for bullet journalsRainbow gel pens via Amazon

 
 

Washi Tape

This kind of tape is a must have for bullet journals: it won’t damage the paper in your journal, and it can add some cute accents without much hassle.

Days of the week washi tape for bullet journalsDays of the week washi tape via Etsy

Rainbow washi tape for bullet journalsRainbow washi tape via Amazon

Glitter washi tapeGlitter washi tape via Amazon

Patterned washi tapePatterned washi tape via Amazon

Metallic skinny washi tapeSkinny metallic washi tape via Amazon

 

Bullet journal accessories and stencils

Not all of us were gifted with the magic of artistic talent, and for us, there are stencils. Thank the stationary god for that, right?

Bullet journal stencilBullet journal stencil via Amazon

Bullet journal banner stencilsBanner stencils via Amazon

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The ultimate bullet journal wishlist and guide for beginners

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Learning to sew for practical reasons

Turn jeans into cute shorts

The other day I read this article from Little Lamb Studios about finding a home in your body. I’ve been thinking about the craft/DIY community lately, and how a huge part of it is making things that no one wants to sell you anyway.
I’ve spent almost my whole life in a struggle with my weight and appearance, but I know that’s not a unique experience. Most women (and some men) experience body dysphoria at some point in their lives, or throughout their whole lives. While most people would now label me as average(ish), I was much heavier at various points in my life. Finding clothes was a nightmare (still is, but for different reasons), and learning to knit was a big step forward in making things that fit me properly, that didn’t cost an arm and a leg, and that didn’t look like mass-produced circus tents. I didn’t sew then, not really, but I did knit.


I moved to another country (four times), I changed my habits, I lost weight, my shape changed. (Note: I did not go on some crash diet with the intention of losing weight, I made slow, sustainable changes like eating healthier, drinking more water, and being active. Weight loss shouldn’t be the end goal, health should be. Don’t bounce into the comments here telling me about obesity as an epidemic etc etc because I assure you I’ve heard it all before and I am 500% not interested.) I still have trouble finding clothes, and a lot of that is rooted in practicality and identity.
I’ve never been comfortable in short shorts, and you know why?

CHUB. RUB.

I could go on some crash diet and lose 60 pounds, and I still wouldn’t have a thigh gap. It’s not how I’m built: I’m from the stock of farmers and pioneers, and I have LEGS. Those legs get hella angry when you subject them to high temperatures and friction. Ouch.
Whyyyy is finding knee length shorts SO IMPOSSIBLE? Yes, I’ve bought from the men’s section before, but men do not have hips. I have hips, wide ones, and by the time I find men’s shorts big enough for my hips, I could easily smuggle kilos of yarn in the legs of the shorts with all that extra room. It looks odd and unbalanced. It seems like women’s shorts are almost always waayyyy shorter than the men’s, and I’m just like,

CAN WE PLEASE GET VARIABLE INSEAM LENGTHS ON SHORTS PLEASE?

If you like short shorts, that’s awesome, truly. You do you! But I don’t want to spend my summer nursing heat rash thighs and walking like John Wayne.
And yes, I tried ordering online. I got sent IKEA short-overalls, with sewn closed buttonholes and nothing was attached. Tres bizarre, I know.

And then: a Pinterest idea, a sewing machine, a friend, and some old jeans.

I’m no stranger to turning jeans into shorts, but it usually involves sloppy hacking with old scissors out of heated desperation right around now, the third week in June. I wanted something else, something that wouldn’t fray or look like garbage.
I found this tutorial on Pinterest, and I had a EUREKA moment. That eureka moment was to ask Jess from my stitch & bitch group to help me, because I am a helpless baby bird who needs constant hand holding when it comes to sewing.
Jess brought her impressively huge Mama-Jama fancypants sewing machine, since mine is garbage and won’t hold tension, and sure af will not sew through denim.

ET VOILA!!

Turn jeans into cute shorts
With Jess’ help and guidance, I did an actual thing, and I didn’t mess it up! It’s like MAGIC. These shorts fit well (having been recommissioned from an old pair of jeans with fraying hems at the bottom), it let me use some of my animal print fabric that I got from Liberty last year, and it’s simple enough that I can probably attempt it again on my own with less hand holding and guidance.
I know it’s not A BIG DEAL, especially to experienced sewers, but it is to me! Seeing as I’m headed to Madrid next month, you can bet I’ll be hacking apart many pairs of jeans to be made into funky new shorts. Aw, yes.
 

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The GamerCrafting yarn origin story

GamerCrafting yarns origin story

This week’s #YarnLoveChallenge theme is beginnings or tutorials. Y’all know where you can find my patterns (Ravelry, LoveKnitting), so I thought I’d talk about why it is that I do. For this exercise, I’ll be interviewing myself for the GamerCrafting yarns origin story. You’re welcome.
Me: Angie, when did you know that you wanted to dye yarn? 
Also me: Well, me, I was putting together a tutorial on DIY yarn dye for LoveKnitting. I was using fun stuff like Kool-Aid and food coloring to dye yarn to show people how easy it was to have a little bit of fun with it on a rainy afternoon. And then I got bitten by the dye bug, invested in proper equipment and dyes, and started up an Etsy shop. It’s still growing, but I’m always THRILLED when someone uses my yarn or I see it in the wild on social media!
Me: And why geeky themes? 
Also me: Why NOT geeky themes? Many people use awesome things in their world as inspiration, like landscapes, literature, or butterflies. To me, video games are their own art form, so I figured there would be plenty of inspiration on offer.
I could probably squawk about how important video games are becoming as a media medium but I don’t want to bore all of our lovely readers to tears. To put it short, the advent of Steam as a platform as allowed smaller independent developers to create a hugely wide variety of games that target a much more diverse audience than continual Call of Duty releases.
Me: Call of Duty: ZOMBIES! 
Also me: Ha! Exactly! You’re so funny, me!
GamerCrafting yarns origin story
Me: So what’s next for GamerCrafting? 
Also me: Well, aside from THE BOOK, which will hopefully be released sometime in the autumn (late September/mid October), I spent yesterday planning out all of my spring and summer yarn dyes and releases to coincide with some AWESOME stuff happening this summer in geekworld. Let’s just say some of these yarns will be BLOCKBUSTERS (as much as a yarn can be).
If THE BOOK isn’t a huge disaster that makes me hide in a cave for 30 years, then maybe another book in the future? More yarns, new yarn bases, more vegan options, new dye techniques, and please for the love of god a bigger space so I can dry more yarn at one time.
Me: Exciting! Terrifying? 
Also me: Yeah, yup. Both of those. For sure.
Anyway, READERS, I’m now on TUMBLR. If that’s your thing come join me for wanderlust, knitting, yarnporn, and endless fangirling. Current obsession: Witcher 3 (yes I know it came out 2 years ago).

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When crafting doesn't feel like therapy

Stealing from a small business

We’ve all been there before: a difficult project gets frustrating, life gets in the way, or brain bats move in and set up shop. Whatever the reason, it can feel crushing when your go-to self care no longer helps.
As some of you know, I’m planning a book for later this year. I’m self-publishing, so deadlines are self-imposed, but with life taking some turns at high speeds, I’m already falling behind. I suffered a mysterious wrist injury which limits my knitting and crochet time, which in turn means I’m not where I wanted to be.
It turns into a cycle:I feel guilty that I’m not completing projects fast enough –> I want to avoid working on the projects to try and avoid the guilt –> the projects take longer to complete as a result.
Logically I know that this cycle is unsustainable, but emotionally I’ve got my fingers in my ears, yelling, “LA LA LA, I CAN’T HEEEAAAAR YOOOOUUU!”
Crafting as therapy
I know not every crafter has a book planned, or dye yarns to sell, or shows to prepare for, or a million other things to think about, but we all have these feelings sometimes. Sometimes it’s a frustrating pattern, sometimes it’s the unending exhaustion that comes with a busy family, and sometimes it’s depression or anxiety. Sometimes it’s all of those things at once!

How to fix it

This week I’m moderating over on the @CraftAsTherapy feed, with the theme of kindness. I don’t just mean kindness to others, I mean to yourselves too! After all, we’ll run out of steam if we are kind to others but never spend time to recharge and be kind to yourself. If crafting isn’t feeling therapeutic, do something else, even if you have a deadline. Take a night off, allow yourself to watch the new season of Grace and Frankie or play video games and eat junk food.
I know it’s hard – I find it incredibly difficult to not be working on something. If I’m sitting, I’m knitting – or crocheting – or planning projects – or packing up orders, or ordering new undyed stock, or researching new ideas and plans, or a million other things. I know I’m not unique there – so many of us are the same. I challenge you this week to take at least one hour just for yourself. Do something that makes you happy, whether it’s the aforementioned hedonism, planting new seedlings, reading a book, or laying in the dark listening to a symphony. Just 60 minutes: that’s not even 1% of your week. Don’t you deserve some time for recharging (yes you do)?
Crafting as therapy
If you want to know what I’ll be doing to recharge and give myself some self-care therapy this week, I’ll be digging into a new book and sitting on a park bench with a big bag of jellybeans. After all, self-care definitely allows for junk food multi-tasking. emoji unicode: 1f609
If you want to hang out with me on Instagram this week, head on over to the @Craftastherapy account and post your pics with #craftastherapy_kindness, and they might just get featured!
Follow GamerCrafting on Facebook for undyed yarn news (and sometimes discounts!), patterns, geeky fanflailing and fun.
Looking for the Etsy shop? It’s here (and also a link at the top of this page ^ ).
 

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Why are my favorite Etsy sellers raising their prices?

Etsy sellers raising prices? Here's why.

Small business enthusiasts and indie maker supporters have noticed that some of their favorite Etsy sellers are raising their prices. Here’s why.
Here in the United Kingdom, things have changed since June 2016. Once the Brexit vote happened, the value of the pound has been fluctuating up to and around about 20%. For small businesses and indie makers, this can make a huge difference.

Here’s the thing: indie makers aren’t “greedy.”

I’ve seen some arguments flying around the internet that we’re using the Brexit vote as an excuse to fleece our customers and make a bigger profit. That’s not correct. Let’s do some (very simple) math to look at what’s happening.
Let’s say that an indie maker gets their raw material for their product for £10, imported from somewhere else. Let’s also admit that most things have to be imported, because they aren’t produced here or there isn’t enough produced here to fill an entire indie market (for the record, this is also true for yarn. There’s not enough “British wool” to support every knitter and crocheter who lives here).
This indie maker retails their product for £20. Included in this cost is the raw material, their time, skill, expertise, and any sales, discounts, or shipping costs (like packaging, trips to the post office, and so on).
Suddenly, their raw material is 20% more expensive, and thus costs £12 instead of £10.
Suddenly, their postal costs go up incrementally, let’s say by £1 per sale.
The indie maker was already not making much, and now are probably not even making ends meet. If they don’t raise prices to reflect the market, then they will go out of business and stop making the thing you love. There will be no more things to love, because they can’t afford to make them.

Actual depiction of how much indie makers make on a sale

 

We’re doing this because we love it, not because we’re making bank.

I don’t know anyone in the indie maker industry who is sleeping on a pile of money at night, if you catch my drift. We create because we feel called to it, we love the entire process of being an indie maker, from the creation to meeting the people who love our creations enough to buy them. We get a surge of glee every time someone tags us on social media to say they love the thing we made. It’s why we work incredibly hard to make it happen!
If you haven’t figured it out yet, prices in my Etsy shop have changed slightly. They haven’t even increased the full amount of my back end cost increases yet, but they will eventually have to rise to meet that or continuing to dye yarn and make things won’t be a viable career choice anymore.
Shipping costs have changed slightly: for UK customers it’s 10p more as the courier service raised their prices. For international customers, additional items will incur additional charges as I was actually losing money on some sales due to shipping costs. I never charge more than it costs to ship things, in fact I’ve charged far less in the past.
ANYWAY. A blog overhaul is in the cards in the near future to freshen things up around here and move to a new platform that allows for more flexibility. Follow GamerCrafting on Facebook for patterns, yarn discounts, and FUN!
Looking for the Etsy shop? It’s here. (And there’s new DISNEY VILLAIN themed shades available!)

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Edinburgh Yarn Fest: my haul and my journey

Edinburgh yarn festival

Guys. Guys! I got back from Edinburgh Yarn Fest yesterday morning, and let me tell you: it was totally worth 10.5 hour bus journeys each way and the ensuing leg cramps.
I arrived on Friday morning, delirious from lack of sleep on the bus. I dropped my stuff at the Air B&B, washed my face, and off I trundled to the fest.
I had a weekend wristband, so it felt…weird…to be passing up the massive line of people waiting for day tickets. Call me aggressively polite if you must, but I still apologized to everyone I made eye contact with!
Day one I vowed not to make any purchases, so as to really think about what I wanted. I know that some go to EYF to do a major stash attack, but my stash has already been attacked recently at Unravel, and I need to focus on THE BOOK.
I found the Crochet Project stall with Kat Goldin, and bought the Shawl Project 3 book. (Get it here!) I loved the first two books: after I learned the basic crochet stitches, they taught me loads about structure and how each stitch actually works. It’s a good thing I bought it on day 1: they sold out!


I also found this natural dyed beauty from  Phileas Yarns and I fell in love. I almost never use orange yarn (with the exception of the Pumpkin Juice cowl, free pattern) because it looks awful on me. Still, I couldn’t resist these vibrant colours and the fact that some wizard managed to get colors this bright with natural dyes. Sorcery.


I went to the Friday evening party: a traditional ceilidh with a rocking Scottish band and enough food to feed a hungry water buffalo (ie me).

Day 2

Day two resulted in a couple more purchases, both were things I’d spied the day before. I found this needle gauge from The Knitting Gift Shop, and I absolutely couldn’t resist. “We had sheep yesterday but we sold out,” the vendor said. “I LOVE OWLS,” I screeched like a socially inept forest dweller who only interacts with birds of prey.


I also got this gorgeous bag from Kettle Yarn Co: I spent ages waffling about which bag I wanted (all of them) before settling on this cutey. It appeals to my inner hippie-punk. I’d live in an abandoned remote cottage if I could still do my (internet based) job: can you get high speed internet when you’re 40 miles from the nearest store? I’d probably be safe in the event of a zombie apocalypse, anyway.


On a more serious note, I met some seriously amazing people at EYF this year. In a chaotic world, it’s a special kind of respite to spend a weekend with people who are kind, creative, and collectively The Best. To those of you I met this weekend: we will meet again, because you can’t get rid of me that easily.
EYF is a celebration of community and craft, and I’m already counting down the days to next year.

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The very big, OMG, what have I done announcement

You know when you have a cute little idea that spirals out of control into a huge project and you’re like, “Oh my god, what have I done?”
Yes. That.
While writing this, I am 85% terrified and 15% excited. I suspect that ratio will continue in that trend until I have most of this project pinned down.

Angie, what are you talking about?

Aha! Well, if you’d listened to the Cottage Notebook podcast a couple weeks ago, you’d know! If you didn’t, you should, because Nadia is a delightful host, I ramble incessantly about tons of stuff, and I made THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT.
If you still want to go and listen to it, click here. It’s cool. I’ll wait.

I'll just wait here: new book announcement from GamerCrafting

All done? Cool, then you now know that I’m RELEASING A BOOK THIS YEAR.
Yup, you read that right. A book of geeky, nerdy knitting patterns with sizes to fit most human shaped mammals. When I say most, I mean most: I plan to have garment sizes up to US 28.

Tell me more!

The book will have between 12 and 15 patterns, and hopefully be released in autumn, just in time for you to stock up your stash and get started. There will be three large projects (ie garments) and the rest will be super cool geeky accessories, homeware, and things all geeks need, like dice bags. (Have you seen the Cthulhu dice bag pattern? IT’S FREE.)

Free Cthulhu dice bag crochet pattern at Gamercrafting.com

Will any of the patterns feature GamerCrafting yarns?

If I decide to have any of the patterns feature my hand dyed yarns, it will only be one or two, and be a pattern that you can sub yarn if you want. Though I’d rather you buy my awesome hand dyed geeky yarns, I understand that if all my wildest dreams come true and the book is a WILD AND RUNAWAY SUCCESS, I might not be able to keep up with yarn demand. Unless a mysterious benefactor wants to pony up the cash for me to get a studio space.
(Side note: Dear mysterious benefactor(s),
I would love a studio space to dye yarn so I can dye more at once and also so my kitchen can return to its normal shade of “not covered in dye.” I thank you in advance.
Gratefully yours,
Angie. )

Geeky knitting pattern book to be announced autumn 2017"

Where will I be able to get the book?

The book will be released as an ebook on Amazon, but I hope to get physical copies to sell from the Etsy shop and at any/all shows I happen to do after the book gets released. You might want a hard copy: the book will be set up as a super cute picture book style LGBT friendly “story.” The patterns will be in the second half of the book. I’m self publishing so this is all on me: designing, formatting, photography, test knitting, more formatting, getting an ISBN, the whole shebang. That all costs cold hard cash up front, so I hope no one goes “OMG WHY DO I HAVE TO *PAY* FOR THIS BOOK I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE SO GREEDY, ANGIE.” I’ll be eating Ramen noodles for the first half of 2017 to get this book published, so slow your roll.
Le voila. The BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. I’m going to go frantically knit (while wincing because my wrist is still acting up), plan patterns, and try to get this thing on the road to completion. Now that I’ve written this, the ratio is now 84% terrified, 16% excited. Follow this blog on Bloglovin so you don’t miss any book updates as I start to release sneak peeks and talk about the process of working on a book without a publisher, all by myself.

All by myself gif: new book announcement from GamerCrafting

Also, there was a big huge Etsy shop update with looaaadddss of new cotton yarn shades! Also again, like GamerCrafting on Facebook because I occasionally post exclusive discount codes or giveaways on there.

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Crafting while injured

Knitting with an injury: read more on GamerCrafting.com

I’m wincing as I type this: in a bid to remind my of my inescapable, fleshy mortality, my left wrist has betrayed me.
I’m a victim of bad joints. When I was pretending to be athletic as a middle schooler on the basketball team (playing the illustrious position of “bench warmer”), I wrenched my knee and had to wear a brace for three months. I epically sprained my ankle playing freeze dance with a four-year-old and couldn’t walk for two weeks. I regularly have weird pains in my hips, shoulders, and knees.
I am no athlete, my friends. I’ll probably be one of those people who needs a knee replacement at age 35.
So last weekend when my left wrist twinged out of nowhere, I wasn’t shocked. It was business as usual: the business of having an uncooperative body and weak joints. I was surprised, however, when I woke up the next morning in considerable pain with a very stiff wrist. I had plans for last weekend: to finish a new design I’m working on, to dye more cotton yarns for next week’s massive shop update, and to swatch some new ideas.
Me being me, I decided to “push through the pain” and try to get some dyeing done anyway. (Don’t be like me, friends, I’m not very smart and make bad decisions.) Would you believe that it hurt worse after trying to lift several kilos of wet yarn with my bum wrist? You would? Oh, okay.
My wife, seeing that I was being a stubborn beast, practically had to bury me in the couch to get me to stop trying to work on things.
“Oh,” I thought, “crochet will be okay, I won’t use my wrist much with that.”

I’m apparently the queen of bad decisions.
Suffice it to say, it hurt. A lot.
And do you know what, it didn’t matter what hooks, needles, or aids I used: nothing helped. Everything hurt. The pain from the tendons in my wrist traveled up my arm to my elbow. I couldn’t sleep, either: I kept rolling over onto my wrist and waking up angry.
I felt really bereft without craft last weekend: a true emptiness in my heart. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true: I struggle to stay still and craft is how I deal with that and quiet myself. I spent all Saturday and Sunday in an epic funk, unable to do anything except sit on the couch and passively absorb television. I couldn’t even play video games, and books were too heavy (and I lost my kindle charger 6 months ago).
It made me think: what am I going to do if this is a chronic condition, like arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome? How am I going to cope with having to ration knitting and crochet to avoid pain and further injury? The more I thought about it, the more depressed I got.

Knitting with an injury: read more on GamerCrafting.com
As of today, almost a week after it happened, my wrist is still not back to normal. I can only knit or crochet for about 20 minutes before pain sets in, and I’ve needed to rely on my wife for help with dyeing this week. I still don’t know what set it off, and if it doesn’t improve by early next week I’ll have to seek professional opinions.
So, crafters: does anyone have any experience with this kind of injury or condition that can give me some tips? Thank you in advance <3
Follow GamerCrafting on Facebook to keep up with new hand dyed yarns in the Etsy store, free patterns, and geeky inspiration.
(Want to know the big secret project I’m working on? I announced the big news in last week’s Cottage Notebook podcast!)

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No, I'm not knitting anything for Christmas: weekend exploits

“Angie, what are you knitting for Christmas gifts this year?”

Yep, that’s right, nothing.

Last year I knitted ALL THE THINGS. Almost everyone in my immediate friend and family circle got someone I made. I sent squishy packages all over the world to my international loved ones.

You know what? It was a ton of work. I got stressed out by shipping deadlines, I was literally knitting and crocheting until my hands were raw, and some people (who shall remain nameless) didn’t even really appreciate it. One person said, “Oh…a hat. Thanks.” (For the record that was a 100% alpaca CABLED HAT THANK YOU VERY MUCH.)

This year, I’m working on projects that make me happy. It’s been a hell of a year, I rarely make “selfish” projects, and I want to practice some self care in the way of sparkly yarn and pom poms.

I wandered through Pinterest last week and made a few different snowflakes and stars. I adapted some patterns but didn’t write them down (sorry!). I used a reject skein of my new Arendelle sequined yarn: it was rejected because I really, really wanted to keep a skein.

I’ve been baking up a storm in the kitchen, preparing Christmas cookies for my friends, family, and lucky coworkers and neighbors. What do you mean, dinosaurs aren’t traditional?

I made an awesome wreath out of pom poms and a floral wreath form. I used this form from Amazon, it’s a 20 inch form: I would accept no lesser wreath. There was yarn carnage (yarnage?) on the floor afterwards, but I think it turned out pretty good. My completely objective, totally unbiased opinion is that we have the BEST wreath in the whole building. That’s a fact that I just made up.

This week I will be going up to the Laughing Hens office in Cheshire for an office party, lunching with the fabulous Anna Nikipirowicz and lovely Merion, and Friday heading out with a dear friend to pick up some fancy tea for folks back in the States. This weekend will be comprised of gift wrapping, more cookies (of course), working on my Naughty Socks, and planning out designs for the new year.

Come at me, Christmas.

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The dangers of knitting angry: a tale of stupidity

Knitting while angry
If you look closely, you can see EVERY SINGLE MISTAKE.

Last weekend, the wife and I went up to Edinburgh for a quick weekend getaway. The weather was gorgeously crisp, the sights were stunning, and my only regret was that we couldn’t stay longer. We took a bus to Scotland (what, you thought professional knitters/dyers have lots of cash? HA!) – a night bus on the way up, and a day bus home. I decided to work on my forbidden socks on the way back. And then, it happened.
I started thinking about embarrassing things that happened when I was 13 years old. Thanks, brain? Thanks. Real productive.

Before I embraced my status of non-athlete, I was on the basketball team for three years in middle school. I mostly played the position of “bench warmer,” probably due to the fact that the coach’s kid and friends were on the team. I was not a cool kid: I was very awkward during the awkward years. I took awkward to the next level. I once fell headfirst into a garbage can. I once told my friends to “act cool” immediately before falling down the stairs and cracking my tailbone. I once stood up during a test at school and faceplanted because I was tangled around the chair.

Once, while at band camp (don’t even quote that movie to me okay), I fell into a groundhog hole and lost my shoe.

Knitting while angry
Stupid DPNs, dropping all my stitches.

I was like a walking slapstick comedy, except I was the only one who wasn’t laughing.

Back to basketball, and back to knitting on the bus.

I was on the bus, working into the gusset of the sock. Making progress, and doing okay. And then I started to think about basketball in middle school – who knows why.

Brain: “Hey, remember when your coach kept calling you Angela even though you were on the team for three years?”

Me: *drops a stitch* Shit, gotta concentrate.

Brain: “And remember that time you tried to correct him?”

Me: *cables the wrong way, drops three more stitches* Oh my god, get it together, self.

Brain: “And remember how he said ‘Sit down, Angela’ after you said your name is Angie?”

Me: *drops 5 stitches, a DPN goes flying*

Brain: “And remember how you ran into him that one time at the grocery store in college and he said, ‘Hey Angela’?”

Me: *angry emoji face*

That DPN bounced off the window and actually fell into a heating vent. Picture it: me, using my wife’s phone as a flashlight, crouched down half under the bus seat, trying to retrieve my needle. Burning my arm on the heating element, fishing out the needle, and dropping it in again. Finally rescuing it, and then angrily repairing all the dropped stitches.

Knitting is usually calming for me, but I think the lack of external stimulus on the bus was an open invitation for my brain to be a total jerk. Thanks, brain.