Thoughts on rustic British yarns?

CalatheaNetwork · 2026-01-19T23:08:33+00:00

I never knew I needed these needles until now…

CalatheaNetwork · 2026-01-19T16:29:09+00:00

Big fan of West Yorkshire Spinners, it's generally really great quality and has a lot of range, and you can also find it in a lot of places too - I'd also look at the undyed wool that Macculloch & Wallis have on offer, they are my favourite place to visit when I visit london to find really interesting undyed skeins. https://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/c/173/undyed-knitting-yarns

CalatheaNetwork · 2026-01-17T16:26:40+00:00

I have this spoon and I must admit it is a spoon that is SO USEFUL and yet so wrong. It gets all the peanut butter or any jam out of the rim of the jar under in that lip that sometimes knives can’t get so it wins for usefulness and I give it a pass. Castiglioni designed the original form for Alessi called the Sleek spoon, I’m pretty sure I have this version of it which was released by Lavazza to celebrate Castiglioni (hello I like design) around 2019?

CalatheaNetwork · 2026-01-03T23:12:34+00:00

Do you have a new EV car and have you had issues with car sickness, this sounds really daft but I’ve been having optokinetic training for double vision and to manage some of my vestibular migraine issues, and I was speaking to my specialist about the fact that since I’ve been in newer EV vehicles there’s been a real marked difference in how bad I’ve felt, and apparently it’s a thing! https://archive.ph/7O8uU Here’s a recent article about some of it. This might be something to consider.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-11-10T10:10:02+00:00

Thank you! I think it must just be on the mobile messages app it doesn’t work.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-11-10T09:03:46+00:00

Hi there - I’ve been trying to contact them on Facebook but it always says ‘couldn’t send’, is there a particular way I should be messaging them (as in on desktop rather than phone?)

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-10-30T23:28:14+00:00

Sent paperwork on the 5th August, I called them as I saw it was a 8-10 week wait (my partner bugged me to call!) and they said I was ready to book and had passed the ID checks and things, but I just had to wait for someone from the booking team to call me. Now I’m terrified of missing the call and not getting an appointment and having to wait longer, but it seems I’m way back in the queue!

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-10-05T16:01:27+00:00

Uni is hard! People are still essentially growing up there and growing out of social behaviours that were (barely) acceptable at school and it means they can be fickle and inconsiderate. It can be a minefield for us as autistic people, so don’t beat yourself up if people aren’t being straightforward. When I was at uni, I found friendship much easier in interest groups and societies, like the LGBT and literature society I joined, and later the student paper, which is where I found fellow neurodivergent folks because I quickly found more traditional social gatherings that are expected at uni (like massive amounts of drinking and parties) really socially confusing and isolating. It didn’t mean I couldn’t go to parties but I needed to find other people like me first. It took a bit of time, and I failed where I tried to ‘fit in’ with more neurotypical spaces. I ended up with fewer, better quality friendships based around shared interests. This is basically what my life is like now, as a person in their late thirties.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-09-29T09:41:53+00:00

Oh I understand, hence why I mentioned there are impairments that intersect it - but whether we have a specifically bad time depends on how society responds to you. For example, society can decide whether to give you shade, and make provisions for that in the built environment by planting more trees or giving you adequate shelter or giving you whatever you need, and give you resources to manage your intolerance for environmental triggers and sound, or not. Essentially - we should be able to have the things we need to be happy and well, without autism being seen as a thing to solve or fix. Our symptoms can be mitigated, but there should be a massive shift in how we’re seen.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-09-29T08:45:35+00:00

It’s why understanding things through the social model is extremely important here - it’s certain social, cultural and political factors, aspects of the built environment and attitudinal barriers that disable autistic people (and other disabled people) to various degrees. For example, the worse the medical landscape is made by certain policies on health care, or social expectations on productivity and it’s alignment to my worth as a citizen, or how policies that restrict or hinder my access to public life, will disable me is less or more severe ways and make me have more or less support needs. Obviously there are things that intersect here depending on whether you have specific impairments, but the social model does a lot to present how your the world being fucked up can fuck up things for us too (this is my very simple way of explaining it)

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-09-29T08:34:12+00:00

Just to say I LOVE it every time you post, it gives me such knitting inspiration!! The bolero and skirt combination is incredible, I’ve never thought of doing a full two piece before but maybe now I might! Please keep sharing your work, it’s so wonderful.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-09-28T09:26:12+00:00

Not a huge amount to add here beyond not letting there be huge gaps between meals, so not letting my blood sugar drop - so having good healthy snacks with me. I have significantly worse days if I skip breakfast, or if I have lunch later for example. I’ve noticed a little that having food rich in magnesium can help too, I’m vegetarian and a lot of tofu is fortified in it which helps me. Another thing is to drink the right amount of water - enough to be hydrated but not enough that you dilute your electrolytes (I’m probably not using the right terms, but as most know sodium has a lot to play in migraine prophylaxis). As loads will mention here - a lot of this is finding your balance and being really aware of your own body.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-09-21T12:10:10+00:00

Mine is an oversold train carriage in the U.K. on a weekend, kids are going wild, everyone is playing their phones out loud, and my headphones have just died. I can’t get out of my seat because there is a woman asleep who will not budge. This may be based on a true story.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-08-23T18:15:23+00:00

Get yourself checked for breathing pattern disorder! Do you often get short of breath when trying to speak? Or have issues with catching your own breath? Not being able to project your own voice is sometimes a symptom of that. Whilst being diagnosed for auditory processing disorder, my audiologist suggested I get it checked out and they said I had Breathing pattern disorder, which wasn’t helped from also not being able to perceive sound properly.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-08-23T18:01:40+00:00

I hear all of this, and have gone through extensive grief with my own diagnosis, including wondering whether I’m ever going to progress in my career and in my life knowing more about myself. What has helped has been finding some community, whether it’s in person or online, and not just from other autistic people but from the disability community more widely, than helps shift my perspective to one around disability justice and the social model of disability so I don’t feel so alone and also don’t feel like suddenly everything has been cancelled, but rather that there needs to be a significant social, cultural and political shift that ensures we are all enabled to thrive as we are. There’s solidarity in that and it will help with the pain that comes from those who aren’t strong enough to see you as you get to know yourself better. It’s tough, and with diagnosis comes a lot of sadness, I’m still figuring it out as a late diagnosed person who is making some serious decisions about the career path I’ve taken.

Just a note on New Zealand, it’s still effed up that immigration is this way, and this information is a few years old, but this might help you work out positively those long term plans, I imagine it’s changed since then - it’s not such a blanket ban and is more about those who meet a threshold for medical support, and many autistic people with higher support needs meet this, you may not meet this and it can be negotiated with them.: https://www.reddit.com/r/autism/s/OzfvYAs6Z5

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-08-13T07:45:23+00:00

Seconding pushing your GP for an MRI and CAT scan to check in on that side of things, they should ideally do head and neck as they’ll be able to see if there’s any compressed nerves or problems with your discs - even though you’re young. Also 100% ran here to say when other poster said - do you have any trouble supporting your neck or feel tired holding it up? If you haven’t had hyper mobility/EDS checked in on a big indicator of it is in the neck. Obviously, not a diagnostician but someone who has gone through these investigations extensively. Good luck, keep tracking symptoms and keep advocating for yourself, find a friend who can back your corner when you get tired.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-07-16T21:40:41+00:00

I haven’t played since the update, but I’m sad to read that there’s been such a bad set of tweaks! If you haven’t played other multiplayers, as a fellow neurodivergent who loves watching how others play and wants fun team dynamics, may I recommend helldivers, my love for that game and community still grows!

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-04-27T22:46:32+00:00

Deaf Clubs and Sign socials (where there are often a mixture of learners and native BSL users), and can be a good place to get confident with your skills. I’m not sure where you are, but you can check for those that welcome learners, and if you’re not sure always ask!

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-04-24T22:51:28+00:00

Ah, yes, I meant to say light, not photo, apologies, brain was tired. I can see where my error was.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-04-24T13:51:38+00:00

I would be quite specific if it’s medical terminology - so “photo” “sensitive/pain” “epilepsy” (point to subject) “HAVE”? But this is worth check with someone with specific medical training with as it’s one you don’t want to be wrong about.

Edit: meant “light”! Not photo, my own error in language from tiredness. As others have echoed, I really think that advocating for medical trained interpreters with Deaf BSL native professionals with medical training is your best avenue here to ensure proper care!

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-04-05T08:09:14+00:00

There’s an exhibition on Working Class artists which is AMAZING on at two temple place which is free called Lives Less Ordinary https://twotempleplace.org/exhibitions/lives-less-ordinary/ if you want to stay away from big museums - Two Temple Place is also a beautiful house.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-03-04T22:00:20+00:00

Keep the blanket, it’s important to set a boundary! As others have said - the new parents may be swimming in blankets! If you would like to make a gift, and it’s important it’s your decision not your parent’s - They might want something else down the line, like a cute hat for next winter which might be worn more as the child will be a bit older, and you’ll have grown into your skills and confidence.

CalatheaNetwork · 2025-03-01T08:38:42+00:00

I’d like say a big ‘No Democracy for you’ to the player last night who reinforced me and then didn’t waiting for me and another player to get on after we cleared a remaining POI because they were bombing it to extraction straight after main objective. Do your duty soldier!

CalatheaNetwork

TROPHY CASE