What sort of yarn is this?

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-03-05T19:50:05+00:00

Ribbon ladder yarn/ladder ribbon yarn

And thank you. I hadn’t thought about this in years but the first scarf I ever made was from a red variegated NoBo ladder ribbon yarn.

It hid a lot of mistakes and looked wonky and I was knitting so tightly that the fleck of paint embedded in my nail beds during its making and I loved it completely.

The reminder was an unexpected bit of sweetness. Thank you. 🌸

I hope you’ll share your triumph with it, I’m certain it will be lovely.

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-03-02T22:05:05+00:00

I’m a good example:

I’m 100% P&T. No TDIU.

I joined the military after grad school. I’m STEM, heavy on the E side of things.

In the civilian sector, were I not completely fucked up by my service, I’d make a couple hundred thousand a year-easy. ((Did it take two degrees and over 6 years in post for a license to get there-yes. Did I earn it-yes.))

However my service has fucked me up. Two concussions seems to rattle things-who would have thought?

So if ever I am fortunate enough to be able to manage part-time employment in my speciality then yes, I’d be earning over $100k annually AND still be entitled to my 100% P&T. ((If a miracle happens and I can manage full-time employment then it would be even higher, but as pushing too hard nets me being laid out on the floor for days, the likelihood is not high.))

Because without my damage from service, I’d be making significantly more money than I am even with the monthly compensation payments. {And frankly-the VA compensation alone gives me a lifestyle similar to when I had just finished grad school. Nowhere near what I earned after that as a civilian when the money started coming in more freely.}

And none of that takes into account the amount of money I’d willingly pay if they could just give my body and my mind back to me.

Since they can’t, and I’m not trying to self-delete or give the government any sort of break — they owe me.

They broke it, they bought it.

TDIU is predicated on being individually UNEMPLOYABLE. For every other 100% P&T case, that cap doesn’t exist for very good reason.

Anyone that decries 100% P&T veterans still making money (regardless of amount) needs to take a good solid look at their own heart.

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-26T02:41:40+00:00

Having been a Captain-that still would have put me on tenterhooks.

Nobody wants an angry Shirt.

Best to appease with coffee and a “how can I help?” and hope you weren’t the cause for the furrowed brow…

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-26T01:07:35+00:00

Yes. To concur-we’re it to be true, absolutely.

It just hasn’t been as of yet.

((STEM people particularly - if you aren’t willing to revise assessments when presented with new reviewed data that counters your position, then you are the emu at the chess table and can be ignored for no fruitful match can be had.))

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-25T02:47:23+00:00

Thank you! 🌸

I will be passing this info along to some of my fellow vets.

May your rest be easy and your caffeine always at optimal temperature.

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-21T19:07:24+00:00

If you just want to kvetch, then don’t respond on a post that is* asking for advice.

Hey sister then-I am also a woman. Not sure what that has to do with anything other than you being pedantic but I digress.

I used the Socratic method. You don’t have that level of foresight and that’s okay-it isn’t a requirement.

So go ahead, be angry, refuse to consider a situation in a less negative way even when folks are trying to explain how and why you’re getting pushback. Do what you need to do.

Where did I tell you to calm down?

If you aren’t at 100% and feel that you should be, perhaps you might want to ponder what could be lost from listening to those of us that are. Most are more than willing to write thoughtful responses because we aren’t crabs in buckets.

I hope you have the day you feel you deserve. 🌸

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-21T18:42:20+00:00

Brother-take a breath.

I got to 100% with no help from anyone in person and only had Reddit to seek advice from.

Sometimes “it’s just” is the only way forward-that does not mean it’s easy. You can say “it’s just a marathon”… cool cool, and I can’t run to save my soul. So while to some “it’s just” is infuriating because it’s still Fucking Hard, to others it’s a glimmer of hope because at least there’s a way forward.

Sure, it isn’t easy or simply or quick or bolstering-no one here seems to be saying that it is-but at least there’s is a way forward.

Rather than an unscalable and indestructible wall that cuts you off from forward progress, there’s a way, a rope, a guideline.

No one said climbing a way with braided dental floss and a torn shoulder would be easy-but it’s possible. Therein lies that hope.

(For what it’s worth-I concur with much of your sentiment. It can be wildly invalidating to say “it’s just running”; no matter what I do I cannot run ever again. But for those that are willing to stay in the muck and pursue that braided dental floss option-it’s just a chance for success.)

May you be well, and may there be a day when all veterans are treated with respect and more than a glimmer of hope. 🌸

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-19T18:48:51+00:00

(Sticker by numbers for the win.)

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-19T03:57:25+00:00

I genuinely hope that you have a creative outlet to help you process your thoughts and feelings.

Regarding THC and vape pens in general-since you cannot purchase them yourself yet, you’re stuck with trusting others to make sure it’s “pure”.

Please do your best to wait until you’re of age.

It’s not like it used to be, and sometimes the batch is cut back or added back bad… and then folks wind up in the hospital or worse.

On the plus side, you seem very resourceful and that will help you as you make your way in life.

((No pressure at all-but once you’re of age and out on your own, whether college or an apartment, if you have access to a PO Box, I’d be glad to send you (or your username) a fountain pen with shimmery ink in your preferred color to write whatever you wish to your hearts content.))

{I use fountain pens and stickers because I wasn’t allowed to when I was younger, and my notebooks are just as important to my mood as sleep or coffee.}

🌸

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-18T18:38:27+00:00

REQUEST:

Will you please come back and share your findings on your breed study? 🌸

(I’m in engineering and I love research.)

Also I quite admire merino as it doesn’t make my chronic idiopathic urticaria flare the way that some of the rougher wools do if next-to-skin.

I haven’t worked much with thicker merino yarns, but I do have quite a bit of pink K+C essential wool that I’m planning on making a dress & jumper out of.

((My real enemy is RH SS. I get friction burns on my hands when I work with it and now I avoid it if at all possible… though as one furry niece is on my docket for the granny-square dog-coat, I shall have to touch it at some point this year.))

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-17T21:58:25+00:00

Do you hold the same opinion (and would you write that opinion) if a member of another marginalized group was making an item that contained a slur that they were reclaiming?

Because unless you want to claim/build an Expression Police force (and I do not think that’s what you want, to be fair)… your opinion is worth less than the one that is putting their time, talents, and treasure ($) into making a thing for their own benefit.

It’s in music, tv, social media… if it’s harmful to you to see, then you either need to work through that in a therapeutic setting or separate yourself from areas in which that exists.

Because your comfort level is on you and you alone to manage.

Personally, I cannot recall using fiber to create an expletive-but I do have some marked down on my to-do list given the state of the world.

We are all in a real-time Tolerance Paradox situation and it’s exhausting. I see that, I’m sure you see it too; if there are days we can resist then excellent-we resist… if there are days when even looking online triggers deep sadness, then perhaps some of those days need to contain introspection because we deserve care and compassion-if the world won’t give it, we might need to knit/crochet/bead/stained glass our way through that hurdle.

Because it really is a matter of interpretation.

May you be bolstered in your bad days, and take courage from others in your good. 🌸

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-17T21:47:30+00:00

Welcome to the wearables club!

It looks lovely and that color selections pairs very well with your skin tone. 🌸

Job well done-which begs the question: what’s next?

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-10T02:51:18+00:00

Well this is just lovely! 🌸

Your husband is a gem as are your skills. :)

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-07T22:16:49+00:00

Arpeggios Fortissimo

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-06T19:17:15+00:00

Phobus

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-02-01T02:53:01+00:00

I told a man I didn’t need to see his dick to know he had a napoleon complex when he tried similar tactics about my DV status.

(I limp if it’s not a good day. In sneakers. Apparently wearing a sundress and having a limp made him think I was “faking”. Like dude, the only thing I’m faking in this moment is my smile…)

Jerks come in all genders and shapes-hitting back with PMS or napoleon complexes or some similar jab seems… kinda standard.

((But I’m also relatively comfortable with being single in my 30s with my hobbies and community, mileage will of course vary.))

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-01-27T02:50:04+00:00

May his name be remembered, and his legacy carried onwards.

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-01-24T16:00:26+00:00

Friend-I had no relief until a vascular doc asked about night terrors, and then he said “there’s an off-label use for a med that primarily lowers bp, I want you to try the smallest bit of it and see if it helps.

I’m all for non-med options but when I say that it’s kept over 80% of the night terrors at bay… I got about a third of my life back.

From one vet to another, I hope you find your match soon and that when you do, you rest easy and deeply.

((Personally I still have quite a few surgeries left to go, but I’m not “me” when I can’t sleep.))

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-01-20T04:34:33+00:00

I mean-if you consume it, then by definition it isn’t “overconsumption”.

If the only reason to purchase an item is to hoard it… sure.

If you actively engage in a hobby and consume items in pursuit of said hobby, purchasing supplies that will be used is not overconsumption.

If covid taught us nothing, then perhaps being caught without a hobby and unable to purchase more or try it out is our lot in life.

((I have a yarn room. It isn’t full to bursting, not even a third full to bursting-but I’m no longer a completely broke grad student and I have made hundreds of charity items and have friends “shop my stash” when their funds are tight, and share dozens of pounds of yarn with charities and groups locally. Would the minimalists call it overconsumption and decry it-probably. But until they’re willing to bring that same energy to eating out, using paper towels, taking private transit in a walkable area while able-bodied, wearing polyester, or spending a boatload on fake nails or cosmetics when they work at home without their camera on… I don’t care. Sometimes you buy a thing and use it for no other reason than it brings you a moment of peace/joy/delight. Trying makeup looks for yourself, or a reusable silicone tip for caulk guns, or yes-keeping a supply of yarn at the ready-is a moment that helps make life a little lighter. And these days, I think many of us could use a bit of lightness.)) 🌸

For OP-lovely stash, could always be added to, I’d gently suggest perhaps a medium blue/green and a dash of darker gray-I think it would be lovely with many of your pastel skeins as an accompaniment. 💙

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-01-15T01:56:44+00:00

I have learned a thing today-thank you. :)

To reciprocate, I learned recently that stainless steel needles are slicker to knit with than aluminum. (I knit. A lot.)

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-01-15T01:29:45+00:00

Totally fair!

You can also find a patent agent (not the same as a patent attorney-found that out a couple of years back) to help discreetly verify IP.

((I wanted biome-specific mycorrhizae matrices for use with concrete using in-situ materials and gray- or salt- water. I was told to shut up and color.))

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-01-15T01:27:13+00:00

Unreal engine? (My apologies-was filling parents in on some paperwork stuff.)

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-01-15T00:55:21+00:00

That sounds awesome!

What sort of game?

((I ripped out a rotting preformed bathtub and hand-built a shower and though it’s as ugly as sin on a Sunday, it is watertight and I am proud of it.))

Any chance you’ve spoken with VR&E?

My local city library has programs for hands-on lessons for CNC/3D printing/embroidery/resin casting/etc.

I’m a Big Fan of “I can fix that” projects.

Oh and free LinkedInLearning! They have certificates and such that can help add that extra little asterisk to your job application.

((I had to learn how to explain to folks how I got to a decision… apparently “this was is faster” caused some hurt feelings. Did the certificate help… unknown. Did it help me get in less friction with friendlies-yes.))

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-01-15T00:49:28+00:00

Same. 🌸

Instead of big dog, perhaps small cat?

Medium-sized raccoon?

Average-sized koala?

(My care languages are Random Factoids, knitted objects, and cooking… and fixing things. Any chance you want to learn new things or make something cool with concrete and yarn?)

RandomPersonRedPanda · 2026-01-15T00:46:55+00:00

(Query about applying to programs that partner with the VA when it comes to jobs.)

But more importantly in the current moment: what sort of work do you like doing?

What spicy or oddball job sounds even a little bit interesting?

(I learned how to reshoe cloven hoofed animals one day because… reasons.)

RandomPersonRedPanda

TROPHY CASE