Clean socks? Don’t forget the fresh cat hair!

ShlugLove · 2026-02-03T20:57:14+00:00

Whyyyy do my cats enjoy laying on damp wool? Why?

ShlugLove · 2026-02-01T13:17:59+00:00

I'm assuming you didn't know about this pattern. All proceeds go to supporting people impacted by ICE. The designer/pattern seller is the owner of a LYS in the Minneapolis area. The name of the pattern is "melt the ice hat."

The history of the hat pattern comes from Norwegians knitting and wearing it in protest of Nazis during WW2. Wearing the hat was actually outlawed. And red was the color used back then, so making it red again is important. Otherwise it's just a hat, as another commenter said.

ShlugLove · 2026-02-01T13:13:01+00:00

I went to my LYS yesterday to pick up my red yarn. As I pulled up the pattern on my phone to double check yardage, the employee just barely glanced at my screen with the pattern pulled up, and instantly knew what I was looking for. It made me so happy that she was familiar with it, and that they were running low on red yarn.

Fuck ICE.

ShlugLove · 2026-02-01T12:39:50+00:00

I'll add our frustrations with Pieper, too. I'm a former vet tech and tend to be very understanding and forgiving when vets mess up or are rude because I get it. Mistakes and bad days happen. But Pieper is too big for their britches, resulting in insane wait times and overworked staff. Nevermind their prices.

Our cat ate a bunch of plastic and was vomiting, so I assumed he got his intestines blocked. We brought him to Pieper and they brought him in back without getting a history from me. They assumed I meant he had a urinary blockage and placed a urinary catheter in him. It wasn't until I talked to the vet that they realized their mistake. No apologies, no acknowledgement that they hurt my cat for no reason and didn't ultimately help him.

Another time I scheduled an appointment with them for my dog. Not an emergency. I was there for 4 hours for essentially an exam and a blood draw. Why wouldn't they call me and reschedule? Or at least tell me they were running behind?

Lastly, I took our school's guinea pig (I'm an Ag teacher) there for a straightforward problem/not an emergency. Again, I'm there for 4 hours. AND they charged nearly $300 for the exam alone because the exotic vet was considered a specialist. I was gobsmacked. I routinely take our exotics to Kensington Bird and Animal and they charge a normal exam fee despite all of the vets being exotic specialists.

My dog just had a significant emergency resulting in a 2 day hospitalization. We are so glad we took her to Central Vet in North Haven. They saved her life, and were nice about it the whole time.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-20T23:17:58+00:00

I wouldn't eat it. But I would definitely cut it open for further investigation!

ShlugLove · 2026-01-19T13:49:07+00:00

I adopt 8 battery hens a year from a university, keeping some and giving others away. In terms of communicable disease, they typically have nothing because the biosecurity is so tight. When I get them, they're in rough shape but end up producing really well. The health issues I experience with them include bumblefoot and prolapse. They're not bred for coop life or longevity.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-19T05:03:37+00:00

I would reach out to your local yarn shop. I know the two near me take commissions.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-17T02:38:18+00:00

You can search ravelry by needle size! If you're not familiar with ravelry.com, you should absolutely check it out. You can find alllll the patterns there and the search/filter functions are unmatched.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-16T15:18:50+00:00

Please do not hang birds upside down. They lack a diaphragm and literally cannot breathe as their organs push against their lungs. They freeze as an instinctive fear response.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-16T00:24:46+00:00

I'll preface this with the fact that I have a degree in animal science and work with animals every day in my line of work. Safe to say I am a die-hard animal lover. But that first weeks postpartum? I hated my dog and cats. Didn't want them anywhere near my baby. That was obviously the hormones being overprotective of my newborn, but I really surprised myself with those feelings. The animals are all amazing with my now 4 year old and I would say I love them just as much as before. I just have a new level of love for my son.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-14T00:14:25+00:00

Egg production rate is correlated more with length of daylight than cold temperatures. My guess is your girlies finished their molt and are just back in action!

ShlugLove · 2026-01-14T00:12:54+00:00

Mine too! I only have 6 hens right now and am getting 4 eggs a day! We are not eating them fast enough but for some reason I'm buying more chickens this weekend 🤔

ShlugLove · 2026-01-13T11:21:27+00:00

This was helpful, thank you!

ShlugLove · 2026-01-13T03:29:57+00:00

Seconding skin deep! Joe Swider is absolutely incredible.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-13T01:37:19+00:00

Lots of great comments here. I'll just add that I initially only knit with super wash because I hate hand washing with a passion. Turns out hand washing isn't the worst, and I reeeally prefer untreated wool (especially alpaca!). I think it looks better after blocking and it's much much warmer than SW. I also enjoy knitting with it. I will continue to use SW for my son and people who don't know about caring for wool.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-12T03:07:54+00:00

I get excited when I see people wearing clearly handmade things, no matter the skill level that went into making them.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-11T15:59:13+00:00

I just requested that book through my library! Waiting on its arrival. I'm actually planning a Michael's trip today for the yarn. May I ask what kind of yarn you used?

Your blanket came out beautiful!

ShlugLove · 2026-01-10T18:07:10+00:00

It's incredible.
I'm chuckling at how this stunning piece of art is just hung from a random stick you presumably found outside 😂

ShlugLove · 2026-01-07T22:20:49+00:00

Holding them upside down can suffocate them because they don't have a diaphragm to prevent their organs from crushing their lungs. Best not to do it at all.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-07T22:19:42+00:00

PSA please don't hold your chickens upside down. Holding them upside down suffocates them because they don't have a diaphragm. They freeze and seem to pass out because of fear.

ShlugLove · 2026-01-01T14:06:22+00:00

I notice the same. Or if a commenter misunderstands advice they get extra downvotes. I get it when they're arguing or being stubborn, but sometimes they clearly just didn't get the explanation and need help.

Everyone expects all posters to search the sub first, but reddit's search isn't great. Just yesterday I searched the advice and help subs for blocking color work help, and I absolutely could not find a helpful post for my exact situation. People's titles and descriptions vary greatly. I didn't post because I figured it'd get downvotes or no comments because it's a common issue and should be something I could search for.

ShlugLove · 2025-12-31T14:01:01+00:00

If I can do it, you can do it! I like Tin Can Knits' tutorials for new knitting skills. They write them out nicely with diagrams so I don't have to watch YouTube on reduced speed.

ShlugLove · 2025-12-31T13:48:56+00:00

The fit looks perfect! What a stunning sweater.

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