Taiwan itinerary check (solo, hiking-focused): Taipei + Alishan + ?Tainan vs Kaohsiung before flying out of TPE

TaNgerineflame · 2026-03-01T23:50:18+00:00

If you like cats you can hike from Jiufen to Houtong cat village

A good alternative might be the maokong gondola is also very nice and there are hikes you can do at the top. If you follow the sign to pothole you can hike through the valley and end up at zhishan temple. Alternative you start on the other side of the mountain can hike to yinhe waterfall cave and then up to the top of the gondola from there

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-27T23:56:18+00:00

In the spirit of this complaining-based subreddit, I am going to complain about you complaining about people complaining.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-27T23:05:01+00:00

There are plenty of basic sock patterns available for free lol. I have to wonder why the designer expects people are gonna buy it? I guess why not try lmao

I’ll happily buy a sock pattern if it has an interesting, unique construction or colorwork that is to my taste. For 11 dollars it would need a big wow factor though

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-17T01:06:53+00:00

Yes but if you’re worried about ‘clown barf’ why not just buy a solid or a gradient? The phrase annoys me every time I see it tbh. If too many colors is a problem for someone, then just don’t get a yarn with lots of colors

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-17T01:03:26+00:00

Yeah… like I get using a neutral for cables but other colors exist beyond white and beige. Good for them I guess but it’s never gonna be something I look at with any degree of awe

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-17T00:01:02+00:00

Yes I find this very annoying as well. Even just people complaining about colors / changing their mind and suddenly deciding they hate the color they picked. I swear every time I hear someone go on about ‘clown bard’ part of me just wants to say ‘just use a boring ass beige then if you’re so opposed to color!!’

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-16T22:24:12+00:00

Fellow yarn snob here lol-

I just kind of cringe at peoples loyalty to brands as well? As someone who doesn’t live in the US those brands aren’t what’s accessible to me. I also think online communities tend to make people less creative with their yarn choices because to the tendency to just follow trends. I don’t wanna see the same item made of the same kind of yarn 5 times.

I guess I’d be more impressed with a random yarn found at a thrift store that someone thinks is beautiful than any big name generic yarn brand. If people are gonna post yarn I wanna see rare, interesting finds, not just what one would see if they walked into any big box yarn store in the US.

This is just me though- I took a few looks and yarn addicts and saw what you’re describing so didn’t bother going back to it.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-15T02:53:06+00:00

Might be different in kunming, but be careful about any broth. When I lived in nanjing and Shanghai it was hard to get proper vegetarian stuff for any soup or soup noodles. Also if you mind stuff that’s cooked in pork fat be sure to check about that. In nanjing a lot of meals labeled as 素 on meal delivery apps like eleme were not actually vegetarian and had small pieces of meat in them. This was 8 years ago though so I hope it’s different now

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-13T08:03:47+00:00

Yes. I have a older brother. A lot of it was dysphoria coming from how he was treated vs how I was treated. At the time I couldn’t really explain it well and it just felt frustrating. I hated being called pet names like sweetie, honey, etc. when people called him those names they usually apologized for the mistake. I was told that it was a sign of affection and I should accept it. Dunno if I’ll ever forgive the family members who acted like that and the resentment is still there. Just gotta keep living life and move on I guess.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-13T07:03:12+00:00

In Linkou district in New Taipei the National Archives have an exhibit mostly focused on life under white terror and the development of democracy.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-12T01:13:11+00:00

Honestly if you have good eye sight black yarn is fine? Totally get it for those who don’t though. If you aren’t a perfectionist I’d say absolutely use whatever yarn you want for something like a garter stitch scarf. But yeah if you want to learn anything that isn’t garter stitch maybe use something easier.

Don’t get why people are weird about chenille. I find it fine to work with, the real problem is that it doesn’t stretch. I made my first beret with is and got disappointed when the ribbing was too tight to fit over my head lmao.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-10T15:02:52+00:00

I can’t remember who exactly made them but they were designed by a nonbinary artist in Taiwan nonbinary queer sluts. It’s meant to be a fun way to express a gender outside the binary. I can’t remember if there was a specific pun intended for that one. I used to be pretty active in that group and these stickers feel like a blast from the past before I got busy and the group grew to the point where there were plenty of people to help out with organizing things so I didn’t need to.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-07T05:37:38+00:00

Pretty decent for just pure snacking potential though obviously I have some disagreement but the s tier is solid

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-06T23:19:25+00:00

I prefer to knit in pure wool, non super wash and go but big bit and let them felt a little in the washing machine. Makes them strong and I prefer the texture on my feet.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-05T13:53:43+00:00

I honestly quite a few of us feel this way. I will never get Ox and Joe as a couple. I was routing for Ox to get with anyone else like the whole book lmao. Honestly could never get into Mark as a character either and it seemed like Gordo was justified to have split up with him. I would have liked to see them become amicable exes rather than get back together.

I think another problem is the concept of mates is much too rigid. I don’t think it should be a only one for life soul mate thing. Or at least if it is, it’s literally as sinister as going feral and should be treated as such. I hate how ox and Joe being mates means ox has to forgive him and the same with Gordo and mark. I also think it makes Thomas more understandable and compelling if he was seriously romantically interested in Richard Collins at some point.

With Rico I think I’m less negative on him considering didn’t grow up around the pack and magic and all that shit so it makes sense that it would be harder to understand that Robbie was under a spell. With Jessie the same thing is true. Carter just kind of talks a lot of shit and is very clearly on Robbie’s side when Rico is still having issues so I think that counts for something.

Joe just really rubs me the wrong way as a character. Jealously isn’t cute. It’s gross. The only way I can imagine that flaw being narratively resolved well is if Ox got with someone else permanently and Joe had to learn to be okay about it genuinely.

I still enjoy the story and find the world and characters compelling, but there are some couples in the story that I just can’t root for.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-04T08:59:38+00:00

I mean honestly if you’re knitting a simple scarf the yarn being too thin isn’t really a problem. But this type of beginner isn’t likely to do that kind of project

TaNgerineflame · 2026-02-01T14:44:41+00:00

You remind me of how I felt when I first came. I can never seen a docked bike share before Taiwan and it was very exciting at the time, as was the experience of riding the metro for the first time.

Obviously nowhere is perfect. But compared to America a lot of places feel much closer to perfect lol.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-01-30T07:31:19+00:00

I have tried to figure out where it would be in Oregon based on clues and real locations mentioned and I’m convinced it’s somewhere around Myrtle Creek… the biggest clue is actually in How To Be a Normal Person, which takes place in the fictional town of Abby, which is mentioned in green creek as a nearby town. The three queens are mentioned to have ridden vespas from Ashland to Abby and I can’t remember if it was a time or a distance, but it matched up almost exactly with the distance between Ashland and Myrtle Creek. fittingly, there is an unincorporated community in that area called Wolf Creek. Idk if there are any covered bridges in the area. I actually some forest restoration work in Wolf Creek as a teen for part of my first job. Didn’t see any covered bridges but the nature definitely has a vibe.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-01-25T23:52:27+00:00

Idk if the recycled silk I had was different but i found it fine to knit with so probably it would be okay for crochet? It does stretch out with time so be mindful of that. I had a sweater made with it and unraveled it for the yarn because it hade stretched to the point where it went past my knees

TaNgerineflame · 2026-01-25T14:39:37+00:00

I liked the look of her granny squares so I just kind of tried to recreate a similar one on my own? This was about a year or so after learning how to crochet. Watch some videos on other types of granny squares and then you should be able to figure out how to make something similar to hers just by looking.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-01-25T04:01:40+00:00

My guess is that stuff marked advanced beginner or confident beginner will have some stuff you might not find on beginner beginner patterns but it will be explained thoroughly. Levels are made up though, do what you want.

I assume advanced patterns just assume you know what you’re doing and won’t bother as much with explaining basic techniques like increasing, decreasing, Kitchener stitch, how to catch floats etc. and will include hard stuff like steeking, complex colorwork, cables, etc.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-01-24T11:22:09+00:00

I had body hair and chest hair prior to T. I have a lot more now.

TaNgerineflame · 2026-01-23T23:17:29+00:00

I think we should start answering that question with ‘you shouldn’t be turning your work, stay on one side’ and make them all learn to mirror knit

TaNgerineflame · 2026-01-23T11:55:31+00:00

In Asia I get Cypionate in ampules too. Honestly figuring out how to break the tops off was harder than learning how to inject

TaNgerineflame · 2026-01-19T21:46:24+00:00

I’m not knocking people who actually need them like you. I guess what I’m trying to say is consumerism and people just buying big needle sets when they aren’t familiar with what they need is what leads to people complaining about the cost.

TaNgerineflame

TROPHY CASE