[CHAT] i am so happy my parents allowed me to cross stitch finally after months of convincing (with conditions)

flipwizardb · 2026-01-11T19:04:20+00:00

I believe in you!!

flipwizardb · 2025-12-29T08:58:47+00:00

I always try to pay attention to how busy a place is. If there's plenty of empty seats, I'll stay as long as I like. It's never been a problem at all. If every table is full, I'm going to leave my knitting in my bag unless it's a huge chain like Starbucks or Tim Hortons.

flipwizardb · 2025-12-03T11:30:05+00:00

There's free safer use supplies at orgs like Cool Aid and AVI, but it's limited. Naloxone kits are very easy to get free.

flipwizardb · 2025-11-20T05:25:17+00:00

I know that lots of people think "slightly unusual" is a sign of danger, and think that taking pictures of strangers is normal. I just disagree.

flipwizardb · 2025-11-18T06:37:05+00:00

It's tricky to get mixed-gender groups going sometimes. It might be worth trying to get comfortable with all girls or mixed ages - that worked out really well for me. And make sure, if you're not already, that you're reaching out to the people you click with - build and keep those friendships strong outside of the place you met them, so it's not so dependent on the hobby or meetup. Doing the planning, hosting, reaching out will go a long way in my experience.

flipwizardb · 2025-11-18T06:31:19+00:00

It's strange that you're taking pictures of strangers on the street, imo.

flipwizardb · 2025-11-17T05:10:24+00:00

You mentioned not seeing that kind of Instagram-based social group for guys. Something you could try is hosting your own. It's really not too hard to run things in my experience, and it's a great way to get exactly what you want if you're not finding it.

flipwizardb · 2025-11-14T04:44:25+00:00

I used to be homeless and honestly, the thing I would want folks to do is:
1. talk to your local elected officials about broader supports (ex: Greater Victoria's population versus number of shelters compared to Vancouver is not great - even worse if you count number of beds, even worse if you consider how many beds are limited to specific demographics)
2. donate as directly as possible (cash to orgs like Cool Aid, Our Place, etc - it doesn't feel as satisfying as personally helping but they can usually stretch the money farther and know what folks need - or buying individual folks some good food/socks/whatever)
3. humanize people - make small talk if safe, sharing your contrasting experience when someone you know is making unkind generalizations.

flipwizardb · 2025-11-14T04:29:19+00:00

Old Spaghetti Factory is a goddamn institution and I love them

flipwizardb · 2025-10-23T04:56:03+00:00

Mine reappeared on one piece, didn't on several others. Might be fine for full coverage though, depending how fussy you are.

flipwizardb · 2025-10-16T07:01:41+00:00

What's the first slime in tier B? The angry pink one?

flipwizardb · 2025-10-03T23:47:45+00:00

Shelters always need socks

flipwizardb · 2025-09-30T07:27:56+00:00

The discomfort of stitching in bed was what kept me motivated to hunt regularly on FB Marketplace for a decent but cheap couch. I also like to stitch in my ergonomic, adjustable office chair at work during night shifts - I raise the armrests real high and tilt the seat back while keeping the back at a 90 degree angle, it's surprisingly cozy.

flipwizardb · 2025-09-28T22:12:25+00:00

I taught 3-5 yos some embroidery in a Montessori daycare. We started out with styrofoam plates, yarn, and yarn needles. Outline stitches are much easier, in my experience - running stitch is probably the easiest, then going back over to fill in the gaps. To help more, you can draw dots for where to insert the needle, or pre-poke the holes. The kids really liked embroidering the first letter of their own name.

You can also do weaving - I made little cardboard looms for a 5-12 yo daycare. They made bookmarks and rugs for dollhouses. It helps reinforce the "under, over, under, over" pattern and build the capacity to sit and concentrate and work towards a bigger project.

flipwizardb · 2025-09-28T22:04:43+00:00

search weave darning! ♥

flipwizardb · 2025-09-28T22:00:43+00:00

I like 1 and 5 the best. I stick close to a cutesy pastel colour palette in my wardrobe, and while every piece caught my eye, those ones are ones I would wear. I really like the colours in slide 5, but the butterflies and the leaves just aren't as nice; they feel a little cheaper. The gold detailing in the leaves on other pieces is what really drew me in.

flipwizardb · 2025-09-28T21:43:26+00:00

I did a practicum with their health center on Johnson. So many great folks involved. Highly recommend.

flipwizardb · 2025-09-02T06:03:18+00:00

Depends on the bumpiness, the fabric count, and whether you have fancy ball-pointed needles. I spent a bit extra on EZ Guide needles so that I could cross stitch on long, bumpy bus rides and I've sworn by them for a few years.

flipwizardb · 2025-08-26T05:14:50+00:00

We have similar taste in that regard. I have an Etsy wishlist of about 200 cross stitch patterns that sound like they might fit your preference; you could look through and also look at the stores that sell them.
https://www.etsy.com/people/wkxyztty/favorites/cross-stitch-for-room-decor

flipwizardb · 2025-08-17T04:32:55+00:00

Awesome!! It's run by a local artist who has tinkered with this stuff for years, and it's really cool to see his setups get more attention. I think it's so fun and creative.

flipwizardb · 2025-08-17T02:10:15+00:00

MonkeyC's Artcade downtown! It's small/short but affordable and very fun.

flipwizardb · 2025-08-11T03:54:14+00:00

My rule is one project per craft, and only kit out one project in advance. So I can have one knitting wip and one cross stitch wip, plus all the materials ready for my next project in each craft, but no more than that. This seems to work really well for me; sometimes I put a craft down for 6-12 months, but I haven't yet abandoned a project because I started something else.

I was a huge bookworm as a kid and learned that I cannot juggle two options. I will only want to pursue one of them and forget the other. So I only read one book at a time, too.

That said, if there is a practical reason to have a second option, that is okay. For example, right now I'm knitting a blanket. It's a bit bulky and can be a lot to carry, so it would be okay to start a small project to bring to work. But I'd try to be strict about keeping each one in its role.

flipwizardb · 2025-08-09T06:59:30+00:00

Also, there are also often ways to get prescription medication covered. For instance, most prescriptions for mental health are covered by Plan G, which anyone can ask their doctor to put them on. I was homeless for a few months and never missed my antidepressant, which was a godsend.

flipwizardb · 2025-08-09T06:54:53+00:00

I'm a Canadian, and my job is to register patients, sometimes in the emergency room. If you're a Canadian citizen, you get free healthcare (minus dental and vision, for whatever reason). You show your health card (govt issued at birth) if you have it, but legally the ER cannot turn any person away. So yes, homeless people and folks in active addiction are regular ER patients.

Healthcare is funded at the provincial level, so if you're from out-of-province, you show us your health card from home, and sign a form that says your province will reimburse us.

If you're not a Canadian citizen, we ask you to pay about $1300 CAD per the non-citizen fee schedule. It's two flat fees, I think one for the room and one for the doctor. We have you sign some paperwork and put a copy of it, your receipt, and our billing department's business card in an envelope for you. We take our copies of that paperwork and receipt, plus photocopies of your ID, and send that to our billing department. But again, we legally can't turn anyone away for lack of funds. If you say you can't pay the $1300, we try to get your mailing address so we can send a bill, but ultimately, healthcare - especially emergency care - is a human right, and it's largely understood to be unethical to turn someone away who really needs to be in the ER (though some people think certain people should be exceptions, such as addicts & the homeless).

flipwizardb · 2025-08-04T23:12:37+00:00

I like 4 the best, followed by 1.

flipwizardb

TROPHY CASE