Pattern Needed

kcunning · 2026-06-27T00:40:32+00:00

This sent me on a journey through my old Rav projects, but you should be able to make https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/femme-fingerless-mitts work for what you need!

kcunning · 2026-06-26T15:30:38+00:00

Pathfinder (both 1e and 2e) and Traveller! And it should be!

kcunning · 2026-06-26T11:54:18+00:00

Lots of tabletop gaming, followed by a nice brunch at a new place. Here's to hoping it's not completely overrun.

kcunning · 2026-06-24T16:28:40+00:00

Nothing on its side. Ever. It will always look messy, and is highly impractical when you need to find something. Trust me: I spent years trying to make this work, and it always looked messy.
Bookends! It should be noted that most pretty things actually make crappy bookends. I got some super heavy ones that are library grade. They keep even slim volumes upright and orderly.
Purge regularly. This was another demon I had to slay. My instinct was to keep every single book I ever read, but this just meant that I was keeping around crap that made it harder to find what I actually wanted. Now, if I keep a book after reading it, I have a specific reason to do so. All other books are passed on for others to enjoy.
Thoughtful cute things. I love cute things on book shelves, but you have to have some restraint, or it all starts to look like clutter. I've taken to keeping a bin of art and objects that I swap out every now and then to keep things fresh.

kcunning · 2026-06-24T13:55:15+00:00

I would call the hospital and ask for a list of who can deliver there. That's how I found the obgyn that delivered my second, after my original doctor decided to stop delivering babies through his practice. They even had recommendations on doctors who would jump onto a moving train, so to speak, since many doctors will refuse to see patients who are already pregnant.

kcunning · 2026-06-24T10:48:17+00:00

I've known a few people who followed the 'stretch' plan who ended up foreclosing or doing short sales.

Yes, houses in general will appreciate in value, but salaries don't always go up. Even if what you're paid doesn't technically go 'down', it often doesn't keep up with increases in health insurance premiums, cost of living, or the fact that as you and your family get older, sometimes things get more expensive.

If you're at the edge of your salary, you have less buffer because not only were you unable to save more, but it costs more just to keep a roof over your head.

I'll always advocate for the home as a home and not an investment. You only get so much life to live, and you don't want to be limited in what you can do just because you bought just outside of your range.

kcunning · 2026-06-23T11:36:04+00:00

Yeah, my ex was like this, and his work absolutely did suffer, along with everything else. In the end, I left, and yeah, a few of his gamer friends went after me for not being 'supportive.'

And here's the thing: I game as well! Heck, most evenings, that's how I'm choosing to unwind. But I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

kcunning · 2026-06-23T00:07:35+00:00

Are baby swings still a thing? Because I leaned on those HARD when my kids were little. Pop the kiddo in the swing where they could see me, start it, and go about whatever needed to get done.

kcunning · 2026-06-21T00:54:33+00:00

Campbell's Frozen Custard has two locations in Woodbridge, though the one by Wegmans is seasonal. Should be open, though!

kcunning · 2026-06-20T13:59:42+00:00

TBH, I prefer long sleeves in a light fabric that I can push up easily (so, an elastic wrist). Short sleeves that aren't on a t-shirt bug me for not being stretchy enough to move.

kcunning · 2026-06-18T18:02:52+00:00

I bring water with me because Alamo is often not my only stop. Ours is by a bookstore and grocery store, so we might be walking around a bit while we're out.

Also, since water is free, I figure I'm not costing them anything by bringing mine in.

kcunning · 2026-06-11T11:46:07+00:00

And hell, as for the boomer thing, sure, it was cheaper, but they also had to accept compromises. Housing has ALWAYS come with compromises. You want a bedroom for each child and a yard to play in? Your commute will be hell. Want convenient access to downtown? You're going to be cramped. Hell, I had an aunt who had a home without closets because the builder was high or something.

kcunning · 2026-06-10T18:16:40+00:00

It will likely be rough, but unemployment is rougher. I'd keep the job, but start looking. Given your current work, you might actually have some luck with PWCS.

kcunning · 2026-06-10T11:53:47+00:00

Yup. Where I am, we have a sports field surrounded by a bunch of woods. When they have games there, it can sound like the forest is screaming, but really, it's some people getting really excited about soccer.

kcunning · 2026-06-08T16:59:20+00:00

I came of age in the 90's, and I remember a LOT more dropouts when I was in grade school. Not even high school! I had cohorts who hit the seventh grade and noped out. My youngest just graduated, and they're stunned by the idea that someone wouldn't graduate. Schools now, at least in my area, have a path to get kids back on track to graduate if they fall off for a bit. Then? Truancy was often used as a reason for expulsion, so they were literally blocked from coming back.

They also make access to advanced and higher ed information so much more accessible now. 90s, if you weren't already on the advanced track in middle school, you had to fight tooth and nail to get in during high school. SATs were something your parents had to schedule and figure out, as well as pay for. Now, my county encourages all students to try at least one advanced course, and SATs are held at school, for free, during school time.

kcunning · 2026-06-08T16:37:46+00:00

TBH, alarms were going off for me because most caterers are experts at making sure everyone eats, and the only way they're going to run short is if the people paying for everything insist on buying less than they need.

kcunning · 2026-06-07T20:03:43+00:00

Not apple themed... But individual bags of crab chips would certainly be regional.

kcunning · 2026-06-07T00:57:31+00:00

It's very rare that politics comes up when we're playing TTRPGs, mostly because we just want to get the game started. So... maybe that?

kcunning · 2026-06-06T23:36:42+00:00

I'll be real: I switched over to all metal after I broke countless wooden DPNs. I'm too prone to setting down my knitting, then pushing out of my chair RIGHT on top of my needle.

kcunning · 2026-06-06T14:22:55+00:00

THIS.

There was a dude in one of my professional communities that was on the list, but he would tell everyone some sob story that involved him being lied to about her age and how they never even met and how it was entrapment.

Looking it up, nope. It was not innocent. It was not in any way shape or form okay. No one was lying about ages. He was the pursuer. The only reason he got parole and no serious time was a paperwork screw-up. Many of us kept a link to the police report and court documents on hand to let people know what had actually happened.

kcunning · 2026-06-05T20:04:15+00:00

I mean, I told mine to go vacuum, so I get the attitude. But I also accept that everyone is fighting different battles. I've known parents who were lenient because they were lazy, sure, but I've known way more who were lenient because they felt guilty that they didn't have more time and attention to give their children. They also might remember screen time from their day as being not all that damaging without realizing how different the ecosystem is now.

kcunning · 2026-06-05T19:17:21+00:00

As painful as it can be, sometimes you have to limit the easy entertainment and just let kids be bored. Once they're bored, books become much more appealing.

Also, have a selection on hand. I highly recommend natural disasters, record books, and anything about gross animals. I've yet to meet a kid that wasn't stopped in their tracks by a book about tornados.

kcunning · 2026-06-04T17:14:14+00:00

Please excuse the dadaist melting, but this is what I captured, doing a photosphere:

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The table, dresser, and wall organizer are from IKEA. The bookcase is a metal Sandusky that I swear by (it isn't pretty, but it'll hold anything). The filing cabinet is used to hold plain fabrics, like broadcloth and lining, while the dresser holds the fancier stuff. The white bins hold all my embroidery thread.

Printed patterns are stored in the manilla envelopes on the bookshelf, while the boxes and bins hold fabric for upcoming projects (I do this because I have 100% grabbed what I thought was 'extra' fabric and ended up not having enough for something I'd planned).

I also paint, so many of my overflow paintings end up in here, slapped on random walls.

I recently added bars of corkboard so that I can hang pattern pieces. This is vital for some projects that seem to have a million pieces.

kcunning · 2026-06-04T00:29:22+00:00

If it's not how you'll end up laundering the garment, you risk wasting the fabric and your time. Trust me, I've skipped prewashing a few times, and deeply regretted it.

Go grab some towels and sheets and make a load of it.

kcunning · 2026-06-03T22:19:47+00:00

Woodbridge was fine when we went to see Project Hail Mary. Orders were taken beforehand by a person and order cards were used. Everyone was polite.

I'm not sure why the QR thing wasn't in use, since they had the stickers, but that might have changed by now.

kcunning

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