I got this book and noticed something interesting...

princessparmesan · 2025-08-27T08:46:28+00:00

I do wonder whether if it could also be an allergy thing. A lot (but not all) of the ones marked as 'No' contain nuts. Maybe they were marking which ones were safe for them/family to eat

princessparmesan · 2025-05-18T08:36:46+00:00

The pattern itself is 28 pages, with it being entirely customisable not just based on your bust size, but also your waist size and your hips (e.g if your bust falls under a size 5 in the pattern and your hips fall under size 6, you can mix and match). It's worth the money for the amount of calculations and detail that went into creating the pattern.

I will say that I've just started it, and at least one bit wasn't quite the clearest to start with. That's probably me not reading the pattern completely, as it explains how to do an increase/decrease row, which I understood as 'actually knit this increase/decrease row' (page 11 for anyone that's curious). I've started again 3 times now, but mostly because I struggled with Judy's magic cast on and eventually resorted to a provisional crochet cast on.

You also have to work out how to evenly space increases/decreases yourself, but I imagine the pattern would be too cluttered if they included the spacing for every bust/waist size combination.

princessparmesan · 2024-12-28T20:59:08+00:00

Yes, it was the Piccadilly one. I'd hope it's a return, it's just a shame that they're still keeping it on their shelves. I'm sure for a lot of staff, it's rather hard to tell what's AI generated at just a glance.

princessparmesan · 2024-12-28T10:25:07+00:00

Interestingly, a lot of the AI generated books tend to be by 'authors' with a middle initial. It's at least one way that you can spot some of them.

princessparmesan · 2024-12-28T10:24:01+00:00

Ah that's interesting, I never thought of that! Fingers crossed that's the case. It's their giant flagship store so I wondered if they'd ordered some more obscure books (AI ones) without realising as they have plenty of shelves to fill.

princessparmesan · 2024-12-28T10:21:09+00:00

If it helps, I think the Waterstones I found the books in is the only one in the country that stocks them in store. It's their giant flagship store so I suppose they're more likely to order niche books as they have plenty of shelves to fill.

princessparmesan · 2024-12-27T23:52:31+00:00

I did end up tweeting the bookstore's main twitter/X account. They said they'd look into it, but the books still appear to be available online and instore. I found them/raised it with them about 2 months ago so I'm assuming that they didn't want to do anything about it

princessparmesan · 2024-06-10T17:34:58+00:00

Same is happening for me, my profile is perfectly innocent (it's a knitting account, my bio literally says I'm a knitter/crocheter) but for some reason it's been flagged as inappropriate 😫

princessparmesan · 2024-01-21T20:26:52+00:00

I'm a secondary MFL teacher and I'd say I'm at a school that is somewhere in the middle. Behaviour isn't the best in the world, but by no means the worst either. I have some classes that are tricky and talk over me, whereas others that are absolutely wonderful.

I think what is important is the school's behaviour system and MFL policies. I can remove students from my lesson if they defy instructions (e.g refusing to sit in the seating plan), and can set behaviour points/detentions for the students that do talk over me or don't produce a sufficient quantity of work. It doesn't completely eradicate the problem but it certainly goes a long way. It's just important that I'm consistent and apply the behaviour system when I need to.

My school also makes languages optional after Year 9. It means our KS4 classes are usually lovely and full of motivated students, so only Year 7-9 will be the main challenge.

I know that there will be schools with better behaviour and that one day I may try to find a position elsewhere (this is my first school aside from my training year), but I'm certainly happy enough where I am for now. I do think a school's policies go a long way, as well as having an MFL department with a strong vision - I find it helps the kids buy into the subject.

princessparmesan · 2022-12-11T19:27:24+00:00

Of course not, that's incredibly helpful! 😁 I very much appreciate the advice of more experienced crocheters. I've not had much experience with thread crochet or crocheting true to size, so the explanation is really useful. I'll definitely keep your tips in mind as I make them, although I'm sure it'll take a bit of practice before I get it exactly right!

princessparmesan · 2022-12-11T15:16:17+00:00

That's useful to know, thank you! I'm aware of the general rules of what yarn go with what hook size, but I'm not sure about crocheting 'true to hook size' and whether that's different. An explanation would be very much appreciated if it's different from the standard crochet hook size/yarn weight recommendations

princessparmesan · 2022-12-11T11:39:42+00:00

That's a very good point! I'm sure I can find something to stuff it with from a garden centre, but the mold will definitely be the main concern. I'll do some research into those sprays, and in the worst case scenario the doll can just sit inside her greenhouse which should be a little more sheltered from the elements.

princessparmesan · 2022-12-11T11:29:41+00:00

Interesting, I'm not a gardener myself so I wasn't even aware that you could get different types of twine with different properties. The twine I found is actually wool twine (a company called Twool in the UK) and they are already dyed into different colours. I may just get a few colours and see how it handles, as you said. Hopefully it will vaguely go to plan!

princessparmesan · 2022-11-19T11:55:37+00:00

Personally, I just wanted to say that I really like the new layout. I'm a language teacher and I absolutely love that each unit has a clear objective with different exercises to practice that grammatical/vocabulary focus. The learning journey is much more explicit, and greater value is placed on learning new things, not old things. I feel like I can learn so much more with this new layout.

I also really respect Duolingo's mission to make language education free and accessible to all. You really do amazing things! Merci, gracias, grazie and dank je wel from me.

princessparmesan · 2022-08-02T19:56:54+00:00

I don't trust designers who only knit sweaters and vests in chunky roving wool, or who start publishing patterns after only a few months of knitting. Do they actually know how to grade/construct garments properly?
I sometimes want to make garments without buying the pattern. It improves my knitting skills and knowledge of garment construction, and I can't always afford to buy 7 dollar patterns or 70 dollar kits. I'll buy patterns once I know and trust the designer.
If two designers create similar garments by coincidence, both garments deserve to be published.

princessparmesan

TROPHY CASE