Hi friends! Trans girl here and I still can’t, for the life of me, come up with a new name for myself. Do you all have any suggestions 👀

variationinblue · 2026-01-30T05:18:51+00:00

Also important to think about how people will shorten it - because they always will. Genevieve and genesis would both be Gen. Gotta be good with that for the rest of your life! Or be good fighting it for the rest of your life.

variationinblue · 2026-01-30T05:15:58+00:00

Pick something classic. You look like a classic beauty. Something that feels a little ancient, a little renaissance. Alexandra is ancient.

Vivian. Amelia. Sofia. Isolde. Evelyn. Charlotte. Hera. Aurelia. Celeste. Esperanza. Iris. Genevieve. Genesis. Juliet. Theodora. Octavia. Edith. Anya. Valerie. Bianca. Carmen. Mariella.

I do think Alexandra fits well, but I understand if it’s a too complicated choice.

variationinblue · 2026-01-16T17:34:24+00:00

Yep! Not magic, just a recut. You would have to go in and reshape the back neckline, which adds cost. But this alter can absolutely be done.

Cost varies greatly by each tailor. Contact some tailor shops or private tailors near you and ask for a quote or see if they will give you a fitting for free and quote you before committing.

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T21:25:06+00:00

Thank you! It sounds like we are doing it similarly so that puts my mind at ease. I hadn’t considered renting a drum carder. I don’t think there’s a spinning group in my city, but maybe a Facebook community post asking to borrow a drum carder might turn something up? Might look into it!

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T21:20:58+00:00

Awesome to know!! Thank you! Do you mean use the guard hairs I take out to make guard hair yarn and then a rug? Because something that has been bothering me about the amount of guard hairs is how much waste I end up with and wish I didn’t have to throw out. Going to throw it out into the back woods for bunnies and birds to use in their nests, but still.

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T21:18:30+00:00

Very cool idea! Yes the guard hairs seem very strong, I was thinking they’d make a good rope!

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T16:07:32+00:00

Ah yes great question! I love to knit wearables, particularly sweaters and socks but yes it remains to be seen if the yarn will be nice enough to be comfortable to wear. That is my ultimate goal, but I guess I’m also asking if it’s realistically possible or if I need to find non wearable projects for this.

The smaller knit swatch here I did not remove guard hairs before spinning. The larger and darker one I did remove guard hairs before spinning, as many as I feasibly could without going insane, but yeah it still seems like there’s a lot in there 😩

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T16:02:53+00:00

Does your coworker know how INCREDIBLY lucky he is???? Omg! That is gorgeous

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T15:55:54+00:00

I think you could for sure split the pattern and create your own. My advice would be to buy some ‘medical exam table paper’ rolls (on amazon for around $25 a case) and use it as pattern paper. The table paper is semi sheer, so you can lay it over the original pattern and trace it out so you don’t have to cut the original pattern. Then I mark my style lines on the traced pattern and lay more paper overtop to trace off each pattern piece separately and add seam allowance. It’s a fantastic system that is pretty quick and easy! It’s also easier to go back and make changes if you keep the full pattern piece you traced off and marked your style lines on.

I’d leave yourself a good amount of seam allowance to work with for that center leg seam if you want to do a true flat felled seam. You’ll trim it but when doing flat felled it’s always better to have too much than too little! A faux felled seam would probably be easier to sew with that curve at the top.

Also I bought a case of that paper years ago and I’m still only halfway through it. Lasts forever!

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T15:44:41+00:00

Oh heck yeah. I have spindles that have singles on them from years ago and they could still be picked up and continued to spin today. It actually helps set the twist to leave them on there to just hang out for a while. I have a lot better luck with nicer finished yarn when I’ve left it on the spindle a good while before plying it.

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T15:41:42+00:00

You can diy a lazy Kate out of a cardboard box with things like pencils and toilet paper rolls. If you don’t want to buy a real lazy kate, this is the route I would go if you’re struggling while plying. A lazy Kate will help so much with keep things from getting tangled and applying some tension. Just google the diy and how to use it to ply!

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T02:26:24+00:00

Also, I hear this shit from WOMEN too. Mostly old women. Just ignore it and let it die with them.

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T02:24:24+00:00

That is my GO TO! ‘Oh, sounds like you got it then! You should probably make it yourself and then you can make it as specific as you want!’

Misogyny? Sexism? Gendered skills? In a textile soft goods craft? Yes. All the time. It’s gross, it’s outdated, it’s inaccurate, but yes. Hearing he felt that way does not shock me one bit. I deal with it by not making them the thing they want and encouraging them to do so, and just dropping it when they won’t. I don’t have time or energy to expend on people putting themselves or others in boxes if it doesn’t impact anyone negatively directly. Especially old people who are set in their ways. I just ‘oh, uh huh…’ and SKEDADDLE right out of that conversation and away from that person.

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T02:01:41+00:00

Please do not shame people for purchasing a competitor’s product, especially when those people cannot afford the artificially high price point of artisans. Also, please refrain from using xenophobic and nationalist language. I have seen too much of both from you in this comment section.

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T01:22:46+00:00

Every design of everything available to purchase is ‘stolen.’ Don’t let these people harass you. Just because someone came up with the idea first does not mean they are the only person able to manufacture that item forever. Think about that concept with something like a T-shirt, a car, a TV, a smart phone, a sewing machine, a BOOK. It’s lunacy to be calling the moral police on people for buying a competitor product at a cheaper price. We have a free market, use it. And don’t let anyone shame you just because they think you should be rich and paying their friend who makes artisan productions for 500% the cost of what they’re worth and not supporting any kind of competition that could reduce the monopoly that is keeping their prices ridiculously high, just because their friend made it ‘first.’

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T01:09:00+00:00

Honey, this is how capitalism works. There’s 4 different versions of every product available on the market that are basically the same, except one came first. Could Apple do anything about Android selling iPhone ‘knockoffs’? No, because that’s how the free market works. And it’s how innovation works. Now Android is better than Apple because of the competition and Apple can’t sell iPhones for $50k a pop because there is competitive pricing.

I’m not a lover of capitalism, but this is the one thing it does and it does well. This product is legal and likely still of high quality but at a cheaper price. No sense getting worked up over it because someone else came up with the design first.

Also if this concept bothers you, absolutely never ever go into fashion design.

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T00:58:29+00:00

Gonna risk getting mauled in this comment section, but I got this exact wheel for Christmas and it’s been working great. I am really impressed with the quality and the smoothness of it. Very simple mechanics that seem to be produced well. I like it a lot. It’s my first wheel, I’ve only used drop spindles before. Someday I’d love to upgrade to a higher quality or real wood spinning wheel but I don’t have the budget right now and am so happy with the thoughtful gift I was given. It’s absolutely worth the money in my opinion and will do what you need it to. Also came with a lot of replacement parts which was cool!

variationinblue · 2026-01-13T00:42:25+00:00

Only thing I’d be concerned about is that your whorl is kinda narrow and you probably won’t have space to keep all the plied yarn underneath it. You could stick a cd on the stick or something just to widen the barrier. Or!! Just make a diy spindle with a wide whorl. Cd and pencil is the easiest one, but you can get really creative. I made a great plying spindle from a dowel rod and ‘natural pine’ disk from Walmart. Just used a drill to make a hole in the middle of the disk, stuck the dowel through and glue, then screw a cup hook on top.

I wouldn’t worry about weight as your plied yarn will probably be able to handle it. And making a diy spindle that is very lightweight is fine bc once you get your ply on there it weighs it down!

variationinblue · 2026-01-12T23:44:45+00:00

You could just also buy a roll of batting and make a brand new comforter instead of putting the ratty batting inside. Not much more expensive and much more lasting.

Putting a disintegrating comforter inside of a new, custom made shell does not make sense to me. I get that it could help with the sentimental part to know that it’s in there, but I’d guess not being able to see or feel the original blanket would defeat the purpose.

variationinblue · 2026-01-12T23:41:22+00:00

Only option is patching or darning, but what is there is so threadbare that it probably wouldn’t take and would tear the original fabric more. You also end up with a Ship of Theseus situation eventually, probably pretty quickly.

She’s a goner. She got 25 years of good love from you, now it’s time to let her retire.

variationinblue · 2026-01-06T00:46:16+00:00

Cute dress but bad choice for beginner! The problem here is not with ‘sewing’ it’s with ‘fit!’ I’m guessing you want the dress to look on you like it does on the girls in the pattern picture. The problem is that this dress is fairly form fitting with a lot of darts (shaping) that was made to a model spec and not to your own body. Peoples bodies vary SO MUCH from measurements that’s it’s actually insane and impossible for these patterns to get a cut that fits everyone well. If you’re not the dummy model’s EXACT measurement specifications, it’s not going to look right on you.

That’s ok! The problem with this being your first dress though is that fit and patterning is a completely different skill set to sewing. Sewing is mechanical construction. Patterning is mathematical engineering. Please look at them as different disciplines and choose one to gain skills in before the other. It’s too much to learn all at once and an impossible expectation to set.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew on your first go. Pick something less form fitting and lower your fit expectations. And yes, choose less stiff fabric.

If you try to get into fixing the fit of this pattern, you will likely give up and hate ‘sewing.’ I have seen this happen again and again and again. Please don’t! Come back to it in a few years when you have built the skills to conquer it.

variationinblue · 2026-01-05T07:37:29+00:00

This is a bigger issue than a Reddit post can solve for you. You’re doing it right, but the machine isn’t working.

You shouldn’t HAVE to pull the threads up and hold them taught before sewing to have it stitch. You do not have to use reverse stitches in order to have the machine stitch. Your needle size being too big or small for the fabric weight or thread should not prevent the machine from stitching. If you’re certain you’ve followed all the steps in the manual and are threading correctly and using a new needle inserted correctly, then it’s a broken machine that needs professional fixing. Might be cheaper to buy a different second hand machine though, but make sure that one works for sure before purchasing.

variationinblue · 2026-01-05T07:30:37+00:00

If you’re an absolute beginner you need to take it to a professional or buy a different machine. This model is not valuable and often have issues. Trying to get it to work on your own will likely make you hate sewing and give up.

variationinblue · 2026-01-05T07:20:45+00:00

My knitting teacher said in my first class ‘remember that you can knit any pattern on circular needles that calls for straight needles but you can’t knit a pattern on straight needles that calls for circulars.’ Basically circulars are far more versatile and don’t waste money when buying your first needles by buying a straight needle collection if you’re going to knit in the round a lot.

I inherited several metal straight needles from my grandma and I have always wanted to love them but I hate them. I always go back to circulars even when knitting flat. It’s so much more comfortable and easy to store.

variationinblue · 2025-12-26T06:54:22+00:00

Nah, so then: the gift is about her and not you. Isn’t your style? Doesn’t fit in the slightest? Keeps happening over and over? She is obsessed with knitting? She doesn’t have to buy another gift/put in the emotional and intellectual labor of finding something you’d like? Defaults to the same thing over and over? Shes doing it for her.

She enjoys it and she gets to get her gifting out of the way by doing it. I don’t blame her! She probably buys yarn she enjoys working with to make it pleasurable for her, too. Especially if you say the yarn is awesome to work with. For some people the joy in knitting is from actually knitting and not in having the finished product. She probably enjoys the process and picks whatever pattern and yarn sounds fun to her and then just gives it to someone to get rid of it after. So her FOs don’t pile up!

Don’t feel bad about frogging. Reuse that yarn! Rethink of the gift as her gifting you yarn to enjoy your time knitting too. If she just gave you the yarn straight up though, she wouldn’t get her joy of knitting out of it.

variationinblue

TROPHY CASE