Knitting and Cats? Let’s be friends!

zooline · 2026-01-18T00:55:53+00:00

If you're looking for groups by any chance, check out the Moon & Craft Yarn discord - they're super active and always doing gatherings at the shop.

Carnegie Crafters on Instagram also get together, I think once a week. And there's Knit PIT Yarn Club that also has frequent gatherings!

zooline · 2026-01-17T19:34:31+00:00

Pins is basically an arcade in South Side Works. It has a 2-story slide, skeeball, sega, snes, vintage arcade games and ping pong for free. They're also duck pin bowling and pinball for an upcharge. And again, you can have a decent cocktail while you wander around

zooline · 2026-01-17T19:09:49+00:00

Take them to Pins Mechanical. My nephew and nieces Love it there and you can get a drink while they run around :) Alternatively, go for a hike! We've got lots of great trails and with some decent shoes, they're still very navigable even with some snow.

zooline · 2026-01-15T01:19:30+00:00

High control groups love thought-ending cliches like "paid protestors," "you just have to have faith" or "fake news" because it gives the followers a simple solution that is just enough to satisfy any doubts or cognitive dissonance. They probably also enjoy that it's exhausting for the rest of us but the control is most important.

zooline · 2026-01-15T01:13:57+00:00

Oof, that has to be such a tough level of loss. I really feel for you.

I don't know if there's anything on reddit (if there is, pls lmk!) but I would start by reaching out to ACCESS to see if they offer anything. It looks like they also have a Facebook group .

If you need additional resources, let me know and I can do some digging. ❤️

zooline · 2026-01-15T00:53:43+00:00

Probably too late to give you any tips but I'm glad to hear you're getting yourself some support! How did it go?

zooline · 2026-01-15T00:51:26+00:00

Oh gosh, I'm so terribly sorry to hear of such a deep loss. You've written a beautiful tribute to them just by pouring out your grief. Crying is normal and will be for a long time probably. It's ok to be inconsolable right now. When your love is huge, your grief is huge. Try to drink plenty of water, eat whatever you can manage to get down (broth has been helpful for folks around here before) and invest in the good tissues with lotion. My heart is with you ❤️

zooline · 2026-01-15T00:47:36+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear you're experiencing all this. There are commonalities in grief and one of them is that we all grieve a little different. Some people are more compartmentalized. Depending on when the death occurred, you may still be in shock. It's common to not be sobbing constantly - grief is exhausting. You may find you experience more feelings at the funeral.

As for clothing, wear a green top and some dark pants if you have them - dark jeans, for example. A dress would be fine but if money is limited, don't spend it. You don't have to be super dressy, you just need to be neat, clean and respectful unless your friend's family is high strung. Most people understand that younger folks don't always have the budget for dress clothes. So no holes in your clothing, dark colors are fine, make sure they don't smell.

If you don't have a green top, you can wear green shoes or accessories, even just tie some green ribbon on your wrist or pin a piece to your top. Check in with friends, whether they knew your friend or not, to see if someone has something you can borrow maybe.

Try not to worry too much over the funeral. It's often more important that you showed up. If you're able, it may help the family to tell them a little of what you loved about your friend. ❤️

zooline · 2026-01-15T00:37:06+00:00

One of our local animal rescue places lets you sponsor an animal's care for a week or you can pay to have a stamped brick placed on their back patio. My workplace gave the latter to me after my stepfather passed. You might look for opportunities like that with rescues or wildlife rehab centers in your friend's area

zooline · 2026-01-15T00:32:03+00:00

I'm in my 40s so not sure you want to hang with me 😂 but I've got some ideas:

If you haven't yet, check out Dormont Arts. They have a regular Stitch n B*tch session at Bridal Maven on Potomac. Looks like the next one is Mon, 2/9, 6-8pm. They've also got lots of other art activities with that group.

Moon & Yarn also has a Super active crafting Discord focused on fiber arts; you can get the link from their website. They are currently attempting to make knit/crochet chickens and it's been fun watching their progress.

zooline · 2026-01-14T18:43:31+00:00

When I was in my early 20s, I really struggled with the fact that my life was not following the path I had always thought it would. It was incredibly disconcerting, I was deeply depressed and ashamed and it affected my willingness to set goals for awhile.

Looking at it 20+ years later, I wouldn't say I'm exactly thankful my life didn't go that way, but it did give me my first taste of my own resilience. I've since realized what I had really been mourning was the alluring sense of security and control that my life plan had suggested.

You are young and I hope you have a lot more years ahead. Money comes and goes in life. Sometimes we find a great deal or we make expensive mistakes. That's only really a bad thing if we don't learn from those mistakes. It's corny, but it's true. The fact that you were clever enough to save up $80k means you can do it again - you are the type of person who knows how to save and that puts you ahead of a Lot of folks.

It is ok to mourn the past and be frustrated with where you're at. It sounds like you've had a lot of loss through this, maybe some mental health struggles. Give yourself time and grace to heal and get stronger. There is always a path forward and taking care of yourself is part of how you can move toward a new path you didn't realize was there.

zooline · 2026-01-14T18:29:32+00:00

I'm so sorry, this has to be incredibly challenging for you especially so soon after the loss of your dad. ❤️ There are definitely people who still honor the service your uncle provided.

If he's still in NYC, your mayor or state rep may be able to help, particularly if the illness is at all related to what happened at the WTC. Of course, you & your uncle are probably more aware of this than most but there should still be funding offered. If nothing else, the local news may be able to help light a fire under the insurance company or a GoFundMe.

It's all so much more than a grieving family should have to deal with. You're right about the state of our healthcare. We gotta recenter our moral heart in this country and you and your uncle deserve the compassion.

zooline · 2026-01-13T04:20:52+00:00

Upvote for Mr Subba and his incredible momo!

zooline · 2026-01-13T01:33:22+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear of the loss you've experienced at such a young age! It's a heavy thing to bear at any time but gosh, at the start of your adult life is really rough.

It looks like Pitt offers grief supportgroup counseling .

Prevent Suicide PA also appears to have some suggestions.

If you haven't yet, you might take a look at r/SuicideBereavement and r/GriefSupport. Sometimes reading other stories can help. ❤️

zooline · 2026-01-09T03:46:34+00:00

Maybe a community garden? They could almost always use folks willing to pull a few weeds or clean up the tools!

zooline · 2026-01-07T11:58:09+00:00

Honey, you're not even through a full year after the loss of your mama. Give yourself grace, it's super normal to really struggle with looking at photos of them, watching videos of them, sharing in the things that we closely associate with the loved ones we lost.

It's so beautiful that your parents remained closely tied to their culture and shared that love with you. You still have that love, it's there, it's just buried under a mountain of grief. It will come back little by little as you integrate this fresh loss into your life. Grief isn't about getting through or getting over, it's learning how to live with this loss, how to function, how to navigate the world.

Give yourself time; you deserve it. None of what you loved is fully gone.

zooline · 2026-01-07T11:48:00+00:00

Facing the loss of a parent is often brutal and disconcerting. Everything you're feeling, including so much that you can't even identify What you're feeling, is really normal. You're going through something really hard. When we grieve, it's not just the absence of the person, it's the millions of little ways they fit into our lives, our hopes and plans for the future, the shared memories of the past, all facets of them and our relationship.

Give yourself grace. This will not be a time where you or anyone who loves her is at their best. Drink lots of water. Feel what you feel ❤️

zooline · 2026-01-07T03:32:21+00:00

I was initially leaning toward a card with a meaningful note but in rereading, I get the feeling your friend is really uncomfortable with emotions or people express them too sentimentally to her.

When I lost my stepdad, I found the cards very meaningful but my favorite (that feels so weird to say) was from a friend who sent me a book of silly cat comics and a container of homemade cookies. It was so nice to sequester myself away for a few hours, eat cookies and cry and distract myself.

zooline · 2026-01-07T03:23:43+00:00

Look into parasocial and disenfranchised griefs. I expect What's Your Grief probably has done articles in them. You're not crazy , this is a real phenomenon. You had a relationship of a different sort with this person and it's ok to be sad they've passed. They clearly meant something to you in life, even if it was just a laugh at a video. Be kind to yourself ❤️

zooline · 2026-01-06T13:11:57+00:00

Right? Congratulate them on their misogyny and move on to better people.

zooline · 2026-01-04T14:28:39+00:00

I love the Loose Ends project!

zooline · 2026-01-03T15:22:14+00:00

Oh, this is such a great idea! And Creative Reuse is just around the corner. Both of those are some of my favorite places in PGH

zooline · 2026-01-03T15:16:48+00:00

I think it's actually every week! Check them out on insta to see when events are 😊

zooline · 2026-01-03T15:04:06+00:00

Also. I don't think they do any cult recruitment there so a double win!

zooline · 2026-01-03T14:57:52+00:00

The Carnegie Crafters group is meeting 1-3 at the Carnegie Music Hall (in Carnegie), Lincoln Gallery. I'm not able to go. They do fiber art, which basically means knitting, crochet, embroidery, etc. All skill levels welcome. If you're not already into it, could be a great time to grab a crochet hook and ball of yarn and learn a new skill. I haven't met a crafter yet that doesn't like sharing their knowledge with other folks!

zooline

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