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A collection of 520 issues

Back and forwards: 2014 resolutions.

I knit thirteen hats this year. Wasn't intending to make 2013 the year of the hat, but when you have a small amount of yarn, a hat is a good project. One of the hats was made with my first 3-ply handspun yarn, a deep red Falklands

Drawing class

I've been taking a weekly class at the St Louis Artist's Guild (acronym SLAG, which makes me giggle) and the teacher, David Zamudio, has been gently working us towards drawing an actual human. Prior lessons focussed on spheres and cubes, working on shading and accuracy, this

Accomplished: 3rd degree brown belt

Four years, two months, and one day, that's how long it took me to get my third degree brown belt in Chinese Kenpo from Tracy's Karate. My first lesson was on Monday 17th November 2008, I got my brown belt on Friday 18th January 2013. That

New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge

I don't normally make extensive New Year's resolutions, beyond my annual "I will not stab anyone in [insert year here]." I borrowed that one from Rachel Herron in 2010 and it is a worthy goal worth re-committing to each year (I never resolve

Ink sampling

I've been sampling various combinations of ink and fountain pens. It's a huge surpise how different pens with the same ink give wildly different results. Using my TWSBI 540 pen with Noodler's Black Swan in Australian Roses ink gives a nice even burgundy line.

Tools at hand

It's not often I get someone ask me to knit for them. At Sunday brunch, Trenton asked for a beanie in brown or off-white. I happened to have a tape measure with me to measure his head, and I picked up some yarn I've been

Dear Politicians

This is as political as I will get, and it nicely sums up my views: The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages

Portland, Oregon

We'd wanted to visit Powell's for years, the worlds largest bookstore. It takes up a whole city block, I lost Paul a couple of times in the red and purple rooms (each the size of a major bookstore) and it was wonderfully relaxing to have nothing

Introducing Albion's Forge!

My Etsy store is now open: Albion's Forge. I am selling ThinkMats, pieces of rubber chainmail you can fiddle with, stretch, jingle, scrunch, rattle, and ponder. If you're a natural fidget, this might be for you. If you're surrounded by natural fidgets, having these

Under the radar

Between the secret swap gift and some long-delayed half-finished projects, it's gone a bit quiet around here, but I have been working on a few things: There's some chocolate cherry Finn wool on my spinning wheel that is almost done, I need to spin

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