Not long ago, I made this blanket for Kid 2. It was made with Stylecraft DK yarn. I don't really care for acrylic normally. If you ever felt a skein of Red Heart, it's rough and scratchy and it kills my hands. But Stylecraft, although it is acrylic, is buttery soft, cloud-like, and shiny, and
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Popeye Turkey
Normally we don't do posts on Saturday, but US Thanksgiving is right around the corner and this is time sensitive. Every Thanksgiving, we get a Cajun turkey from Popeyes. It is cooked and requires thawing and then warming up in the oven. The turkey is delicious and moist and saves us a lot of
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63 Squares
How it started: How it was going: How it is: 2 months, 63 squares, two unravelings because of the poor joining decisions, 8 balls of yarn imported from UK. Kid 2, showing her new blanket to her boyfriend: This is my mother's love. Mmm, so soft. Worth it.
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Signs of Life
Dina: Welcome, everyone. Please help yourself to the tea and cookies. Curran: Question - why are these cookies shaped like little beer barrels? Dina: Our chef watched a documentary on St. Bernard dogs who rescue people from avalanches. Apparently there is an urban legend of them carrying small
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The Irony
On the phone with Jeaniene Frost Me: I haven't done anything for a whole week. J: I hear you. Dragoncon was a lot. Me: I might take the next week off too. J: This is so unlike you. I'm starting the new project next week. Me: But why? J: List of reasons that make sense. Me: No,
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“Potato” for Dessert
I'm having one of those days. Actually it has been one of those weeks. I didn't even know what day today was - I just checked, it's Wednesday. How? One of the worst things about copyedits is that it requires you to make a chain of instant decisions. Replace this word or not. Clarify this sentence
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Food, It’s Complicated, Actually
Happy Monday! Huge thank you to Mod R for a week of awesome posts. It's a beautiful, although overcast day. I have a mountain of work ahead of me, all of which needs to be done asap. Good news, I can sit in the chair a bit longer now, and I no longer wince when I try to stretch. We've
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Gmail Newsletter Malware Situation
We know Gmail erroneously flagged the newsletter as malware. Thank you for letting us know. We have made a support ticket with our new newsletter provider. If you are missing our newsletter, please check your spam and whitelist us. Edit from Ilona: Guys, you are killing us with error reports.
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Coastal Magic Con: February 22-25
It's been a very busy Monday, complete with trips to the vet, the pharmacy, art payments, and other things. Gordon and I will be joining Jeaniene Frost at Coastal Magic Con on February 22-25. It's a small casual con in Daytona. The schedule is still being adjusted but right now it looks
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AI Usage
Instead of finishing Roman's chapter, we, unfortunately, have to address concerns about the AI usage. The Sanctuary chapter will be posted in an hour or two. Final Cover of Magic Gifts audio book. Images used: I put the cover together in Photoshop. It is a composite of the three
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Call Mom
Having finished the final pass at Maggie on Thursday, I took the weekend off to play Satisfactory, an old favorite game. I had my phone on silent while playing. I walked away to get some evening decaff and when I came back, I saw Kid 2 called. I checked the family group chat. Kid 2 is in grey
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Kid 2’s Cardigan
I made a simple shrug for Kid 1 before Christmas, and when Kid 2 saw it, the first thing she said was, "Where is mine?" Here is hers. I wanted a kind of rustic look, because of the yarn colors. A slightly modern take on patchwork. The pattern is available free on Ravelry and here, on
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