I am back from yet another cardio test, this one involving nitroglycerin – ugh, beta blockers – meh, and contrast dye injected into me – never again if I can at all help it. I am so behind on everything. If you are waiting on an email from me, you may want to resend and CC ModR on it, because I don’t know what’s going on anymore.
Seriously, the test was ordered in April, then they lost the paperwork, then they scheduled it, then they rescheduled it, then they rescheduled it again because “central booking doesn’t know anything and I book appointments for Imaging, and we have no availability.” Twelve weeks from order to actual test. Blergh.
I stressed out so much, it killed an entire week of writing. We’ll have to rewrite post ER scene, because I was feeling sorry for myself and it’s all “woe is me, I have the sads.” And I couldn’t work yesterday because not only the test and driving into Austin took forever, but all of that blood vessel dilating + no caffeine gave me a raging migraine, which I never get.
::hugs her vanilla black tea::
On top of that, the tank top I was knitting for one of the girls is too wide. How? The gauge is right and it’s extra small size. I should have ribbed the damn thing.
And the purse I crocheted is too floppy. I think I might need to insert something into hem to make it less floppy because it just flops when you try to lift it by the handles, which means I will have to line it, which means I will have to break out the sewing machine, which means I have to prep for war and gird my loins. Maybe I can handsaw the lining? And I need to figure out what stiff material to line it with because it can’t be cardboard, since the whole point of a ribbon purse is that you can wash it.
So grumpy. Very, very grumpy.
Grumpy.
Let’s talk about something more fun. Is anyone playing Genshin Impact and if you are, how do you like it?
Huh. I can be first. Sad times happen. Maybe listen to cheery music?
Bad Idea. We Do Not Want The Authorlords To Start Shooting Their I-Pods.
Sorry to hear that, sometimes life just goes wrong 🙁
Well no I haven’t been playing Genshin Impact, but I’ve been playing breath of the wild zelda mostly…. heard it’s pretty similar though. I’m very curious to try Genshin Impact. Just don’t have the time to get obsessed with a new game lol
You may be able to get away with interfacing and a lighter fabric that can get washed if you don’t mind ironing. And if it’s a purse, you could absolutely hand sew to avoid the sewing machine.
Sympathies on the hospital stuff, that is always hard. Hopefully you get helpful information that will not require any any follow up contact dye again. Thinking of you.
May the sads and stresses melt away easily.
Here’s something that made me so happy: Little free yarn libraries are popping up all over town! I already love all the little free book libraries and toy libraries and art libraries, so I’m especially excited about these ????
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/got-under-loved-fibre-arts-supplies-need-some-yarn-libraries-are-popping-up-around-lower-mainland
Thanks Claudia – I live in the Vancouver area and had no ideas about the yarn libraries. And there’s one close to me too!
You’re welcome, Michelle!
Thank you! This may be handy.
You’re welcome, Caryn!
You can definitely hand-sew the lining. If you weren’t going to wash the purse, I’d suggest fabric glue instead. It’s amazing what you can do without needle and thread.
What about a washable interfacing? Or would that not be sturdy enough? OR use cardboard, but wrap it in packaging tape so it’s sorta waterproof?
Or maybe a piece of plastic canvas, with the edges wrapped?
That is a good idea. You could even add a couple “pockets” that way.
I was going to suggest the interfacing too, or any kind of thicker material like canvas or home decor fabric of some sort.
For something stiffer – you know those cheap and bendy (almost floppy) 3-ring binders that they sell? The plastic of those binder covers should be thin enough to cut easily with scissors and maybe that could work. There’s a chance that the plastic would warp when washed at high temperatures, but since it’s a hand crocheted purse you’d probably wash it gently anyway.
I hope your day gets better, maybe bake something?
Well I haven’t tried genshin Impact yet but I’ll look for it on GamePass, I’m currently playing Dragon Quest IV: definitive edition which isn’t half bad considering that revamped it a litte.
Ooh is that any good? I’m playing Skyward Sword and it’s wonderful, but I haven’t played DQIV in ages. Since I last broke out the 3DS for it. (I adore Dragon Quest).
Wow! I’m what? 5th?
All the way from South Africa! I love reading your blog every day. Your lives are so much more interesting – so what does that really say about mine right 🙂
I don’t know much about games so sorry, can’t help there.
I*’ve been just about climbing the walls with cabin fever as we’re in another lockdown – this is week 4. Luckily, I can read your daily blog – so thank you for that
Sorry to hear it’s been rough! Hope you’ll be able to find something to help you escape the slumps. Sorry, don’t play that one, no funny stories there. I got to finally actually sit down with a book today for an hour or so, that kinda helped me but that won’t work for everyone ????
You could try some plastic cut out from a milk bottle or a box of salad greens. That’s worked for me in the past.
My aunt has had good luck with sewing flexible ‘boning’ – like you’d use for a corset or structured bodice – into the seams of bags; it creates a sort of ‘frame’ that she thinks works pretty well, and it comes in a bunch of different thicknesses/firmnesses. If she’s retrofitting it into a bag (it was too floppy), she sandwitches it between two pieces of fabric, puts a seam down each side and sews both seams to the seam she’s re-enforcing.
I haven’t yet played Genshin Impact. Since it’s very much inspired by/based on the gameplay style of Zelda Breath of the Wild, I was waiting for it to come to the Switch, which…who knows when that will be, I guess? But it looks really good, and I can say that Breath of the Wild was a fantastic game, and so was Fenyx Immortal Rising, another BotW clone-style game that managed to stand on its own (and really benefited from the ongoing commentary between Zeus and Prometheus. They were hilarious and it was a fantastic romp through Greek myth.)
I will say that BotW and its clones are a unique RPG experience. BUT I say that as someone who plays largely Western RPGs and am not really into most JRPGS. But I loved the above mentioned, as well as Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which is less RPG and more strategy.
So my vote would be to go for it. Genshin has great reviews and I may just get it for
Playstation since the Switch version seems stuck in development hell right now.
P.S. I’m currently deep into Mass Effect Legendary Edition. If you never played the ME trilogy, it is an absolutely fantastic remaster. If you DID play the original, the remaster is nostalgic and beautiful.
You can go to your local craft store and get a couple of sheets of plastic needlepoint “canvas”. It’s the stuff that forms the base of needlepoint Christmas villages. It’s washable, even in the machine, it holds its shape and cheap. The interfacing won’t hold its stiffness for long under use.
Of course you can hand sew it in. That’s how I always fabric line or inset a zipper in my knits. Listen, if you are really desperate, email me, and I will do it for you.
About the tank top. Are you knitting to gauge? Did you measure it? I don’t mean you to feel like I am talking to you like a child, but it’s the#1 thing in knitting that bombs. (Credentials: I have been knitting for over 50 years and teaching for 30 years.)
Best wishes,
Dawn Page
OMG Dawn, you are a super genius. Plastic canvas. Why didn’t I think of that.
I knitted to gauge and I measured the knitting. I did not measure the kid. That’s where my issue was. :sigh:
Plastic canvas was my first thought as well. There are also sew-in interfacings that are fairly stiff that might work. And edging the seams with plastic boning is an option.
A cotton lawn lining hand-sewn into the bag isn’t a bad idea anyway. It will keep stuff from getting caught in the threads of the bag.
I never learned to knit, but love to sew.
I saw a purse insert for sale a while back; you keep all your essentials in it, and you can take the insert out of one purse and put it in another, making it MUCH easier to switch purses. It was fabric covered, and had some sort of a sturdy insert to keep it’s shape. Rather than buying one, that plastic canvas was what I thought of to make my own.
Not that I’ve done it yet, but….
Heh. That’s where I start. Measure the person, write it on the pattern schematic then knit a swatch, and calculate. Well, okay, knit the swatch and ask the person if they like the fabric. If yes, proceed.
I was wondering which you had forgot to measure: wearer or pattern as you said you got gauge (without specifying row or stitch)
Make sure you round the cut edges of the plastic canvas otherwise it will start abrading your fabric.
So, about the knitting… would running a few rounds of ribbon or elastic to cinch it in (a bit like smocking) be possible? Or steeking and sewing it back together smaller? (I’d frog it but then I’m a miser and would want to reuse the yarn again. I have time. )
rather than sewing the plastic canvas, could you velcro it in and remove during washing?
The first thing I’d try is stuffing the bag with whatever is going to live in it on the regular. Maybe the bag doesn’t actually need any additional support…?
If it really does need lining, I’d vote for interfaced cotton (my go-to for lining fabric bags is Pellon Decor Bond), stitched into a tube and with the hems tucked under & stitched. I’d totally hand stitch it to the bag. Is the bag going to be washed often or just once in a blue moon?
My concern about the plastic canvas is that the bag won’t look “soft” when it’s finished, which is what I expect out of an object that’s been knitted or crocheted. But obviously if the floppiness is bugging the snot out of you, which it sounds like it is, then either the canvas or some kind of boning is probably the way to go.
Looking forward to seeing the WIPs once they’re FOs. Good luck!!
Absolutely! I know I crapped out on a knitting project when the sweater either swallows the wearer whole or mimicking a tourniquet. It’s always gauge with me. I ALWAYS hv to go up a needle sz and/or sweater size to make gauge, never fails. It doesn’t help when yarn producers start screwing around with yarn weights either.
But I agree Ilona, those knitted Tees, tanks, shells never look good to me without some type of ribbing or Icord bind off, just something to give the shape more definition.
I tried Genshin Impact when it first came out, but then the gotcha mechanics became clear and I stopped. I’m very susceptible to gotta collect them all no matter the cost.
The gatcha mechanic was kind of a game killer for me too. Don’t get me wrong, the game is great, beautiful design and solid controls, but I’m a control freak and want things just so (one of the reasons I like games, your skill determines the control you have over the environment). The fact that I want this one piece of equipment or weapon but have no control over acquiring it other than praying for a lucky drop… I’d rather buy a game where either all the content is available with the game or as a microtransaction purchase.
It could be worse. Mercury could be in retrograde too….
The new Genshin Impact update is amazing. Highly recommend!
For the purse, try a drop in bag liner, before you go to the trouble of lining your ribbon bag. They come in various sizes, and can be moved from bag to bag when you change purses.
Can’t find the ones I bought. They were black & sized using bra cup sizes. (A, B, C & D is how I recall them.)
Hand sew a cotton lining with a fused Interfacing. It’ll be washable and have body.
I wanted to try Genshin Impact bc it’s so gorgeous, but months ago I read reporting on fan complaints that the characters are portrayed in colorist and xenophobic ways, i.e. the villains are the darker characters and one of the party characters is portrayed in a gross stereotypical way. I’d love to hear what you think of it from a player standpoint.
For the purse, if color show-through is an issue, you could use a colored felt instead of interfacing, but you’ll still want a woven lining because keys and such would shred the felt over time. I like to handwash my fabric purses with Eucalan, because it doesn’t require a rinse. (To paraphrase, I wash Everything in that stuff.) Put in in the washer on spin only, and hang it up or lay flat to dry
I’m sorry you had to deal with all that its already stressful to get testing but for it to be more complicated doesn’t help.
I don’t have a fun story for you but I do have funny story for you ????.
So we were coming back from our vacation in New Braunfels a few weeks ago and had to stop through Brownwood to get my mother in laws boat so my husband could fix it for her. Well on the way home we blew a tire and we’re on the side of the road late at night and it was super dark because it was between Cross Plains and Abilene and there are no lights that way. Anyway my husband is having to get the tire off and cut the fender off the trailer because it destroyed it when it blew. So I’m standing out there with the flashlight on my phone so he could see what he was doing and of course I’m looking for snakes because it’s Texas. About 10 minutes later I’m not paying much attention anymore just looking at the stars and holding the light and my husband very calmly says snake and I looked down and right behind me is a snake. So I of course ran screaming and jumped in the back of the truck while my husband is rolling on the ground trying to catch his breath. My mother in law pulled up about that same time to bring us another tire and she goes and looks at it and says oh it’s a little thing then a state trooper pulled up to check on us and he started laughing when my husband told him what happened. What’s even worse is my husband saw the snake coming from behind the trailer while he was cutting the fender and it went under the trailer and then right between us and he didn’t say anything until it was behind me thinking that I wouldn’t freak out. Yeah so my husband still chuckles when he thinks about it.
Hope you have a better day today!
????
Your doctors need a letter from your Readers:
Dear Doctors of Ilona Andrew’s
This lady is very important! She keeps a lot of sick people (and others) going with her Books. You need to take very good care of her and not stress her out!
Heard and witnessed!
There are many stiffening liners available…check out JoAnn Fabrics online. Just a thought for your handbag. Sorry for your crappy day/week!! <3
Wishing you a much better day and all the vanilla black tea in the world.
“I am back from yet another cardio test, this one involving nitroglycerin”
I read this and think “what is the test? How fast you can run away from a dynamite explosion?”
Sympathies on the gauge issues. I knit my first sweater, the gauge and measurements were spot on. Found out after buying more yarn and finishing, the designer never test knit the larger bust sizes. It was a tent. I was so crushed I swore off sweaters for 5 years!
I second iron on interfacing for a cloth lining. The plastic canvas is a brilliant idea. You could even just whip stitch the cloth to the plastic canvas so it could be pulled out and washed when something inevitably leaks. :). I’m not much of a hand sewer but I have done small bag linings. I’ve found putting in a tacking stitch every so often helps the seams stay together.
Best of luck!!!
I read that as “anyone playing Gershwin?” and I wondered which tune would work to improve a bad mood. Maybe Rhapsody in Blue? Or a show tune? Someone to Watch Over me?
A game makes a bit more sense.
Maybe starch the purse instead?
You have what is known in my house as the woeful-awfuls. And deservedly so; that damn dye stings like hellfire in my experience, even when they say they’re doing it right.
Your work will still be there tomorrow. Spend the afternoon in total indulgence: read or watch total trashy, but satisfying TV/books/games. Make lunch something decadent AND eat dessert. Yes, at lunch.
Or whatever. You are in need of self-care and this is war.
I am playing obey me right now and it amuses me a great deal
For lining, you could try a washable buckram for shape and rigidity. It could probably be handsewn.
For Genshin, I have been playing since the week after launch. My 12 yo wanted to play at launch after watching a streamer, but soon gave up. My husband and I both have continued to play. It is a light open-world RPG. By design, it is really made to play for only a few hours a day or you’ll exhaust content quickly and always be waiting for the next patch (which is what happened to me because I am used to fully immersing myself into an RPG for far too many hours a day/week than I should).
There are puzzles, there are mini-games, there are daily quests, big quests, and now there is a base-building feature where you can design your town and decorate your home. Every week or so there is a new event with new materials to gather. It can get very grindy, depending on your playstyle, or can be a light and fluffy game.
Awwww, I wish I could just reach out and give you a big hug! Or maybe a homemade cupcake, that always works. Here is a virtual cupcake for you????. Feel better…the BDH is sad when you’re sad! ☹️
Ugh on the doctor stuff. Sorry.
On the handbag – that’s what I do for fun. JoAnn’s would have Peltex, which is washable. It’s a stiff interfacing. With time, it likely would break down a bit and be not as stiff, but it would take awhile. Another option at JoAnn’s would be Pellon 526 (Decovil Heavy) – it’s fusible, stiff, and washable. It’s normally in the precut/prepackaged interfacing section.
The plastic canvas you could actually make as a removable insert that just sits in the bottom of your bag, and then could be removed. (Actually you could do this with just about any of the options.) Just cover it in fabric, stick inside bag, stiff bottom.
I feel your pain. I had chest pains at the end of last year. 2 months to get an appointment with a cardiologist; 2 months wait to get testing; another 2 months until follow up to confirm everything is good. Back to GP to get next referral & another 2 month wait to see gastroenterologist, now scheduled for August. Do you thing I’m being an optimist to expect to know the problem by the end of the year?
(Cardiologist checked my chest muscles & it’s now official – he told me I had large breasts. So nice to have medical confirmation.)
????♀️????
I’m so sorry for the cardio issues, hope you have answers and a battle plan soon.
As another epic chesticles owner, totally snorted at the confirmation 😀
I like the mildly chiding way that doctors tell you that your large breasts are causing your back strain as if having large breasts is a problem that you caused. Right.
You have my sympathies, and THANKS for the ammunition against my cardiologists! They are convinced if they test enough they will find heart problems.. I keep telling them that I have arthritis/chostocondritis…but since I am not a doctor they ignore me. I never would have thought of large breasts!
Oh no! Hope you’re feeling better soon! There are some fairly stiff/heavy duty fusible interfaces made for lining things. Maybe that would work? You can get them in fairly small rolls too. Fused to some linen or other suitable fabric? Or maybe even a bit of sturdy upholstery fabric or canvas? Just an idea.
Again, hope you feel better soon!
“Woe is me, I have the sads.” Hahaha so funny! I love the Meme-English we’re using now, like “adulting.”
Being a non-native English speaker, every time I’m about to go home to Mexico to visit my family, my brain starts doing this sneaky underhanded switch to Spanish, and all of a sudden I’m having trouble speaking in English at times which makes me look stupid, and I deal with the public a lot.
So my new catchphrase is “I’m sorry, I’m not Englishing today.”
LOL. I’m getting older and starting to do that thing where I can’t find the word I’m looking for (gah!). I’m going to start using your phrase when that happens :). “I’m not English in just now…”
As a native English speaker when words fail me I let people know “I cannot brain”. Usually they understand.
Yikes! Please take it easy on yourself.
On a happy note Jessie Milhalik has Chapter 1 of her upcoming new book, Hunt the Stars, out on her website under the Book category. Also, the cover is fabulous. ????
No help with gaming. I left video gaming a long time ago.
Ooohhhh! Thanks for the heads up on her new book!!!
Also, Connie Suttle’s book, “The Dragon and Mrs.Muir”, is an homage to K-dramas.
I don’t watch K-drama, but I love the book. (Working on a re-read at this point)
I recommend it, and a sequel is planned.
Sneaky play on “the Ghost and Mrs. Muir” movie is appreciated!
You have a right to feel grumpy now and then. I have a lot of health issues and really sympathise with you. I go to my happy foods when I feel grumpy. Sending you hugs and best wishes ????
I am a quilter and what we use when we make bags, purses, rugs, etc. is a product called Bosal. It is firm yet still soft and can be sewn through. Most quilt stores have it. Hope everything else works out for you.
Doh. I forgot about Bosal.
Haven’t read thru the comments, but, you can get cheap placemats at the dollar tree and cut to fit the pocket book support. Even use a hole punch on the pieces to hold in place.
Timtex is washable. It’s very stiff though, maybe too stiff. I’ve used it in the bottom of cloth bags. Fleece might give you enough body.
A piece of cardboard covered in washi tape and fitted to the bottom of your bag will give ie stability and once the bag has contents it will not flop.
Re the tank top can you pick up enough stitches from the hem to knit a rib or crochet a lace hem to draw the top in a bit. You can also seam the sides to bring the width in then cut into the excess and weave the cut threads together.
Maybe muslin for the lining? I inherited my grandmother’s sewing machine, because she wanted me to have it, but I have no idea how to use it! I was thinking eventually I might get my neighbor to teach me …
I am so sorry for the stress. I’m not much of a gamer… lol but my daughter and husband got a lot of laughs out of plants v zombies on Xbox the other night…. It is pretty funny, I watch until I get seasick from the POV
Enjoy your tea ????
I’m sorry about your test experience. I’m sure that wasn’t much fun at all.
I’ve used plastic needlepoint canvas successfully as a stiffener.
I hope the rest of your day is full of happiness and less stress.
I’m not usually a gamer but Genshin has sucked me in. I like it a lot and just exploring is a lot of fun
What vanilla black tea do you like? My fave is Vanilla Almond from Republic of Tea.
I’ve been playing Genshin Impact since last year. It is awesome, especially with the newest update. There are deep lores. The characters are incredible. The areas are beautiful. The challenges are fun. The graphics are truly amazing. Money is not a requirement to play and enjoy, but there are a people who spend.
I recommend watching the different character demos in their youtube channel. They’re worth checking out. They’re not too long, maybe around 2-3 minutes each?
Sorry for the appointment, it happened to my brother too: they blame every mixup on C-ovid now.
If you have to line the purse, there are cotton fusible interlinings of various thickness you could choose from (the thicker ones are used for shaping collars, I use it for corsets).
If you think just reinforcing the border would suffice, maybe knitting it around a rope?
Plastic canvas works great as a purse liner. If you go the lining route you could also use some foam stabilizer that’s iron on.
Just some thoughts.
Hoping you can relax soon.
Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator, not a beta blocker, although you might have received either or both. Sorry for your migraine, nitroglycerin can give you a bad headache. Hydration and caffeine help.
Hey Faith,
Ilona was making an enumeration :), hence the commas between the listings, not saying that nitro-glycerine is a beta blocker.
“nitroglycerin – ugh
beta blockers – meh
contrast dye injected into me – never again if I can at all help it”
Yes to genshin! Love the game, hate the wish system. RNG is RNG and it either loves you or hates you. There is no in-between. The combat, story, world, etc is really nice. They have regular events which is good. The only downside is getting new playable characters. Those are gotten via the Wish system, which is basically a Gacha. At least they have guaranteed pity wins (10 pulls for a 4*, 80-90 pulls for a 5*).
You can earn the wish currency in game which is great if you prefer to be a Free-to-play player.
No Grumpyness Crafting maked everything better. My mom has taken up Quilting recently and purses are her new fav thing. I got her this really cool thing called “Therm O Web Heat’n Bond Q2465 Non-Woven Craft Fusible material off of Amazon. This stuff is amazing! It stiffens up the sides of the purese so it does not fall in on itself and the BEST part… you iron it on, so NO Sewing and it can be machine washable. I recomend looking into this.
Sending Huggs for your hard week 🙂
~Beth
Ideas to ease the stress of fabric insert for the purse. Lay purse down on your cut board with the measurements on it. Take photo of purse to show size. Go to fabric/craft store. Find the lady at the cutting table that knows magic things. Tell her your problem and she will find the perfect fabric. Take it home, lay purse on it, cut around the shape. Sew a seam around the shape. Turn it inside out so the seam is on the outside and hand sew it into the purse.
I had to do this for a lovely mesh summer purse that kept spitting out pens. I picked a really nice flowered pattern and beige fabric. Flowers inside with light beige outside so that the mesh had a nice light insert but inside I had happy sunflowers that made me smile.
So very sorry for your imaging pain. Contrast is the devil I don’t care what anyone says and I am a Nurse. Hope all turns out well for you, rest, relax and know that your fans support you even on your bad days.
L’Cena in Texas
Re: purse stiffener — Stiff Stuf or Peltex are sew-in Pellon-type stiffeners for making purses and other washable projects. Would still have to use fabric on each side, though. An alternative I’m using for purses I crocheted for my daughters is plain white double-sided quilted fabric. I plan to make life easier on myself and bind the edges with double-fold bias tape so the batting doesn’t stick out. Hope you are able to de-stress enough soon to think it through and maybe even enjoy getting a project done (enough of a rarity in my house that it’s a cause for celebration, lol).
Hope you get to feeling better. I hate that dang dye! I have a CT scan today and I’m seriously hoping to avoid injections.
I have the game downloaded but I haven’t started! I shall use this as impetus to begin.
A weird thing I used when I was doing purses made from old clothing (lol the 2000s) was to get milk jugs and cut them down. The plastic is thin, sturdy and flexible. Plus, recycling!
Best of luck, Amber!
Well, crummy buttons…would that I could fix it all for you…where is a magic wand when you need one…all I can say is “soldier on” and we’re supporting you as best we can!
Commiserating,have Cardiologist visit today a 2 pm
Woke with migraine and not lack of caffeine, I have had to go of that 20 years ago, as it increases my super ventricular Tachycardia…
Once this Razitriptan med hits -in I am having a ride on my gray Andalusian , who tells me I need to loose 20 lbs, thanks…horse…
I will say when you are back up to feeling better, your writing gives me great delight , over and over…so you-have made my declining years better and pain wise I mostly suck…so as I strive to come to terms to the fact my baking habit must be curbed as its not helping impact my health….my feet hurt so much its like walking on broken glass and lets not even start with having to tape my fingers to hold the reins , aging , and its associated health issues are not for the week minded…
I suggested making a purse. Did you take my suggestion? Oooh, I feel so special. I actually didn’t mind the flopping when I did mine, but I was a pre- or teenager. What did I know?
No advise just sending positive vibes your way and a virtual hug.
for your bag, look at byannie.com for soft and stable and how she uses it, makes bag stiff enough but not too stiff
My daughter and I are playing Genshin Impact and we love it! She plays a bit more than me though, so I need to catch up. ????
Goodness what a day. Take time for you. The tank will rip and reknit. The purse though might be an easier fix. You can cut down a plastic placemat for the bottom structure. It’s waterproof and easy to clean.
I play Genshin Impact, but did not play Zelda because I’m bad at dodging and blocking. I’m still bad at dodging and blocking in Genshin, but there’s plenty of non-combat things to explore.
The skies and clouds are incredible. Just incredible. You could meditate to those clouds, I swear.
The puzzles in the guest two areas range from basic to just-complex-enough-to-not-be-frustrating. I’m finding the newest area’s puzzles to be more challenging, but not yet frustrating.
I treat this as part of my gaming budget, so I pay the MMO tax ($12-15 per month) to support the studio. I’m pretty satisfied with the characters I’ve gotten, but I also have the patience to save for the ones I *really* want to pull. It would be easy to use entirely free characters to get through all of the content, though.
Did I mention the skies are really pretty? You eventually get a teapot pocket-universe of your own to build in, and you can get floating islands!! Dem clouds, yo. Word.
I play Genshin and love it! Updates come every 6 weeks with new content. Has a little bit for everyone between fighting, puzzles, and the housing system. The storylines are interesting, even if some of the daily commissions get a little repetitive. Bonus: you can cross-save between devices now!
Everybody gets to have some grumpy time.
I’m sorry to hear about the headaches (literal and metaphorical) involved with the testing.
I have been playing Genshin Impact, though not as frequently as I would like; I’m on a Mac, so I only get to play when my son comes home from college with his PC laptop. I love the artwork. The characters are fun — so much fun! I struggle with the battles.
The quests are generally well written — except that the most recent update, 2.0, has writing issues with the main character. Implicitly from all the Traveler’s interactions in the previous regions, the Traveler cares about other people quite aside from the Traveler’s main goal of finding their sibling. In this update, the Traveler specifically tells people that they don’t care about their troubles, only about meeting the local archon. It feels like a new writing team, and it’s very frustrating.
Aw, woe is me moments suck. I hope you feel better soon.
In the mean time, may I suggest you watch What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? It’s hilarious how the pretty dude is supremely socially awkward and unaware of it. Park Seo Jun is an amazing actor for keeping his face straight throughout the show.
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim was a blog post of its own here a couple years ago 😉 It’s what got me into Kdramas (still not sure if I should thank anyone for that……)
I’m so sorry to hear about your stress and issues with Knitting/crocheting! You are now in my thoughts on your health. ????
As far as the woes of yarn work!!??? I have a blerg of my own in terms of trying to figure out how to do dpn. Is there some kind of fabric liner you can use in your ribbon bag? Like what’s used in clothing to create crease, etc.
I hope that your stress decreases and your yarn increases!
I had when I have the grumpy’s. Especially when I KNOW I have the grumpy’s, why have the grumpy’s and just, everything makes me grumpy!
Hubby has gotten into the Beta for New World. I’ve been avoiding MMORPG’s for a couple of years and have been THINKING about dipping a toe in, but would rather do it with a NEW game than be a late comer (or returner) for something old. I like how it’s laid out so far so I’m waiting for GA and going to jump back in.
Dawn if your husband has a 3000 series nVidia graphics card he should probably stop playing New World. There have been numerous reports of this specific game killing the latest generation of nVidia graphics cards and the cause has not yet been fully determined.
https://www.pcgamer.com/au/amazon-new-world-killing-rtx-3090-gpus/
Ack on the test. I hope you feel better!
We wish you to become healthy again easily and quickly. Love from Germany
Can you maybe use those plastic strips that hook documents into three ring binders…the ones with holes for the three rings and slots to slide the document into…to provide some internal stability into the purse? Just stitch them in, kind of like boning in a bodice…
Doctor days suck…
I in general don’t play gacha-only or gacha-dominant games because of how they use the way your brain works…aka I don’t have the money to spend and don’t like it when my impulses overrule my rationality! :C It’s a personal thing
On the other hand, I am still playing Love Nikki – new big event coming tomorrow! Playerbase has been wanting it for a long time–it came out on the Chinese server FOUR years ago. Also, since a boycott earlier this year, they’ve been making more dark skintone suits, thank goodness.
try book board, not Davies board. the thinnest you can get and make an inner cover.
Line it with a fabric that will stand up to a hot iron and iron on stabilizer. You will also need a piece of plastic for the base that you can get by taking a sheet of template plastic and cutting it to size. Iron on stabilizer makes the sewing of it all easier. You can usually get it in black so that it won’t look weird behind the crochet.
I KNOW how you feel. I also waited months to get my cardio tests and appts. (Why are they bothering to advertise on TV to go to your cardiologist when they’re already so booked up you literally wait months.) No coffee, all day in tests, no food, and hospitals with masks!! Ugh!! And, they weren’t able to finish my test cause they found something in a last minute scan. And I have to drive an hour for this torture. Add an ER visit in the midst and I’m NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!
THERE! Does misery love company? No! Sigh….I don’t feel better for commiserating.
I’m a bit late to the party, so I have no suggestions for your projects that haven’t already been mentioned.
My condolences on the medical scheduling problems. I have a couple of friends locally who have been having similar issues. I don’t know what to say to them, either.
I hope you are less grumpy soon. Though I do not in the slightest blame you for it.
I’ve made a purse similar to that before. I cut a piece of plastic for the bottom (I think it was a takeout dish, so very stiff) and sewed a fabric cover for it which I left open at one end. It was similar to the removable inserts on reusable shopping bags. That way I didn’t have to line it, and I could still wash and dry the fabric. Good luck, though, on whatever you decide!
Now I am dying to see the purse and tank top. I still think about the gem trees you would knit and how amazing and beautiful they were.
Instead of battling with needle and thread, and depending on how the purse is constructed, snaps might be a neat sew-free way to attach the liner and keep the purse closed. Hard to tell without a picture though. ????
Credentials: Art teacher for over 17 years. We have to problem solve a lot.
Use a piece of stiff canvas for your purse it doesn’t absorb water and won’t lose its shaped when washed. Cardio tests suck but thank you for taking care of your health. I’m a nurse, we love to see proactive medicine instead of heart attacks. Well done you! And Wimberly is a great place for walks. I don’t like nature trails but I enjoy looping a small towns shopping area, it’s good for the heart but feels less like exercise with all of the visual stimulation. Thank you for your brilliant work. Best, Mel
I know that cardiac test and it’s No Fun. Glad it’s over and you have tea. I had a fun work up last week – think clear liquids- and ended up with a migraine too. Caffeine is our friend. Hope every day is a bit better. You know the BDH is sending good vibes your way. Also, I don’t knit or sew and I’m SO impressed with how creative y’all are!
Testing always difficult.There is some weird vortex for appointments so that they are as confusing and irritating as possible. Chocolate and a good book works for me.
You probably already know this, but you might be able to use silk organza as a stiff interface/liner. There’s also cotton organdy that might work. Here’s one from a quick search at etsy, although I usually shop at ebay: https://www.etsy.com/listing/956362591/100-cotton-organdy-fabric-60-stiff-sold?
Your local walmart will have some sort of interface, but it’s usually a very stiff poly and might not wash as well. Some of the organzas might come in different colors so they might blend better with the knit purse–the silk is kind of shiny so it might create a nice look if it is seen! Hemp/silk organza? … Might not be stiff enough. Good luck. I feel that pain of “get out the machine…get it set up…get ready to battle…
All the hugs. ????
Rereading Kate Daniels for the third time {on audio this time] and I am channeling Jim. Cutting to the chase, how did your cardio go?
Heart concerns have to be stressful.
The purse, the blouse thing, these will all be resolved or abandoned.
Believe it or not, there a lot of people you will never meet who are grateful to you and to Gordon for enriching our lives and right now, we think you should put your feet up, grab a cat to cuddle and have a cup of tea or an adult beverage, and to hell with it. Take the time you need and then some more.
We all have days like that. Just sit down, drink some wine and tomorrow will hopefully be a better day.
I like to use panels of plastic canvas for floppy purses. You can totally wash them!
Sorry to hear you have the sads. Lots of great suggestions about knitting fixes above, so I won’t pile on. Looking at yarn usually cheers me up.
Are you familiar with Countess Ablaze (www.countessablaze.com)? She’s based in Manchester, UK (dialect research for book *grins*) and likes to dye non-repeating colorways with sometimes off-color names. Her latest “rebel batch” is named after lunch foods/sandwiches (“egg & cheese”, “chip butty”, “cucumber with the crusts off”, etc.).
I got some of her backhanded compliments collection and can’t wait to knit my “that’s absurd, not everyone hates you!” socks next.
Thank you for the post, Ilona Andrews.
I totally understand your frustrations. Mother is demented, highly allergic to iodine contrast dyes and due to her stents, TIAs and cardiac issues she has to have full cardio work up every 3 years. I am her designated chauffeur and medical interface. Nitro is my friend. When she starts TIAing, I just shove a tablet under her tongue without getting bitten. I have learned to take vacation that whole week as it upheavals everyone’s life.
About the knitting. I shrink everything hand knitted and machine accidentally hand washing and towel drying. It is a gift I am sure as my sibling that knits gets really upset.
No suggestions on purse as mine don’t survive very long between my non human assistants, my vehicularly challenged sibling ….Sorry.
Sorry to hear about your interactions with the Cardiology crew.
Years ago I spent a weekend in Cardiac Intensive Care for “Chest Pains”. My chest hurt at work and when one of the nurses in the Day Surgery I was employed at hooked me up to the EKG to see what was up, it read “just a bit off”. I left work for the walk in clinic and their 12 lead EKG also read “just a bit off”. I was informed that I needed to go straight to the Emergency Room and if I wasn’t willing to drive myself over they’d sit on me (figuratively) and call an ambulance!
I arrived at the ER with the paper strip from the 12 lead EKG and was whisked into a cubicle and attached to another EKG. It once again read “just a bit off”. Next they gave me nitroglycerine tablets. Guess what? It helped a bit!
I was admitted to CICU immediately, once again wired up like an audiophile’s basement and left for 36 hours on the Heart Diet, which is bad enough, but imagine in as hospital food… and No Coffee! There were no discernible changes on my readings and I finally met the on-call Cardiologist who had sent me purgatory. I managed to convince them to begin the testing on that Sunday rather than holding me until TUESDAY and guess what the results were? I had my grandmother’s minor Transmission Error in the Bundle of HIS! It reads “just a bit off” but the heart works fine. I now keep a copy of the last several year’s EKG’s in my bag to forestall a repeat of that misery.
The source of the chest pains? I had pulled an intercostal muscle holding open a cocktail waitress’ so that she could have breast implants installed.
I hope your experience comes out as well eventually.
I line the bottom of my purses with plastic canvas. If you double layer it works really well
Yes, I’m loving Genshin Impact. Not overly far through it yet but so far it’s ace. Characters are awesome and storyline is good
We just heard the Harris County has be downgraded from yellow to orange. Waiting to see if we close again.
For the ribbon purse – consider making a removeable insert. Pull insert out, wash purse, replace insert. You can have shape, contents stay together, purse still washable.
Yeah! What that one said sounds right. Anchor it at the strap(s) with something decorative that ties on and if it is made as three stiff pieces in fabric with seams where the sides meet the bottom and your bag will have shape and you can wash as needed.
Yes tried Genshin Impact, but, somehow, it was very boring for me. Plus I don’t like the idea of having to switch characters during combat. I want one character with a fixed set of skills. I play games to have fun, not to work.
Hope your grumpies go away, and, mostly, what causes them.
Plastic canvas makes a great bag stiffener, especially for just the bottom, and maybe some stays on the sides.
Since I don’t have to pay full price, I plan to check out the new Sims Country Living pack. Since I’m a long term Simmer and I like Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon (but boy do I miss the old ps2 version) this ought to be right up my field 😉
Whenever I am grumpy or in a bad mood, I listen to the Linkin Park song Burn it Down, which incidentally reminds me a lot of post-Shift Atlanta and Kate’s world haha. RIP to Chester Bennington, his raw voice is what makes the song kill. So wish I could have seen them perform while he was alive.
You could add iron on interfacing on the back of the lining fabric to add body
while still being washable. It comes in a range if stiffness.
# # # Live service
I heard Genshin Impact is a live service game with lottery style RNG, and Fear Of Missing Out, mechanics. A freemium business model similar to Pokémon GO ( my wife was part of the original beta test ) and Empires and Puzzles ( my wife has played since v1.2+ )
So I strongly advise only Free 2 Play
Cosmetic, and power up, honey traps built into the business model will easily support the game without you needing to financially contribute
As a small business owner I think it is a brilliant way to rake in cash which pays back investors, buys capital investments and hires high quality talent
# # # RNG/ Paywalls
As a game designer, modder, tabletop RPG GM/ DM, game forum moderator, the thing I hate most is the core tenant “95% of all high level content will be only available to 0.01% of the players”
# # # Ethics
As an student of probability, history and ethics, I realize it is extremely hard – though not impossible- to get super rich without crossing a lot of ethical lines
Highly, profitable Gacha is usually implemented as unethical. Do not get me started on real life landfills and discarded Magic The Gathering basic lands
One gacha costs players $ 68,901+ USD for a 99 out of 100 chance of getting the highly sought after limited time hero Gravemaker. Another gacha costs players $ 19,892+ USD for a 99 out of 100 chance of getting the highly prized, limited time, 100% IV, shiny, Rayquaza. So for every 100 paying players who spend $ 15,000+ USD chasing Gravemaker, or 100% IV shiny Rayquaza, at least one will still fail to get the desired outcome
Ethical business uses of probability – various forms of insurance – are difficult to find. Marry into / join the US military and discover USAA insurance ( avoid the banking ). USAA dividend style insurance used to be significantly more common
# # # Modders
Lately I have gravitated to games that encourage a modder community like Stardew Valley ( currently too poor to make mods for Skyrim or Fallout ). This not only encourages super fans, but hundreds of super fans / modders can prioritize changes, and updates, that are not business friendly but are player friendly
This is similar to right to repair ethics
# # # 100% Content
Lately I have heard Psychonauts 2 has an invincibility mode that intrigues me
100% content available to 100% customers
I love games with super granular difficulty setting
???? I’m sorry for ur troubles. Thanks for sharing both the good and the not-so-good.
I don’t play, so I cant comment on GI.
I’m a Nurse Practitioner. I think it’s time to make someone else grumpy. If you had gotten that kind of service from an auto repair, would you be the only one grumpy? Besides offering to share your experience by hospital name, you might write to the local Google to post a review, or contact the hospital/clinic “Patient Experience Department, or the CEO. Why not? You might mention how many readers you have. Yeah, it’s a threat, but what would Kate do?
Might not help your “grumpy” but I’d be pissed off if I worked there and found out you or anybody got that kind of treatment.
Try fusable interfacing which comes in various weights.
When the preemptive or preventative mastectomy report came back from the pathologist with cancer in it despite 3 mammograms, an MRI, a PET scan CT scan and more all performed by the same radiologist I sent a copy of the pathology report to the radiologist.
When I got zero response I sent a copy to His Boss and the Hospital Board. Even a form letter complimenting me for following my heart and thus saving my own life acknowledging that all of the non-invasive tests are not truly diagnostic would have been enough.
Since the pathologist showed me exactly where the cancer had been on my 9 month old mammogram films, and the next series, and the next…I figured I was at least owed an Attagirl for ignoring the nincompoop!
Earlier, when my health insurance company was trying to talk me out of the necessity of the procedure and asking for the path reports from my father and brother (paternal line 100 percent, plus little sister, Grandma, aunts… Go figure…) I threatened to take out a full page ad in the paper. 2012 was an interesting year.
Sorry about the sads and grumpiness. I get it. Dealing with COVID-Deferred health maintenance appointments that have now become a Big Deal with new rounds of specialist appointments. And no monies – whee!
No games online for me here, beyond basic mahjongg. My son is fixated on SpongeBob video games. It’s actually fun to hear while I work from home.
To decompress, I go out into my garden, where I can listen to the wind in the trees, smell the creek, and enjoy my pretties. Prune a little here, weed a little there, and admire.
I am glad you finally got your tests – I hope they are helpful.
I so know that stress. It sucks when the brain doesn’t want to shut up about worrying on things.
For that purse, cotton duck would be stiff enough I think. It’s definitely washable and is the common thing for making those canvas bags that always get printed up with pithy designs. Also hand sewing is very doable. I do it sometimes because my sewing machine doesn’t have a dedicated place and I loathe having to set stuff up just to do a small project.
Try fusable interfacing which comes in various weights.
My husband is playing Genshin Impact and is thoroughly addicted. So I’d say it’s pretty good as he’s very selective in what he plays.
I’m sorry about all the other stuff that’s made you grumpy.
Sending gentle hugs.
I was hoping, when I saw the title, that perhaps some time with, or merely contemplating, Minou Camille might help, but only certain kinds of grumpy will yield to innocent chaos. I hope yours yields to something, soon.
What would Hugh do? Or George??
I’d line that purse with quilted material. You can probably buy it and if it’s not stiff enough, just quilt it some more. I mean, the sewing machine is coming out anyway, yes? If you want a stiff ring around the bottom, get some piping and sew it in the lining.
When I’m feeling grumpy, I declare “Queen Grumpy!” day. I plop myself in my recliner with my tea, a good book, music I love, my phone turned off, and warn everyone away. Then I read, hum with my music, and regularly declare “I am Grumpy!” until I feel ridiculous and start laughing. I believe the best way to handle grumpiness, or sadness, or anger (fill in any emotion) is to take Me Time and work the emotion to death. Good luck! All your other issues may remain, but your mental health will improve.
Handsaw the lunging sounds about right….for you right now. Picture it….
Sometimes when I feel Blah or Grumpy I’ll watch old comfort movies. The Princess Bride, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Goonies, Ferris Buellers Day Off. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Your mood and mileage may vary. I don’t have any good video game suggestions. Sometimes if I’m doing something else I listen to audio books too. Audible’s Sandman is good. I also have some Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books or I borrow some Diana Wynn Jones from the library.
I find pinking shears work better than a hands as for cutting fabric. Sorry but I had this lovely mental picture of you trying to use one to cut a pattern. Also is your sewing machine temperemental and uncooperative?
*handsaw
You have been experiencing a lot of frustration lately. I hope your test reveals all. Good news is that thankfully it is all behind you.
I know the pain of migraines, recently I’ve had one since yesterday -\_/-
You’re are doing great though, with everything that is thrown your way you just keep it moving. Experience and mood will effect how you Express yourself, so amend what you need to. And show us the edited scene.
Thought you and a lot of others could use a laugh.
????
No gaming skills here, but a fun show to watch on tv is “Make It!” on NBC, Thursdays at 7 pm central time. A very inventive crafting/art project show with amazing contestants and two very funny hosts. (It is a summer-run show, so on tv currently.)
Medical tests are no fun – hope you are feeling better soon!! Yay for the tea!! ☕☕
This is a long story to make an important point: 1 year ago, I went to the ER, during a pandemic with no vaccine to protect me, because of serious chest and jaw pain. EKG showed PVC’s (pre ventricular contractions) of over 40% of beats. Troponin labs negative. Sent home after being told PVCs are nothing to worry about. Saw primary care physician twice in the months after because my heart just didn’t feel right. Ran EKGs both visits. Lots of PVCs. My cholesterol levels (both HDL and LDL) are great. Despite complaints of chest heaviness, told not to worry, relax. Finally said to my husband, “I want a cardiologist to tell me to stop worrying, because something just doesn’t feel right”. Cardiologist listened to my symptoms, but paid special attention to my family history. Result: spent a day doing ALL THE TESTS. The following morning, I got a call. My echocardiogram and labs showed my heart was in great shape (even with the annoying PVCs). But, my treadmill result was concerning, coupled with my calcium CT score of 734. Next stop, cardiac catheterization with contrast for suspected block. And a BOATLOAD of new meds… Statin; beta-blocker; nitro based vasodialator (headache! headache! headache!); baby aspirin. Found the block. Worst possible place… in the infamous LAD artery (aka, ‘The Widowmaker’), which provides blood to the front of the heart. Long area mid-artery was 70% blocked. That was 3 weeks ago. Added a blood thinner. Next week, a high risk drill and stent procedure… A micro diamond drill will be inserted via my femoral artery to drill out the very extensive length of this blockage. Once the plaque is removed, a stent will be placed. If this doesn’t work, I’ll have to have open heart bypass surgery. BUT. I have not had an MI. My heart muscle is still healthy. If all goes well, I’ll have a long, healthy life ahead. Here’s that point I promised: If I’d listened to my primary care physician, or the ER doctor, that would not be the case. I am So FORTUNATE! If you don’t think something feels right, find someone who will listen to you. EKG’s aren’t a predictor of a blockage. They are one tool in the hands of a competent physician. They record cardiac rhythms/arrhythmias. Yes, the cardiac tests are a marathon. BUT. If you really have a problem (valve leak, blockage, etc.), one or more of these tests/procedures may save your life. All The Meds may save your life. (Less extensive blocks can be managed with just meds!) Diet can help halt and sometimes reverse coronary artery disease. Don’t let roadblocks and detours to getting answers stop you or discourage you. Find doctors who will listen and help fix you before real, unfixable damage occurs. Don’t give up. (Those nitro induced headaches taper off in a couple of weeks as your body adjusts to them, btw.) Sadly, I now have to learn to love vegetables. I hate them. I’m a 65 year old carnivore, darn it! Stupid vegetables. Hang in there Ilona. Get your answers, even if they aren’t what you expected or wanted to hear. It’ll be worth it. Even if it means eating the stupid vegetables. Good luck.
I just want to say that I totally agree with your advice to push for a doctor who is hearing you and listening carefully to you when you feel like trash. I was told so much about how I didn’t have anything wrong with me until I pushed and got to specialists — wrong kind, but they moved me on to the right kind — who ran special testing and found that my PCP was absolutely wrong and I had stage 3 cancer in my pancreas. I knew the PCP was wrong because I had constant diarrhea and he kept telling me that his scans showed that I was constipated. I actually asked him how he could say that with a straight face when I had told him I had diarrhea, and how could I have both at the same time?
Doctors practice medicine. It’s all practice. They see what they want to see, never look beyond what they have seen before. You need to get things taken care of and keep yourself alive, because they won’t do it if they won’t listen to you. When you find one who listens, stay with that one.
Good luck with your blockage removal. Your advice to all of us is good, and I hope you get good results and can continue on with enjoying life. As your mother most likely said, “Eat your vegetables!” LOL!
I’ve been doing a lot more hand sewing lately even though my sewing machine is RIGHT THERE. It’s calming! I can do it while listening to audiobooks and relaxing in the recliner! It’s not actually that much slower for small projects either once you consider setting up bobbins etc. And it’s so soo much less aggravating for small tricky projects. Then again I also enjoy embroidery so maybe I just like needlework?
I’m not playing genshin, but I am playing Black Desert Online for console. Genshin isn’t cross play for Xbox yet if ever.
Was it a terrible horrible no good very bad day?? We read that in my class when people-especially the teachers-have the grumpies. It really helps. As does stomping around and making noises.
Floppy purse flap…okay..here is a sort of quick cheat. find some fabric that does not offend you or the purse. It should be sized to fit pennies inside it and attach to the bottom/inside of your flap. You can hand sew little penny sized band and then attach to purse by hand. It is inexpensive and can be done by hand in under 30 minutes.
Hope you feel better soon and the results of the test are the best possible.
Someone may have posted but have you considered a bag insert? Plus side is you can easily move stuff from one bag to another that holds all your crap ..I mean important things.
Fusable seam binding between layers of fabric? Sorry your had to have the test done and all the frustration associated with it. May you never have to think about it again.
Actually, I may have meant Stitch Witchery. I haven’t sewn in years.
I do Genshin Impact on an emulator in the PC and I do not enjoy it. It’s gorgeous. But it’s full for me. Graphics are amazing but the actual play is meh.
The universe now owes you a run of good luck and more peaceful days!
Just finished re-reading the Innkeeper series – it is like comfort food for my soul. Hope you can find something equally comforting, and just escape for a while.
Maybe you just need to lay back, relax and read a good book. I know some good authors too recommended. Have you read any Patricia Briggs, Seanan McGuire, Eileen Wilks, Michelle Sagara, just to name a few.
LINE with canvas or sail cloth?
Would either of these types of plastic canvas work for stiffening (more likely the Darice) behind a fabric liner to give it a structured shape?
https://www.joann.com/joann-plastic-canvas-12in-x-18in—clear/16057093.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKCAjwruSHBhAtEiwA_qCppptHU1zbFlyMNhxWJ6W8MDpWwLABhwXlbxv8n1_VaXqWaJKuaOGs0RoCiN4QAvD_BwE
or
https://www.michaels.com/darice-plastic-stitching-canvas/10635615.html?r=g&cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_Shopping_US_N_Fabric+Shop_N_Smart_BOPIS_N-_-&Kenshoo_ida=&kpid=go_cmp-9982987194_adg-98999640445_ad-433378147611_pla-1354835819405_dev-c_ext-_prd-10635615&gclid=CjwKCAjwruSHBhAtEiwA_qCppvJBbCcXzTZQWxxup-T7RpAhdjDztcaa8ift0GqHfdSL_llILtQn9BoC_vEQAvD_BwE
Next time you have to do testing without the caffeine, tell the nurse about the caffeine headache and how far you have to drive. They can get you an injection specifically for those headaches. I was given one when I had the nuclear medicine stress test, after they were finished with all the machines.
For a liner that bends but is not too floppy for support, I use plastic needlepoint canvas. Cut it to the correct size, then use a lighter to melt the ends slightly so they are not sharp. This does take a few minutes, but is far better than having the sharp, cut ends poking through the fabric. If you just ‘lightly’ heat it, one by one,you get rounded, almost ball ends.
And you can wash it on delicate, which you should be doing for the item anyway.
How firm is the top opening of your purse? Simple fix would be to machine or hand stitch snap tape to the top and make a slip in lining you can attach. Something firmer would be a foam interfacing (comes as iron on or not). Worst case is sandwiching the foam between two pieces of muslin to make an insert. If you don’t like the snap tape idea you could sew cute buttons to the rim and button the lining on. The foam is the only product I can think of for the body you want. Most double-face prequilted fabric is so thin these days it barely qualifies as quilted unless you make your own.
I’m making a travel bag out of a pair of jeans today and trying to use the foam iron on to give it body. One of those “figure it out as you go projects.
Wishing you good test results.
Not sure if you have then in the US, but in Aus, the green bags that the supermarkets sell have a solidish removable bottom in them. You could cut one up and see it ???? not your crochet bag.
Hope your migraine clears up, those are nasty
Take a look at the Pellon heavyweight and super-heavyweight SEW-IN interfacings. I make totes and bags regularly, and I use these a lot because you can wash and dry them without any problems. DH is still using a white canvas duffel I made for him in 2014! He flies for work several times a year and tosses the bag in the washer when he gets home. It is old and soft but still holds its shape! You could easily hand-sew it in. I prefer the sew-in and avoid iron-on interfacing because I don’t trust the iron-on stuff to survive repeated dryer cycles.
I don’t play computer games because I obsess. No really. I sit down thinking “I’ve got an hour” and I come to 3 days later, dehydrated, starving, covered in Cheeto dust and smelling like a sewer.
I have friends that try to get me into a game… And my kids are “no no! You don’t know what she’s like! She’s the reason there is a stereotype for gaming geeks! Mom isn’t allowed to play games!”
I don’t knit, sew or game but can empathize with scheduling, tests, doctors and being grumpy as a result. ????
Don’t know if anyone else found & suggested these: https://sewguide.com/stiff-fabrics-add-volume-to-dress/ Or this, both of which are washable in some way: Sew Lazy brand Stiff Stuff firm sew-in interfacing
Snaps, Closed-Loop(velcro), or ties to the form perhaps? I craft and thought of the Buckram, but don’t think it’s washable.
Go to Lowes/Home Depot and look for 3/16″ thick underlayment (it’s a type of smooth thin plywood that covers the wood subfloor in order to get a smooth surface for vinyl flooring) over in the building materials
It generally comes in 4’x 8′ sheets, but if you look around, you’ll find a box that will have 2’x 4′ sheets of all sorts of different thickness plywood, so there’s a good chance you’ll find a piece. It’s lightweight a more rigid than cardboard.
When I’ve made driving caps for my husband I use the plastic cutting board sheets from the dollar store in the bill of the hat instead of cardboard because I want to wash it. They are thin and flexible so it might work for your purse. I have to double up to get the right stiffness for the hat. I’ve also used plastic file folders for projects. My grandma mother used to use plastic canvas but I find that it breaks compared to the cutting board sheets. ????
For the tank top you could steek it. I mean, if it’s already too big, what have you got to lose?
Add a zipper or lace up back and it’s now super cool (maybe?)
Line it with quilter’s template plastic? You can get some at a craft store or the ‘Zon and they come in different thicknesses, then you can just remove it or wash with it but don’t dry it.
I was going to suggest buckram for the purse lining, but it’s hand wash only, and not too many times or the sizing will
leech out.
Little know fact outside of the Southwestern states: the heavy wool felt they use for cowboy hats is not only stiff but essentially waterproof. Whether you can find a hat-maker near where you live who’d have some leftover pieces of 10X felt he can sell you is another issue.
I think I can out grumpy you. Had a root canal done. The name alone should be banished. Two days later I went to another office to start the prep for the crown. They took an x-ray and discovered the other dentist left a piece of metal in my mouth. Below the tooth! WTF. It’s like a needle! You can clearly see it on the x-ray. I can’t feel it right now, but I’m not sure how long that will be the case. Going back Monday to assess. I have a potentially permanent scowl on my face. How does this happen?
I’m playing Genshin Impact and I love it 🙂 I don’t feel the need to spend my money, and the content is great 🙂
I’m just stuck in Dragonspine and I’m waiting for a friend to be available to help me for a quest 🙂
I’m saddened th at we can’t by characters with Moras, it would be easier.
Oh, and I can’t stand Paimon’s voice ???? I set the audio in Japanese, her voice is less grating ???? but I’m a bit disappointed that the Traveler don’t talk
I mean ‘doesn’t talk’ ????
Line the purse with interfacing. That’s what it’s for. Several different levels of stiffness.
You can use a stiffer interfacing depending on how you want it for your fabric lining and it will still be washable.
And hand sewing is a option – it means you can listen to audio books or watch a show while doing it.
The hidden casualty of Covid-19 (not so very hidden really) is the backlog and disaster of routine care. Muddle through- you need information to make health care choices. Good for you for getting the test no matter how much of a stressful pain in the tush it was.
I have a suggestion for lining your purse. You could use Luan (a very thin type of plywood) or some other lightweight balsa type wood, and cover it (using an adhesive of choice) with fabric to create a removable liner for your purse (an open top box inside a fabric bag so to speak). Perhaps more work that you want but the benefit would be you could indeed use a saw to create your liner! No sewing machine required. I have made removable bases for my fabric purses with covered Luan- or even a stiff cardboard that is covered with oil-cloth could be an option. Measure twice-cut once, adhere attractive fabric covering, and away you go! Depending on the size of your purse there are ready-made “purse organizer” type things that might do the job as well, but I don’t think they will make you as happy as a hand-made one will in the long run.
Go forth, drink tea, and craft wonderful things.
As always thank you for your wonderful, if crabby, words. Your posts, books, and creative outpourings make me giggle in sympathy.
Best Wishes for your continued good health,
K.
Lost my phone this morning. I woke unexpectedly early so no help from the alarm, but while tearing the place apart I found: a belt keeper, month old lotto ticket worth 8$, and a pajama top that ran away one adventurous dream night. I hope things start looking up for you too.
P.S. Typing on my phone, but serriously contemplating hunting for whatever just too see what I find.
I never play games, so I’ll talk about your purse. Get whatever material you like, but get interfacing that’s stiff, and you may have to get twice the material because anything knitted will show anything inside it, so you don’t want your interfacing all white showing. Interfacing comes in many weights. Get the heavy stuff to keep it stiff. Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of one piece of material, then sew the other piece to the one you lined, turn it right-side out, and all will be well. Attach it however you wish it to be attached. Totally washable.
This whole thread us making me laugh because it’s like 3 totally separate conversations are taking place — knitting, medical and gamer.
I had to pass the knitting/sewing ambassadors, but hubby is on the heart-test quest from hell (about midway) so that has been unfortunately informative. Also, daughter is a 3rd year medical resident having an awful week (3 patient deaths, screaming families, ICU filling with COVID deniers) and gaming is her savior. She’s a huge Zelda fan so I’m going to suggest Genshin to her.
Okay I have been playing genshin impact since it launched last year. We just had the biggest update yet on Tuesday. It is a great relaxing game for me
I recently got Star Kingdom Omnibus (book 1-3, Lindsay Buroker) and its characters banter cheered me up immensely. It is that kind of banter with male vs. female, and science nerd(f) vs. even bigger science and social nerd (m) and his clone. I loved it.
Only downsides I see it is not a good sci-fi, since author uses imperial units and it is so open-ended, that it somewhat annoys me. I don’t mind long series, but I like to be able to read books as standalones, the way the most authors do(House Andrews, P. Briggs, K. Harrison, L. McMaster Bujold, to name a few). May be I just don’t like cliffhangers.
Even so, I would still recommend it, since it cheered me up.
Re: lining the purse. I use the foam sheets from the kid’s projects. I took a class with a cheat on using the ones with the sticky backing to get the lining to stick smoothly but that wouldn’t work if you wanted to wash it. Not sure how washable the foam (without sticky backing) would be, but it does well to keep them from flopping. Oh, I’ve also used the plastic mesh (found usually near the foam) in the lining (had a cylinder shaped purse that kept collapsing). If you could get it in -I hand sew the lining- that should probably hold up better in the wash.
Anyway good luck
Solidarity. In heart failure since May and SO VERY SICK of tests with contrasts.
Maybe it’s a good day to soak up some vitamin D? Hope you can go for a swim soon! (Water therapy is one of my favorites!)
Enjoying Heirs of Chicago(land) as a distraction
Lining the purse…yes, you can most likely hand sew it. Depending on the purse design, size, and construction, you may be able to get away with a single seam plus attaching it around the purse opening. If you want to get fancy and not worry about potential frayed seam edges could do a “lined” lining. That way you could use a fusible interfacing on the “interior” of the lining (which can go from barely there to thick/stiff enough to construct free standing bowls) which will give you the stiffness you are looking for but still washable. If you want to be REALLY fancy schmancy can do an outter lining that showcases the ribbon crochet and an interior color that makes things easy to spot. At the end should be a simple whip stitch around the purse opening to attach. Machine might not even be faster than just doing it by hand but really, fusible lining is what I would use for the “stiffness” factor.
As for the tank top being too wide…how wide is too wide and what fiber are we talking? Is this a rip out and start over or a potential layering piece. Is creative use of shrinkage an option? Is it knit in the round or can you do some creative seam adjustments in a final construction phase?
Medical and writing stuff can’t do anything but express sympathy. But crafting issues? Yeah, those I’m all over. Possibly have used one or two I’ve mentioned to “save” my own projects in the past.
I’m really sorry this is happening to you. I have a friend who had a heart transplant 12 years ago. She has diverticulitis right now and the first set of antibiotics made her mouth break out in sores. When I feel down (which seems a lot these days) I think of my friend. She is also a cancer survivor so when I’m feeling grumpy and my dog Charlie or music doesn’t perk me up then I call my friend who is always positive. I can’t complain as she’s got all kinds of crap to deal with and I feel rather small. I’m not trying to shame you as constant tests and errors would have me falling into the dark side too. But there are many who have it worse so you have to take your blessings (your family) and the fact that you are a most wonderful author. Do take care of yourself first, we will all be waiting when you’re better no matter how long.
Genshin has been keeping my oldest kid’s interest for months now, she doesn’t normally stay with one game that long but day after day, she goes: oh I’ll just do my dailies and finds herself sinking into it. My husband tried it but wasn’t feeling it. My son was like: no way. It holds no attraction to me but I play so little these days, all my gaming time still goes to acnh.
Heart testing is no fun. Grumpiness is well-deserved! Hope you have reslved any issue and can move on with other, fun things.
Love, love, love genshin impact. Not into playing on a ‘ team’ but it is a ton of fun playing by myself. My characters are lvl 70, and I have to say, the story is interesting, and it is so pretty!
Textiles student here! You can handsew a bit of cotton muslin together with french seams. Very durable. Considering that I don’t know how you are making the top of the bag I have no idea how to attach the lining to the purse itself. You may want to do a rolled hem for the raw edge of the top of the lining.
Good luck!
Genshin Impact was :::shrug::: I played it awhile back and it held my interest for a few weeks. For me, it’s too easy and repetitive after a certain point.
I’ve been playing Genshin Impact since early October and really enjoying it and generally recommend it. Don’t play if you have gambling issues or if not getting everything will ruin your fun. Also some of the npcs have really tragic back stories that aren’t always immediately obvious. This includes some of the children.
The music is beautiful. They had the London Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra record the music for the three regions that are currently available. They went as far as giving certain themes different variations based on time of day in game.
There is also a lot of story every where if you want to look for it. A lot of the weapons and items have bits of the previous owner’s history included in the description. There are also books to collect with in game histories and folk tales.
The gameplay in the character demos and collected miscellany trailers are pretty accurate to how actual combat works. If you would prefer not to watch trailers for past limited characters, the following are the permanent characters with a demo and/or miscellany trailers:
Kaeya and Xiangling are two of the characters earned through gameplay. Fischl, Diona, Xinyan, Rosaria, and Yanfei are 4 star permanent characters. Diluc, Mona, Keqing, Qiqi, and Jean are 5 star permanent characters.
I love love love Genshin impact! It’s low key enough you can pick it up, do something, and then log off. But there are lots of events that changes monthly so it’s not boring, and they just added another country! Plus, the sceneries are pretty, the stories so varied and interesting. The character team comps are so interchangeable, too! I have made friends from all over the country and from Japan playing this game. Plus, I play on mobile/pc so it’s very easy to pick up and go. My kids play on the PS4, and it’s free! Though it’s co-opable across platforms after you hit rank 16, it’s only cross-login on mobile/ pc. (You can’t use your mobile login on the PS4.)It’s a great game!
I gotta say, I found your books late in life and immediately scoured the used bookstores and libraries to read your entire collections within 2 weeks (my husband did not like the reading binge, lol). You have earned another avid fan and I have been spreading your awesomeness in my discord servers.
For your purse, you want some really stiff pelon. JoAnn carries it and it is in the interfacing area. It is considered for use for crafting by Pelon and the nice stuff irons on one side to your lining. You will want to test then out to find one that handles the way you like. If you need another stifferner to keep the bottom flat, sew in boning (or a cut off wooden skewer) would work. Pink Sands Design has really good purse patterns and my purses and tote bags are so much better as I’ve followed their instructions for interfacing. Anyway, I can was the purses when they get dirty with this sstuff.
Love Genshin Impact!!!!!!!!!!!!
Genshin Impact is Meh for me. I love Zelda Breath of the Wild and therefore came for the scenery, but the very young characters, lack of refining (I know it’s free but still!) and overall bad plot didn’t please me.
However you might want to check Amazon’s New World! Currently in beta (I’m in, so very excited) and due to release on August 31st, that’s one really promising MMO, with a pirate/conquistador/Renaissance look to it (I got a curld wig to go kill and skin wolves hehe).
Anyway, the grumpiness will end and the floppy purse will stand on its own absence of feet and everything will be fine 🙂
Just a couple of thoughts. First, I am sorry you need this medical evaluation and glad you finally got it. FYI, as a retired RN, I hope your doctor knows you had to wait 12 weeks or more to get the test! I get very irritated when people must wait so long for testing, especially this type. If your doctor doesn’t know, let them know, sometimes they can exert a little influence if needed!
Second, embrace the grumpiness just for a day. I love your writing. I love the hidden humor I find in even the most dire circumstances. That makes me believe you have a happy nature. Some days we need to be grumpy, the better to be happy the next.
Be well!
Love Genshin Impact, highly recommend, played about 200 hours and theyre still releasing more content and main story quests! X
I made a clutch (knitted outside, silk hand sewn lining) and used plastic for yarn cross stitch. It’s washable, but will dry flat. It’s something you can also get cheaply at any craft store.
No caffeine? Argh, they’d have to unhook my coffee IV. Hmm. Bright side with the dye torture is that you weren’t allergic to the dye? What type of yarn did you use for the purse? If it’s wool, perhaps washing on hot? That “felts” the wool and shrinks it, turning it into fabric.
How to cheer you up? Just finished my third time through Innkeeper, re-reading the Hidden Legacy series now. If the house caught fire, yours are the books I’d grab.
Sorry for jumping around. My brain is acting like a BB in a boxcar today. I copyedit medical journals when I’d rather be talking to Nevada and Rogan.
Years ago I had a test which required contrast dye. I mentioned to the nurse I was nervous and was told only 1 in a 100,000 had an adverse reaction. Test was aborted very quickly and I spent several hours in the ED being checked every 15 minutes.
I reccomend soft and stable by byAnnie. It’s machine washable and gives it a nice touch. I use it for a lot of soft side bags.
Hand-sew. It’s soothing and therapeutic, and will not take too long.
There are actual “stiffened” products that one can use either to line the sides of purses, or to put into the bottoms to give shape. There are books on this – from the library, and I’m sure there are all sorts of YouTubes and such that suggest brands and give demos.
Your crochet purse will indeed be used and useful someday.
Sorry, no ideas about the tank top. Give to a friend and start over w/ a ribbed project?
Much love, you’re the best!!! (And so rooting for you and your books …)
I’m sure someone has mentioned it, but just in case….have you looked into purse frames? You can get wire ones you insert into the lining: https://store.craftpassion.com/internal-wire-purse-framed
Just saw a tiktok where a lady uses these floppy dollar store cutting boards to add structure to fabric crafts. They are cuttable with scissors. Like a sheet of laminate, but firmer.
Look into this for your bag. I just made a fabric box with Stiff Stuff by Lazygirl. Not too stiff but good structure and resilience. https://www.lazygirldesigns.com/products/stiff-stuff/
Hope your week improves. Your stories bring me joy.
try starch on the purse before you do any deconstructing. it might help.
Knowing that on the 22nd you were feeling as grumpy as I do today cheered me up enormously, not because you were grumpy—not ever happy about that—but because misery loves company…even if it’s retroactive.
Hope you’re feeling WAY better now.
Cheers, Faith
Huge air hug, and all the tea ever. Please take care of yourself, the writing can wait a little bit.
You poor thing. Hey look on the bright side. I had a camera inserted into my thigh artery (I think it was the artery) and they pushed it up into my heart to see what was inside. Nothing to put me out either and I was awake. When they removed the tube/camera it hurt so bad I almost crushed to aide’s hand that I was holding and boy did I say in a very loud voice “ouch, ouch, ouch you are killing me”. Of course they weren’t killing me but damn!
Great stiff lining for purse is thin plastic kitchen cutting board. I’m enjoying Genshin Impact a lot, especially as I’ve managed to not spend any money on it.
Plastic canvas makes good liners for things and is washable but don’t put it in the dryer!