@eyrea@mstdn.ca
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

eyrea

@[email protected]

Geek who writes from vocation, knits from nervous habit, and works in IT. she/her/hers

Personal web site at: https://katherine-hajer.com

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

eyrea, to knitting
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

I finally finished my niece's birthday hoodie. The alien head is in glow in the dark yarn.

@knitting

Betty, to knitting
@Betty@fandom.ink avatar

@knitting does anyone have a method for keeping track of one's row in a written pattern with no landmarks?

My only thinking is printing it out and crossing off rows as I get to them, but I know I'll lose my pen at some point, keep knitting because I don't want to stop, and then lose my place.

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@Betty @knitting Something I picked up from an old issue of Vogue Knitting: place a marker in your knitting every 20 rows. That way, you always know what absolute row you're on, and can figure out your pattern row easily. This is especially useful for things like patterns with multiple cables.

For things like single intarsia charts, I just use a row counter clicker.

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Retailers are getting more bold about where they place ads! I was going to buy something online from Lands End and went to pay, selected my card ready to send them money and do you know what they did? They put up a pop up ad! You can’t complete the transaction until you hear a pitch from “hello fresh” and “do you want to apply for an apple card?” etc. (I have pretty robust adblockers at home, is this how people live now?) Of course, I canceled the purchase.

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@futurebird I've heard of that pattern before, but never at a major retailer like that.

I can just imagine the meeting where it was decided to go ahead with it.

Likewise, to bookstodon
@Likewise@beige.party avatar

If someone, who isn’t an avid reader says, “This is one of the best books I’ve ever read…” (assuming they aren’t talking about something they read when they were 5)

Do you think:

Wow, this must be a phenomenal book, I must find it immediately.

OR

This is probably trash or close to it & if I see it, steer clear. @bookstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@Likewise @bookstodon If they're not an avid reader, it must have been an extremely popular book that didn't have a movie yet. Or else someone very strongly recommended it to them and hit the mark. So either I've already considered it, or it's worth considering!

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

If someone would start selling those nifty suffragette pantaloons you can bicycle in I bet they could sell a bunch.

But every skirt in stores looks like a horrible tube that will rutch up on your tush as you walk like an handsy subway creeper; you try to walk in little tiny steps. Sitting without flashing? Some kind of mysterious party trick.

Then there's a whole article in the fashion section hand wringing if skirts that aren't tight are "too conservative"

If that bothers you? Pantaloon!

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@futurebird I've been noticing lately that any time a designer features clothing with any significant amount of ease, the magazines hand-wring about being "conservative". Meanwhile, it's often not conservative necessarily at all, just comfortable (or at least more comfortable).

And yeah, nobody writing for fashion magazines knows any fashion history beyond their own (inevitably still-brief) lifetimes.

CommonMugwort, to bookstodon
@CommonMugwort@social.coop avatar

@bookstodon No, historical romance author, your heroine’s skirt hem did not skim over the bluebells, nor did lilac petals fall onto her bright unbound hair.

What kind of details bring your suspension of disbelief plummeting to the ground, fellow readers? For me, it’s often mistakes about plants, or food.

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@CommonMugwort @bookstodon Putting a corset on a heroine (or any other femme-identifying character) before corsets were invented yet. Double points against for meditations on how uncomfortable the corsets were -- it just makes me wonder why the character doesn't pay for or make herself garments that fit properly.

LJ, to knitting
@LJ@zirk.us avatar

I did it! Successfully steeked a sweater! (With some help from a friend who is an experienced knitter)

Now for the finishing work to get the zipper attached!
@knitting

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@LJ @knitting It looks fabulous! I'm extra impressed by the zipper (something I've not tried yet)

ExcessivelyDiverting, to bookstodon
@ExcessivelyDiverting@romancelandia.club avatar

50 books to read before you die

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainment/news/50-books-to-read-before-you-die/ss-AA1hbkwi#image=1

@bookstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@BillySmith @ExcessivelyDiverting @ukaunz @bookstodon Yes, you have to include geography in statements like that.

In Canada, French is a mandatory subject for anglophone students, and by the final years of secondary school we're studying novels in French class. Not everyone keeps up with their French, but we do get exposure to other literatures.

"50 books to read..." lists always have a hidden scope anyhow.

Ponddrop, to knitting
@Ponddrop@curling.social avatar

Ok of Mastadon, I have sufficiently recovered from knitting the De Grau cardigan and thinking of a simple, mock or turtleneck, oversized style sweater. Preferably a faster knit (not sock weight!). I’ve been eyeing up a few patterns but I tend to gravitate to fitted patterns - any recommendations? @knitting

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@Ponddrop @knitting Check out Espace Tricot's patterns. They have several that fit that general description, and all of their patterns are free: https://www.ravelry.com/designers/espace-tricot

eyrea, to knitting
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

This reminds me of all the people who have asked me if I can knit "as well as a machine" -- people, the machines are trying to keep up with us:

https://youtube.com/shorts/_KWF0oACWTE?si=Rsf-kYb8FQlgg6px

@knitting

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@Willow @knitting Humankind has lost comprehension of what can be done by human hands.

KatyKnits, to knitting
@KatyKnits@mastodon.social avatar

@knitting I am so excited about how this is turning out. I’m halfway through attaching the strips of my Triple Advent Blanket.

image/png
image/png

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@KatyKnits @knitting That is so innovative! Also inspiring.

I love your colour choices.

NickEast, to bookbubble
@NickEast@geekdom.social avatar

Why do we like depressing books, music, and movies? When we can just not like them... 😜 😂

@bookreviews @bookbubble @bookstodon @humour



eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@NickEast @bookreviews @bookbubble @bookstodon @humour Might be time to introduce the idea of toxic positivity.

A lot of art gets labeled "depressing" because it's quiet or introspective. That is, not actually depressing.

Charlotte's Web is an interesting study on death because she's a freaking spider. They don't live long.

bennett, to bookstodon
@bennett@veganism.social avatar

downside of masto's particular set of affordances is I can't figure out who posted this, and who boosted it into my timeline. But thank you both!!

"Lester del Rey... intuited that what millions wanted from a publishing industry urgently optimizing to keep up with capitalism was to escape the modern age into a world where capitalism and industry had never happened. There is magic in that. At least I thought so, as a kid. But there’s also, in del Rey’s vision, a formulaic—let’s face it, industrial, rationalized—conception of culture and a pernicious nostalgia that courts sexism and white supremacy. Today, fantasy is, along with romance, our wildest, most flourishing genre. It might not be this way were it not for Lester del Rey, even if his legacy now is as the wizard so many writers and readers choose to battle against."

https://slate.com/culture/2023/10/lester-del-rey-invention-fantasy-book-publishing.html

@bookstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@JonSparks @bennett @bookstodon Yeah, when I saw that headline, the first thing I thought was, "fantasy novels have been around since the 17th century!"

I grew up on Del Rey books, but I hate it when people exaggerate a legacy that's already impressive on its own.

consumableJoy, to knitting
@consumableJoy@artisan.chat avatar

Weaving in / Blocking / Finishing week continues in the .

Question for everyone: what are your favorite finishing tips for your craft? Best way to weave in ends, block, sew things up… any and all tips welcome!

@knitting @fiberarts

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@consumableJoy @knitting @fiberarts Weave in ends as you go, especially when there is a lot of colour work. That way you are never faced with "all those ends".

And something I learned from my grandmother which is considered very radical these days: if you learn to knit evenly and consistently, you don't need to block except for lacework. When I did learn blocking, I couldn't figure out why it never seemed to make much difference. It's just not always necessary.

dbsalk, to bookstodon
@dbsalk@mastodon.social avatar

Today I started Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong In The Real World by Matt Parker. The alternate title is Humble Pi: A Comedy Of Maths Errors.

This is the second time this year I've read a book with two titles. I guess it depends on the edition? @bookstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@PatternChaser @dbsalk @bookstodon It's a change in idioms, usually. I know the first Harry Potter got renamed to Sorcerer's Stone in the US because the publishers figured no-one would know what a Philosopher's Stone was.

While I understand that reasoning, to me part of the joy of reading is discovering new turns of phrase.

Valerie_Lillis, to bookstodon
@Valerie_Lillis@indieauthors.social avatar

@bookstodon

A decade after graduating highschool and I'm finally giving Wuthering Heights another chance. So far not regretting my decision as I'm able to catch a lot more of the social nuances in the story and appreciate Heathcliff's decent into the man we meet at the start of the story.

#Reading #Bookstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@Valerie_Lillis @kbg @musingoddity @bookstodon That is serious reader response theory! With a side of New Criticism, sounds like.

And also a great example of why reader response should never be the entire focus of a class.

I'm not entirely enthused about using fiction to teach sociology either, not least because it always falls short for that, but historical context is good to provide.

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@Valerie_Lillis @kbg @musingoddity @bookstodon I'd rather people just read the actual first-hand accounts. 17th-21st century literature thrives on melodrama and the unlikely. Remember the original meaning of the word "novel".

I love Daniel Defoe, and he was lauded for his verisimilitude during his lifetime, but his characters don't exactly live lives typical of their era. Same with Dickens and the Brontës.

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@Valerie_Lillis @kbg @musingoddity @bookstodon There's tonnes! Loads more than Samuel Pepy's diary.

duanetoops, to bookstodon
@duanetoops@mstdn.party avatar

You don't get a second chance at a first impression, they say. But, a writer does. Months maybe years of preparation. Of revising. The First, second, third, forty-seventh draft. Whatever it takes for that conversation starter. That attention grabber. The perfect pickup line. Play your cards well enough and they'll bring you home and take you to bed... you're writing that is. What did you think I was meaning?...

#reading #writing #poetry #amwriting #writingcommunity #blog #books @bookstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@12thRITS @CindyWeinstein @duanetoops @bookstodon Maman est mort aujourd'hui.

eyrea, to knitting
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@consumableJoy @knitting @fiberarts Last I bothered checking, it was okay for girls to wear blue among conservative families, just not okay for baby boys to wear pink.

Which, as others have already pointed out, is not really a tradition at all, since it flipped last century, and only after WWII. Before that blue was for girls and pink for boys.

yazzea, to knitting
@yazzea@muenchen.social avatar

Ugh. I have project starting confusion. I finished my last project, and I want to start a new one, but I can’t decide on one.
This state of in-between makes me twitch.
How do you decide? Look for a pattern first?
Decide on a stashed yarn first, then look for a matching pattern? Something else?

@knitting

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@yazzea @knitting What do you need?

Do you need more clothing? Housewares? Gifts?

Or are there additional skills you want to acquire that a new project could help you acquire?

Or would reducing stash (if you have one) be beneficial?

Add/replace something useful.

Learn something new.

Clean up inventory (while making something new).

eyrea, to knitting
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

So, I finally got past the 150 row intarsia colour chart on the cardigan I've been , and with 15cm to go on the hip-length body, I thought I should try it on...

only to discover the fabric is twisted on one of the armholes and I will need to rip out thousands of stitches... for the second time on this project.

This, this is why I hate seamless top-down so much. I learned how to mattress stitch when I was 13. It's no big deal.

But seamless, every mistake is a disaster.

@knitting

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@knitting The first time I had to tear out over 30 rows because the armhole increase instructions were not as clear as they could be.

This time I'm facing ripping out over 100 rows because the armhole got twisted when I was casting on the underarm stitches.

And it would be easy to say, "knitter's mistake". but I've been over 40 years and do most of it in public. I can't always spread out my work to check it, and seamless is always bulkier and unwieldy compared to pieced.

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@knitting So obviously at some point I'll need to rip this out, to the armholes if not farther, but right now Yule gifts are weighing down on me and I'm just not into it.

I am so fucking sick of this pattern, and so sick of people trying to tell me top down raglans are easier than pieced and sewn. All the ones I've made have been a total pain, sometimes literally when the whole sweater is hanging off the needles. This thing was 351 stitches for the body alone -- ~551 before the sleeve divide.

clacksee, to bookstodon
@clacksee@wandering.shop avatar

Grr. Argh. One of my writers groups has blown up again with people bitching about the fact exist.

Anyways, content warnings exist.

Here, have a blog post.

Spoiler alert: content warnings are a good thing.

https://whitehartfiction.co.uk/blog/behold-she-blogs/content-warnings-are-not-censorship

@bookstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@clacksee @bookstodon That back story about the making of Alien isn't even true. There was some, um, psychological setup for that scene, but that wasn't it.

As an example of the need for content warnings it still works, though!

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@I_Like_Books @terminallytrisk @clacksee @bookstodon I'd argue the last one isn't. If you have a story where the couple who live next door with their young child are named David and David, but all the main character ever does is say good morning to them and invite them to a neighbourhood pot-luck... that's pretty benign. Yes, I know a lot of people would freak out over that... but being a victim of your own prejudice is not the same thing as reacting due to past trauma.

janbartosik, to scifi
@janbartosik@witter.cz avatar

Is there a story where the Martians are not an austere, reserved, spartan, militarized, conscientious and super techy bunch of people?

@bookstodon @scifi

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@janbartosik @bookstodon @scifi John Carter of Mars

franciscawrites, to bookstodon
@franciscawrites@mastodon.scot avatar

In honor of Gary Larson's birthday, repost with a Far Side cartoon that you love.

#Farside #comics #WritingCommunity
@bookstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@franciscawrites @bookstodon This one is definitely mine.

AimeeMaroux, (edited ) to bookstodon
@AimeeMaroux@mastodon.social avatar

, where do you usually buy steamy ?

Is it the 'Zon, is it another big retailer or do you ?

What links are most useful for us authors to share with our audience here?

Boosts are very much appreciated ❤️

@bookstodon @smutstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@AimeeMaroux @bookstodon @smutstodon Kobo!

Private
eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@lunalein @bookstodon Any Too Stupid To Live protagonists. Even more so if they don't know basic facts about something they're supposed to be an expert in.

Similarly, authors who set the expectation they've created only a slightly altered version of the world as we know it, but who throw out large swaths of well-known history to achieve that. It's okay to create an alternative timeline!

Last one: historicals which describe ahistorical clothing at great length.

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@lunalein @bookstodon Absolutely. And personality I'm much more tolerant of secondary characters who are TSTL, since usually the plot's not riding on them.

Jackthelad93, to bookstodon
@Jackthelad93@mastodonapp.uk avatar

May have also bought this today. 🫢

Loved The Martian, and Artemis was okay, but this is supposed to be excellent.

#book #books #reading #readingcommunity #bookstodon #scifi @bookstodon

eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@Jackthelad93 @gothsong @bookstodon I always loved the comment that everything in that book was pretty accurate except for the storm which got him abandoned in the first place.

Private
eyrea,
@eyrea@mstdn.ca avatar

@eivind @bookstodon Having been to a few book publishing conferences, it seems to me be that publishers are being deliberately obtuse about DRM, despite having other industries as case studies for them, not to mention readers' feedback.

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