be brave, my sage little toaster!

( books (all Pratchett) )

yarning
Listed Rockstar Lestat & older Daniel Molloy made to order art dolls. Finished and listed the teal bunny from last week. Worked on donation hats & gave them to my children's shelter contact at yarn group on Sunday. Had a good time there, working on another hat. Sold a valentine catnip heart.

healthcrap
doc appt Friday, where I asked for a referral to get a shingles shot. Doc appt Monday, where we talked about my weird blood cells. I am still titrating off the med I'm slowly quitting.

#resist
#50501 Jan 20th Free America Walkout. 2pm local time.

I hope you're all doing well! <333

I received the absolutely delightful:
The Day After (4505 words) by rabidsamfan
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey
Characters: Mervyn Bunter, Harriet Vane, Peter Wimsey
Additional Tags: Missing Scene
Summary:

A coda to Busman’s Honeymoon.

And I wrote:
Closing Ceremony (1651 words) by Sage
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Summer War - Naomi Novik
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Argent of the Woven Blade/Elithyon
Characters: Elithyon (Summer War), Argent of the Woven Blade
Additional Tags: Yuleporn, Yuletide, Yuletide 2025
Summary:

Elithyon & Argent, before the curse.

books
The Fortune of War (Aubreyad #6) by Patrick O'Brian. Very satisfying, if occasionally super gross. I'm rationing these, because I'll be sad when they're over.

Ancient Iran and Its Neighbours: Local Developments and Long-range Interactions in the 4th Millennium BC by Cameron A. Petrie (Editor). 2013. I started this an age ago & put it down in the middle of the driest of dry articles. It's a lot of archaeology, and little of it is engaging, but I love the general subject matter so I finished it.

still reading: The Impossible Fortune (Thursday Murder Club #5) by Richard Osman. This one is failing to hook me.

yarning
I went to yarn group Sunday and had a good time, though I messed up the bunny I worked on there, doh. Adding a Made To Order option in my etsy shop for kickbunnies was a good idea. I've had several sales already, and also the burgundy and rose pink ones keep selling out. Etsy's color of the year for 2026 is "Patina Blue," or blue copper, which is basically teal, so I'm focusing on burgundy and teal now, while hoping the brown and yellow bunnies in the shop will eventually sell. A fun aside: my Santa from the Kitten Academy holiday card exchange drew a great, colorful scene in the card he sent -- a Christmas tree filled with cats and two kickbunnies looking up at them from in front of a fire in the fireplace. A very happy-making surprise!

yuletide
I've been volunteering as a SPAG beta on the Yuletide discord & have gotten to preview some really cute/sweet/charming fics! Fic reveals are THIS AFTERNOON!! and I cannot wait! \o/

( healthcrap ) However, the flu is, and my brother has it, so Christmas is delayed until he gets better and has a few days off again, whenever that will be. At least I'll have Yuletide to keep me company.

Solstice
was Sunday at 9:03am CST. Happy YULE!! Welcome to the return of the light, northern hemisphere peeps! Happy Summer Solstice, antipodeans! \o/

#resist
Tuesday, January 20: #50501 General Walk-out, 2pm local time. https://www.FreeAmeri.ca

Wishing everyone safe travels and a very happy holiday season, whatever you celebrate! <333

books
A Companion to Women in the Ancient World by Sharon L. James (Editor), Sheila Dillon (Editor). 2012. Triggery as hell in the first third. Took a long time to read.

I started Natasha Pulley's Hymn to Dionysus, but it didn't grab me so it's on pause.

yarning
a) Thanks to some links from Petra, I learned to knit a few rows of garter stitch. And yet...it feels wrong. (I'm probably doing it wrong, though my little swatch looks vaguely like it's supposed to.) I found a video on knitting continental, so the yarn is on the correct side for my brain. But it feels weird. Maybe I'm just built for crochet...?

b) I think I've just about got the Vampire Lestat in gold pants crochet pattern complete. I'm testing it, which is a good thing, bc I found some errors. Meanwhile, I'm teasing the art doll on Tumblr (mostlyvampires), hoping it'll eventually reach interested people. (I'd appreciate a reblog, if you see this! <333)

c) Next up maaaay be creating a red pants version. In the screen grabs from the trailer, that version doesn't have the necklace or microphone...unless I add them. I'm so impatient for more canon to work from! OR a different canon to bite me and demand yarning into being. OR commissions to make dolls of other people from photos. That's a thing I can do & it would be FUN!

d) Saturday evening some lovely anonymouse bought a Made to Order cat stitch scarf from me, but they didn't tell me what colors to use! I messaged them Sunday morning but didn't hear anything all day & hyperfixated on it, as you do. Then first thing Monday, there was a message with colors! So I spent all day Monday working on it, and then part of Tuesday weaving in all the million ends from the 45 color changes. And ouch my shoulder, but I've missed making these, so all in all, it was fun! AND, most importantly, I revised the listing to make it clear that ANY colors are doable, but you have to choose the colors! :g:

e) This is just me being fond, but yesterday someone bought the black sparkly amineko kitty with gold eyes after YEARS of it sitting on my couch waiting for a home. I'm so happy for it! \o/

healthcrap
Thursday's bone scan went fine, though the results weren't great. I may or may not have lost half an inch of height. I didn't stand up straight when she measured me, so I'm hoping not. OTOH, I haven't been exercising, so maybe so. :shrug: Yesterday was the doc appt for filling out transportation forms. I have doubts that it'll be approved, but we won't know til I send it in.

Yuletide
I keep having feelings about my fic, flipping between unutterably anxious and more or less pleased. The betas really helped, and there are many many editing days left between now and Dec 24, so maybe it'll be okay in the end. Monday night, despite my intention to stick it in a proverbial drawer for a few days, I couldn't get to sleep until after I got up and tinkered with it a little more. I keep changing sentences and hoping I'm improving it instead of breaking it. :crosses fingers and toes:

I hope all of y'all are doing well! <333

Totally forgot to post yesterday, oops?

books
Cinder House by Freya Marske. This book was all over the place, like it didn't know what it wanted to be, and that undermined a really interesting take on Cinderella.

The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club #4) by Richard Osman. Really satisfying.

yarning
It's Secret Santa season, so I've been extremely busy shipping orders, doing commissions (carrots!), and making more kickbunnies and such for my shop. I also figured out how to offer Made to Order items, so I started with the calico cat stitch scarf. No takers yet, but it's good to be clear on the process. I went to yarn group Sunday and we had record-breaking turnout, yay! I've also made progress on Rockstar Lestat, though I've also had several setbacks, drat it all, including the yarn I picked for the gold pants not being at all gold enough. I did find a no-id skein that will work instead, but I wish I had a clue what brand it is, much less the colorway. And I decided on an axolotl for niece's xmas, which I've just now finished. Also, after an embarrassingly long search, I found my ziploc of embroidery floss specific to doll making. And the scarf on the left in the icon sold yesterday, yay!

( healthcrap )

I hope you're all having a lovely week! I may take a small nap. <333

books
The Dharma of Healing: The Path of Liberation from Stress, Pain, and Trauma by Justin Michelson. 2025. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you have a history of anxiety, depression, PTSD, chronic pain, etc. I did hate the introduction, but I loved the rest of it. I've done all but the last couple of the guided meditations, too. A++, will absolutely reread.

Italy in the Central Middle Ages: 1000-1300 by David Abulafia et al. 2004, so it's dated scholarship, but there are some interesting tidbits.

healthcrap
Sooo, last week's whining turned out to be the worst IBS flare I've had in over a decade. I didn't know it could cause insomnia! THEN! Friday I failed to add one of my psych meds to my pill box & only realized it YESTERDAY! :facepalms forever: That only added to the existing nausea and insomnia from last week. Grrrr! ( cut for mention of weight maintenance issues )

yarning
I missed yarn group Sunday due to the IBS/withdrawal nausea. Spent the time crocheting another cat stitch scarf and reviewing Yuletide canon. Monday I did a long photoshoot of the 15 items that I just listed in my shop. (So many cat toys! -- just in time for Kitten Academy Sekrit Santa to go live, woot!) Also, this soft acrylic scarf is for sale (as well as matching one in a burgundy, ivory, and grey wool-blend):



I'm holding back on making more cat stitch scarves until these two sell, unless someone commissions one in other colors, frex. Meanwhile, I have all this yarn that I'm impatient to use, and I just don't know what to make with it. Suggestions welcome! Maybe more winter hats for donation? IDK. I also am on the verge of making an S3 Lestat art doll, except I need some good reference images, esp for the scars. If I do a wire armature, he can even hold a tiny microphone. Hmmmm...

etsy
also, etsy's CEO is stepping down and a different board member, I forget her name atm, is stepping up. May she undo the stupid decisions the soon-to-be-former guy made.

#resist
THIS weekend! #50501: Disappeared in America Weekend of Action — a national mobilization to protect immigrants, expose corporate complicity, and honor the lives lost in detention. Includes protests at Home Depots, Freedom Vigils & invokes el Día de los Muertos in an actually appropriate way.

Hurricane Melissa
Stronger than Katrina! When it hit Jamaica, Melissa had surface level winds gusting up to 252mph, 185mph sustained. I don't yet know where to link to donate that isn't the Red Cross, but dear gods. Wind like that, to say nothing of the surge, isn't survivable. Please consider donating to relief operations once they unfold. (Marco Rubio says US forces are there helping dig out so relief can arrive.)

EDITED TO ADD: WAYS TO DONATE TO JAMAICA RELIEF, from minoanmiss:
https://projectdynamo.net/project-dynamo-preparing-to-deploy-rescue-team-supplies-to-jamaica-immediately-after-hurricane-melissa/

https://supportjamaica.gov.jm/

That said, I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween! It's Fall here at last, temperature-wise, and finally time to put a blanket back on the bed. I hope you're all doing well! <333

( books (Osman, Kingfisher x 3, Mohamed, De Nicola) )

The Vampire Lestat NYCC extended trailer! <333


yuletide
There's so much good stuff in the tag set, it took me forever to pare down my signup. I still might change it.

yarning
( so much yarning! )

rl
Speaking of spending money, I got a new laptop, as my old one is 7 3/4 years old and Win10. The old one still works mostly fine, thank Lenovo, but the Prime Day sale was too good to pass up. I've been working on getting all my old software transferred over. Slowly.

( healthcrap )

#resist
This coming Saturday: No Kings Day 2. If you're protesting, please stay loud and stay safe. I'm there with you in spirit, wearing an inflatable frog suit and passing out water. (The color for the protest is YELLOW, btw, but I like the inflatables. And I look like a zombie in yellow.)

I hope all of y'all are enjoying the Fall/Spring weather, such as it is so far, and that all is well in your worlds. <333

p.s. This No Kings icon is shareable. It and tons of other protest graphics are found here. Feel free to link & share!

books
Checkmate (The Lymond Chronicles #6) by Dorothy Dunnett. 1975. cw: war, murder, offscreen sexual assault, subsequent PTSD. The exciting conclusion to the series. No lie, this one was rollicking, despite an overuse of untranslated French.

still reading: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Book one. So charming.

still reading: Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed. 2023. Graphic novel. Shubeik lubeik translates to "Your wish is my command" in Arabic. This version of Egypt is modern except it has wishes that come true, and are regulated (and black market). Great concept. I'm only 20% through, but it's a good book so far.


yarning
finished a yellow bunny and the above calico Cat Stitch scarf. The scarf sold this morning (without even me listing it first) & another person wants to get a custom one made! Yay! I worked on a grey and black kickbunny at yarn group Sunday and had a nice time. I'm nearly finished with it, though now I have a commission to recreate a cat's favorite turkey leg toy with wool and catnip. And scarf customer reminded me that xmas is coming and it's time to to work on stocking the shop! I ordered more catnip & hopefully won't run out of silvervine yet. All in all, a productive week!

healthcrap
The drooping eyelid is making me crazy -- double vision, blurry vision, the eyelid being in the way of seeing. ( more healthcrap )

#resist
October 18: No Kings Day 2!

I hope all of y'all are doing well and can see with your regular number of eyes. :g:

books
Pawn in Frankincense (The Lymond Chronicles #4) by Dorothy Dunnett. 1969. cw: graphic violence, child abuse and murder, slavery, animal harm and death, going cold turkey off opium. Quite the adventure drama.

The Summer War by Naomi Novik. 2025. Novella. Would have made a pretty amazing novel, tbh. I loved the first 2/3rds, though I wish, as always with NN, that there had been more to the ending. I hope YT brings some fic for it.

yarning & etsy & usps

I went to yarn group Sunday and had a good time. Also, I cut my hair right before yarn group and I got nice comments on it, so that was extra happy-making. Then I showed off pics of my soccer ball-sized globe (and complained about the pattern not giving accurate Mediterranean or Australia, doh). Also worked on a navy blue kickbunny, which sold Monday afternoon right after I got back from the post office, where I was shipping a tan kickbunny to a customer, a blue bunny to Kitten Academy, and the globe to Niece, along with a moon and a bday card with a bright happy sun on it, so it was all of a theme. But dear god the increase in USPS prices! Nearly $3 more, and (since they moved to PA) KA isn't even as far! At least one was a business expense and another was prepaid by the customer. (This is why I don't offer free shipping on kickbunnies.) Anyway, I'm working on a turquoise kickbunny now and feeling super grateful that my shoulder is functional again. Knock wood.

yuletide FYIs
Here is the link to the Noms Coordination Station. And here is the Noms Spreadsheet, where you can skim fandoms to see what's been nommed while we wait for the tagset to open. I replaced my nom for Katee Roberts' Dark Olympus series with Shakespeare & Jacobean Theatre RPF bc Will/Kit(/Annie) still owns my heart. And I changed my character noms for The Shadow of the Leviathan series by Robert Jackson Bennett. Noms close in the wee hours of Friday, US time. I still have no idea what I want to offer/request, but at least I've done my nominations?

#resist
October 18: No Kings Day 2

I hope you're all doing well and enjoying Fall/Spring wherever you are! <333