Week 19 – Mother’s Day and Floppy Discs

Another week with up and down MCAS symptoms for me…

My eyes and skin have been itchy this week. I’m not sure if it’s hormones, perfumes, grief, or the change of weather (or maybe a combo of everything). I’ve had to increase the dose of antihistamines, and hope that things settle down again.

Over the last few days, I’ve been feeling a lot like Kassandra of Troy. If you aren’t familiar with Greek mythology, Kassandra was a priestess of Apollo, cursed to give true predictions… but the catch was that no one would believe her.

I watch an ungodly amount of news each day (from a wide variety of sources), and it seems pretty clear we are in a flex point in history. On one side, we are dealing with the rise of the Far Right and Christian Nationalists. Some of these psychos believe that they are bringing on the end of the world so that Jesus can return (and they’re among Trump’s ‘advisors’ – think Peter Thiel). On the other side, the very real consequences of the ridiculous war in Iran are creeping in – not to mention the spread of AI and surveillance. 

We’re already experiencing higher gas/petrol prices, and this will have severe flow-on effects to the price of pretty much anything and everything (because we have to pay to transport goods to us). Not to mention jet fuel, plastics, helium, fertiliser, etc. If we think inflation is bad now, it’s nowhere near as bad as it could get.

If you are paying attention to what’s happening, it’s pretty easy to start putting together the pieces –  we are never going ‘back’ to how the world was before this all started. Yes, it’s fucking depressing, but isn’t it better to know what’s coming so that we can try to fight for a better future? 

Week 10 of the stupidest war of the century.

Ceasefire is on – it’s off – it’s on. Oil prices are up – they’re down – oops, they’re back up again! We’re bombing – no, they’re bombing. The Strait is open – the Strait is closed – No, it was never closed – now there’s a blockade. 

Other shit from this week:

• Spirit Airlines, a budget carrier in the USA, has gone out of business. This is already pushing up other airlines’ flight prices.

• Jerome Powell has said that he will stay at the Fed because of Trump’s continued legal actions against him

• Trump announced ‘Project Freedom’ to escort ships out of the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week. Then, he rolled it back. Apparently, he didn’t discuss this with any allies in the Gulf, and Saudi Arabia refused to let the US use their air bases.

• Reports that 1 in 4 US farmers have no fertiliser (due to the shortage caused by the war)

• The UK’s Far Right Reform Party won a record number of seats in council elections (with candidates who have said some truly horrific things and even been arrested for DV)

• MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) grifters are now turning their attention to anti-depressant medication and trying to control the availability of Plan B

• The Far Right One Nation party have won a crucial by-election here in Australia – the Liberal Party continues their downward spiral
• Internet rates were increased (again) by the RBA in Australia, and inflation continues to climb due to the war in Iran

If you’re looking for a little glimmer of hope, I strongly suggest planting something. It’s been such a joy watching our seedlings burst through the soil. This week, the peas have already sprouted! It’s been too cold to sit outside like we usually do, but I ventured out there to take a peek at all the new babies. 

I am happy to report that I finished the Coles River Kerchief by TL Yarn Crafts with a Scheepjes Whirl for Mother’s Day with plenty of time left. All up, I used 1,000 metres (1km) of yarn and worked on and off for a month. 

Since my Mom died in 2020, Mother’s Day has been really difficult for me. The weird thing is that my body remembers it’s coming (even if I don’t)… and I’ve noticed some interesting physical symptoms this week. I am just glad that it’s nearly over. 

I also finished the Owl Bear I have been making for my sister. The pattern is in the new Dungeons and Dragons book. Make sure you check Ravelry because there were some errors. If you want to make it, I do not recommend plushie yarn. It just doesn’t show the details.  

We just finished Season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation – still loving it! The nostalgia has definitely been influencing some of the new patterns I have been cooking up (see below). I’m on Season 5 of House, and it’s just as bad as always. 

I already finished the new Amari and the Night Brothers book. It was pretty good – 4/5 stars. It ended on a cliffhanger, which I always find annoying in a series. Now I have to wait another year (or more), and I will definitely forget what happened. I started the next Murderbot book, Platform Decay, but I’ve been falling asleep so quickly the last couple of nights. The exhaustion is kicking in!

After I made the Cassette Tape Keychain last week, I couldn’t stop thinking about some other ‘retro‘ tapestry ideas. So, I made a Floppy Disc Keychain! These babies had a giant capacity of… 1.44 megabytes. I used to carry a container of these babies to high school with me.  

I have two more keychains in the pipeline, but I need some red yarn to finish them. Once the hyperfixation has worn off, I’ll make a bundle – so keep an eye out!

Gloves have been popular this week. The Lemon Peel Fingerless Gloves have been selling, so I guess everyone is starting to get ready for cold weather. Also, don’t forget that our Easy Fidget Bead Gloves are FREE this month on Ravelry. 

I have also been working on The Rind Beanie (the one that is inspired by a Dora Does pattern), but it is not coming out the way I envisioned, so it’s back to the drawing board! It looks cute in smaller sizes, but it doesn’t work well when it’s bigger. I also made it in Color Theory ‘Himalayan Salt’, which is not a great colour for this beanie! 

I’m working on a lovey for the Royal Adelaide Show, too, so that’s going to take up my time. 

I am planning to do some work on the website in the next few weeks, so feel free to message me with any recommendations or requests for Amigurumi 101 and Crochet 101 articles.