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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

A lot of people start with amigurumi because it's like one stitch in a circle so as long as you can count or use stitch markers as counting aids, you'll be fine.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

You're going to want stitch markers and I have an irrational hatred of their suggestion, lion brand(totally rational, it's so frequently awful and splitty and just terrible to work with), but even if your first one isn't perfect, it shouldn't be too too hard.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

It's a good summer option and works well in a decent range of fabrics.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

It's fit and flare without a waist seam, which makes it just that much more forgiving. The one I have is simplicity 9134. They might have a blouse with release pleats too. Just under utilized in dress design

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

I think it depends on if you want a more collegiate/sports look or a little less so. The first reads college/sport and the second is maybe more neutral?

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The umbrella strainer is so cute. I'm jealous lol

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

I've got a different pattern with release pleats for waist shaping and it's always so comfortable to wear. I've made three different versions at this point and they're all fabulous.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

House Andrew's The Inheritance has really good content warnings at the beginning including information like the dog makes it. It's got a bit of levity to it, but it still takes the potentially upsetting issues seriously.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Really wanted to like a fire upon the deep by Vernor vinge as there's a lot of cool aspects (aliens! with no short term memory or that need a set number of bodies to achieve sapience), but it's just not working out 😭 something about the style drags for me. Such cool concepts tho

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Reposted by @fairygrrl97.bsky.social

United Wizards of the Coast - CWA @uwotc-official.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

This morning, the D&D team and Magic's Studio X informed our leadership of our intent to unionize. We love the games we make and the work we do, and unionizing is how we protect that work. unitedwizardsofthecoast.com/news/dnd-stu...

unitedwizardsofthecoast.com

Dungeons & Dragons and Studio X Join United Wizards of the Coast - CWA

Today, October 6, 2026, the designers, artists, writers, producers, and workers behind Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Duel Masters, D&D Beyond, and countless other games are uniting in soli...

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

May I suggest grandpa style or thermos brewing? Both are relatively low fuss and make good options for when you need some easy tea. Most decent teas will give a good showing grandpa style, too.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Second muslin. Cheapest ugliest fabric that's the same type. If it's trash, it doesn't matter. Also pajamas or something that if you still want to wear it doesn't need to be perfect. If you can find a class near you, even better.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The history of tea is pretty interesting because modern tea wouldn't necessarily be recognizable by the earliest drinkers as the same thing. Matcha or a simmered white maybe, but like gongfu style tea preparation would be very foreign.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

All the stories about duck shit and it's a fairly recent variety if I understand correctly, so a lot of it is probably just marketing.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

ritual-type thing for those studying for the civil service exams. Duck shit aroma oolong also has a couple of fun apocryphal stories about how it got its name, mostly involving hiding how good it is from others so they could keep the tea/bush secret and keep it all to themselves.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The legend for big red robe's (da hong pao) name goes something like there was a scholar who got sick and failed to study for the civil exams or something along those lines. Had some magnificent tea, passed the exam, came back to thank the tea bush by draping his robe over it and it became a luck

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Friday Afternoon Tea for sure sells it and the owner's pretty active on social media. She likely has other caffeine free options, as well. I've also linked the brand I usually use. I drop a bag or two into about a liter of water. I've not really seen others talking about it too much online.

amazon.com

Amazon.com : Ito En Mugicha Roasted Barley Tea, 54 Count Tea Bags, Caffeine Free : Grocery & Gourmet Food

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I'm not a coffee drinker, so I can't say how they compare, but hojicha lattes are so so good. Friday Afternoon Tea sells it. You may also like roasted barley tea (mugicha), I find it really nice in the summer when it's hot. It's nutty, roasty, and a little sweet.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Milk is notorious for boiling over and making a mess at the slightest provocation. Did they mention how they kept it from doing that?

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Wawak has online and a catalog, but their button selection is more practical than the fun stuff Joann's used to carry. They're good for zippers, thread, and other notions, but not the same as having a store.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Enjoy ❤️❤️ and make sure you have tissues and emotional support tea because it's a journey.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The funny thing is a lot of these straddle the line with grimdark without ever tipping over into what I like about grimdark. Instead they're just grim.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I bombed out in the first half hour, but I'd already been starting to recognize the classification and know it's not for me.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Based on the blurb of one of Donaldson's books alone, it almost certainly fits the bill. I want to like some of them, but the style makes it hard. I think Gwynne's Shadow of the Gods fits the bill, as well.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Oooh yea, I love it when power comes with a price. It makes it a much more interesting proposition than just throw out a fireball at whatever inconveniences you. Whether that price is preparation, madness, or something else it very much factors into power use.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Tphk is such a shape. I love it and I want some eventually.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I'm adding Kingfisher's 9 goblins to that list. They're not a POV character, but freaky wizards are definitely a plot point.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I'll have to see if it I think it falls into the category lol

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

That does sound right up my alley, so Ive put a hold on it. It's interesting that they got worse as they went further along... Maybe they got sick of writing it, who knows.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Absolutely! You may want to practice a bit before you get to your actual project as the first couple of goes might not be as nice as you'd like.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

With the exception of the alchemist. He's a "can't see the tree for the forest" kinda experimenter and a mad scientist through and through. Truly the only one that wants to be there and a rather despicable guy.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I did wonder for a minute when you mentioned that if I meant to pick that one, but I think the cover is right? I'll have to check it out. Freaky ass wizards improve everything. This does have some, but they're all too busy being the meanest most backstabbing dog to ever really be that unhinged.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It's usually male authors and it's got sort of a ponderous or heavy prose style in my opinion. A lot of them are centered around a war or rebellion of some sort and usually vaguely norse or roman inspired. I don't think you read that much, but I feel like you've been leaning towards scifi

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

TW/CWs: emotional neglect of a child, virgin sacrifice, general danger, coercive spells including one for lust, murder, light fantasy violence, general evil scheming and manipulation, mention of slavery and associated abuses

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

along the way. It's an enjoyable journey with some clever characters and plenty of scheming. It understands what a fairytale needs to be and how to get there while still telling a fun, feminist tale. The romance is much lighter in this one - sweet and unexpected.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

📚🪐 I'm having the best time with these. Just the deep understanding of the structure of fairy tales and how to use them to one's advantage *perfection* This starts unsettlingly, has some great danger, and ends happily (as all the best tales do) with some great comradarie and clever use of Tradition

The cover of Mercedes lackey's one good night in all its kitschy glory. There's a girl in a white gown adorned with gold on the front right and a silhouette of a knight facing a green dragon with frills on its head at the top left with light sparkles and a sort of busy blue green ambiance around the edges. Older covers are such *fun*

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Id compare this to something like McDonald's Raven's Mark series which is similarly bleak and fighting against terrible odds, but doesn't cross into the man fantasy writing style. It has a lot more emotional weight for me than this did. Raven's Mark just worked for me in a way this largely didn't.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Tw/CW: all the ultraviolence, foul language and gestures, backstabbing, possession, and some pretty fucked up relationships, death of name characters, forced religious conversion

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Basically a get the band back together, but they're all the nastiest fuckers. It felt like it should've been more fun, but was too busy being straight-laced to actually do so. I persevered, however, and the ending was exactly as fucked up as I expected with a few little twists that were worthwhile

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

📚🪐 I didn't love this as much as I wanted to, the style is very much what I call "man fantasy" (see authors like Anthony Ryan). There's nothing wrong with it, but I find the style difficult to read and enjoy. Which was annoying because it's got a really fun premise

The cover of the maleficent seven by Cameron Johnston. Seven would figures are silhouetted against a burning sky.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

You could also do French knots for the nodes between the spines? It would give it a bit more dimension

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

You'd want embroidery floss for either optiob and use something like a back stitch, stem stitch, or maybe even couching depending on how 3D you want it to be.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

So this is all embroidery/embellishments and there's quite a few ways to do it. I'd probably secure the white rectangle first (running stitches with matching thread are fine) and then make the spines. You could do this by adding lines of black to the rectangle ribbon or by adding white out.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

If not this then another one by the author.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Don't buy it yet please or if you do tell me because she's a front runner for package books

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It's perhaps a bit dated, but the morganville vampires series by Rachel caine was one of my favorites at that age. Urban fantasy, nerdy female protagonist who has to deal with vampires being real and the issues it causes. Her other stuff is pretty solid too.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

🪐📚 There's a soft fairytale-like quality to McKinley's work that's very soothing regardless of the topic. This is an interesting one as the FMC takes on a role binding the earth to peace. It's quite slow, but wraps up nicely.

The cover of Chalice by robin McKinley. It's yellow with a window wreathed by a flower pattern and bees that shows a woman in a vaguely medieval dress with a small cottage in the background.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It's different too when you're posting publicly or semi-publicly about it, especially when social media can tend to dog pile on stuff like this, which is mostly why I mentioned it. I do think American Gods post gaiman's crap would be a new perspective on his work.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It's one thing if they're dead and can't hurt anyone anymore, although with the organizations some set up that won't always be the case, but like if they're actively able to cause further harm by being platformed that's a no from me.

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fairygrrl97.bsky.social @fairygrrl97.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Huh, I've heard some of the lion brand free patterns are mid, but that one sounds particularly frustrating... Ai generated patterns are a thing, but it could also just be cost cutting measures resulting in less testing, too.

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