Tag: Rachel Wilder

  • Join Me at Torquere Press Today!

    Join Me at Torquere Press Today!

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    Join me over at Torquere Press today, where I\’m talking about my free workshop in February on writing M/M romance.

  • Stash Sunday

    Stash Sunday

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    Rachel and I wander around a lot, and as part of that, we search out local yarn shops, or what knitters like to call LYS\’s.  During Rachel\’s last trip here, we visited The Knitting Pot in Elmhurst, Illinois.  Rachel fell in love with some lovely overdye purple yarn, but there was only one skein of it.  It\’s been sitting on my idea board for the last two months while I try and figure out what to make with it.

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    I like Cascade yarns.  This is a nice, chunky yarn that\’s soft and has a nice hand.  This colorway is interesting because it\’s so understated, all plums and grey.  It\’s a lot darker than it seems in these pictures.

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    Here\’s a shot of the back of the yarn band.  The colorway on the left tells you what the manufacturer\’s color it is.  The lot number on the right tells you which batch it was dyed with, so that if you\’re using more than one skein, you can make sure all the pieces are the same lot number.

    Here\’s the tough part:

    I don\’t know what to make with it.

    So, here are my ideas:

    1. A stuffed elephant/truffle.  (A truffle is an imaginary creature that Rachel and I invented for our Persis series; it\’s a cross between a cocker spaniel and an aardvark.)
    2. A lace table runner.
    3. This is currently my favorite:  an Amazeball.  Here\’s my idea:  make a large ball, stuffed and cushie.  Send it to a friend when they\’ve done something amazing.  They get to hang onto it, kind of like a trophy, until they feel like it\’s time to pass the award on to the next person.  Ooh!  As I\’m typing this, maybe include a pocket, and each person giving the award can write a note to put in the Amazeball to pass it along to the next person.
    4. A set of tree ornaments.
    5. Use it in a woven piece where I wind on a continuous warp, and use this as one of the weft pieces.

    What about you, Dear Reader?  What would you make with it?

  • Sunday Box Talk – The Toolbox

    Sunday Box Talk – The Toolbox

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    \”Success doesn\’t come to you, you go to it.\”
    – Marva Collins

    It’s easy to lament the things we don’t have yet. The media bombards us with images of more successful, more slender, more athletic, more successful people every day. New media come online every day, methods of distracting us from ourselves: even the dollar store as the “dollar store radio network” to talk to you while you hunt for bargains. Is it any wonder we feel bombarded? Or, worse, bad about ourselves because we’re not where we want to be?

    I offer a thought for a beleaguered mind: gratitude.

    Give thanks for the good that exists in your life, right now. Even if there doesn’t seem like much you could possibly be grateful for, the fact that you are alive and reading this newsletter is enough. Imagine if you were in Baghdad right now, sitting in the bombed-out shell of your temple, trying to pray with the sounds of mortars booming in the distance? What if one hits your neighborhood? The fact that we live in relative peace and calm, pursuing making a living and our hobbies, is a subject we can offer much gratitude for. Sure, not everything is perfect. But much of it is good.

    Try numbering a sheet from one to ten, and write down ten things you’re grateful for. See if you can’t go past ten. How do you feel?

    Now I propose that we become pilgrims on the path to self. We will do this together, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. Our tools are our bright minds and our love for each other. The first item in our toolbox is Gratitude. Learn to say thank you with an open heart. If you need ideas for how, go grab a copy of Sarah Ban Breathnach’sSimple Abundance, one of the best books written in the last two decades. Try her Gratitude Journal. Select a small, pretty book. Each night, just before you go to sleep, write down five things you are grateful for from the day. That’s all. Just five.

  • Saturday Stashbusting

    Saturday Stashbusting

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    I\’m working on busting my ginormous stash.  In order to do that, I need to work on the projects I started.

    The Stash List

    1. Block the Jewel Scarf
    2. My hat
    3. The red cable bag
    4. Line the Uglii Bag
    5. Bind off the Uglii Afghan; decide if I’m adding to it
    6. Buttons to the red blouse

    This was originally a list of 5 things, but I realized I need to block the Jewel Scarf too, and that\’s something I can do on Sunday.

    Oh, and here\’s Boria keeping the Uglii Afghan warm for me.  I know, I featured him a couple days ago, but it makes me laugh so I figured I\’d share again.

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    What about you, Dear Reader?  What\’s in YOUR stash?

     

  • The Splish-Splash Page Hop

    The Splish-Splash Page Hop

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    Bubble, bubble, toil and… welcome to the trouble!  It\’s #NationalBubbleBathDay, and I\’m joining my #NiceGirlsWritingNaughty sisters all weekend long to help celebrate with a steamy fun PAGE HOP!

    Hello there.  I\’m A. Catherine Noon, and I write hot-hot-hot stuff such as Sealed by Magic.  As part of the Page Hop, I\’m giving away a copy of one of our books, either Sealed by Magic or your choice to one lucky winner on Sunday!  All you have to do to enter my giveaway is like my Noon and Wilder page on Facebook, here.

    After you do that, be sure to comment below about YOUR fantasy bath mate below, so I know you\’ve been by!  After you\’re done, hop on to the next Naughty Girl waiting to say hello to you!  She is ANGEL PAYNE!

  • Friday Funnies

    Friday Funnies

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    So.  What\’s on YOUR social media plan?

  • Thoughtful Thursday – 3D and Writing

    Thoughtful Thursday – 3D and Writing

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    No epiphanies this week.  Just a hat.  I decided to try making one with lace, rather than straight ribbed stitches, and like how it\’s coming out so far.

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    Boria and Kolya both keep sleeping on my Uglii Chair Afghan, which is annoying.  Kolya wants to chew the ends of my knitting needles.

    I think I\’ll make him into a hat.

  • A Writer In Her Library

    A Writer In Her Library

    \"2016-01-07When I teach, students often ask me for books that I recommend.  I like Debra Dixon\’s GMC: Goal Motivation & Conflict; The Building Blocks of Good Fiction.  Debra breaks down how good stories work and why, and helps us create compelling characters that will drive our story forward.

    Her grids are helpful for evaluating our own stories and making them stronger.  I particularly like how she uses several popular movies as examples, and breaks down where they work and where they don\’t.  It makes it easy to see her points and figure out how to apply them to our own writing.

    Highly recommended.

  • Tue Cent Twosday – Why Gratitude

    Tue Cent Twosday – Why Gratitude

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    Happy New Year!

    I know that there\’s a ton of focus right now on New Year\’s Resolutions, but I want to throw a curveball.  Rather than focus on what we don\’t have, let\’s focus on all the good that we have in our lives.  No matter what\’s going on in our lives at any given moment, we have something for which to be grateful.  Even on awful days, we have the ability to be grateful that, at the end of the day, that day is over and we get to put it behind us.

    I challenge you, then, to join me in writing a gratitude journal.  Each night before you go to sleep, write down five things for which you are grateful.  I\’ll start:

    1. My health.
    2. My husband.
    3. My kid.
    4. My cats and dog.
    5. My safe and warm home.

    What about you, Dear Reader?  Tell me in the comments.

  • Tuesday Tips – Sheet Protectors

    Tuesday Tips – Sheet Protectors

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    I know those really neat fabric roll-ups are a cool way to store needles and hooks.  But until I can afford one, or make one for myself, what I\’ve been doing is using sheet protectors and a large binder.  I organized the needles by size, and put the crochet hooks in the back one (which you could reverse, if your primary craft is crochet).

    I keep my circulars in a zipper pouch organized by needle size; I splurged one year and got a set with detachable needles.  I highly recommend this, if you can swing it, because it makes sorting out the circular needle mess so much easier.  I really like KnitPicks needles for their smooth joins.

    What about you, Dear Reader?  Got any favorite storage tips?

  • Magic Monday – Fun with Prompts

    Magic Monday – Fun with Prompts

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    So, it\’s like this.  I was noodling ideas for my Monday blog posts, and came up with an idea to share some of the goofy results from Prompt Circles over the past several years.  Today\’s is about … well, you\’ll see in a moment.  I entered \”funny pictures dog bathtub\” into Google, thinking I\’d find something funny.

    THIS poor sod is one of the first pictures that popped up and I think I pulled something laughing.

    For those of you unfamiliar with Prompt Circles and writing prompts, a little explanation will help.  A writing prompt is designed to help germinate ideas, and can take many forms: a short statement, an image, a scent, a song… anything that will give the writer something to start from.  The Prompt Circles that I run in Writer Zen Garden are designed to be a group event where we share prompts, write for a set amount of time, (say ten or fifteen minutes), and then those who wish to, can share what they wrote.

    A popular tool is called the Amazing Story Generator, which is a lot of fun to play with.  I\’ve pasted details on it below the prompt, in case you want to try it out for yourself.  Without further ado, I give you:

    Suffering from amnesia / a talking dog / refused to leave the bathtub

    “No.”

    “Ralph, come on. You have to get out of that tub! Now!”

    “Why? And who are you, anyway?”

    “Oh, Ralph. I’m Louise.”

    “Louise, come on. Just leave him in there.”

    “Dad, you can’t. He’s gonna clog the drain!”

    “Janey, don’t whine. And put your phone down; this does not need to go on Facebook.”

    “Oh, Mom.”

    “I’m hungry. Are you people part of my pack? Where’s the food?”

    “Yes, hello? Animal Control? Harry, I got through. Yes, hello? This is Louis Hancock and six-two-five Crescent. The dog won’t get out of the tub.”

    “Damn right I won’t. None of you will give me a straight answer. I’m hungry, too. Hey, is that a cat? I could eat a cat.”

    “Mooom!”

    “Yes, he’s a Siberian Husky, but he’s from Canada, not Siberia. He doesn’t have any Russian accent at all. What? Who? No, Harry’s from Poughkeepsie. The dog’s from Saskatoon.”

    “Janey, your mother said no Facebook. Ralph, you may not eat the cat. You love that cat. You’ve known him since he was a kitten.”

     

    \"2016-01-04If this seems like fun to you, give it a try.  The Amazing Story Generator is a lot of fun.  You can use it with your family, your church or community group, or your writers group.  Or, give yourself a challenge and post the results on your blog.

    Or, give it a try with this prompt.  Set your timer on your smartphone for ten minutes and see what comes out of your pen or keyboard.  Have fun!

    If you\’re near Chicago, join me in Writer Zen Garden:

    The Writer Zen Garden:  The Writers Retreat Blog | Forum | Twitter | Meetup

     

  • Make Something Monday – The Jewel Scarf

    Make Something Monday – The Jewel Scarf

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    The Jewel Scarf is done.  It\’s nice and soft.   I\’m not sure what I\’m going to work on next; maybe a top-down sweater.  For now, here are some more views:

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    I like long scarves, but I think this will fit well on the person for whom I designed it.
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    It actually drapes well, which is nice.  I haven\’t blocked it yet; this is just off the needles.  But I like the flow of the fabric even without blocking.

    What about you, Dear Reader? What are you making?