Miscellaneous Design Studio

The Hatchery: a blog about my adventures in bird watching

Too Much Fun

Even during a pandemic, I am feeling TOO BUSY with “summer” stuff. The kids aren’t going to their friends houses 3-5 days a week; right now its zero play dates a week. We didn’t take a vacation. No summer camps. I’m not teaching classes at my local big box craft store. Spouse isn’t on a…

August 2, 2020
Unbirthday Productivity

The other day, I was telling you about my new design project, the Merry Unbirthday Hat! I’ve finished version 1.0 with my super amazing AT Haynes House Yarn‘s Haynesville Fingering in It’s Nobody’s Birthday. This yarn was pure joy and magic to work with. The colors are vibrant and the hand is so soft and…

July 31, 2020
Magic Yarn

Have you ever purchased a yarn so beautiful and bright and squishy that you couldn’t wait to find the perfect project? Back in June, AT Haynes House Yarns had a limited edition colorway called It’s Nobody’s Birthday (in the Haynesville Fingering base: 100% Superwash Merino, 415 yards). It was so beautiful that I NEEDED to…

July 29, 2020
Pookie

The Owlbear Snuggle Beast Worlds Collide I’m pretty new to actually playing Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). During my last D&D session, my adventuring party was given a slightly magical Owlbear Snuggle Beast by an NPC (non-player character). When the DM (Dungeon Master) put up a (picture of a) vinyl figurine of the Owlbear, I nearly…

July 26, 2020
Chasing Perfection

I belong to a few crafting groups on Facebook. I am consistently struck by two themes in these groups: 1.) Am I good enough/is my work good enough? and 2.) You need to fix that small error that no one will notice, not even you, once you finish up the whole thing. And circuitously both…

July 25, 2020
Bandwagon Crochet

No. I’m not making “the pocket shawl”. IRL, I’m not a joiner. I don’t love large group activities (my local knitting people may remember how I dug in my heels about not attending “Stitch n Pitch”). I avoid (consciously or subconsciously) the Popular “thing” (current best selling books, fitness fads, fashion trends, pop music). Maybe…

July 20, 2020
Deadlines and Rambling

Progress report on some WIPs and meeting an arbitrary deadline.

July 13, 2020
No Raygrats

OK, maybe one regret. I stayed up WAYYYYY too late last night. I HAD TO FINISH my giant Randclaw Blanket. I was so close, that I just wanted to have it done. Yeah, I wove in the ends and sewed them down to secure them. Me from last night had no respect for me of…

July 11, 2020
Shabby, Not Chic

The year was 1999. I was a college freshman. It was Fall. I needed a chair. I went to Ikea, picked out an inexpensive chair and a coordinating cover. The cover was a pale pea green. It moved from apartment to apartment. My first, second, third. A brief move back in with my parents. My…

July 9, 2020
Best Laid Plans

If you asked me 12 hours ago what I expected to be doing this morning, my answer would be going hiking with my kids. Apparently my kids just want to stay in the house all day- because despite my requests to get dressed, they remain in the jammies. I know its been over a week…

July 7, 2020