This episode will upload July 18, 2026
Buy Dr Gemma a Ko-Fi, if you're enjoying the podcast and feeling up to it. Remember that I am still working, though, so feel free to give the money to a charity instead.
I will NOT add you to any of my follower groups currently, due to robo-accounts. Please follow me here. You can contact me through our group on Ravelry or on this blog.
Warm Thanks :
Chrisaah: for ongoing ribbing (HA! SEE WHAT I DID THERE?) about the Bloodroot tee.
Elizaski and ChrisAah: for really working to get me to watch/read the Jeeves and Wooster series and the witch novels of Pratchett’s Discworld.
My communities: on Finch, on Reddit, on the ground in the SCV and AV, in this group.
Finch app ID is XRVW2WQW3C.
Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 12 (2026): ALL INFO IS RIGHT HERE! It's the info thread on Ravelry. Yes, I made my hotel reservation.
CHANGE: Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 12 is scheduled for Nov 7, 2026.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
This is a Developing thread, so check back often.
Don't forget the Bloodroot tee fashion show
Registration for CFR 12 (2026):
Via Paypal to Dr. Gemma at gemmadw AT yahoo.com
Payment is due at time of registration and is NOT refundable.**
Sign-ups begin Sept. 1, 2026
Loretta 1031 left a message about donations for her crocheting club for school kids. This still applies!
What's On My Hooks and Needles:
Finished: How Now Brown Cowl 2
In Progress:
Stash toss 2026 (25 in, 82 out)
Doing the sides, all the blocks are joined. Done up the side panels. Thinking of the liner, digging out an old flannel sheet.
Lakeside cardigan : Remaining: 1 set of front on panels, each is 2x2, weaving those ends, attaching, then major remaining seams.
It's crocheted and has been on my Rav projects page for months. I’m done the second torso piece and I've sewn it all together. On the left arm! That will leave the bottom ribbing section and some fixes on the bottom of the other arm.
A
great video by The Shetland Trader on steeking armholes for stranded -pattern vests. A
fine discussion of reinforcing and cutting a steek by Brooklynn Tweed. You do put underarm stitches on a stitch holder. You do still shape the armhole per the pattern. Currently shaping the armholes as I head for the neckline.
At neck and upper armhole shapings
CONTRIBUTING SQUARES:
Cut a 3” x 3” square (or squares) out of any fabric – sewing scraps, old clothes, etc.
Feel free to embellish your squares, but keep in mind: they need to be able to go through a standard sewing machine (seams will land 1/2 inch from the edges) and will eventually be displayed
outside in the elements for multiple hours.
HAVE MULTIPLE SQUARES? ABLE TO SEW?
We would love the help! Sew squares together into blocks using 1/2 inch of seam allowance (individual squares should be 2 inches x 2 inches once you’ve sewn them together). Most helpful would be blocks of 5 squares by 5 squares or 10 squares by 10 squares.
Mail squares to:
PO Box 19068
Minneapolis, MN 55419.
If you’re part of an impacted community and aren’t able to contribute a square, we invite you to send a word, phrase, name, or symbol to
mnquiltproject@gmail.com, and a member of the Project will add it to a square for you.
Dizzy Blondes: still NOT spinning the LS BFL Giverny.
Using the electric eel 6.1.
Strategy: “quarter cleaning”
AW shoot! Quietly running through the heat; the return of Ketorade
Fluffy Books:
Something I Really Like:
Put a Lid on It: In a pint jar:
Juice of half a lemon
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp No Salt
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
5-10 drops liquid stevia
Fill rest of jar with sparkling water
Blather: Quiet days of summer. Beloved Son is home, farm is quiet.Off to SD!
Vacation Week! Tues., Wed to SD,
Swami’s in Oceanside:
Camp coffee in Oceanside near the Amtrak depot:
Then Amtrak to Santa Fe Depot in San Diego:
Lunch at Meze on 6th St:
Dinner at Lionfish in the Pendry on 5th:
Breakfast was at the Broken Yolk on Sixth St. then a long stroll around the Gaslamp section and by the convention center:
Then take-away dinner on the train from Swami’s
Thursday cleaning, eye check, Friday back to Oceanside
Saturday : Remainders trip
Sunday: last of the Remainders stash
Community Resources:
Skills and techniques list :
links And Minerva gets the last word: "It's a perfectly good bed!"