I’m liking it so far. It’s very soft and doesn’t irritate my fingers. It is definitely getting a halo in areas and I haven’t even blocked it yet, so I am wondering how it will wear long-term.

I knew it was missing something.

If she wants to share I’d love to see it!

Thank you! I started it in January 2025 so at this point just finishing it counts as in good time.

I love the marled color combination on your hat! I’ve made 2 Melt the ICE hats so far. And I love how the color is pooling on your scarf. I’m impressed you’re making it with fingering weight yarn! That definitely takes patience, no matter how big it ends up.

I have to do socks and sleeves two at a time, otherwise I really struggle to make the 2nd one. It’s so much easier to tell myself I’ll finish it later, cast on a new project, and 2 years later I still haven’t finished it. But it definitely gets complicated with colorwork, juggling all the strands and keeping them untangled. I used to keep each ball in a plastic bag, but I just discovered yarn cozies and they work so much better for keeping the yarn tidy.

According to an NPR article, the pattern has raised over $400,000.

I don’t have many IRL knitting/crochet friends so it’s a pretty solitary craft for me. It’s really cool to see the collective impact the fiber community can have.

The last one I can hear it saying “chick-a-dee-dee”

thank you for going back and checking on them! and calling a specialist for advice.

sometimes they get chased to the ground but are fine, other times they get hurt and can no longer fly which is why they’re on the ground. this one seems to be making their way up to a proper takeoff height again which is a good sign

this site lets you sort species by country and state

are you able to go back and see if that bat is still there? many species of midwestern bats cannot take off from the ground and would need rescuing

if that’s the case, search your state plus wildlife rehab, and call one of those places to ask what to do

Books: Narwhal and Jelly was a favorite at that age. Also if an adult reads with her, we were reading the Mercy the Pig, and Zoey and Sassafrass series at that age.

I’m pretty sure that was also about the age we got our first Snap Circuits set. It still gets pulled out and built every so often - the flying “helicopter” is still a favorite.

However, Play-Doh is one you can never go wrong with at that age.

Edit: Forgot to add that Dr. Seuss and PD Eastman books are very good for the typical 6-7 year old reading level.

Snowy egret sounds fabulous! I was a flamingo last year. This year I’m working at a school, so I’m thinking I’ll be a minion.

How did you hack my phone? (/s)

I thought I was being smart because I almost always remember my phone, so no more looking for misplaced notebooks. Now if only I can remember which app I saved that idea in and what title I gave it.

until the notepad joins the others in the void

If your dog doesn’t already get wet food, you could try the small packs of wet dog food. I make 3 little “meatballs” out of the wet food, one of which has his pill. He scarfs down all 3 and thinks he’s getting a treat.

Green tomato chutney and oven dried wild leeks have both gone over well in the past. I’m not sure what we’ll do this year, so thanks for bringing it up. Now I’ve got some time to plan.

I would call a local wildlife rehabilitator and get their opinion. Searching “wildlife rehab” plus your location hopefully turns up someone.

If not, your state/province/national wildlife, parks, or environmental department would hopefully be able to tell you who you can contact. They might even send one of their staff.

And if all else fails, call around to local vet clinics. One may know a rehab organization in the area.

Same. And P A R K. Currently we “marche” and visit the “DP.” Not sure yet what we’ll use when he figures those out.

I look like that at work too

They buzz the top of my head if I dare step outside without more food when the feeders are low

I experience this as well. I don’t have a solution, although I am trying to use Trello to create each idea/thought as its own card. Then whenever I’m inspired/motivated to sort them into their proper place, it’s a simple drag and drop.

My consistency with this comes and goes, and I keep reorganizing my lists (the headings I group related cards under). But I lose things less than when they were scribbled on random pieces of paper.