u/howdydipshit

my first time using genuinely nice yarn and this is what it looks like 5 mins after i open it and attempt to wind it with my new winder lmao. is this even salvageable????

Hey folks! I normally crochet but received knitting needles for my birthday today. Yay!!

I used the long tail cast on method. I suspect I may have messed up on the first row of my swatch… maybe? It almost looks like I knit 2 together on the bottom, left side, but perhaps I just pulled the yarn way too tight.

I watched some videos yesterday on how to read your knitting but my eye obviously isn’t trained yet. I’m wondering if anyone else notices any mistakes I’ve made, or if everything looks as it should. I’m also concerned with how generally messy the left side looks compared with the right.

Regardless, I’m loving it so far now that I have a bit of a feel for the movements! Thanks in advance for your help.

I absolutely love the way this yarn works up and how it feels, but I typically want to crochet with brighter colors. Does anyone have any suggestions or alternatives? Thanks in advance!

what a labor of love! i started crocheting in december but finally got around to working on this a few months ago during march. took me around 200 hours, plus i had to learn how to draw pixel art as well bc i wanted to make an original design. worked on this NON-STOP lol. still need to block it, but it turned out quite beautifully, i think! i drew our state bird (which is where he was also born) and his birth month flowers. he wasn’t religious so this was my take on the heavenly dove imagery, with an atheist twist :’)

Edit: If you scroll down in the comments, I uploaded a screenshot of the pixel art I drew with the grid turned on in case anyone else wants to use the bird and flowers. I don’t mind at all. It’s not numbered like it would be in Stitch Fiddle, but the length of the image (excluding the pink border) is 120 pixels by 86 pixels for the height. I used Aunt Lydia’s Size 10 Classic Cotton Crochet Thread and a 1.5 mm hook! Thanks so much for all the kind words it means so so so much to me <3

Sorry mods, I know this isn’t a typical post for r/leftist, but I’ll get flamed if I post this in the r/redrising sub (because apparently everyone there is incapable of handling a book critique or thinking critically about a fictional work). I’m curious to hear other leftists’ thoughts on this series. I’m in the middle of Lightbringer now, so no spoilers for the last book please!

While the first trilogy felt like a proletarian uprising, the sequel series has calcified into a defense of neoliberal capitalism. The Republic is failing, yet the narrative consistently frames its warlords and billionaire financiers (like Quicksilver) as the only rational option. At the same time, any actual socialist interventions are portrayed as inherently evil or extremist.

Darrow has effectively become corrupted by power. He’s devolved into the very type of warlord he fought to get rid of. In a sense, he treats low-color lives as disposable capital to further his agenda, yet the narrative continues to frame his war crimes as the tragic burden of leadership. He’s the "Great Man" archetype used to justify a semi-authoritarian regime that hasn’t actually liberated the people it claims to represent. His behavior kind of reminds me of the one meme where liberals have the LGBTQ sticker slapped over a military fighter jet lol.

Another thing that annoys me is that Lyria is hated by the fandom because her perspective exposes the truth, that under Virginia and Darrow’s rule, the Reds went from chattel slaves to starving refugees. Her justified anger was the perfect setup for a genuine socialist movement, but the author instead pivots her story away from systemic critique, effectively domesticating her narrative. Her plot was so incredibly unfair, and after the children were stolen, it felt like the author was genuinely trying to frame her in a negative light for unknowingly wearing a necklace? Like she was a victim too.

Back to the political critique, the clearest example of anti-leftist rhetoric came from Publius’s monologue:

“‘Before you do—die, that is—I wanted you to understand that I am different from you. What remains of the Syndicate is already being destroyed. I do not abide criminality. Quicksilver has deserted Luna, but he will be hunted down and put to the Obelisk like your spymaster. I do not allow allies to escape justice when they are villains just because they have utility. I am going to remake the world, Virginia. It will be as it should. One without hierarchy. Without economic class distinctions. One in which it will be criminal to own excess wealth. Where the loftiest goal of a human being is to serve the people. No corporations. No private citizens. All serve one another for dignity and protection of the common good. All men were created equal, and I will make them so.’ He claps his hands together. ‘Now, are you ready for the justice of the meek?’”

So, he’s framed as a villain for wanting to abolish economic class distinctions, criminalize excess wealth, and remove corporations in favor of the common good. By putting these foundational socialist goals in the mouth of a bad guy, the author utilizes a classic reactionary trope, admitting the system is broken, but insisting that any attempt to dismantle the class hierarchy is a path to terror. Instead, we are meant to side with the so-called benevolent elites. It’s absolutely hilarious to me that the fandom will argue so hard that this series isn’t political and isn’t trying to shove a political viewpoint down your throat. Like did you guys even read the fucking books???

Ugh. It’s a shame because I think the writing improved significantly after the first book, and I genuinely loved the characters, action scenes, and general plot. The politics just suck major ass, especially in Iron Gold and Dark Age.

At a meeting filled with speakers criticizing the Greensboro City Manager’s unexplained choice of an external hire for Police Chief, one speaker pointed out the common interests of City Council.

Even new councillors such as Irving Allen and Cecile “CC” Crawford—who ran on progressive platforms, with backgrounds in community organizing against police brutality—refused to dissent from supporting the City Manager’s unpopular choice. Luis Medina noted they have apparently surmounted their differences to achieve a remarkable level of solidarity.

All nine councillors consolidated to support the new police chief, including Tammi Thurm and Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter.

A lifetime ago, in 2019, Thurm and Abuzuaiter voted to remove their now-colleague Irving Allen from the Police Community Review Board, “for reasons.” Back then, Allen was willing to criticize government abdication and opacity. (See Ian McDowell, I Ain’t Resisting, p.191.)

Medina claimed the recent activities of city council demonstrate a ruling-class solidarity, and called for a working-class solidarity to combat it.

Though speakers are generally granted a few seconds’ grace on their allotted time, Medina’s microphone was cut exactly at the 3-minute mark. The mayor proceeded to demand that he be escorted out, though he was already walking away. It seems the mayor realized her demand was excessive, as she immediately began justifying it to council members:

“He hit the podium,” Abuzuaiter claimed. “I’m not gonna put up with it.”

Whether “it” referred to threats to the safety of the podium, or something else, remained unspecified.

source: Battleground

*Not my original photo, just saw it on another post and had to add it here

No more free refills with your $15 big mac!

roughly 18 months into my chess journey. started with a 434 elo and now im only 100 points away from my first major goal hehehehe !!

1700 im comin for you 🙂‍↕️