Snake, snaaaaaake!!

DC area checking in. They are super popular right now, especially roasted or deep fried. Fortunately, I haven’t seen anyone serving the boiled nasties my mom used to make…

All hail Queen Pepper!

Hey, it’s the only thing I remember from linear algebra! That’s the longest living sheep ever.

That looks fabulous! I really like the big stitched and the drape. You are all set for winter. :)

Did you manage to finish? Looks like it is going to be a beautiful sweater.

I love the bunny kicks. They are so dangerous, but so adorable…

Taffy is very cute! Is that belly a trap, or can you pet it?

Kitty!!

Ooh, I forgot about Sheetz. They used to have good breakfast sandwiches. I’ve never made it to a buc-ees, but I’ve heard good things.

Yeah, most of them do double duty with a shop inside. The snacks and drinks usually have a high markup, but there aren’t a lot of free-standing minimarkets except for a few 7-11s.

Then there’s Wawa, which is the weird outlier. :) I think they sell gas as a side business. The inside is all about getting food.

Portuguese style looks really interesting! I learned to knit after learning to crochet, so I’ve only ever gotten the hang of continental.

How do you tell them apart? They were very cute kittens.

Philly!! Looks great.

Cool! Post a picture if you make one. It’s a little fiddly at the end, but fun and quick to make.

I used a random scrap of some terrible thick stuff from joann’s. My advice would be to use a thinner piece of Aida or evenweave, or make a bigger rectangle. The corners were really difficult to squish shut.

Interesting to know about the origin of the word. I read somewhere that it is based on the shape of a candy, but I’ve never seen ones like that.

The shape reminds me of the little cardboard orange juice containers I had in elementary school. :)

Whoa that’s a seriously clean back. Very impressive, especially on the black fabric.

You are making good progress! What is the final size for this going to be?

Also a heavy computer user and I have terrible joints that hurt constantly. My tips (they aren’t that great, but I’m still stitching even if it’s less than I would like…) are as follows.

Check your ergonomics. Make sure you are staying relaxed while you stitch (no death grips). Look into getting a frame or another setup that lets you stitch with both hands.

Take frequent breaks. Massage your hands and stretch your arms and shoulders, look around the room and move your head and neck. You can find stretches and hand exercises specifically for crafters. I think they help with general stiffness.

Heat or ice your hands when you are done depending on what makes you feel better. Sometimes I also keep a hot tea near me to hold while I’m taking a break. Compression gloves might help if you want to try them.

You might also need to mix up your crafts and find some alternatives to do when your joints don’t want to cooperate.

Good luck!!