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I’ve done a number of Fourth of July posts here on the site over the years. I'm not actually linking to any of them, because I find them unfortunately painful to look back on - this one, as they say, hits differently. I’ve spent the year so far watching the country of my birth slide disastrously off the rails, and with my own chosen profession (scientific and medical research) showing up as a very early candidate for vandalism and destruction. I’m 63. I never thought that I would see anything like this, and I am sickened by the possibility that I might live the rest of my life in a country that’s going to be trying to dig out from under the damage that’s been caused so far. Damage to its reputation, to its institutions, its economy, its foreign relations - you pick.
But that makes it sound as if things were just going fine until the Trump administration came along. And that’s obviously not the case, as comforting as it might be to pretend. There has been a lot of dry rot in our political and social institutions for many years, and there are clearly gaps in our laws and in our constitutional order that had not been so thoroughly exploited until now. We have well and truly fallen through the once solid floor. By this point, I fear that “going back to the way things used to be” is no longer a realistic option, because the way things used to be got us here. And they got us here with remarkable speed, once things really got going. No, the setup that we used through the first 250 years of this nation is going to need some shoring up, and my main hope now is that we get the chance to do it.
I realize that I’ve been writing so far by simply stipulating the awfulness of the current conditions. If you’d like to see that referenced (or at least complained about) a bit more thoroughly, the next two paragraphs are for you. If you’ve already been nodding your head ruefully, feel free to skip past.
I will restrain myself and not go on about this as lengthily as I could. As it stands, the rule of law itself is under attack as it has been very few times in our history, including the freedom of the press and the laws around citizenship. Masked men looking like they're ready to rob a bank are yanking people off the street into unmarked vehicles and taking them God know where - and worse, we're getting used to it. We’re also very busily trying to demolish parts of the government that fund scientific research (as mentioned), that try to insure the safety of drugs and foods, and that provide assistance for the elderly and the disabled and the needy. We have just voted a budget that lavishly funds the closest thing to an unaccountable secret police that this country has ever known. Economically, we are pursing an incomprehensible policy of hitting ourselves in the groin from a different angle every week. And in foreign affairs, we appear to be following a program of offending and spurning reliable long-time allies while cozying up to replacements like El Salvador. And in general, we seem to be devolving into a system of “The Law is Whatever Donald Trump Says It Is”. God knows that’s the administration’s position.
And it’s all being done in the crudest, most cruel manner that anyone could ask for. For example, we have just completed a vile concentration camp in the Florida swamps, with promises of many more to come. Social media influencers are being invited to come take selfies in front of it while they excitedly hawk the newly available caps and t-shirts. Meanwhile, the president constantly uses the power of the state to browbeat all his favorite targets (news outlets, universities, political commentators, law firms) into submission, while inviting bribes via his own cryptocurrency and flogging his own line of cologne. It’s no wonder than one of the constant emotions of this presidency so far, for me, has been burning, inescapable shame. There are others, but that’s a big one. Shame and rage and sorrow.
So where to now? I don’t mean that physically. For a long list of reasons, I don’t see moving out of the country as a personal option. The hope I have for the moment is the mid-term elections, because as the Trump administration’s policies continue to make things worse and worse I still believe that there will be a political price to be paid. But I have to admit that many potential voters are only vaguely aware of what’s going on, and among the ones who are, a distressing number of them are laughing and clapping. Some of them are literally convinced that Donald Trump is an agent of God’s will, and I just don’t know what to say to that one.
But even after all this, I am hoping for some returns from what Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature”. I’m encouraged by polling that shows that the more people hear about what’s happening, the less in favor of it they are. Trump’s approval numbers are in fact awful, and they’re awful issue by issue, which makes you wonder why elected officials keep treating him like Zeus the Thunderer. My guess it’s at least partly the ever-present threat of physical violence as well as the obvious threat of losing their re-election campaigns. But this just shows even more that changes are going to have to be made if we’re ever going to get ourselves out of this. Not mention keeping it from happening all over again when the next charismatic sociopath comes along.
Keeping from despair is going to be my first goal on this Independence Day. It’s taking some work, but I’ll get there. After that comes a resolve to keep working, to keep pushing against what’s going on, and to make others aware of what’s happening and how bad it really is. I miss my country - I miss what it was (at times) and what it could be, and I will not give up on those things without a fight. I will not give up. “Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph - but not through me”.
I got rid of the tapes in this move back to California since I never listened to them anymore, but the same stereo system, cabinet, and speakers came back with me. I did replace the CD player about 10 years in, because apparently they changed the CD encoding over time and it stopped working.
My favorite thing to do with the stereo system since 2008 is to run my computer audio through it and play mp3s for folk dancing. I love the feel of the music through big speakers, and the audio quality is way better than the smaller portable speakers that big dance groups used.
A few years ago I realized the music was getting fuzzy. I took the front grille off, and the foam around the woofers was completely perished. I carefully unhooked them, put them in my bike trailer, and took them to a small audio store where a crusty older guy took them in and promised to repair them. A week or two later I biked back, picked them up, hauled them home, and reassembled the speakers. They sounded great! (Apparently this was in 2014.)
After the move back to California, the audio started dropping out unpredictably from one of the speakers when I was dancing. I tried swapping out the cable from the computer to the receiver, and swapping the speaker cables. Finally it got bad enough that I decided after 30+ years it was time to replace the speakers.
I did some online research and picked out some speakers that I wanted to check out at Best Buy. (I wonder if that's where I bought my system in the first place!) Then I started thinking about having new electronics off-gassing in my living room, and how I would get rid of the old speakers. I took off the grilles and unscrewed the woofers to take a look at them. The foam still looks good. I disconnected the clip that held in the woofer on the one that's been dropping out, and reconnected it.
I put it all back together and the audio hasn't dropped out since. Maybe the clip got jarred during the move? It didn't look wrong, but at least it's behaving better now. Which is good, because the one local audio repair place I found didn't return my message, and the new speakers I was interested in don't look nearly as nice as the old ones. The thought of new & improved electronics is exciting, but I love how my speakers sound and I'm glad they're not dead yet.
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1/ House Republicans passed Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax-and-spending bill by a 218-214 vote after overcoming weeks of internal disputes and late-night negotiations to flip holdouts, which ultimately required direct pressure from Trump, who called the legislation “the biggest bill ever signed of its kind.” He said that flipping skeptics was “very easy.” All Democrats and two Republicans opposed a bill, while some Republicans criticized the process and policy, but voted yes anyway. The 887-page bill makes Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, adds new tax breaks for tips, overtime, and seniors, increases spending for border security and defense, raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, cuts Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion, cuts SNAP benefits by $185 billion, imposes stricter work requirements for safety-net programs, and phases out most clean-energy tax credits. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will increase the national debt by $3.4 trillion and lead to 11.8 million fewer Americans with health insurance coverage by 2034, while 3 million more would lose SNAP benefits. Speaker Mike Johnson characterized the megabill as “a key cornerstone of America’s new golden age.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries delayed the vote with a record-breaking 8-hour, 44-minute floor speech, calling Trump’s signature legislation “an immoral document” that would “end Medicaid as we know it.” He warned that “People will die,” and said Republicans were taking “a chain saw” to the safety net. “What is contemplated in this one big, ugly bill is wrong. It’s dangerous, and it’s cruel,” Jeffries said. “We don’t work for Donald Trump. We work for the American people,” he added, urging lawmakers to “vote no” on what he called “a crime scene.” After the vote, Trump told reporters he thinks the bill is “going to make this country into a rocket ship, it’s really great,” adding: “I think I have more power now.” Trump plans to sign his “big beautiful bill” on July 4th at the White House. (New York Times / Associated Press / Politico / NPR / Washington Post / Axios / NBC News / CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / ABC News)
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How this impacts you:
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Medicaid: Nearly $1T in cuts over 10 years; 11.8M expected to lose coverage by 2034 (CBO); New 80-hour/month work requirement for non-disabled adults without young children (starts 2026); States must charge up to $35 for some visits (starts 2028); Caps provider taxes that states use to increase federal funding; $50B rural hospital fund added
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SNAP (Food Assistance): Work requirement extended to age 65 (was 55); Caregiver exemption limited to parents of kids under 14 (was 18); States must begin covering part of benefit costs starting in 2028
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Student Loans: All income-driven repayment plans eliminated for new loans after July 1, 2026; SAVE plan repealed; Two new repayment options: fixed 10–25 year plan or 30-year income-based plan; Grad Plus loans eliminated; Parent Plus loans capped at $65K per student; Grad loans capped at $20.5K/year; Professional loans capped at $50K/year; Aggregate caps: $100K for grad, $200K for professional students
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Tips & Overtime Tax Breaks (2025–2028): No federal income tax on tips up to $25K; No federal income tax on overtime pay up to $12.5K (or $25K for couples); Income cap for both: $150K
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Senior Tax Deduction (2025–2028): Deduct up to $6K from taxable income if earning under $75K ($150K for couples); Phases out completely above $175K ($250K for couples); Does not affect Social Security taxes
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Auto Loan Interest Deduction (2025–2028): Deduct up to $10K in interest for U.S.-made cars; Phases out above $100K income
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Child Tax Credit: Raised from $2,000 to $2,200 starting in 2026; Indexed for inflation; Made permanent
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Trump Accounts: One-time $1,000 deposit for children born 2025–2028; Funds grow tax-deferred; Withdrawable at age 18; Up to $5,000/year can be contributed
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SALT Deduction: Cap raised to $40K in 2025; Grows 1%/year through 2029; Phases down starting at $500K income; Reverts to $10K cap in 2030 unless extended
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Clean Energy & EV Credits: EV credits ($7,500 new / $4,000 used) end Sept. 30, 2025; Home charging credit ends June 30, 2026; Solar, heat pump, weatherization, and energy-efficient home credits end Dec. 31, 2025
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ACA Marketplace Coverage: Open enrollment shortened by about a month; Automatic renewals eliminated — must verify income and immigration status each year; Stricter verification for special enrollment; Subsidies cut for some lawfully present immigrants (not green card holders); No extension of enhanced subsidies — premiums expected to rise 75% in 2026
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National Debt: Adds $3.4T to the debt over 10 years (CBO); Moody’s warned of higher interest rates for mortgages, car loans, and other credit
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Sources: (CNBC / NBC News / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / New York Times / Axios / NPR / Business Insider)
2/ The U.S. economy beat expectations and added 147,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.1%. Most of the gains came from state and local government, health care, and education, while private-sector job growth slowed to its weakest pace since October. Manufacturing and federal employment each lost 7,000 jobs, and the labor force shrank for the second straight month as 130,000 people left. Trump, nevertheless, claimed the “economy is BOOMING.” (Axios / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Bloomberg / NPR / New York Times / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / CNN)
3/ Trump made “no progress at all” with Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. The call came two days after the U.S. paused shipments of air defense missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, Trump claimed the U.S. hadn’t officially stopped support and needed to “make sure we have enough for ourselves.” The Kremlin said Putin told Trump that Russia “will not back down.” (Axios / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg)
4/ The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to deport eight foreign nationals to South Sudan, overturning a lower court’s order that blocked the removals. Only one of the men is from South Sudan; the others are from Cuba, Vietnam, Myanmar, Mexico, Laos, and South Korea. They were held for six weeks in a converted shipping container on a U.S. military base in Djibouti. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the ruling lets Trump “send the eight noncitizens […] to South Sudan, where they will be turned over to the local authorities without regard for the likelihood that they will face torture or death.” (Politico / New York Times / CNN / Bloomberg)
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And someone said that "we need to write something about the big bad fugly bill, like, Bad Bad Leroy Brown.
It was like waking up. My creative brain could write an utterly obnoxious filk song to the tune of Jim Croce's hit.
I doubt the copyright notice is enforceable - it was a social experiment to see what would happen. I happen to think the tune is quite catchy.
( read more, if you choose. )
Waking up I felt as if I had been in a Doctor Who episode, only that it's not the doctor who occasionally appeared as a friendly old man.
At least the heat has broken, and after breakfast and a stupid work meeting (on my day off, but it was good that I dialled in because someone had totally misunderstood a situation and was ready to make it all real complicated) I went to the pool that was half empty, no glaring sun, and I had the showers to myself afterwards.
Now I should either learn a bunch of songs for a workshop later this month, or practise the piano. I think I'll start with the songs -- the piano I can set to "silent".
A day with some sports and music is never a wasted day.
(Edited to fix copy paste error)
I've finally had the overall desperation, that I've asked about witness statements we could collect - we, being my attorney and I.
I tried to write a powerful personal statement, saying "doctors, and lawyers, will read this, and each went to school to turn their mind into something special - they were a competent doctor or lawyer. And y'all wouldn't last a year, with what I have to deal with. Think of the humiliation, that I can barely care for myself, after having been a big fish, in my own tiny pool."
So there are things that someone could write about.
"I knew John, before 2010, and after 2010, and he's completely different," is good.
"John has an amazing brain AND
...I can only imagine how bad it is, to have lost that."
OR
...I can attest that he's sometimes just not the John I know."
That's good.
One doctor thought I was having a psychotic break, and cited, as evidence, that I said "Barnstead is a friend of spiders." If you were writing something else for me, and wanted to point out that "John Barnstead is a real person, and so is scifi author Spider Robinson, so saying one is the friend of the other is perfectly reasonable!" that wouldn't be bad.
Um. If I've ever reached out to you, and sounded crazy, but, in a relatively short order (but maybe a day or two), seemed not crazy - or, at least more stable, or more coherent, or whatever, that's good.
If you can say you've seen me have struggles with mental challenges you know I could handle, or, you've heard me talk about them, that's something you can report. If ten people say "he always talked about being so *tired* all the time," that's not proof I was tired, but it does mean I talked about it a whole lot.
If you've seen me have physical struggles, that's fine too. Have you ever seen me break into a huge sweat, like, I'll drench my t-shirt, wring sweat out of it? That's fine. Ever seen me spacy? That's great.
The reason I'm saying I'm disabled is, my neuro pain keeps scrambling my brain so much that I'm not just too tired, I'm no longer even *competent* to do my job, and I'm in too much pain to push a broom. So, any time where you've seen my brain falter badly, and you really wondered "how could he be that *stupid*?" well - if you can make that a fact based thing, "I saw him do X, which he wouldn't do normally, unless, as he says, his brain was misfiring. Because later, he could explain why X was so stupid...."
The timeline is short - my application is going in, in under a week.
Bill Gawne, I wish I could do more than just shout out to you, while I'm under this much stress, but I know you've seen me semi-crazy, then more rational, and, I know you can back me on Barnstead/Spider. I miss the hell out of you; you're one of the reasons the broken brain *hurts*, emotionally speaking (in addition to the neuro pain). Griffen, you too, m'friend. Too many others I can't think to name, or, if I start naming, I'll forget someone.
Thanks for being there if you can't help, and thanks for any help you can give.
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1/ Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax and spending bill stalled in the House as Republican leaders struggled to secure enough votes amid opposition from both conservatives and moderates. The Senate version – passed 51-50 with JD Vance breaking the tie – increased tax breaks, added $3.4 trillion to the debt over a decade, and leave over 17 million without health insurance. The Tax Policy Center projected the top 20% of earners would receive tax cuts nearly 70 times larger than the bottom 20%. House Republicans objected to the Senate’s deeper Medicaid provider cuts, which rural members said would threaten hospital funding, and to the removal of spending caps tied to the bill’s new tax breaks. They also criticized the stripped-down immigration provisions and expanded clean energy tax credit timeline. “Our bill has been completely changed,” Rep. Ralph Norman said. “This bill’s a nonstarter.” Nevertheless, Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump held hours of closed-door meetings with Republican holdouts, while the House froze in place during a procedural vote that remained open for most of the day. “We are going to get this done,” Rep. Richard Hudson said. “Trump is the best closer.” Democrats, unanimously opposed, warned the bill would cut food aid, close hospitals, and “slash Medicaid and SNAP to fund tax cuts for billionaires.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the bill would “hurt children, hurt families, hurt seniors, and hurt everyday Americans with disabilities.” (Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / CNN / Associated Press / NPR / NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Axios / ABC News)
2/ A federal judge blocked Trump’s attempt to shut down asylum claims at the southern border, saying Trump can’t “adopt an alternative immigration system” by declaring an “invasion.” U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that neither the Immigration and Nationality Act nor the Constitution give Trump “the sweeping authority” to unilaterally prevent people who cross the southern border between “ports of entry” from seeking asylum or invoking other legal protections to temporarily remain in the U.S. The decision applies nationwide, though it’s paused for 14 days to allow for appeal. The court certified the case as a class action, effectively sidestepping the recent Supreme Court ruling against broad injunctions. The White House vowed to appeal, calling the ruling “an attack on our Constitution” and saying a “local district court judge” has no power to stop Trump from securing the border. (Politico / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / CBS News)
3/ The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the state’s 1849 abortion ban. In a 4-3 ruling, the justices said newer laws “so thoroughly” regulate abortion that they “were meant as a substitute” for the 1849 statute without formally repealing it. The court also threw out a separate lawsuit that sought to establish abortion as a constitutional right in Wisconsin. (NPR / NBC News / Associated Press / New York Times)
4/ The U.S. reached a preliminary trade deal with Vietnam that will impose a 20% tariff on Vietnamese imports, as well as a 40% tariff on goods shipped through Vietnam from other countries. In return, Vietnam agreed to drop all tariffs on U.S. exports, giving what Trump called “TOTAL ACCESS to their Markets for Trade.” Trump claimed “Vietnam will pay the United States a 20% Tariff,” though U.S. importers will bear the cost. The deal came days before Trump’s July 9 deadline to secure “fair and reciprocal” deals with nearly 90 countries in 90 days. So far, the administration has signed three: the U.K., China (a framework deal), and Vietnam. (New York Times / Associated Press / CNBC / NPR / Washington Post / Bloomberg)
5/ Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over the editing of a 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. The company said it wouldn’t apologize and denied wrongdoing, but the deal includes future release of transcripts for interviews with presidential candidates. CBS journalists condemned the settlement, calling it “cowardly capitulation” that undermines press freedom. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called the payout “bribery in plain sight” and demanded an investigation, citing Paramount’s pending merger with Skydance, which needs approval from a Trump-led FCC. Trump’s team said the deal proves he “holds the Fake News media accountable.” (Associated Press / Washington Post / NBC News / New York Times)
6/ Trump blocked nearly $7 billion in federal school funding days before the academic year begins, impacting after-school programs, English-language support, and teacher training. The Education Department told states the funds were “under review” and gave no timeline for release. The Office of Management and Budget claimed some programs “grossly misused” funds to support a “radical leftwing agenda,” including undocumented students and LGBTQ-related programming. School officials and advocates warned the move could force layoffs, cancel programs, and leave low-income families without basic support. (ABC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Politico)
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And he basically wanted to rent the best parts of Venice for his wedding? Seriously? Shouldn't you be doing something productive like with all that money like, oh FIXING YOUR FARKING ROCKET? Your little hopper rocket is cute and everything but how about something that can get to orbit and deliver your stupid satellites? Haw about PAYING PEOPLE A LIVING WAGE? A private plane I can understand: he's a business man with far flung holdings. Fast transportation without having to mingle with the dirty masses that feed your empire probably counts for something.
How many houses does he own? A Google search shows he has for a half a BILLION dollars in real estate! Five New York City apartments,two homes in D.C., three mansions in Beverly Hills, a ranch near his launch site (at least that makes sense) and probably more. WTF? How much time does he actually spend in each one? Does he even know the layout of each one? He probably needs a GPS unit to find the bathroom each time he moves. From what I understand, hoarders tend to collect stuff that *might* be usable or fixable but they never have time to mess with any of that because they're busy collecting more stuff! Now I'm sure that all of Bezos' homes, offices, yachts and other items are useful but does he actually realize how much he has? Hoarders tend to forget until it's clean up time then everything is Important and Valuable and they Must Keep It.
When does the impulse to have MOAR and MOAR stop from being simple greed to a mental illness?

Challenge #1
Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month. Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.
Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community.. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
Okay, well, I'm a fiber artist and I *love* being a fiber artist, but the craft is S-L-O-W. I could knock out another coaster or Other Brother Darryl in about an hour, but I've done +checks Ravelry+ at least 16 of the coasters and at least 8 of Other Brother Darryl. I really don't need to make any more. So instead of crafting something for this challenge, I will talk about my crafting plans for July and beyond.
...though if you want to see crafts I've made, you can check out my Crafting Update tab to see the pretties!
Gnomes
I have two nieces and four nephews, and I started a tradition of making them something for Christmas. It started with crocheted snowflakes, but last year I did small Christmas stockings. This year, I'm planning to make them gnomes, because gnomes are popular and fun. I've bought some yarn, and have a pattern picked out. I really should get started on these NOW, because last year I spent 100 hours crafting in December and it wore me out.
Incidentally, I participate in a crafting tournament on Ravelry called Nerdopolis. We get themes to craft to each round, that we can then tie to our team's Nerdery for a chance to win a prize. Well, one of the themes this month is Orchard Fruits and cherries, which are red, are orchard fruits. I was going to use red for the nieces' gnomes, so that will work nicely. Just need to sit down and do it.
iPad Mini holder
I crocheted some phone holders for me and mom a few months back, and my older sister was admiring mom's and wanted one for her iPad Mini, so I'm going to bang it out this month. It will fit nicely in the Nerdopolis challenge on Communication, as electronic devices such as iPads can be used to communicate with others.
Sophie Scarf
I started this last month for a Nerdopolis challenge but didn't finish it. I'd like to finish in the next two months. It can be submitted to Nerdopolis' Area 51 which is for completed UFOs (UnFinished Objects).
Secret Project
IT'S A SECRET! I hope to finish this month, but since I am designing it myself, there's a lot of ripping back and redoing to get it perfect. Wish me luck!
Motion Picture Mosaic Cardi
This was supposed to be my January project, but them I effed up my shoulder and couldn't really craft for a while. I did start this in January but HAHAHAHAHA NOPE DIDN'T FINISH. It's a huge project that is taking a lot of time. I mean, not only is it a large oversized long cardigan but it's also large in general as I am a large circumference type person. Getting awfully tired of rows of plain HDC... but I do desire this cardi very much, so I'll keep working on it.
The 42 WIPs (and counting)
...yeah, I have a LOT of projects I started in the past and didn't finish. I did just go through my Ravelry projects today and marked some as completed/frogged if I knew I'd never finish them, but there's still a lot that I'd really like to do someday. So how about making a goal to do, um, I think three is a good choice? by the end of the year? I mean, technically all the ones I listed above are WIPs, but let's face it, I have some that have been hibernating for ages (my oldest WIP is from 2008, yikes) so let's pick a few and get them done.
What are you reading?