A German friend of mine who has never been to Belgium is coming over soon. Which sites do you consider must-see regardless of a person's interest in music/history/culture/...

Name a few sites you would love to share!

Thanks

I actually made this for work if you can believe it. My boss paid for the pattern and yarn. It's for some team building we are doing this week.

Based on the paid pattern below: Finely the Border Collie

This pattern is from a book called "zoomigurumi 3". I adjusted the shell pattern, switching colours between each round, to get this spiral effect.

The book is really nice, well written. I've made a couple of other pattern from it and enjoyed each one!

Here we go with another round of crochet foods for my sister's kids. They got cookies, cakes and treats last winter. They loved those but asked for "healthy food" as well to round out their roleplaying games.

I'm afraid I can't share some of these patterns as they were not free... I can share were I purchased them from tho!

The paid patterns

• All the meat products came from: https://dailydoll.shop/product-category/digital-goods-and-services/patterns/crochet-patterns/food-crochet-patterns
• Most of the fresh produce is from a book called "Crochet Cafe" (Edame beans, strawberry, cherry, blueberries, apple, orange, avocado, corn)

The free patterns

• Milk carton and banana: https://offthebeatenhook.com/ N.B. Off the beaten hook requires you to register to get to their patterns, but then they are free.
• Cheese wedge: https://www.craftpassion.com/free-crochet-cheese-wedge-pattern/
• Grapes: https://www.yarnspirations.com/en-row/products/lily-sugarn-cream-grapes
• Cauliflower: https://theturtletrunk.com/crochet-cauliflower-pattern/
• Cabbage: https://www.myamigurumifarm.com/post/free-crochet-cabbage-pattern
• Mushroom: https://thoresbycottage.com/2021/08/19/crochet-mushroom-pattern-free-woodland-amigurumi-pattern/
• Pear: https://www.garnstudio.com/pattern.php?id=5889&cid=19
• Watermelon wedge: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/watermelon-slice-8

Kiwi pattern (self made)

INSTRUCTIONS

Kiwi face

Using colour light green yarn.

• [ ] Magic ring of 6 SC [6]
• [ ] INC x6 [12]

Switch to green yarn.

• [ ] (SC, INC) x6 [18]
• [ ] (2 SC, INC) x6 [24]
• [ ] (3 SC, INC) x6 [30]
• [ ] Fasten off, tuck away tail.

Kiwi skin

Using brown yarn.

• [ ] Magic ring of 6 SC [6]
• [ ] INC x6 [12]
• [ ] (SC, INC) x6 [18]
• [ ] (2 SC, INC) x6 [24]
• [ ] (3 SC, INC) x6 [30]
• [ ] SC in each ST [30]
  • [ ] Repeat
  • [ ] Repeat
  • [ ] Repeat
  • [ ] Repeat

Assembly

Cut a circle out of cardboard a bit smaller than the kiwi face. Stuff body and add circle of cardboard under the kiwi face while sewing. Sew together using the BLO for the kiwi face and full ST for skin.

TLDR; I have struggled with my body all my life, this podcast has opened my eyes on fat phobia, and the role and responsibilities of society in my mental wellbeing regarding my own body.

I've not always been fat, but for as long as I can remember I have always felt fat and been told to watch my weight.

Looking back at photos of me in highschool and even middle school, I think I looked skinny. I do not understand now how people, family, friends, strangers... Could have felt the need to tell me to watch what I eat. And yet, it happened. A lot.

I have tried many diets, some outright dangerous, and not been able to keep the weight off. I have worked out, sometimes to the point of vomiting, and not lost significant weight. I have long felt it was my fault, and that I don't have enough self control or character to just lose weight and keep it off.

The podcast "Maintenance phase" has helped me realize I may not be the (only) responsible party of my fatness. At first I was doubious of its hosts - a very entertaining duo of a self proclaimed "fat lady" and "skinny gay dude" - and I thought they were just glorifying obesity and excusing fat people by accusing the establishment, the corporations and society of bullying and fat shaming. But their pieces are actually very well researched and beautifully articulated. They don't excuse fatness, they don't glorify obesity. What they are saying, is: "stop treating fat people like second class citizens".

I am slowly starting to realize I have been mistreated for my weight and accepted this as deserved and normal. I have often thought "it's my fault" and felt ashamed when people gave me unsolicited advice about losing weight, or said mean things about my body. This is not right. I should not feel shame for being mistreated by others, and the podcast "Maintenance phase" has helped me realize that.

I am sharing the podcast here, with you, my fellow fat people, because I believe it is important for you to accept yourself and realize when society is trying to make you feel inadequate. I am not telling you not to lose weight, that is entirely up to you. I am asking you to take a long hard look at how society is treating you, so you can leave the negativity behind and work on healing yourself mentally before taking on the immense challenge that is changing your body size (if that is still a thing you feel you need to do).

I hope this helps at least one person here to feel less hopeless and shitty about themselves.

Much love!

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5JOZkVLc0Yceq3dy5RshPz

YouTube link: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=cRz-d9rt94g&si=Um2XWSrAuTk6n_n5

-- Edit: I want to note that I am guilty of anti-fat bias as wel... Whilst being fat. So I need to work on my issues with other fat people as much as any skinny person does.

I felt I should update you guys after your suggestions and support from my other post.

I was concerned about the finishing of my blanket, it wasn't a regular shape, but a session of carefull (nail biting level stress) steam blocking straightened her out!

Here she is, rectangular and perfect for a nice bed spread. My godchild will get it coming Christmas, wrapped under the tree with a nice bow.

Thanks everybody for your encouragement and support in my first ever blocking adventure! You are very kind people and I appreciate you!

Hello crochet friends!

I'm almost done making blanket, but as I lay it out to admire my work... Horror strikes! It looks like my tension became looser as time passed...

I've never made a blanket before, and have read that blocking is a standard step to even out ones work. But... This looks really bad. The bottom right corner is 10cm longer than the top right.

Will blocking save my work and allow me to shape it into a rectangle?

Hi everyone!

I'm preparing a new monster for a special Halloween themed one-short and would like to check with the community if my evaluation of the CR for this monster seems fair... If anybody has resources to evaluate this, please do share!

The creature: a Pumpkin Beholder.

I'm currently designing a keep for my players to explore. It will be a ruined keep, taken over by an evil cult. But to start off the design, I am looking at how it would have been designed in its prime. Here are some rooms I've thought of when creating the layout.

Military function

• Armory
• Smithy
• Fletcher
• Training room
• Lookout posts
• Infirmary/Hospital wing
• Gatehouse
• Barbican
• Place of Arms
• Commander quarters
• Guard bunks

Every day operation

• Great hall (mess hall)
• Steward’s Office
• Clerks/Tax assessors/Scribes Office
• Kitchen
• Distillery
• Scullery
• Larder/Storeroom/Cellar/Ice House
• Servant quarters
• Bathroom
• Well/Cistern
• Dovecote
• Stables
• Kennels
• Courtyard
• Gardens

Political function

• Hall of Justice
• Dungeon/Prison/Oubliette/Tower
• Throne Room
• Vault/Treasury

Noble quarters

• Drawing Room
• Bower
• Rooms for the Lord/Lady
• Formal sitting room
• Informal sitting room
• Private study
• Personal library
• Private dining room

Research

• Library
• Alchemy lab
• Solarium
• Wizards quarters

Religious

• Temple/Church
• Clergy quarters

Can you think of some more?

Editing to add the suggestions from the comments.

Do you have a list of tasks you do every in-game morning as a DM? For example:

• roll for weather
• keep track of that curse time bomb
• roll for encounters for the day
• check for public holidays
• ....

I want to make my game more consistent and feel more alive. I'm wondering if there are things I should be tracking to achieve the feeling that the world is moving no matter what the players decide to do that day.

I want to have my players travel through the Elemental Plane of Fire for a short period of time. None of them are immune to fire damage. How could they prepare themselves to survive this ordeal?

We have a wizard, a bard and a monk. They will be traveling with a Fire Giant to guide them.

I found the Resilient Sphere spell that the wizard could learn. I could drop that in as a boon for an earlier quest so that they have it handy... but I'd like some other ideas.

How would you handle this?