Cuddle Party

[ysabetwordsmith]

Everyone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.

We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!

Comments

New project?

[fuzzyred]

Fuzzy J walks in, wearing a floor length, sleeveless black dress, with green and blue patterning around the neck. She is also wearing her new green and blue bracelets and is carrying her bathrobe over one arm. On her other arm, she has her project bag with various yarns, needles and pattern books. In her hands are double chocolate chip cookies that go on the table for everyone to share.

Food away, J grabs a sticker that says "she/her" and "Cuddles please", then settles down at the table with the art markers and a mix of blank paper and colouring pages. She starts doodling aimlessly, trying to see if anything will come to mind for her next project.

"Does anyone know anything about basket making? I was going to try to crochet one, just for holding things like socks and yarn, but I have no idea if it's possible or not."

Re: New project?

[(Anonymous)]

Jumps next to fuzzy J with a MEW!!

*curls up* *PUUUUUUUUURRRR**happyflap*

Re: New project?

[fuzzyred]

Hi! *petpetpet* *purrrrrrrr*

Re: New project?

[(Anonymous)]

Also yes, start with a magic circle, in single crochet increase the circle to the desired circumference of the bottom of the basket, go around this once more, place a decrease on each cardinal point and begin spiraling around to that number of stitches, make sure that you keep track of your start point with a marker, halfway up the desired height of the basket, you can add increases to make the basket flare out or start making a fancy edging if you are planning to starch it or otherwise set it for stiffness. Keep your stitches tight.

Alternatively. If you are feeling fancy and want a more open and stiffer basket without using starch or glue, you can make a framework out of craft wire and create a lattice off of that using the basic stitches for covering coathoooks on the wire and chain stitching to connect the spokes.

Re: New project?

[ysabetwordsmith]

I know more about basketmaking with other materials than a crochet hook, but there are lots of ways to crochet a basket. If you want it to be sturdy, you will need either a fiber that is relatively stiff or a soft one that will absorb stiffener.

Most basket patterns will use a spiral. However, it is also quite easy to make baskets by crocheting flat shapes and joining them such as a cube basket, circular basket, or granny square basket. A circular basket just uses a flat circle sewn in as the bottom of a flat strip bent into a ring for the sides; I couldn't find a crochet pattern. Just make a circle, then make a scarf long enough to go around it, and attach them.

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/crochet-basket-patterns-4134140

https://easycrochet.com/20-free-crochet-basket-patterns/

https://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet/Free-Crochet-Basket-Patterns

Re: New project?

[technoshaman]

Oooh! Nice dress! And I could use some snuggles... *snuggle* (making room for the cat, of course :)

[we_are_spc]

There's a half-hearted "Hey, stop
!"

Just before Craimar comes in dragiging a giggling Trausio, and plops down on a pillow. He grins at J, then goes back to the set of darts he's working on for a current client, delicately carving decorative lines into the heads of them as he watches Trausio pad around the room in fuzzy slippers with catpaws emproidered on them.

T: "Hey J. Want a cuddle while you wait for inspiration?"

[fuzzyred]

"Hi Trausio! Yes, cuddles would be great, please. Those are lovely looking darts Craimar, I like how they look."

[kellan_the_tabby]

Kate drops from above, apparently out of the ceiling, & lands face-first, arms & legs spread, in a large, soft pile of blankets. One hand rises in a brief wave, then flops back down. A selection of cats wander in from various places & curl up on & around them.

[(Anonymous)]

*happy trills* *happy flap* **headboops**

Puuuuuuurrrr

[technoshaman]

*waves* that bad, eh?

[fuzzyred]

Kitty J darts over to the pile of cushions, stopping to sniff and be polite to the other cats. She finds a good spot to curl up then sets about purring loudly (but not too loud) and just focusing on being a warm soothing presence.

*Mrow.**head nod*

Tired but proving an education

[librarygeek]

(mostly human, fox ears) LibraryGeek carefully gets into the hot tub, wearing a modest swimsuit mostly because I pretty much hurt too much to even imagine undressing by myself, even with useful magic access.

I have passed innumerable numbers of college courses since shutdown, I banana peel slipped and hit my neck a few weeks ago, and the weather changes make everything ache. I'm setting up a safety harness so I don't accidently drown, and hope I can relax and grab some virtual pain free time.

I like frozen slushy alcoholic drinks, in any variety without rum. Link me a good recipe as delivery, OK?

I'm thinking of having a virtual Atlantic City Roaring Twenties speakeasy post roleplay at least once a week over the summer. Everyone welcome, Bar At the End of the Universe style, Ten-Forward, any and all genders or sexualities welcome, any humans, humanoids, aliens, all welcome. Making initial post on that now, comment if you want in on the filter after opening post.

Re: Tired but proving an education

[kellan_the_tabby]

At the words 'frozen slushy alcoholic drinks' the storing stops just long enough for one hand to emerge from the pillows & point to <user name="librarygeek> & then fingerspell the letters R U M.

Re: Tired but proving an education

[(Anonymous)]

Beach party... In a cup.

○ blanco tequila
○ pineapple juice
○ A little freshly squeezed lemon juice
○ A little simple syrup
○ A tiny bit of orange bitters
○ An even tinier bit of Angostura bitters (if you want to)
○ Pineapple chunks

Put in glass, mix, add pineapple bits.

Re: Tired but proving an education

[fuzzyred]

Congrats on passing the courses, and I hope the hottub helps.

Alas, I don't really know any slushy recipes, but I did mix a drink recently that would probably go very well over ice.

About 1 1/2 oz Grapefruit Liqueur
Roughly 4 oz Sprite
1 oz or so of Cranberry juice

The Grapefruit Liqueur is very sour to me, so the Sprite helps cut that. Less Sprite and more Cranberry (or the addition of vodka) will give you a less sweet drink, if that's more your thing.

Too much drinks, not enough food

[ng_moonmoth]

*enters, with project bag over one shoulder and shiny-looking oblong bag over the other*

*drops shiny bag near BBQ grill, checks coals -- they seem to be ready*

*heads inside, stops off for the usual green and yellow contact stickers and pile of pillows*

*snips off the usual yellow segments -- upper chest and hip area -- sticks them on the green sticker, and writes "Shannon//xe/xyr/xyrs/xyrself" on it before sticking it on*

*swings by kitchen for three platters and tongs, and a card table to put them on*

*opens up the shiny bag and starts pulling things out*

*sets up the card table and trays*

Heat and delicious odors emerge from the hot-food bag. A pile of damp apple wood chips gets distributed around the edge of the coals. Three lengths of bones -- large, medium, and small -- get grabbed, each with their own set of tongs, and parked around the perimeter of the grill, which is then covered.

Each set of tongs goes on a separate platter. A little quick work with a marker on some cards grabbed from the craft table results in a picture of a large cow, a medium-sized pig, and a small sheep. Those go at the far side of the three platters.

*while the food is finishing, runs in for a roll of paper towels and a stack of wet wipes*

Three containers come out and are set up on the side of the table. The lids have drawings that appear to be state outlines: Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina. One more container comes out; this one has something thick in it that doesn't look like barbecue sauce.

*It's not. Grill top comes off, and the fourth container contents get brushed on to the smallest bones. Rosemary, mint, honey, multicolor peppercorns, and enough water to make it brushable quickly sets up to form a glaze.*

All of the small ribs go onto the plate marked with the sheep. About half of the medium-sized ribs go onto the plate marked with the pig. About half the big ribs go onto the plate marked with the cow.

I go inside to the pile of pillows, plunk down, pull out the top for spouse, and keep going on the finish work to make it look as good as they want it to.

Mostly first-world problems over here. Ready to listen and/or exchange touch with whoever would like to.

Re: Too much drinks, not enough food

[ysabetwordsmith]

*drool, slobber* BBQ smoke, mmm!

Re: Too much drinks, not enough food

[fuzzyred]

*mouth waters*

That food sounds delicious.

*Makes a plate with mostly pork ribs, a few beef ones, and one sheep one to try.*

*Heads inside with plate of food, and sits down a safe distance away from the yarn before beginning to eat*

Hi Shannon! I am going to try my hand at basket making, though I have no idea how well my crochet attempts will go. Perhaps after the food and projects we can share some touch?

Re: Too much drinks, not enough food

[librarygeek]

Sniffing appreciatively about the sheep bits, I suddenly perk up, wave a hand, and have a plate with several sheep bits and one cow bit floating over to me in the tub.

Waves happily at ng_moonmoth: Thank you, too tired to risk fire. 💚💙💜

What are you making, as top for spouse? I decided I needed to relax before people hit me with a threatening clue by four...

I'm feeling a little better now.

Can we grill some sliced eggplant, just where the lamb was? Eggplant doesn't need much but trial by fire for me, unless... Closes eyes, thinks hard, and suddenly a Japanese clayware pot appears, with a sauce. It's a slightly sweetened miso glaze that goes really well on eggplant.

All right, now we have more food! 😁

Re: Too much drinks, not enough food

[(Anonymous)]

Sniffs at smoke, shakes out fur. Purrrs.

*slinks over* *happy purring leg brush dash away into cuddles*

* MEW!*

Re: Too much drinks, not enough food

[technoshaman]

Ach, noo, is it proper Western Carolina sauce, or that vinegary stuff they use over around Greensboro? ;)

(And what the heck is Missouri BBQ sauce? Am familiar with Texas, that's smoky and goes on cow parts.)

[technoshaman]

It being Juneteenth, the Bear shambles in with fried okra, cornbread, sweet tater fries, an' chess pie to go with the barbacoa... oh, and two big containers of iced tea. One very lightly sweetened, made with a minted Herr Drosselmeier; the other proper Texas-style out of Waxahatchie. ;) SNUGGLE TIME.

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Then we need red drink! Howbout ...

Red Heart Tea

Agua de Jamaica

[fuzzyred]

Food! *Assembles a plate with a bit of everything* Sunggles?