The Bluestocking - where the laugh emoji is sorely missed.

[MyrtleLion]

Welcome to the Bluestocking Arms!

The company is always sparkling, the drinks are always sublime, and the cakes are mysteriously free from gluten, sugar, calories, and troublesome booze… not that you’d ever notice. 😏

Our enthusiastic team of gerbil waitstaff is ably supported by capybaras, quokkas, and other charming creatures who excel at their jobs while looking outrageously adorable.

You will find many things to laugh at - usually out loud - so take care not to spit out your tea. We are considering a petition for the return of the laugh emoji - just as soon as the AI gerbils learn how to spell.

New Bluestockingers are always welcome. Men can pop along to The Staunch Ally nearby.

Currently also knitting a Woolly Hug blanket for Bluestockinger Swashbuckled. Details here if you can knit or crochet a square before the 18 July.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5350941-woolly-hugs-desperately-sad-news-we-are-afraid-making-a-blanket-for-lovely-swashbuckled-whose-son-has-tragically-died

I thought dragons nicked all the preciouses to make a bed.

Yeah, good night.

Absolute genius, Boily

I'm glad the quokkas are keeping busy and, as ever, seem happy in their work. They're very good at it too. Well done quokkas!

Blimey - took me a while but I found the Bluestocking again!

Welcome back Britinme.

Looking gorgeous as always, Boily!

I don't know what was taken in the theft though.

Tiara? What tiara?

I am the only one who thinks quokkas would be really rubbish guards? You'd just have look a bit sad and they'd throw the cabinets open and let you help yourself. Probably give you a hand taking it to your car.

Squares so far. Not blocked as requested by WoollyHugs so not flat...

My 'Bear square' (crochet) has come up so wonky that I will redo it.

I love the blue stockings, Edith!

That's amazing! How did you do the little stockings?

These are utterly fabulous.

I feel at the same time that this is the wrong time to intrude in to the Bluestocking as the veterans cluster round at a time of such loss - but it's beautiful and I'm glad I'm seeing it.

Those are amazing, @EdithStourton!

And the jewellery is fabulous - such a shame you weren’t allowed to borrow any of it, @Boiledbeetle. I had a yen for a tiara - I did consider buying myself one (just costume jewellery) but I don’t know when I’d get to wear it - it didn’t seem like everyday attire. I bemoaned this to my lovely DIL, and for my next birthday, they got me a lovely, sparkly headband!

Those are beautiful, Edith.

Major congrats to Dr Swash! How lovely she has Christmas Day off. And how sweet to see how tenderly she was treating Germoleen.

Just adding my congratulations to Dr Swash. Hurrah! Jolly well done, her.

Thanks, everyone - I enjoying knitting and have done quite a lot of stranded colour work, but that bluestocking square had me tearing my hair out!

I found a pattern in a book I've got and worked out how many I could fit in.

Then the first ones came out too long so I decided to make each row of stocking a little shorter than the row below.

Just to add massive congrats to Dr Swash.

Don't feel like that, teawamutu, as you can see we are still being what we always are - insert your own word to describe how we are! - while supporting Swashbucked.

She knows we are keeping her in our hearts while we go on being...what we always are - I nearly wrote 'silly' and she knows she can pop in anytime.
In the beginning I wondered if going on about rodents and marsupials was appropriate in a time of such a tragic heartbreaking loss, but then I thought that the gerbils represent something and can carry messages of love and support that we might find it awkward to express in words.

And I think Swash recognises that the gerbils, and Rosie the Red Panda in Boily's beautiful images, are little furry messengers of our very sincere thoughts.

So please, teawamutu and Britinme, come in, pull up a miniature pig as a footstool, and hail a passing gerbil to take your order, and settle comfortably into whatever is going on at the Bluestocking at the moment

Edith, your squares are lovely, esp the stockings!
All you knitters are doing the Bluestocking proud, thank you💙

teawamutu you are absolutely not intruding. You are as welcome here as any of us. The Bluestocking is here for all women, all the time.

Now pull up a chair and get a bargerbil!

It's fabulous, & I thought that was deliberate & very clever.

Ah, I see *MariedeGournay" got in first and was far more eloquent! 😁

Ahem, crocheters too.