The Bluestocking: it's the season of mulled wine, conversations about pineapple and, of course, gerbils. Confused? You will be...

[EdithStourton]

Welcome to the anarchic and marvellous women-only on-line pub, the Bluestocking. The booze won't give you a hangover, the cakes won't make you fat, and the conversations are fascinating, covering knitting, health and safety, the Muppets and anything else that comes to mind.

Climb Peak Woo, have a cuddle with Rosie the Red Panda, and watch out for capybaras busy with any necessary building works.

Welcome in (and name change at the door if you need too).

That rainbow sloth looks very happy. Is Deanie working on a scrunchie for her pink ponytail?

😂Yeah, that could work. (More than 3 because I just quoted you as the prompt, but they look fierce, so so be it.)

Are they the new bouncers ready for the Christmas pub crawl crowds?

Yep. Clara's been busy recruiting. I think there's another 2557 of them round the back.

Guess who's in charge of them? She's got delusions of grandeur after you bigged her up so much, Boily.

She looks stunning in uniform!

Can't think of a better leader of the troops!

This is the baby blanket, but I have massively overcalculated. It's nearly 48 inches long/wide (US pattern). It's really long and I'm going to run out of yarn.

It's supposed to be basket weave.

I think I'm going to have to rip it out and start again.

They'll do the trick.
Though the one centre back needs to get the length of her stock sorted out. Too long and you can't aim, too short and you get a kick like a mule.

I was going to say ‘No, don’t rip it out! Don’t waste your lovely knitting. You can always do something with something 48” wide”, but if you’re going to be short of yarn that won’t work.

Could you explain the pattern? Do you have a centre section and now you’re knitting round and round, as you do with a crocheted granny square?
The section I’ve marked in red, is it the cast on or live stitches? The stitch marked in green is confusing me.

(I’ve begun knitting a mystery advent something, and it starts similarly. It’s the same cast on as for a toe-up sock. I’m about to begin again for the third time.)

This looks lovely. I don't exactly need more yarn, given that I have two blankets, a pair of socks and a jumper on the go, but it would be terrible to ever run out of yarn, wouldn't it?

Mabel the Magnificent!

I don’t like to say what she reminds me of, I’ll just call her Generalissima.

Too terrible to contemplate.

Maud, though 🤗

Generalissima Maud

Blushes indeed!

I’ll blame it on thoughts of running out of yarn. Or hunger.

Generalissima MAUD. 🙇‍♀️

Gladness Penguin tells me she is very frightened of the Black Bat.

🌚

I think it is a friendly Black Bat.

It would be utterly dreadful to run out of yarn. I probably only have enough for 5 or 6 years - it is a worry!

Dh has just pointed out that it is exactly 33 and a third years since we got married - one third of a century.

And it begins...

(They refuse to wait any longer despite some Bluestockingers still waiting to celebrate their birthdays)

That's a very long time! Do I congratulate or commiserate?

If I were the Black Cat I’d be frightened, with that Black Bat circling round my head. 🥺

Well done to the capybara (?) and whoever produced the tree carrying device.

I’ll eat something now.

Ahhhh. Some gerbils are doing their own thing.

They are currently having a trial run of the snug to make sure it's acceptable.

It's Clara's own design, she's applied for a patent.