Merrilee
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merrileemakes.bsky.social
Merrilee
@merrileemakes.bsky.social
59 followers 130 following 160 posts
I make stuff, think too much and am trying to distract myself from the shitshow of everything.

she/her/they/them | 🏳️‍🌈 | 🧶 | 🐱| so-called 🇦🇺 | soft, yes. weak, no.
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merrileemakes.bsky.social
This passage is going to live in my brain for a long, long time.

From Gender Uphoria by Yvette Pike (eroticoffee.itch.io/gender-uphoria), talking about a trans character with autism.
A screenshot of an ebook which reads: Think about masking. Elijah is autistic, which I’m sure you know, but he’s been giving a set of rules by his parents about how to act like the allistic they wanted to have. After two decades of that, he’s now able to run a virtual machine of cis-allo normalcy, which is slower and less efficient than using his hardware like it should be used with the default operating system. But he’s been doing it so long, if the VM crashes, he’s thrust into an OS that he has no experience with, so he won’t be using it right and it will stress him out.
October 9, 2025 at 8:14 PM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
I have been #spinning this giant, complicated spinning project for over a year and I'm down to less than 50g of #fibre left to spin. I am so. very. happy. to be almost finished.

The fibre is Australian Tarndwarncoort Polwarth, both dyed fibre from Waratah Fibres and natural coloured from Tarndie.
A close up photo of a white plastic bobbin on a black electric spinning wheel. The bobbin is three quarters full of a very fine and evenly wound singles, mostly in shades of blue and chocolate brown, with a hint of hot pink.
September 5, 2025 at 2:20 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
I have started #knitting during face-to-screen training at work and not a single person walking past has commented on it. I feel like I've unlocked a cheat code or something.
A pair of half knit mittens in mauve, teal and brown striped yarn, still on needles with a messy trail of yarn leading to a ball. It's nestled between a computer keyboard, some pens, a notebook and a mug with the intimidating close up face of a cat.
September 3, 2025 at 6:43 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Sienna is annoyed by a lot of things, but especially feelings. She hopes gazing upon her visage helps.
A large, longhair brown tabby cat with a white chin. She's lying curled up on a sage green recliner and gazing up into the camera with eyes of almost the same colour. She's sitting in front of a window with rainbow light stickers, which are casting rays of rainbows across her body.
June 25, 2025 at 2:54 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
I've often stared into her eyes. Never once seen a hint of a thought.
A very fluffy orange tabby cat, with white feet, checks and chest. She's starting straight into the camera with pale green eyes totally devoid of thought. She's stretched out on a faded black kitty sized chaise.
June 16, 2025 at 2:33 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
This is my morning retreat during the cooler months. Starting the day by sitting in the sun and spinning yarn. I love it.
A photo of a sun filled room, with couches and recliners covered in colourful quilts and blankets. There's an electric spinning wheel of top of a craft cart stuffed full of bags of fibre. Decals on the windows, where the sun pours in, cast rainbows on the cream coloured walls. There's a bookcase with books, paintings and framed embroidery.
May 1, 2025 at 11:02 PM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Me externally / me internally
Some generic white girl ensign on the bridge of the Enterprise. A image from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Gowron, from Star Trek. He's doing crazy eyes into the camera and brandishing a Klingon knife.
April 30, 2025 at 1:43 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Step 1.5 is apparently quality assurance. Jasmine loves alpaca. So much. Here she is testing the softness, squishiness and... taste of this pile of floof.

#handspinning #catsofblusky
An adorable orange tabby cat with big green eyes, sitting on top of a pile of fluffy blue fibre for spinning into yarn. She's looking straight into the camera with an expression of pure innocence. The sun is pouring in a window behind her. The adorable orange tabby cat now has her face buried in the blue fibre and appears to be savouring it. And she is. But by taste. The adorable orange tabby cat is now sprawled amongst the blue fiber. She has one paw extended and a blissful expression on her face. There's a strand of blue fibre wrapped around her extended paw. She is one with the fibre.
April 23, 2025 at 10:51 PM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Step 1 for this first spinning project is to predraft a rolag. I made these when I was first learning to use my blending board and I didn't know that you weren't meant to stuff the board full and then roll it into a single rolag. So these things are *massive* and difficult to spin as they are.
A giant pile of airy blue floof. It looks a bit like fairy floss. Yes, this is a single rolag predrafted. Don't @ me.
April 23, 2025 at 10:42 PM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
It's an exciting morning, the day I get my spinning wheel out for the year! I'm a cool season spinner and autumn has finally arrived.

First up I'll be spinning these rolags I made years ago. They're mostly alpaca I dyed blue, with some white mohair locks and some brown wool, maybe Corriedale?
A big pile of misshapen, fat blue rolags with touches of white. They look like a pile of blue intestines. They're sitting on a grey foot stool next to a window with sun pouring in.
April 23, 2025 at 10:38 PM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
My first contribution to #fluffybuttfriday is George the silkie.

She's 8 and a half years old and loves berries, grain and afternoon naps. And also morning naps.
A close up of a silkie chicken butt. All you can see really is floof, ranging from dark grey to almost white. That booty is significant, but stately. What you can see of the background is dirt and tan bricks.
April 11, 2025 at 1:48 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
You have inspired me to make my own handspun Emotional Support Chicken. I was planning to take her to work, but then my partner started snuggling her so she's staying. Guess I'll just have to make another.
A brown knitted chicken, with gold stripes and a bright red comb and wattle. She's jauntily round, like a soccer ball with a head and tail. She's photographed in dappled sunlight against a bright green garden. She is invitingly squishable.
April 8, 2025 at 7:05 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
I made a new friend this week. Meet Mable the Emotional Support Chicken. Knit entirely in handspun wool and stuffed with fill from an old pillow. 🧶🐔a
A rotund knitted chicken, pretty much a ball with a little perky tail and a head. Mostly brown with a few gold stripes, and bright red comb and wattled. Little beady black eyes. Sitting mostly side on to the camera in a green garden background. She looks super soft and squishable.
April 4, 2025 at 1:32 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
No cheating post the last photo of pet #catsky
A large, brown and tan fluffy cat laying on a green sofa, with green eyes and a condescending expression. Over her shoulder is a tacky cushion with a tapestry white Persian cat with a humanoid body dressed as a queen.
March 19, 2025 at 7:28 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
I legit read this book title as The Tempe Rapture and upon reading the blurb was sad that it wasn't a story about the Second Coming starting in western Sydney. #booksky #locallibrary
A close up photo of the book 'The Temperature' by Katerina Gibson. The title is in big yellow text and all lowercase, with the word temperature split over two lines so it reads the tempe rapture.
March 17, 2025 at 4:50 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
If you see this, post a photo from your device, no explanation
March 12, 2025 at 10:29 PM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Sorry, I also only have a sassy tabby cat to offer.
A close cropped photo of a long haired brown tabby cat. She's a Siberian, with a chonky face, round chin and luxurious ear furnishings (the hair that sticks out of cat's ears). She has a soft, unfocused gaze and looks immeasurably sad but really is just upset that it's a bit colder than usual.
February 18, 2025 at 8:46 PM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Current mood: diamond dotting 🖌️ to @themountaingoats.bsky.social with a caramel latte and wondering if this is the week my mother gets sectioned under the mental health act.
An awkwardly framed photo of a cheap diamond dot kit of cutesy cats, with drills in a tray and a pen thingy, plus a coffee cup. On a wooden slatted outdoor table, which is honestly the worst possible surface to diamond dot on, except for maybe an angry tiger.
February 16, 2025 at 12:54 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Happy #caturday
A large fluffy brown tabby cat with green eyes and a white chin, staring into the camera. Her front paws are crossed like she's some kind of monarch. Maybe she is.
February 15, 2025 at 12:25 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Finding ways to resist The Horrors while carrying for 3 people experiencing mental illness (one of which of myself) is challenging. But tonight I'm managing to spend time with some #trans voices.
A book titled 'Avast! Pirate stories from transgender authors', edited by Michael Earp and Alison Evans, sitting on a wood table behind a purple mood light.
February 14, 2025 at 9:00 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Did you know lying on the floor can help you feel less #overwhelmed?

Time for some floor time with Jasmine 🐱.
February 9, 2025 at 10:03 PM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
3. Brioche #knit beanie, working through a class on Craftsy. Brioche is fun. (I will regret these words when I start doing 2 colour brioche).
A maroon coloured knit beanie in progress. The beanie is mostly knit, just at the point of crown shaping. The ball of wool sits next to it.
February 9, 2025 at 6:20 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
2. Acrylic paint pens on MDF board is frustrating because I appear to be incapable of not putting my hand in wet paint. I'm liking how it's coming together though. Kit from Life of Colour, going with a rainforesty theme inspired by Kate Miller-Heidke's Little Shoots, Little Roots.
A circular wooden board with a mosaic style etching of swirls and wavy lines. About half of the board has been coloured in greens, browns and teals. The board is sitting on a wooden table, surrounded by paint pens and scrap paper with colour swatches.
February 9, 2025 at 6:15 AM
merrileemakes.bsky.social
Having a crap brain day so bouncing between distractions.
1. Diamond art is super distracting and soothing in its repetitive and mindless nature. But I struggle with the ethics of it. It's plastic wrapped in plastic, and this cheap kit from AliExpress is stolen art from Erik Buikema/We Are Extinct
Diamond art sticker of a cute white cartoon cat sticking out of a pink and purple can labelled 'Catbells Soup'. A few dots have been placed, but this is still a work in progress. A tray of white dots is partly out of frame.
February 9, 2025 at 6:10 AM