Long Time Gone

In my previous life, I was at a Minicon. And there was this absolutely amazing concert. Cats Laughing followed by Boiled in Lead. I had never heard of any of the bands, and knew none of the band members. It was one of those peak moments. And now it seems to have come around again on the guitar. Cats Laughing is willing to play Minicon 50. Just one catch. They want to rehearse, first. For that, they need our help. So, there's a Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/214684691/create-a-cats-laughing-twenty-year-reunion-event-a

Really, this is a wondeful opportunity. A magical one. We should do this. And if we do it really well, there'll be a permanent record, this time. (For record, read DVD. I'm not talking vinyl, though if you thought I was, that proves you're as old as me.)

Zeno's Afghan: What's it got in its pocketses?

Zeno's Afghan! It is done! And it turned out extremely well. Here's what it looks like:



The center of each square, done in an ombre called "Peacock Feather" is actually double-thickness. This means that this afghan is dense. Very warm. It is about four feet by six feet, so there's plenty of afghan to cover toeses and noses. I think the colors are spectacular. I love the central, four-pointed stars. Let's take a closer look:



One of the other cool things about those central squares is that they are built as little pockets that you then sew shut. So, of course, how could I resist? I hid things in the pockets. Two things, to be precise. And you all should guess what they are. The pockets themselves are just about four inches square. The things hidden were chosen because they would go through the laundry without disintegrating, damaging the yarn, or adding unwanted color to the rest of the laundry. One is a mineral, one is a vegetable. One is fannishly related, one is general book related. I did not find an Easter vermin in time, so that's not one of the things. Let's play twenty questions! Person with the best guesses gets dibs on the afghan if they want it. (You can totally win and decline the afghan.) Best will be either the most accurate or the most entertaining, depending on my mood.

Oh, and the guess "string or nothing" is hereby disallowed on the grounds that the pockets are made of string and most of them are full of nothing, and besides, I claim the right to tell that joke. It's my afghan.

P.S. You are totally allowed more than one guess. Iterated guesses are encouraged.