cast on, cast off

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[fyeahriverdale]

So, the five families are sending their youngest and brightest, their princes, as it were, to, well, come court the rare Mafia princess who can belly up to the bar with the big boys.

[giocaston]

fkaramona:

“Wait, you did all that in about four hours?” Rory stared at the girl in disbelief as if it wasn’t actually possible. “I guess when you’re that good it’s like second nature, right?” Growing up Rory was a lot closer to her grandfather rather than her grandmother which often made things feel distant between them. In an attempt to close that gap, Rory began to show interest in her grandmother’s hobbies so they could spend more time together. It was her grandmother’s hobby of photography that introduced Rory to the world of cameras and filmmaking but knitting was just something she couldn’t seem to grasp. “Yeah…I used to sit and watch my gran do it for ages, her hands move so fast when she’s doing it—just like yours actually” Rory heard her name being called to collect her coffee. “Just a sec…” She got up and collected her beverage, being told that the rest of her order will take a bit longer not that she minded. “I think I might be the reason why that queue’s getting longer…yikes” She muttered and took a sip of her coffee. “When I realised knitting won’t be my party trick, I tried my hand and textiles and so far it’s not so bad. My little brother and I cut up his old t-shirts that had superhero emblems on them and made it into a blanket. That’s going to be my crowning glory”

“Has it already been four hours?” She was a bit surprised herself, at least that she’d been there that long. Gio tried to suppress a smile but it escaped anyway. People always brought up grandmothers when they thought of knitting, didn’t they? But somehow it was never an insult, at least not most of the times. And grandmothers were usually kind and smelled like caramels, in her experience. Though her grandma usually crocheted, it was a pretty close call. Gio watched her coffee companion make her way to grab her drink and placed her work back in her bag. 

Gio laughed, “Well they can’t fault you for being faster than the rest of them. Guess next time they’d better keep an eye out for you and try to come earlier,” she shrugged. The thought of the woman in front of her and her brother surrounded in a sea of superhero t-shirt scraps had her grinning. “Hey, that’s definitely something to be proud of, that’s practically a quilt! I tried my hand at sewing when I was younger but I could never get anything I made to look neat enough for me, you know? All those loose threads and crooked seams got me too frustrated. But I take it that’s not what you do for a living now, is it?”

[giocaston]

callanbrightley:

Callan’s eyebrows lifted in interest. “I thought you were some kind of professional knitter, because you mentioned all the books about knitting, but I didn’t realize you had a shop. That’s really impressive.” If she asked him about his career, there was no way he could tell her that he was currently unemployed because he got fired. That would be too embarrassing. She could run a shop, but he couldn’t keep a job? “Why did you decide to open a shop?”

A laugh escaped Gio’s mouth at the sound of ‘professional knitter,’ because technically, that’s what she was, but it just sounded odd when it was just a hobby to so many people. “You know it does sound really impressive, doesn’t it? But it’s actually just an excuse to hoard a lot of yarn,” she said with another laugh. His question isn’t the easiest to answer, however. It seems a bit out of the usual field of small talk to admit it was her only idea after high school since she didn’t think she would be able to stick it out another four years in school and had no other marketable skills. Instead she went with the usual story, “It’s a bit of a family thing, ‘The Castillos are creators’,” she said in an imitation of her father’s voice. “My dad had a carpentry shop when I was growing up, my grandma was a seamstress, I knew how to knit and people were willing to buy it,” she said with a shrug. “Just seemed to fit. And again, I get to order a lot of yarn.” Gio tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and scooted further back into her chair, the conversation felt a bit too centered on her, a bit too close for comfort.  “What about you? Did you find your calling yet? Or are you still looking for it to, well, come calling?” 

[giocaston]

masonmahirr:

“Oh no, it’s totally a compliment! Grandmas are the best,” he said reassuring her. His weak attempts to hide any laughter was never going to pass, as a few chuckles escaped from him, he nodded at her response, “Oh definitely…the strongest bite, yes, for sure. I’m proud of you Gio, you tell them mean bikers!” Gio was the softest person Mason had ever met, and to hear that she scared off people, couldn’t be plausible, they probably didn’t want to make her sad and moved, but hey a victory was a victory, and he’ll giver the benefit of doubt. 

“I think it was? But I’m gonna give it to you again ‘cause I can’t really remember right now, and I can totally see that happening.” Mason didn’t exactly have the sharpest memory, forgetting and finding things in the random-est places has almost become a personalty trait. “I used to write the times down on my hand for my last job, and it was a disaster,” he said thinking back to job as a dog washer, “Water and ink don’t mix.”

Gio sighed and resigned to her fate as not only the mom friend, but the grandma as well. Well, boss in this case. Grandma boss? She winced, that was somehow worse. “Thank you Mason,” Gio said gracefully, even though she was sure there was... not sarcasm, in his voice, but at least a little teasing. “I’m sure we won’t have trouble from them again,” she said with a nod. She just hoped he wouldn’t go over to the bike shop and ask what happened. 

Her mouth opens and stays that way, a fly might have a perfect moment to go in but she remembers to close it again. She opens it and tries again, hoping words might come out this time, and they do. “On your hand? For the whole week? How did you...” but she doesn’t finish the question. How did you know when to go in?  The answer is clear anyway, he didn’t know, and he probably didn’t go in. Not for the first time, Gio questioned her hiring ability, but he was the first one who applied and she couldn’t find it in herself to say no. She squinted at him before sighing and sending off a quick text his way that said ‘This is Gio, your boss.’

[giocaston]

aditidasxox:

“It sounds amazing right? I’m so glad to be a part of something wonderful,” she said with a grin. “A fancy dinner sounds lovely, but a hot date is right up my alley, but going to the movies red carpet style sounds so much fun, wow this is a tough decision…” she trialed off in thought, “No no..wait, we gotta find you something spectacular first! I’m not gonna let this day end without getting you something hot to wear.”

Gio laughed at Aditi’s indecision, and decided to go along with her idea to give her some time to think on what to do with their newly acquired clothes. “Okay, okay, let’s go through the dresses really quick and see if anything calls out to me,” she said before taking her over to the section with the shorter dresses. She pulled out the first one on the rack and held it up to her body, it was a mix between lime green and yellow, like it belonged in a Mountain Dew bottle, and had one ruffled shoulder while the other stood bare. It clashed with her skintone and would make her look like a radioactive banana. “What do you think? Hot date material, right?”

[giocaston]

callanbrightley:

He studied the yarn and tried to imagine the weird bundle of knots becoming a full-sized sweater. It was kind of like the first line of a book; it often wasn’t a good indicator of what the rest of the book will be like. And she, the author, saw where the story was going, while he couldn’t predict it yet. “Are you making it for yourself?” he asked before he took a sip from his coffee.

“Oh I wish,” Gio said with a laugh before placing the project back in her bag. It was a light pink cashmere yarn that would eventually have a fair isle design along the chest and tops of the sleeves. “It’s a commission, actually. I have a shop down near the boardwalk so I get some orders here and there. To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I actually knit something for my self.” She shrugged and finished off her cup of coffee before setting it aside. “But that’s how work is sometimes, right?”

[giocaston]

aditidasxox:

“Excellent! This can be item number one of our travelling closet. What should be next?” Aditi didn’t plan to actually buy this jacket, but from being showered with compliments, and checking herself out in the mirror multiple, it truly would be a shame if she didn’t get it. “Oh I’ll make an occasion if I can’t find one,” she said with a smile. “Not to brag, but I’m great at coming up with tiny excuses to do or wear something.”

“You know, I like the sounds of that, ‘travelling closet,’” she said with a dreamy smile. “Well what excuse do you think will do the trick for that?” Gio asked, pointing to the jacket. “Because I think we should take it out for a spin immediately. So what do you think? Fancy dinner? Hot date? Going to the movies and pretending we’re on a red carpet?”

[giocaston]

masonmahirr:

“That’s cool, that’s cool, I’ve always thought knitting was for grandma’s, cause ya know my grandma and her friends used to do it so much, but when I tried to do it I never could. You got a real talent! And everything is hand made, ya know? It’s got love in every stitch.” Mason couldn’t hold in a snicker when Gio said she goes out a lot, “A whole step outside! Damn Gio, you’re out of control!” They were totally opposites, Mason would rather be anywhere but stuck inside, and from he noticed, Gio would rather be anywhere but outside. “Did it work? Because you’re as threatening as a bunny.”  

When she said no, Mason relaxed deeper into the armchair, “Phew, I thought I was on this morning, lucky I found you first huh?” Mason replied with a wide smile. “Hey yeah! That would be a better idea, we can save like 10 trees in the process. Do you have my number?”

“I’m... not sure if that’s an insult or not,” she said after a moment. “Bunnies actually have a really strong bite, you know. And I’ll have you know that their dusty old bikes are now on their side of the sidewalk and only blocking their shop,” she said confidently. The owner of the shop had taken one look at Gio’s pout and rolled his eyes before assuring her that he’d move the bikes ‘before she started crying all over them and getting them rusty’ which was rude, but Gio couldn’t really complain. 

Gio couldn’t help but laugh, “Yeah, pretty good luck. I think it was on your job application, right? Or if you want to give it to me now I can text you so you can save my number. And not get confused when I start sending you the time tables.” She could very well see him completely forgetting this conversation in a few hours.

[taishaunas]

#otp: veronica x glasses

[giocaston]

callanbrightley:

Books about knitting sounded very boring, but Callan shouldn’t judge because he had never actually read one. And he began to believe she was here knitting for more than just a hobby or a time-waster. Maybe she ran an online shop or did commissions. Or maybe she vigorously knitted for underprivileged people. He shook her hand and wondered if Gio was short for something. “I’m Callan,” he said and he released her hand. He was relieved that she introduced herself because it would have been weird not knowing her name while she showed him around. “What are you making?” He gestured to her project.

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Callan,” she said, her smile growing as she withdrew her hand. Somehow the name fit, and she was glad there was a name to match the face. “Oh, it’s just a sweater,” she said, lifting the project into her lap. Her fingers held the needles, and she had to keep herself from slipping one past the other, just a couple of stitches wouldn’t be too rude, would it? Instead she placed the top of the raglan sweater onto the table, careful not to let the ball of yarn it was still connected to go rolling. “Well so far it’s just a neck and shoulders, but eventually it’ll be a sweater,” she assured him with a nod.

[giocaston]

nealpercz:

        She could be scary sometimes, even when her bite stems from tenderness. In turn, Neal squared his shoulders and adopted a faux-cocky expression. “Nah, I was just kidding. I’m the absolute shit. I don’t know why I was trying to pull off humility.”

        But despite his playfully flipped ego, Neal concluded his retort by giving Gio an affectionate smile and light bump of his elbow for her delicate reprimanding. At her assessment of his suggestion, he lips quirked into a slight frown. “That’s fuckin’ annoying, and since I doubt you could make fabric bigger, I guess we’re both shit out of luck… wanna look around some more or do you wanna bounce?”

While Gio could definitely make an acrylic sweater stretch, there was absolutely nothing to be done for the suede jacket that seemed to be taunting Neal and her both. She scowled at it and turned to Neal, "Let's get out of here," she said, casting another bitter look at the jacket before turning away. "I'm sure we could find way better jackets somewhere else that don't need excessive tailoring to make at least one of us look good. Maybe even matching ones, with our names on them like we’re greasers."

[giocaston]

fkaramona:

Seeing how busy the coffee shop was getting and the fact that people were still joining the queue made Rory all the more grateful for leaving out when she did. It was a hectic day at the studio and everyone was desperate for a caffeine fix. She didn’t anticipate that it would take her too long but for some time out of work, she was willing to drag it out a little.

When she lifted the garment to show her, Rory nodded with an impressed look on her face. In terms of creativity her talents were limited to her work in film. “That’s really cool. Did you do all of that just sitting in here?” Rory said to her, leaning forward in interest. “My Gran always tried to teach me how to knit but I was never patient enough to let anything come of it”

A small bubble of pride welled up in Gio’s chest at the compliment. Though she always tried to stay humble, at least outwardly, it was hard to tamp it down when people complimented her knitting. It felt like a reinforcement that what she chose to do with her life was a right choice. “Thank you. Yeah, this part is from this morning, but to be fair I’ve been here since opening and apparently it’s already lunch,” she said with a laugh. “Oh I don’t blame you, it took me a while to get the hang of it and I was like, fifteen when I first started? It takes a bit to wrap your head around how two sticks and some string can wind up as a scarf or mittens you know? Once you sort of get your head around that, it’s easier to sort of understand why you’re making certain movements.”

[giocaston]

callanbrightley:

When she mentioned his coffee, Callan automatically took a sip from it. He nodded. “Sure. If you don’t mind? I’d like that.” He was sure he could Google the library’s location, but she offered, and it might be nice to make a friend. “My interests lie in…” He shrugged as he thought. “I like politics and mystery. And I like knowing what’s going on in the world, not just here. People from different cultures have amazing stories to tell. I also love reading celebrity biographies,” he added with a smile because he was afraid he was coming off as pretentious. “Do you like to read?” He looked at her and tried to fix his hair again.

Gio let out a surprised laugh, finding it hard to imagine the man across from her engrossed in the latest Kardashian tell-all, but everyone had their guilty pleasures, didn't they? "I do, it used to be the only thing that could keep me busy when I was younger. Back then it was very cliché supernatural romances and sappy YA novels, now it's more like anything written this century about knitting." She looked down at the project she had on her needles now, resting on her bag. "I usually don't have much time for anything else these days, but it'd like a good mystery if you want to point any out while we're there. Might even get myself to take an actual break." She paused for a moment and drank a bit more of her now cold coffee. Somehow she felt like her opportunity to ask for his name had already passed and yet she was about to go show him around while they both remained nameless to each other. There really wasn't a delicate way to ask, was there? "You know, I don't think I ever caught your name? I'm Gio," she said with a smile before offering her free hand across the table in some semblance of a formal introduction. 

[giocaston]

aditidasxox:

“That journey began when you complimented me! Alright fine, I’ll take the jacket, but just letting you know, if it magically ends up in your wardrobe, you have to wear it. It’s not as unflattering as you think it looks.”

A grin lit up Gio’s face with triumph. “Yes! I’m one hundred percent behind this plan, as long as you get this jacket and wear it and love it and show everyone how great you look in it. And I’ll definitely take it out for a spin once of twice, promise, but I’m really glad it found its home with you.  Now we just need to find you an occasion worthy of wearing it.”

[giocaston]

callanbrightley:

“No,” he answered with a quick smile. “My brother’s a doctor. I’m staying with him and this was just one of the smaller books in his textbook library. I’m…not sure where the library is yet.” That was the truth, but he also hadn’t even looked for a library because he was becoming much too lazy. He could go to a bookstore, but he just found something romantic about reading a book that a dozen other people had also read and wondering if they felt the same emotions he did while reading it.

Somehow, Gio couldn’t see herself picking up a medical textbook as something fun to read if she wasn’t being forced to for a grade, and it honestly surprised her that someone else might. “Well if you’d like, I can show you where it is. When you’re done with your coffee, I mean. I’ve been meaning to go down there and ask the librarian about some books I suggested.” They had a very small knitting selection and Gio was trying to help them expand it through very helpful --and not at all needling, as some replies may have implied-- emails that included long lists on interesting knitting books from this century rather than the ones they currently had with their spines hanging onto the covers for dear life. “So if that’s not where your interests lie--” she asked, pointing to the textbook-- “What is it that you’d rather read?”

[giocaston]

masonmahirr:

Of course she was knitting, it was Gio after all, and the ball of yarn was not a coffee shop decoration.  “Ha..yeah of course… I totally knew that..” he stammered out a reply, even though he had never seen her outside her shop, he figured it would be rude as hell to suggest otherwise and he wasn’t about to jeopardise his job over a dumb thought. When his name was called out for coffee pick up, he was glad for the break of a potential awkward moment. Grabbing his cup, he walked over to her and took the seat she offered before. Making himself comfortable, he flashed her a warm smile. “Whatcha knitting? It’s cool to see you out in the real world, by the way. Oh hey, am I on today? I keep losing the schedule you gave me.”  He wasn’t even two sips into his coffee before bombarding her with questions.

Mason’s half spoken reply made her wonder if he actually did think she lived in the shop, like she used to think teachers lived in school and slept under their desks. Was that how he pictured her? Curled up with a wool blanket under the cash register? She thought the awkward moment was over after he got his coffee, that he’d just come by for an extraordinarily short chat, but when he came back and plopped into the chair she realized it would be a bit longer. “It’s a sweater, we got the order in about a day or two ago and I finally had the time to get started on it. And I go out plenty, thank you very much. Just yesterday I stepped outside to ask the bike shop next door to please stop placing their bikes in front of our window.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to tell if he was joking about the schedule or not, sometimes jokes went over her head. However, with Mason, all things were possible. “No,” she lied, thinking of his name highlighted in lavender for this morning’s shift. “You’re on for tomorrow though. What if I just text you a picture?” she asked. It probably wouldn’t have been well received if she suggested printing it out and stapling it to his shirt like she actually was a teacher sending a note home at the end of the day.

[giocaston]

nealpercz:

        Neal offered a cheeky grin and watched Gio don on the jacket. “You’re too fuckin’ sweet to me, you know that? I don’t deserve to be have someone con out of paying damages on my behalf. Sweetest shit anyone’s ever done, seriously.”

        At Gio’s dejected expression, his own demeanor returned her disappointment, if only microscopically. “Damn. No one else deserves it, I’m sure. You sure you don’t wanna just wash it so it shrinks? My mom used to do that when she bought clothes that were too big for me and my siblings.”

Gio’s eyes narrowed, her mouth going taut. “Don’t say that or other people might start to believe it too. You’re worth that and a lot more, Neal. Don’t undersell yourself,” she chastised.

After turning over the jacket in her hands, Gio winced at the suggestion. “That might not be the best idea for suede,” she said gently. “But I could get it tailored. I would have, if it was something I was dying to have, but I’m pretty sure I still like it better on you.”