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Ancient Socks??
Dec. 18th, 2016 09:26 amTo be honest, I don't care that much whether this mosaic depicts Alexander the Great or not. What gets me is that these guys are wearing stripey socks!
Just a man ironing a shirt
Jul. 29th, 2012 02:10 pmWhy watch a video of a man ironing a shirt? Because there is a compelling, zen-like beauty in an ordinary task done extraordinarily well.
Also, as someone who has ironed professionally, I learned some things!
And that is how it's done.
Also, as someone who has ironed professionally, I learned some things!
And that is how it's done.
Give your congressman a uterus
Mar. 30th, 2012 07:45 pmThis made my day.
The snatchel project... encourages people to knit or crochet a uterus and send it to certain members of congress, with the message: "Dear men of congress... if we knit you a uterus, will you stay out of ours?"
Yes, they have patterns.
http://www.governmentfreevjj.com/
"We are women, we are strong, we are smart. And we have a sense of humor."
The snatchel project... encourages people to knit or crochet a uterus and send it to certain members of congress, with the message: "Dear men of congress... if we knit you a uterus, will you stay out of ours?"
Yes, they have patterns.
http://www.governmentfreevjj.com/
"We are women, we are strong, we are smart. And we have a sense of humor."
Books I read in 2010
Jan. 16th, 2011 11:27 pmI am further astonished at how few books I read this year (I read ca. 4x as many in 2009!). One big reason is that I spent a lot more hours productively writing, thus less time seeking distraction/ inspiration/ entertainment, and also less time seeking reassurance from others' stories. Still, reading is an absolutely vital source of fuel for my creativity, so getting enough fiction fodder is important to me. Almost all of my major writing streaks have been catalyzed by something I read.
I also read more books in 2009 because I discovered some very enjoyable long series (Robin Hobb’s 6 Farseer and 3 Ship of Magic books, Patrick O’Brian’s many Aubrey-Maturin novels), whereas in 2010 I didn’t encounter anything so compelling. Another factor is that in the last two years I’ve discovered a lot of great webcomics (which I’ll review in another post), so apparently I’m getting more of my entertainment from those sources.
********************
*=best; bold = recommended
*Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. Again*, astonishing. Who is this guy, and how can I be more like him? How has he remained so deeply and directly in touch with his inner child in all its aspects, both charming and unsettling? Magnificently original art and writing, by turns eerie and touching. Very highly recommended. (*cf. The Arrival)
*Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Dickensian Gothic erotic suspense with Rashomon-style twists of perspective. Good stuff; dark, twisted, and fascinating. Waters truly nails the voice of the period, and pulls off an impressive series of four surprise reversals of the plot. Thanks to ceruleanfleur for recommending; I want to read more by this author, and see the BBC adaptation.
The Ionian Mission by Patrick O’Brian. In 2009 I hugely enjoyed the first several books of the Aubrey-Maturin Napoleonic Wars series, but this one did not seem at all unified, and did not draw me as much.
Strangers in Paradise: Love and Lies (graphic novel). Good stuff, a section of the story I had missed. Part of an outstanding series.
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon. I ambivalently recommend this. The prose is brilliant, the premise is intriguingly bizarre (a detective noir set in an alternate universe where a post-WW II Jewish homeland was founded in Alaska), so one can’t help being curious about it, but the story is damned slow, unappealingly gloomy, and annoyingly inconclusive. It reminds me of Dirk Gently, but not as funny—a shambling absurdist screwup aimlessly pursuing a murder case that remains bizarre to the last. I adore Chabon’s masterpiece, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, but none of his other novels have ever done it for me.
A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters. Completely disappointing, the only Peabody book I can recall being bored by. I hope that is a fluke, not a trend.
Re-read:
Port Eternity by C. J. Cherryh. I last read it in High School, so gave it another try. My recollection stands: not one of her better novels. Arthurian archetypes in space; repetitive and thinly characterized.
(part of) *Terrier by Tamora Pierce. I returned to this as narrative reassurance, at a point of insecurity with my own writing. A solid chewy gritty engaging fantasy; I think it’s one of her best.
Nonfiction
*Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon (essays). Given my lack of interest in reading nonfiction lately (other than instruction/ research), I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this—far more than his recent novels, to be sure. A hugely enjoyable read; fun, hilarious, profound, poignant, sarcastic, insightful, fearlessly revealing, and, as ever, brilliantly phrased with an acuity and originality that makes me feel hackneyed and unoriginal... Simply excellent stuff. If you’ve ever had the feeling that you’re only masquerading as an adult, or as a parent, then read this.
Sometimes the Magic Works - writing technique /autobio essays by fantasy author Terry Brooks. (I’ve never read any of his fiction.) An accurate portrayal of the writing brain, though it doesn’t offer any deep insights, to my perspective; I think it would be more revelatory for beginning writers. Mostly it’s just interesting to find kernels of recognition between my brain/ process and that of a successful author: not new information, just a sense of confirmation: yes, it is that way; yes, that can work professionally. For a fantasy superstar, Brooks is humble and down to earth, as I remember from seeing him at a con. He openly acknowledges the huge role that luck played in his success.
(parts of) *Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Warm, funny, reassuring, useful. This book taught me to successfully knit socks, and is lots of fun to read. Recommended to me by elfie_chan.
Started to read, gave up on:
Treason’s Harbor by Patrick O’Brian - I’ll come back to this, I just kept getting distracted before I got fully into it.
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb - 150 pages in, I still didn’t care where it was going or what happened to the characters. It’s competently constructed, it’s just not any fun to read, freighted with endless dreary internal monologues. Very disappointing, given how much I enjoyed her stellar Farseer series.
Deerskin by Robin McKinley. She certainly captures fairy tale high style, but that doesn’t work so well at novel length. I’ve never seen so much telling (vs. showing) in my life... pages and pages that read like a character outline, not a novel.
The Bonesetters’ Daughter by Amy Tan. I found the historical Chinese part interesting but depressingly tragic, and the modern American part tediously mundane. I’m just not into modern realism!
Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman (short stories). I tried five, found them all pointless and unappealing. None of them really give you access to a character, a personality. I loved Sandman, but so far, I have not liked Gaiman’s prose fiction, which I realize makes me a pariah in fantasy geekdom. (I don’t like A Song of Ice and Fire, either. I know, heresy!)
Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon. I was hugely excited by the idea of Chabon tackling this period. Someday, I devoutly hope someone will write an epic historical novel about medieval Khazaria. But sadly, this ain’t it.
Instead, this seems to be Chabon kicking back from his usual Weighty Themes and goofing off with a purplescent evocation of Robert E. Howard, H. Rider Haggard, and other Golden Age overwrought pulp. Only a writer as skilled as Chabon could get away with such outrageous, audacious sentences ... kids, don’t try this at home. But here, the bold magnificence of his sentences distracts from what he is actually saying. When you get to descriptions like ‘an archipelago of turds’, it’s clear that he’s playing around, taking the literary equivalent of a romp at the beach. It’s a gleeful indulgence, but perhaps not a story that sticks with you.
I’ll probably still give this one more try, but the endless baroque embellishment of every single phrase started getting on my nerves. He has distinctly drawn characters, but they’re cartoonish, with no sense of what makes them tick. It was all very exuberant, but it didn't make me care.
I also read more books in 2009 because I discovered some very enjoyable long series (Robin Hobb’s 6 Farseer and 3 Ship of Magic books, Patrick O’Brian’s many Aubrey-Maturin novels), whereas in 2010 I didn’t encounter anything so compelling. Another factor is that in the last two years I’ve discovered a lot of great webcomics (which I’ll review in another post), so apparently I’m getting more of my entertainment from those sources.
********************
*=best; bold = recommended
*Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. Again*, astonishing. Who is this guy, and how can I be more like him? How has he remained so deeply and directly in touch with his inner child in all its aspects, both charming and unsettling? Magnificently original art and writing, by turns eerie and touching. Very highly recommended. (*cf. The Arrival)
*Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Dickensian Gothic erotic suspense with Rashomon-style twists of perspective. Good stuff; dark, twisted, and fascinating. Waters truly nails the voice of the period, and pulls off an impressive series of four surprise reversals of the plot. Thanks to ceruleanfleur for recommending; I want to read more by this author, and see the BBC adaptation.
The Ionian Mission by Patrick O’Brian. In 2009 I hugely enjoyed the first several books of the Aubrey-Maturin Napoleonic Wars series, but this one did not seem at all unified, and did not draw me as much.
Strangers in Paradise: Love and Lies (graphic novel). Good stuff, a section of the story I had missed. Part of an outstanding series.
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon. I ambivalently recommend this. The prose is brilliant, the premise is intriguingly bizarre (a detective noir set in an alternate universe where a post-WW II Jewish homeland was founded in Alaska), so one can’t help being curious about it, but the story is damned slow, unappealingly gloomy, and annoyingly inconclusive. It reminds me of Dirk Gently, but not as funny—a shambling absurdist screwup aimlessly pursuing a murder case that remains bizarre to the last. I adore Chabon’s masterpiece, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, but none of his other novels have ever done it for me.
A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters. Completely disappointing, the only Peabody book I can recall being bored by. I hope that is a fluke, not a trend.
Re-read:
Port Eternity by C. J. Cherryh. I last read it in High School, so gave it another try. My recollection stands: not one of her better novels. Arthurian archetypes in space; repetitive and thinly characterized.
(part of) *Terrier by Tamora Pierce. I returned to this as narrative reassurance, at a point of insecurity with my own writing. A solid chewy gritty engaging fantasy; I think it’s one of her best.
Nonfiction
*Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon (essays). Given my lack of interest in reading nonfiction lately (other than instruction/ research), I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this—far more than his recent novels, to be sure. A hugely enjoyable read; fun, hilarious, profound, poignant, sarcastic, insightful, fearlessly revealing, and, as ever, brilliantly phrased with an acuity and originality that makes me feel hackneyed and unoriginal... Simply excellent stuff. If you’ve ever had the feeling that you’re only masquerading as an adult, or as a parent, then read this.
Sometimes the Magic Works - writing technique /autobio essays by fantasy author Terry Brooks. (I’ve never read any of his fiction.) An accurate portrayal of the writing brain, though it doesn’t offer any deep insights, to my perspective; I think it would be more revelatory for beginning writers. Mostly it’s just interesting to find kernels of recognition between my brain/ process and that of a successful author: not new information, just a sense of confirmation: yes, it is that way; yes, that can work professionally. For a fantasy superstar, Brooks is humble and down to earth, as I remember from seeing him at a con. He openly acknowledges the huge role that luck played in his success.
(parts of) *Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Warm, funny, reassuring, useful. This book taught me to successfully knit socks, and is lots of fun to read. Recommended to me by elfie_chan.
Started to read, gave up on:
Treason’s Harbor by Patrick O’Brian - I’ll come back to this, I just kept getting distracted before I got fully into it.
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb - 150 pages in, I still didn’t care where it was going or what happened to the characters. It’s competently constructed, it’s just not any fun to read, freighted with endless dreary internal monologues. Very disappointing, given how much I enjoyed her stellar Farseer series.
Deerskin by Robin McKinley. She certainly captures fairy tale high style, but that doesn’t work so well at novel length. I’ve never seen so much telling (vs. showing) in my life... pages and pages that read like a character outline, not a novel.
The Bonesetters’ Daughter by Amy Tan. I found the historical Chinese part interesting but depressingly tragic, and the modern American part tediously mundane. I’m just not into modern realism!
Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman (short stories). I tried five, found them all pointless and unappealing. None of them really give you access to a character, a personality. I loved Sandman, but so far, I have not liked Gaiman’s prose fiction, which I realize makes me a pariah in fantasy geekdom. (I don’t like A Song of Ice and Fire, either. I know, heresy!)
Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon. I was hugely excited by the idea of Chabon tackling this period. Someday, I devoutly hope someone will write an epic historical novel about medieval Khazaria. But sadly, this ain’t it.
Instead, this seems to be Chabon kicking back from his usual Weighty Themes and goofing off with a purplescent evocation of Robert E. Howard, H. Rider Haggard, and other Golden Age overwrought pulp. Only a writer as skilled as Chabon could get away with such outrageous, audacious sentences ... kids, don’t try this at home. But here, the bold magnificence of his sentences distracts from what he is actually saying. When you get to descriptions like ‘an archipelago of turds’, it’s clear that he’s playing around, taking the literary equivalent of a romp at the beach. It’s a gleeful indulgence, but perhaps not a story that sticks with you.
I’ll probably still give this one more try, but the endless baroque embellishment of every single phrase started getting on my nerves. He has distinctly drawn characters, but they’re cartoonish, with no sense of what makes them tick. It was all very exuberant, but it didn't make me care.
Tags:
Unsung Patterns
Jul. 24th, 2010 10:23 pmFor my fellow sewing and costume history enthusiasts, here is a lovely blog showcasing workaday garment patterns from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries:
http://www.unsungsewingpatterns.net/
All manner of fascinating observations about fashion and culture to be found therein...
http://www.unsungsewingpatterns.net/
All manner of fascinating observations about fashion and culture to be found therein...
Curious constructions
Jan. 22nd, 2010 10:12 pmAmazing glass sculptures, including a functional glass spinning wheel...
http://andypaikoglass.com/sculpture/
http://andypaikoglass.com/sculpture/
The lens of the past
Nov. 15th, 2009 10:02 pmHere's a fun collection of images of late 19th century fancy dress for costume balls... It's interesting to see their take on earlier periods (Vikings!) and imagine how our efforts will look in 100 years...
http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/webtours/tourID/VQ_P2_9_EN
http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/webtours/tourID/VQ_P2_9_EN
Knitting Tattoos
Sep. 12th, 2009 05:31 pmInk for knitters! I especially like the skull and crossneedles, and the Kali one.
http://freakknitter.typepad.com/photos/knitting_tattoos/index.html
http://freakknitter.typepad.com/photos/knitting_tattoos/index.html
Artform vs. Hobby Musings
Nov. 15th, 2008 06:17 pmThe thing about being an artist is that you don’t really have hobbies in the normal sense. Non-artists often say, “Oh, it must be fun making art; it must be fun writing.” But they don’t realize that it isn’t, necessarily, because it’s not a choice; it’s a compulsion. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s hell; either way, it’s something you have to do in order to feel whole. It’s soul-defining. If you weren’t making your art, or at least thinking about making your art, you wouldn’t quite feel real.
(Incidentally, by ‘being an artist’, I don’t mean a value judgment about who is and isn’t one. In my observation, it is a spectrum of personality types, a temperament with many variations; it’s about how you view the world and what you feel compelled to do in response to your experience... regardless of whether you are making tangible artwork at any given time. An artist is always fomenting and synthesizing, thinking consciously or subconsciously about output in response to life’s input. One way or another, sooner or later, something will come out, whether a painting, a poem, an outfit, a fruitcake, or just a barbaric yawp.)
So for me, origami and knitting are among the few things I do that are actually hobbies. With a hobby, I do it if I feel like it. I have little ego investment, and no compulsion to work on the project or achieve a certain result. I have the impulse to make a neat object, but I don’t feel driven to learn the totality and perfect the craft. I don’t lie awake dreaming up new things to make with it. If it frustrates me, I stop. If I don’t do it for a few months, I don’t feel guilty or depressed that I’m missing something essential. It isn’t definitive to my existence as a person. It’s just something I occasionally like to do. For me, that’s extremely unusual... but also a relief. At this point, I practically rejoice when I identify a craft or medium I am NOT interested in pursuing—there’s so many already to make mental and physical space for! Can’t stand to quilt? Great! No interest in encaustic? Excellent! That just leaves all the other stuff to accommodate... Still, there's almost no artform where I'm not interested in at least grasping the basics. Since knowledge is power, my goal is to have the index!
(Incidentally, by ‘being an artist’, I don’t mean a value judgment about who is and isn’t one. In my observation, it is a spectrum of personality types, a temperament with many variations; it’s about how you view the world and what you feel compelled to do in response to your experience... regardless of whether you are making tangible artwork at any given time. An artist is always fomenting and synthesizing, thinking consciously or subconsciously about output in response to life’s input. One way or another, sooner or later, something will come out, whether a painting, a poem, an outfit, a fruitcake, or just a barbaric yawp.)
So for me, origami and knitting are among the few things I do that are actually hobbies. With a hobby, I do it if I feel like it. I have little ego investment, and no compulsion to work on the project or achieve a certain result. I have the impulse to make a neat object, but I don’t feel driven to learn the totality and perfect the craft. I don’t lie awake dreaming up new things to make with it. If it frustrates me, I stop. If I don’t do it for a few months, I don’t feel guilty or depressed that I’m missing something essential. It isn’t definitive to my existence as a person. It’s just something I occasionally like to do. For me, that’s extremely unusual... but also a relief. At this point, I practically rejoice when I identify a craft or medium I am NOT interested in pursuing—there’s so many already to make mental and physical space for! Can’t stand to quilt? Great! No interest in encaustic? Excellent! That just leaves all the other stuff to accommodate... Still, there's almost no artform where I'm not interested in at least grasping the basics. Since knowledge is power, my goal is to have the index!
Balkan Costume exhibit
Jul. 30th, 2008 09:05 pmRon Wixman will display his collection of authentic women's folk costumes and a number of hand-embroidered women's blouses at the Springfield Museum this Friday, August 1 through 9/4. His collection of Balkan costumes is one of the largest in the United States.
He will give a lecture about the collection for the public from 5:00-5:30 pm, (8/1). A reception will follow.
*********
I worked with Ron's costume collection at one point, and it is of jaw-dropping, major museum quality. Seriously, mind-bogglingly beautiful work...if you are in the area, or have any chance of getting down here, don't miss it.
He will give a lecture about the collection for the public from 5:00-5:30 pm, (8/1). A reception will follow.
*********
I worked with Ron's costume collection at one point, and it is of jaw-dropping, major museum quality. Seriously, mind-bogglingly beautiful work...if you are in the area, or have any chance of getting down here, don't miss it.
Costumerie eye candy!
Mar. 18th, 2008 08:48 pmSo I discovered http://www.vintagetextile.com via ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
anyanka and am having way too much fun looking at all the pretty, pretty things. Some quite amazing garments, shoes, hats, and more from late 18th c. to early 20th c. You can click on each photo for closeups (including construction details) and detailed descriptive info. Even though this is much later than the periods I'm most into, it's still stunning and humbling to look at the design and handiwork of the past. The section on shawls, among others, has some definite embroidery porn, and some of the pieces in the Gallery section are just breathtaking.
For instance, I am totally using this pattern for something. Not SCA, obviously, but something (an illustration, if nothing else):
wool coat, ca. 1890
anyanka and am having way too much fun looking at all the pretty, pretty things. Some quite amazing garments, shoes, hats, and more from late 18th c. to early 20th c. You can click on each photo for closeups (including construction details) and detailed descriptive info. Even though this is much later than the periods I'm most into, it's still stunning and humbling to look at the design and handiwork of the past. The section on shawls, among others, has some definite embroidery porn, and some of the pieces in the Gallery section are just breathtaking.For instance, I am totally using this pattern for something. Not SCA, obviously, but something (an illustration, if nothing else):
wool coat, ca. 1890
Shiny shopping!
Jan. 24th, 2008 03:17 pmYesterday someone told me about a bead shop in town I have never heard of, Azillion Beads. Turns out it is on Conger right by Oregon Leather, so I checked it out. Very cool place!! Lots of nice beads of all sorts, including many things I'd never seen before, and the prices seemed fairly reasonable. Lots of beads and findings in copper, which one doesn't see as much. I picked up a little french wire to play with, which I just learned about from Alaria--it can be clipped up and used like bullion for embroidery. I'm excited to have another bead shop in town (though I personally need more beads like the proverbial hole in the head); I've gotten pretty familiar and bored with Harlequin's stock, and tend to bounce off their prices.
Picked up more thin leather for book covers (Oregon Leather's scrap bins are wondrous, but unfortunately leadeth one into temptation). However, the other item I need for the book project is unfortunately turning into a Quest. The fastening strip is supposed to get attached to the cover with something my instructor called a canoe nail--a small nail with a hollow shaft and triangular flanges; you poke it through a drilled hole and peen it flat on the back (basically an ancestor to the staple, I think). So far, though, neither Jerry's nor Eugene Fastener has even heard of it, so I guess I'll have to do some calling around. I have no idea what normal people use it for, which would help me figure out where to look. Anyone have any thoughts--maybe something else I could use? (A normal small nail, I guess, if all else fails.) I hate it when seemingly simple things turn into Quests...especially since we're so close to being able to finish the books!
Edit: it appears that canoe nails are in fact used for building canoes and other wooden boats, but I'm still not sure where to get 'em.
Edit: nail problem solved! See below.
Picked up more thin leather for book covers (Oregon Leather's scrap bins are wondrous, but unfortunately leadeth one into temptation). However, the other item I need for the book project is unfortunately turning into a Quest. The fastening strip is supposed to get attached to the cover with something my instructor called a canoe nail--a small nail with a hollow shaft and triangular flanges; you poke it through a drilled hole and peen it flat on the back (basically an ancestor to the staple, I think). So far, though, neither Jerry's nor Eugene Fastener has even heard of it, so I guess I'll have to do some calling around. I have no idea what normal people use it for, which would help me figure out where to look. Anyone have any thoughts--maybe something else I could use? (A normal small nail, I guess, if all else fails.) I hate it when seemingly simple things turn into Quests...especially since we're so close to being able to finish the books!
Edit: it appears that canoe nails are in fact used for building canoes and other wooden boats, but I'm still not sure where to get 'em.
Edit: nail problem solved! See below.
Stop the insanity
Jul. 8th, 2007 03:44 pmSwiped from shiningmoon. TEENSIEST KNITTING EVER. Come on. You know they do this with mirrors. Or maybe piano wire.
http://www.bugknits.com/
elfie_chan, maybe you shouldn't look at this. It might be contagious.
Addition: This page in particular (Aran sweater that fits on a DIME FOR PETE'S SAKE)--I just can't believe it.
http://www.bugknits.com/gallery/garments3.htm
shiningmoon. TEENSIEST KNITTING EVER. Come on. You know they do this with mirrors. Or maybe piano wire.http://www.bugknits.com/
elfie_chan, maybe you shouldn't look at this. It might be contagious.Addition: This page in particular (Aran sweater that fits on a DIME FOR PETE'S SAKE)--I just can't believe it.
http://www.bugknits.com/gallery/garments3.htm
