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More positive bits
Sep. 27th, 2013 04:57 pmCrown tourney looks like it's coming together - weekend after next.
Cross your fingers that it doesn't turn tooooo wet, and we'll have an excellent event in Caerphilly castle. Crown tourney Saturday, and then fighting, fencing and archery for all takers on Sunday.
After a masterclass in quill cutting at 20-year with Mistress Caitlin, I've been plugging away with cutting quills and using them. I'd used quills before, but Caitlin identified a few key errors in my technique, that I've been following up since June.
The biggest mistake, easiest remedied, is using the wrong part of the quill. A feather crossection is oval, and I'd been sharpening a nib out of the narrow 'end' part of the oval, rather than the wide flat bit. I just hadn't thought it through, but when you do think of it, of course you want as flat a surface as possible, to create a non-curved edge for ink.
Using a quill is fiddly-er than nibs. It's not physically harder - if anything you need a lighter touch, a lighter hand than with a metal nib and plastic pen holder - and the crispness of the thin lines are to die for.
The fiddly bit is the preparation and getting your nib to the size you want, without managing to take the whole thing off in one clumsy slice of the knife. Ask me how I know.
Most recently, after a lengthy round of trim > fiddle > test > trim > fiddle > test > argh, I settled on a hour of nib-whittling to prepare 4 nibs, getting them as close to each other in width as I could, so I could get on with scribing uninterrupted, and just change pens if I needed to. They're still wider than my smallest metal nibs, but they're as small as I can make them consistently, and they 'fit' reasonably well in a 5mm line height.
Having them ready meant I didn't end up needing them all, of course, though I do notice that I wear down the right corner of my quill faster than the left. It would be great to get to the point of being able to trim and re-use as I go, but I don't know if I can get to that point.
I lashed out on a true pen knife, courtesy of Tod's Stuff after 20 year. Man, a sturdy sharp knife makes a world of difference. Talk about a tool for the job.
I hadn't realised how dull my paper-cutting knife had grown til Caitlin pointed it out. Hopefully I won't have to sharpen the pen knife for awhile.
While in Germany in June I also bought a small pocket knife - haven't had a lot of opportunity to try it, as the pen knife is working beautifully.
So my plan is to do my forthcoming scrolls with quills barring emergency ones done in a hurry. Three quill-done scrolls so far.... all waiting on Crown for sharing online.
I thoroughly enjoyed the most recent Rivers of London book, Broken Homes by Ben Aarnonovitch. I'm noticing tighter, more piquant writing, things I hadn't seen before, that are funnier if you live in London.
Not certain if it's because it's improved (think so) or because I'm noticing more about the craft. So I'm investing in copies of the series to review and confirm.
I'm knitting again - testing a lace pattern that I've ripped out 4 times already. My past efforts should tell me that IANALK (I Am Not A Lace Knitter), but I fell in love with the idea of this pattern as a perfect present.
But: C2R? C2L? Purl into the back loop?? Stitches done differently if you're on the right or wrong side? Hunh? WTF?
I'd pack it in, except I've already bought the yarn for the project...
This weekend is likely to be made up of
- knitting
- glass painting
- lists for Crown
Livin' in London: doesn't get better than this.
Cross your fingers that it doesn't turn tooooo wet, and we'll have an excellent event in Caerphilly castle. Crown tourney Saturday, and then fighting, fencing and archery for all takers on Sunday.
After a masterclass in quill cutting at 20-year with Mistress Caitlin, I've been plugging away with cutting quills and using them. I'd used quills before, but Caitlin identified a few key errors in my technique, that I've been following up since June.
The biggest mistake, easiest remedied, is using the wrong part of the quill. A feather crossection is oval, and I'd been sharpening a nib out of the narrow 'end' part of the oval, rather than the wide flat bit. I just hadn't thought it through, but when you do think of it, of course you want as flat a surface as possible, to create a non-curved edge for ink.
Using a quill is fiddly-er than nibs. It's not physically harder - if anything you need a lighter touch, a lighter hand than with a metal nib and plastic pen holder - and the crispness of the thin lines are to die for.
The fiddly bit is the preparation and getting your nib to the size you want, without managing to take the whole thing off in one clumsy slice of the knife. Ask me how I know.
Most recently, after a lengthy round of trim > fiddle > test > trim > fiddle > test > argh, I settled on a hour of nib-whittling to prepare 4 nibs, getting them as close to each other in width as I could, so I could get on with scribing uninterrupted, and just change pens if I needed to. They're still wider than my smallest metal nibs, but they're as small as I can make them consistently, and they 'fit' reasonably well in a 5mm line height.
Having them ready meant I didn't end up needing them all, of course, though I do notice that I wear down the right corner of my quill faster than the left. It would be great to get to the point of being able to trim and re-use as I go, but I don't know if I can get to that point.
I lashed out on a true pen knife, courtesy of Tod's Stuff after 20 year. Man, a sturdy sharp knife makes a world of difference. Talk about a tool for the job.
I hadn't realised how dull my paper-cutting knife had grown til Caitlin pointed it out. Hopefully I won't have to sharpen the pen knife for awhile.
While in Germany in June I also bought a small pocket knife - haven't had a lot of opportunity to try it, as the pen knife is working beautifully.
So my plan is to do my forthcoming scrolls with quills barring emergency ones done in a hurry. Three quill-done scrolls so far.... all waiting on Crown for sharing online.
I thoroughly enjoyed the most recent Rivers of London book, Broken Homes by Ben Aarnonovitch. I'm noticing tighter, more piquant writing, things I hadn't seen before, that are funnier if you live in London.
Not certain if it's because it's improved (think so) or because I'm noticing more about the craft. So I'm investing in copies of the series to review and confirm.
I'm knitting again - testing a lace pattern that I've ripped out 4 times already. My past efforts should tell me that IANALK (I Am Not A Lace Knitter), but I fell in love with the idea of this pattern as a perfect present.
But: C2R? C2L? Purl into the back loop?? Stitches done differently if you're on the right or wrong side? Hunh? WTF?
I'd pack it in, except I've already bought the yarn for the project...
This weekend is likely to be made up of
- knitting
- glass painting
- lists for Crown
Livin' in London: doesn't get better than this.
