![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
teffania's Friends PageLog in Create a LiveJournal Account Learn more
| You are viewing teffania's Friends Page Log in Create a LiveJournal Account Learn more | Explore LJ: Life Entertainment Music Culture News & Politics Technology |
 | |
|
I'm interested in the history of hydraulic lifts in melbourne. Others of you might be interested in the history of the Melbourne Science Fiction Club. The site of the last hydraulic lift in melbourne, was also the site of the MSFC club rooms in 1961. And this paragraph could have been written about my friends when I was a teenager; You might become nervous about using the lift had you recently had played on you one of the tricks of the club, invented by Don Latimer. The component of the lift that actually moved up and down consisted of the floor and two sides (no top, no front or back). Don decided that it would be friendly to welcome newcomers as they ascended in the lift. To do this, he would answer the bell by getting into the lift, starting it on its way down, and then halfway down grab onto the outside wall where the back of the lift wasn't. Then, as the lift came back up, he would jump onto the lift's floor to welcome the visitor. This was a much more effective welcome at night, when there was little or no light in the lift. |
|
| |||||
|
Have I mentioned this forum for Melbournian building geeks? Here's one way to look at the history of Melbourne buildings.
|
|||||
| |
|
Packing nearly done. I've printed off plenty of Car Bingo games to play with the BatPup, and the new bus/Carrier/TARDIS/Mildred/Myrtle/Millic Originally posted at my Dreamwidth account. Comment there for preference, or here. |
|
| |
![[info - personal]](http://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small} tangent_woman had a discussion about PMS and how some men use its mere possibility as an excuse to belittle women and ignore their legitimate concerns. I commented that, in many cases, men seem to react with surprise to a woman's emotionally-charged complaint because they're oblivious to the less emotional, more subtle complaints that preceded it. You can hint a dozen times that they should wash up before you go off the handle, but from their point of view the going-off came out of the blue with absolutely no warning.tangent_woman made the point that one manifestation of male privilege may well be that men have the option to be ignorant of stuff that only affect women, whereas women don't have the matching option.It's a bloody good point! It also extends to other forms of privilege. For example, I don't know if most of the websites I design work really well in screen readers for the blind. Even when I was working for AGIMO, a quasi (or queasy) government organisation (run by clueless potplants, especially the useless incompetent coward who was my boss... but I digress) that had a strong emphasis on accessibility, it wasn't until I ran my designs past some actual experts that I found out just how many mistakes I'd made that would have made the sites all but unusable. I'm not blind or visually impaired, so I have the privilege of being ignorant about accessibility. In my defence, I did try to get it right, and over a few iterations I did better than every other worthless bastard in that place and most of the rest of the government, but I still had the advantage of sighted-person privilege to save me from needing to learn. Similarly, I could go my entire life not understanding why some women get so hysterical (pun intended) every 28 days, more or less. Being male, I have the ability to remain ignorant. Now, as it happens, I've experienced hypoglycaemic moodswings myself, and discovered first-hand that getting all emotional is not, in fact, a sign of mental infirmity. (Gosh! Stone the crows!) It's not the same thing, but it's miles away from the default male assumption of female frailty. But without that more-or-less coincidental burst of enforced empathy, I could be ignorant forever, and not even know it. There's more. I know very little of the truth about those It's a disturbing thought. How much privilege am I relying on without know it, simply because I don't know it? And along with that, how much should I know? Would a fuller appreciation of Tampa vs Oceanic Viking make me reconsider my vote? Should it? Is it as important as the other matters that strike closer to home? Should it be? We all remain ignorantly privileged, I think, because the alternative is paralysis. Every action I perform, every thought I think, is informed by privilege: I walk because I'm not quadruplegic, I breathe easily because I'm not in a South American prison, I think clearly because I'm not clinically depressed. If I tried to stop and "consider those less fortunate", I'd never start again. Which is not to say I can keep glorying in my ignorance. I'm not a member of terribly many minorities (odd that "female", at 50.1% of human population, still shows up as a minority in most ways that count, but then so does "poor", at 99.8%) but every time I try to understand someone, I improve my odds. A couple thousand more steps, and I may get good enough. Originally posted at my Dreamwidth account. Comment there for preference, or here. |
|
| |
|
This area was known for growing damsons, apparently used to dye hats for the Luton straw hat industry. It has also been suggested that damsons may have been used to dye British Royal Air Force uniforms a blue-grey colour during World War II and damsons were reportedly used in the past as a source of dye colour in the wool industry in the North of England. This photo shows the damsons ready to be picked.
I am fortunate that my friend Maggie Stearn, handweaver and dyer, lives in Eaton Bray and she suggested harvesting some damsons for a dyeing experiment, to see just how effective they might be as a source of dye colour. Maggie kindly picked about 20 kilos of damsons, so we had ample for dyeing - and for freezing and jam-making, too! For our tests we used the damson skins only, as they seemed the most likely source of dye colour and are rich in tannin which would help fix the dye. However, we did test the fruit pulp as well, just to be sure we weren’t missing an important source of colour, but this only resulted in an unpleasant pale beige colour and sticky pulp that was difficult to remove from the fibres. We used equal weights of skins and fibres and we tested the dye extracted from the skins across a range of fibres (wool, silk, cotton and linen), all mordanted with alum, and used four modifers. The results of our experiments are below. I have to say that they confirm my feeling that damsons, like most red and purple fruits or berries, do not make particularly useful dyes. In general the colours are disappointing, particularly on wool, although with an iron or copper modifier the colours on the other fibres tested, especially the silk, are more attractive. The greens from the washing soda modifier are interesting and I have achieved similar, but deeper, shades from elderberries with an alkaline modifier. In general, I find it surprising that there should apparently be so many references to damsons as a source of useful dye colour. I can understand that the pale lavender shades achieved on some vegetable fibres, including raffia, might be popular with Victorian ladies for their straw hats, but I find it harder to believe that the colours achieved on wool could really be useful at an industrial level, especially bearing in mind the general unreliability of red and purple berry and fruit dyes. However, I do wonder how many of these references are actually based on solid research, backed up by conclusive evidence, rather than merely on hearsay. I can certainly understand that any abundant local source of dye colour would be valued at times when imported dyes were unavailable or too costly, but I remain unconvinced that the use of damsons for dyeing would be worth the effort nowadays, especially when dyers have access to more reliable sources of purple and lavender shades.
This shows the unmodified samples. From top to bottom: cotton, linen, silk, wool
This shows the modified samples on all four fibres. Clockwise from top right: acid modifier, alkaline modifier, copper modifier, iron modifier
NOTE: Thanks to Maggie Stearn for all the above photos |
|
| |
|
Before I get into the samples and how we started picking silks for the skirt, I have to give you a view of the shop. It is a visual paradise. My husband and boys know the rest of the shops in town as they are forced to wander for at least an hour as I browse each time we stop during foliage season! Jan has an unusual method of displaying many of the silks – in folded stacks of color family. I love it – like a silken color wheel. It makes it much easier to locate something that matches your piece. Over the years, she has found a market with doll makers who need small scale patterns. Of course, that is what we embroiderers need too! That is what first drew me to her selection. Then it was the special care she takes of me and all I send to her. If I need a silk for a project, I send her a snip of the linen and the threads taped to an index card along with how much I need. She will take it around the shop, snip off a few good matches and then send it to me in the mail. I can choose and then place my order. She keeps a large selection of dupions and taffeta’s which she sells on-line as well as lots of assortment packages of silk. Then the best part is the buttons – all the table surfaces are covered in small cut glass dishes filled with buttons. Wonderful buttons. Sometimes I can’t look or else I will take too many home! If you are ever near that corner of Vermont where it meets both New Hampshire and Massachusetts – you must go there. Tricia 
 |
|
| |||||
|
Woke up feeling off today, with some uncomfortable breathing sensation (but not coughing or anything). Later in the day developed quite severe arthalgia in most joints and back. Bad enough to really want some pain killers, but I decided against it because I wanted to check for elevated temperature when I got home. Sure enough, elevated temperature, not quite reaching the level of "fever", but close enough for me to conclude that it is likely that I've got early stages of the flu. Tamiflu has now been consumed. If the temperature returns to normal by end of day or tomorrow morning, that should confirm the diagnosis. With early treatment and a bit of luck it may go away reasonably quickly. This is a really bad time to have the flu as I'm now very busy at work and was going to do work over the weekend. Damn! And I was at dancing yesterday - hope I didn't infect anyone.
|
|||||
| |
| |
Patrick Rothfuss Author of The Name of the Wind Posted in Nudes, Random Tagged: Nude, nude quote, Nudes, nudity, Patrick Rothfuss, quote, Random      |
|
| |||
|
I may resume normal posting patterns, as we now have functioning home internet. Yay to time wasting and communication at home :) Next thing to do is to poke at SkypeIn, so we have a home phone number since we have managed to get away without a home phone line. And at some point there will be poking at setting up the wireless router so two people can use the net at once... Being able to bask on the back deck in the sun and surf would be good, though decadent. But before then I have to stop basking in a warm room (not quite in the sunlight) but it is a gorgeous day out, and head into work for the afternoon. But I will have net to poke at while Z is off at the candy shop over the weekend:) Kiddo, how were the fireworks?
|
|||
| |||||||
|
I woke at 6am with an awful sore throat, able only to whisper. I read my bits of the internet and then felt awful enough to want to attempt sleep again. It failed so I made breakfast and sat up, trying to work out if work is an option today. I'm currently in bed, reading my bits of the internet again and will then see if my brain is up for working in bed. I have a fee proposal and technical paper to complete today/this weekend - I can't really afford to be sick. Also, I have no sick or annual leave left. I feel reluctant to expend energy on travelling to work, but I know I'll get more done if I were magically there. OTOH, I won't be able to moan or flop horizontally if I'm at work. At least I can talk now.
|
|||||||
| |
 Thanks for all your comments on my SOS post! This is my second attempt, in pink and white silk (1200 dernier) from Devere Yarns. This silk gives a very smooth, soft and shiny braid :-). The braid is about 1 cm in width. In the upper row, you can clearly see the point where I reversed the directions of the tablets. It's not so obvious as in my first attempt, but I'm not sure whether I like it: it really disrupts the smooth surface... I also found it difficult to maintain the tension of the weft. I guess that in my next attempt, I have to pull the weft a little tighter, because now it really shows at the edges. (A reenactors dilemma: reversing the tablets is done in the original work, but the braid looks much better without it. To go for "authentic" or to go for "beautiful"? I'm inclined to go for beautiful...) I want to use this type of braid to make some 14th century garters. (I've put my embroidery projects on hold and I'm currently focusing on a set of ca. 1370 clothes. ) You can find a picture of the original in Crowfoot, E., Pritchard, F., & Staniland, K., Textiles and Clothing c. 1150-c. 1450. Medieval Finds from Excavations in London, 4. London: The Boydell Press, p 133 braid C. A pattern of this braid can be found here.  |
|
| |
|
There is a wonderful shop in Brattleboro, Vermont that I discovered years ago on a foliage trip. Delectable Mountain Cloth is a natural fiber fabric store which has been in business for now 30 years! The owner Jan is one in a million. She is like us – more rescuer of textiles and the craft of making beautiful textiles than shop keeper. There are times she tells me things like this: ‘I have to extend my sale – times are tough for weavers and so I need to be able to reorder so they can make more of these heavenly silks’. So when we realized we needed silk for the skirt and my travels to the silk weaving studios in Sweden didn’t result in a silk for us, I knew that Jan would find it for us. Once, I told Jan I wanted a high quality taffeta that was ocean blue. What I meant was for it to be woven with yellow in one direction and blue in the other. A fantastic color! She had the silk made for me in Thailand immediately. You don’t typically get that at your local store! My last visit through the mountains to her store along the silk road netted me a silk so wonderful that everyone who sees it can’t stop touching it. When Jan sold it all to me – she told me the story of seeing it for the first time. You see, she has developed relationships with the silk vendors in India so tight that they will take her to the individual craftspersons homes to see what is on the looms. She said she walked with the vendor into the winding alleyways and finally into the dirt floored workroom of a master silk weaver. On the loom was this exquisite piece being woven. With tears in her eyes, she said that it was so beautiful that she cried – and bought it all off the loom. That is a shopkeeper that you trust with something this momentous – Jan is all heart. Tricia
|
|
| |
|
I just added a new book to my collection, Nancy Spies, Ecclesiastical Pomp and Aristocratic Circumstance: A thousand years of brocaded tablet woven bands. Nancy Spies tried to track and describe as much brocaded tablet woven bands as possible from the period 600-1600 (in Europe). The resulting book is a gem which offers a wealth of data. The book consist of two parts and three appendices. In the first part, Spies describes the historical background of (brocaded) tablet weaving. She covers issues such as production, use, techniques, designs and tools. The second part is an amazing “DIY” craft manual: she describes how to weave brocaded bands (tips, tricks and trouble-shooting included) and she presents pattern draughts of a large number of bands from different museum collections, together with technical and bibliographical data of each band. Appendix A present a list of bands by function in chronological order, very useful if you want to know more about e.g. brocaded bands used in 14th century relic pouches. Appendix B explains double-faced 3/1 broken twill, and Appendix C is a catalogue of bands listed by country, city and museum. The book concludes with an extensive, annotated bibliography, which was put on-line by Weavershand. The part of the book I'm reading currently deals with the analysis of metal threads (pp. 60-65). Spies discusses some really interesting references (see bibliography above), I hope I can find some of them :-). A few posts ago, we discussed gold work on leather, and whether it was used on shoes ( I'd really love to have golden shoes, too bad that's not historically accurate for a 14th century craftswoman...). On p. 32, Spies shows a drawing of the shoes of King Philip of Swabia (1198-1208) “trimmed with brocaded tabletwoven bands sewn together with a looped stitch using gold threads.” Apparently, it could be done, if you were very rich...  |
|
| |
|
where do you hang your nude art? most collectors I have met over the years (of my work and others) hang the nudes they purchase in the bedroom. it seems to be some form of unspoken consensus that that is where nude art belongs. is this some kind of feng shui for bedroom fu? is it because it is one place where we all feel comfortable in the nude? or is it an expression of embarrassment? are people afraid that their grandparents are going to see a nude in their living room? I like to think that it’s because the bedroom is the place where we can all shed our cares and our clothes. it’s a nest where we can really be ourselves, divest ourselves of the masks we wear throughout the day. I have nudes throughout our house. storing works on the walls gives me time to live with my favorites before they are sold and to keep them out of harms way. There are actually less nudes in the bedroom (unless you count my bedside sketchbooks) because they remind me of work too much! I don’t think twice about who comes to the house or what they may think, but then, this is my life. I’m curious, though, where do nude artworks belong in your house? do you have a reason? Posted in Nudes, Random Tagged: art, art sales, nude art, Nudes, painting, Random      |
|
| |
|
From General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord: I divide my officers into four classes; the clever, the lazy, the industrious, and the stupid. Each officer possesses at least two of these qualities. Those who are clever and industrious are fitted for the highest staff appointments. Use can be made of those who are stupid and lazy. The man who is clever and lazy however is for the very highest command; he has the temperament and nerves to deal with all situations. But whoever is stupid and industrious is a menace and must be removed immediately! I prescribe the reading and memorising of this quote to anyone who may be called upon to appoint heralds, bardic guild coordinators, website administrators, OziBoD members, etc. Remember: just because someone is the only volunteer for a job doesn't make him qualified to do it! Originally posted at my Dreamwidth account. Comment there for preference, or here. |
|
| |
|
Here is your zen for the day. The big reveal is December 10th at Plimoth. We will be posting details on how you can get a ticket soon. December 11th will be the reveal on the blog – I know you are all on pins and needles! Tricia
|
|
| |
|
We're driving down to Melbourne this weekend and staying overnight on Sunday with mrsbrown and mr_bassman (aka armourer) in Richmond. The Elder Daughter of DOOOOM, who has other obligations on that weekend, will be meeting us courtesy of her Nanny's Frequent Flyer points: she gets into Tullamarine at twenty past six on Sunday. We're planning to have a BBQ to catch up with (and in some cases meet) old friends. All of this means some juggling of time, but I think the following plan makes sense:Come along to the barbie at 33 Smith Street, Richmond from about five-ish (time TBC with our hosts). BYO everything for a BBQ. I'll have to pop out at six-ish to get the EDoD, but I'm sure you can party on without me; gods willing and the creek don't rise I'll be back within the hour, but don't bet the farm on it. Originally posted at my Dreamwidth account. Comment there for preference, or here. |
|
| |
 OMG COVER UP THE JUNK From Wil Wheaton’s photo stream on Flickr
I couldn’t resist posting this when I discovered it on flickr. I’ve been following @wilw on twitter for some time and was leafing through his photostream on flickr when I found this treasure in an album for the recent Leverage episode The Two Live Crew Job. I’ve seen this episode but completely missed the statue and the clearly improvised oak leaf cover up. talk about unnecessary censorship! Posted in Nudes, Random Tagged: art humor, celebrity, censorship, Nudes, Random, wil wheaton      |
|
| |
sidetracked
This now disused orchard near Eaton Bray in Bedfordshire has many old damson trees of a variety known as Aylesbury Prunes.
sick
bouncy
flat
