Behind the Curtain

Waxing Bottles

In December, we strayed from our normal beer brewing to do two special mixtures: Cranberry Mead and a Xmas Porter. Yes, the Xmas Porter is beer, but we made a special flavor by using fresh plums and lovely holiday spices like cinnamon and chocolate. (The painting I used in the label design for the mead is Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer's "Eve,” 1896.)

The mead was a step in the complete unknown for us, as we've never made any. It stepped into super experimental when i decided to combine two different recipes to make what we ended up bottling. Mead needs to age for a minimum of one year and tastes best after five, so I won't be able to see if I did well by this recipe for a good long while. That didn't stop us from making the bottles for our two experiments fancy.

We decided to wax the caps and necks of our special holiday brews, and the process was much easier than I was expecting. We followed these instructions and decided to double-dip the necks so that it wouldn't show the ridges of the bottle caps as much.

They all turned out lovely and we completed two cases of bottles in about an hour/hour and a half, including the time to wait for the wax to melt. I wanted to experiment with placing a seal, like with an envelope, on the top of the cap, but we decided against it this time around. Perhaps the next time we wax our home brews.

Paper Pigeons

We've been getting some serious love for our Pigeon Post Kit. We recognize that many of you love the idea of mailing a fake pigeon just as it is, but prefer something more compact. For those of you who prefer paper to plastic, we now have Stationery with the Pigeon Post design. You still get that carrier pigeon feel, with just a first class stamp!

For those of you who are L.W.A. members, we reorganized the Letter Writers Alliance member site to make it easier to browse. I also updated the login process so that it is more secure and streamlined.

Books & Perfume

I don't know why it took me until nearly the end of the month to write about this, but I got some lovely gifts from the husband this year that I wanted to share. Firstly, look how pretty Persephone gift wrapped their books for us, without even it being requested! Lovely, lovely. Here are the titles he chose from their collection:

- Greenbanks by Dorthy Whipple (currently reading)
- Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary by Ruby Ferguson
- The Expendable Man by Dorothy Hughes

I'm only one chapter into Greenbanks, but it has already sucked my into the story. I'm excited to find the time to read more. Lady Rose and Mrs. Memmary has gotten mixed reviews on Good Reads, but I was attracted to this one because it takes place in Scotland. I'm planning on either reading it right before our trip or while on the trip. The Expendable Man...detective mystery turned film noir movie, enough said.

I was also pleased to see that Persephone is now offering eBooks. I definitely prefer printed books to electronic ones, but there are some books I would like to have in both print and digital form so that I have access to it if I need a quick pick me up while traveling. (When I use the eReader the most.)

The other gift he gave me is the scent In the Library from CB I Hate Perfume. Now, I am not a fan of perfume at all. I haven't worn any since high school, but I decided to buy a sample of a couple of their fragrances because a friend recommended them. I tried out Russian Caravan Tea and the library one. I really liked both, but felt In the Library was better for everyday wear and awesomely, C surprised me buy buying a full size of the scent.

So, that's what I'll be smelling and reading over the next few months!

- - -

Book lovers, check out the Kickstarter from one of the librarians of Read/Write Library, where we have hosted LWA Letter Socials at in the past. They only have 3 more days to reach their goal and get their book printed, so help them out.

This is Chicago

I found these infographics of old Chicago illustrated by Dean Cornwell via Chicago magazine. If you flip through any vitnage magazines or are a fan of 30s ads, you'll know Cronwell's work. It is interesting to see that his style still shines through when reduced to linework.

Illustration aside, I find these infographics extreamly interesting, especially since these type of graphic charts have gained popularity again recently. I hope you enjoy reviewing Chicago as it once was.

Craft Business

Alison McNicol recently interviewed me for her book Craft Business Heros and I was quite delighted when her two books showed up at my front door. Apparently, Alison got so many great interviews for her companion book Craft Business Handbook, that she decided to publish a separate book just of the straight interviews she did. I had to blush a bit when I flipped though the book - I am with some great company in there!

Both of these books have just been released and they have business tips from indie & small businesses from all over the world. If you are starting your own business or trying to push it even further, I would suggest picking these up!

Thanks to Alison for interviewing me (it really made me think about where we were and where the shops are going) and for sending me the books!

Tweed Plus Fours

Northhampton Ad from Spoke Sniffer

Here is the story on how I became the proud owner for Harris Tweed Breeks. What do breeks have to do with plus fours, well...

If anyone has been looking at my Pintrest boards lately, they will be aware that I have been a wee obsessed with Plus Fours. First, lets talk about what the heck Plus Fours are:

First introduced during the 1920s, plus fours were a variation on the traditional knee pants called knickers, which had been worn by men, boys, and, occasionally, women, since the late 1800s. Plus fours received their name because they were made four inches longer than ordinary knickers.
 - Fashion Encyclopedia

So, after collecting a mass of plus fours images, I decided to start shopping for a pair. To my utter sadness, they do not make plus fours for ladies. OK, I thought, I'll just get a man size. Well, every place I saw started their sizing at a 32 waist, which would not fit me. So I researched and found that breeches and breeks are a similar cut to plus twos (similar to plus fours and plus eights, just with less fabric bagging at the knee).

I went on a search for those and found that they indeed made ladies sizes in breeks. Problem was: the price. Holy crap are breeks expensive! They are considered "country wear," which I suppose means you have enough money to own a country home and therefore are willing to spend $200 on a pair of half pants. I was determined to find a pair on sale.

Left:My Harris Tweed breeks | Right: Section from a mail order catalog circa 1920 for ladies' plus fours.

After some more searching I found the Harris Tweed Shop. Lo and behold they have Breeks on sale. Now, the site looks a bit low tech, so I did some research to check their validity and found that a few of the men on The Fedora Lounge have ordered custom suits from the shop and were really please with the product. So, I bit the bullet and bought the sale tweed breeches as a Xmas present to myself.

I'm really glad I took this chance. The craftsmanship of this pants is outstanding. Each seam is encased in cotton so the seams don't itch you. There is also an all-over lining that further stops the itchies and keeps me warm in this awful Chicago winter. The fit is great and I may just have to save up my pennies to buy another pair in a different tweed sometime next year. Or perhaps a matching vest? Oh dear, I think I'm addicted to Harris Tweed.

 

Chronodex: Radial Time

Do you know of Patrick's Chronodex radial day planner? Well you should. It is an interesting way to schedule your responsibilities, especially if you are more of a visual person. He offers it as a free download on his site and it has caught on so quickly, that several people have also offered modified versions for download as well. For example, there is a Circa version and a GTD version (both paper and digital (iPad) formats).

I'm really enjoying this format for my datebook, although I would like to make a few modifications when I have a bit more time. One thing I would really like to do is to create the radial days for the weekend, as much of my shop activities happen then. I would also switch out the AM and PM locations in the 9 to 12 time range, as much of my appointments occur in the evenings than the mornings. Ah, but, no time to make such changes now. Luckily, the datebook still works pretty darn well as it is.

I love how thin it is, so I can just keep it in my bag with my journal without adding extra weight. Oh, and it was so easy to make. The one addition I have done is to add my to-do list to the cover of my datebook. That way I can see what tasks I have to get done without opening my planner. Its like a nagging inanimate object, but without being annoying.

So, if you are looking for a new way to keep your appointments in 2012, take a look at the many variations of Chronodex. There is even a Flickr group for it so you can see how different people are using and modifying the system.

Knit Next

Image from BBC: Primary History [source]

I have some high hopes for my knitting in the next 5 months. See, we are going to Scotland in May for our (belated) honeymoon and we're going to need some warm items during that trip! With that in mind, here is what I have on my knitting queue at the moment:

 

Cat's Eye Tam [Link | Ravelry]
I'm thinking of changing the XOXO colorwork to the string of pearls design to match the mittens I am currently finishing. I really like the way this Raveler is wearing the hat in the traditional tam slouch and hope that the patterns allows for this style easily.
(Image by Kathy Martin, from the Ravelry project page)

Plain & Simple Pullover [Ravelry link]
I love this vest/not vest pull over. Although, I must admit that it was the collar that really made me fall in love with this pattern. It will make for great layering. (Image from Veera - image source.)

Hat for the husband
I'm having trouble decided on what hat pattern I should knit for C. It will match the Stained Glass Scarf I made for him years ago, so I'm drawn to these two for echoing that design: the Botanic Hat or the Tilden Hat. Does anyone have experience with either of these patterns and can suggest one over the other?

The above is my "reality" list of knitting projects I think I can get done in 5 months AFTER I finish the two mittens I have on my needles and the sweater I promised to knit for Donovan for the holidays (knowing it would be belated). There are definitely other items on my queue that I would love to complete before May (like this headband or this cowl), but I'm trying to keep it all realistic here. Who knows, maybe I'll get on a crazy knitting spree and get these all done in 3 months. Ha!

Letter Writing Week

It's letter writing week, so I figured I should show you some fun mail I recently. Two of the items in the batches below are L.W.A. involved, but the correspondents added a neat little touch. Such as the above request to participate in Initiative Response, a mail project we have. I love that the writer included an interesting photo of the spot they wrote their first LWA pen pal letter. How cool is that? I was so humored by way they sent their concealed cash for the project in a glassine envelope with the different terms for money. I nearly fell on the floor laughing over "skrilla."

Above is Donovan's awesome holiday card and a lovely Garbo stamp that came on Ana's card. I also acquired two new pins from Donovan and Carolee. While the bottle isn't mail related, cocktails do rank nearly as high as mail does in my list of loves.

I'm loving the stamps on the Australian airmail letter. I also really dig the card from _ of the alpaca and sheep knitting together. Too cute. Lastly, check out that $1 bill folded-up into a $ sign! Oh, and that cigar box, look below to see what it contained.

Hmm, yes, little things to make an office supply junkie's heart go aflutter. Pencils, a to-do pad, mini-journals, and scraps of red paper items. Thanks to fellow office supply nerd Ana for the neat package!

So, who are you writing to during letter writing week?

Vassar Ladies' Clothing

Image from Life (Feb. 1, 1937) [source]

Imagine my delight when I saw an entire article in a 1937 issue of Life dedicated to the collegiate clothing of Vassar ladies! Here are the spreads:

You can read the entire article online via Google Books here, it starts on page 12 of the issue.

I tried to find an image gallery of these on the Life website, but couldn't find a collection, just a couple single photos.