Reblogged from N. Miami:
An animation of "nanoscale planetary gear." I don't pretend to understand what's going on here, but it's beautiful! If you'd like to read more about it and see some pix that look remarkably like textiles, check this out.
Along the same lines, but bigger (much bigger), here's a picture of a staircase I took at Winterthur a few years ago.
Over the next few days I'll be retrieving some more of these photos from my archives, as I await more loom parts. Maybe before the equinox I'll be dobby weaving again! Keeping my fingers crossed.
The set of building logs in our spare room gets dragged out whenever the kids come over. Even though the children are a bit old for this toy, they still enjoy constructing things, and I must admit that I like putting together a cabin or two even though getting up and down from the floor is not as easy as it used to be. Karl builds forts and towers and other guy stuff, but when Catalina is here by herself, as she was yesterday, it's all about horses.
I love the zig zag fence and the perfect horse barn, complete with stalls and aisle. I did notice that the gate is open…
This all got me thinking about networked fancy twills. Here's one based on a 6x4 rosepath-type initial. Plenty of zigs and zags here. And doesn't it look like a corral? Couple of horses thrown in for good luck. 24 shafts. Maximum float 5.
The WIF file if you'd care to try it: Download Horses24 Please give appropriate credit. And send me a picture!
I seem to be caught in a balancing act between physical books and ebooks. I enjoy reading ebooks, and have read over half a dozen in the past year (The most recent is Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding. Loved it.). I also enjoy reading physical books, but I find them harder to hold comfortably, particularly the ones whose print runs into the gutter areas of the spine. What finally tips the contest in favor of ebooks, for me, is that I can make the print bigger in an ebook. That's a great thing, especially for "a person who has a certain number of birthdays," as my optometrist coyly states.
Yes, I see the wave of the future. More ebooks, fewer physical books. So here I am, very much behind the curve, launched wholeheartedly into an obsessive pastime of bookmaking. Go figure.
Here's the batch completed today:
While we're talking about books, you might like to see this video. It's an amazing stop-motion animation shot in a real live bookstore, with "real" books. Thanks, Jim, for sending me this one.
The sky as I finished up my walk yesterday was threatening, to say the least.
During the night the wind blew and blew. Branches littered the ground this morning, but the sun shone brightly once again. Here are the first gleams on the backyard trees. No trees down, miraculously.
In the studio, I've settled into a nice book routine. I do four at a time, which fits conveniently on my work table. First I paint all the covers on the reverse with matte medium and trim them to size. Then I glue on all the leather spines. Then I punch all the holes in all the spines. Then I punch all the sheets.
Then I do all the sewing (or at least I started. Had to stop for dinner.).
Sounds a little bit like As I was going to St Ives, doesn't it?
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As your reward for staying with the tale this long, I have a wonderful video to share with you. You will love it, I promise. Click and enjoy.
Another couple of pages have been finished on the Botanical Garden book. These are recto format (i.e, right side up).
And a detail (click to enlarge):
Some of you are aware of my interest in animated videos. I was recently sent a link to this fascinating movie featuring stop-motion animation, and I thought you might enjoy it. Now granted, not all of you are as passionate about fuel pumps as this fellow is, but be patient; the stop-motion part kicks in about halfway through, and you'll also get a look at the adorable Lala. Caveat: any family resemblance to the animator is purely non-coincidental. His blog is here.
This lovely video, part I of a 3-part series, is a Russian animation featured on Rima's blog (also worth your time!). Animation fans will love this. And for those of you with a special interest in jump-rope animations (you know who you are), there are several clever jump-rope sequences here. Also a treadle sewing machine that won my heart.
In the weaving department, I am making slow but steady progress. This section of Panel A is nearly devoid of content, but the background texture makes for interesting weaving.
