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Continue reading →: Cluck!
I had fully intended to take good pictures of the new resident of my household, but Cawti nosebumping and marking the iron chicken was far too cute to ignore no matter HOW bad the lighting was. No, I am not entirely certain why the chicken was in the bedroom. Honest.…
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Continue reading →: Archaeological Textiles
Laura Thode and I are proposing a new study group on archaeological textiles for Complex Weavers. And when I say “Laura and I,” I mean that she has done all of the work. The announcement appears in the current CW newsletter. The medieval textiles study group has been defunct for…
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Continue reading →: Weekend reads
Need something to read? The online archive of the Textile Society of America Proceedings goes back to 1988, and includes all sorts of fascinating information on textile technology, culture, trade, symbolism, and much more. How about an odd intersection of entomology and history? Fly larvae in the sarcophagus of Isabella…
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Continue reading →: Naalbinding speed?
I received an email question recently about the relative efficiency of naalbinding and knitting. Many of the very experienced naalbinders I know find it as fast as knitting, but all of the novice naalbinders find it much slower. I don’t know of any formal study of the subject, but how…
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Continue reading →: Smell like a Viking
York Visitor Centre created a Viking-scented body spray. No really: I’m not making this up, and it isn’t April 1. Mead, blood, smoke, seawater and so much more. Not only that, you can get a Smell-o-vision travel guide. I’m… amazed. Or something. I wonder how I can find a decant…
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Continue reading →: Odds and ends
A link I’ve been meaning to pass along: samples of 18th century dyed felt. Pretty! Instead of doing fiber arts (or rather, fiber arts I can talk about), I’ve been learning how to do some photo manipulation. I have a lot to learn, but I’m having fun. Actually, that’s not…
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Continue reading →: Nasca art
The Paracas Textile is online! This is one of my favorite textiles ever, and is both beautiful and enormously complex. The needle-looped borders… oh my! Not bad for something that’s closing in on two millenia old. Go look for yourself!
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Continue reading →: Felicitations
My girls are a year old today, I believe. According to a random internet site, that makes them 18 in people years; they grow up so fast! That’s the day we got them, a bit over eight weeks old. They’ve grown a bit! We got them assorted toys to celebrate:…
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Continue reading →: Finally!
Spring has been mighty slow in arriving, even if we’ve missed the last couple of big snowstorms. Even the sunny days have been cold, and my snowdrops have stubbornly kept their buds closed. Until today: sunny, warm, glorious. Even the snowdrops agreed. I spent the afternoon raking up the neglected…
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Continue reading →: Pin loom
I’d like to show you the weaving I’ve spent the afternoon messing with but I can’t. Sorry.
Welcome!
I’ve been doing stuff with string for quite some time, and describing it to others online since 1996 or so at Phiala’s String Page.
I also do some science and write some fiction.
I’m Phiala most places on the internet.
