Though resigned to a therapeutic activity, the art of basket-weaving is something unlike other textile crafts that defies mechanisation and automation and is being championed clubs and consortia all over embracing these ancient ways with both materially traditional and novel substrates, rallying around the ๐งบ emoji to express affiliation, included in 2018 rollout. There was some discussion a few years ago about adding a truck emoji as a concession to conservative Americans, a symbolic move that probably would have garnered more mileage and not seen as a bow to tribalism—see also here and here—the pickup created in 2020 in response being seen as too twee and the expectation was for some monster all-terrain SUV. Originating with the asylum system of the nineteenth century with institutionalised individuals mildly dehumanised with such activities that were regarded as childlike and busy-work, basket weaving was somewhat rehabilitated following World War I as occupational therapy for returning soldiers suffering from shell-shock (what we would now recognise as post-traumatic stress disorder), the title epithet probably comes from not the activity but rather the wicker wheelchairs provided to recovering and disabled service members—like the etymology of gone to hell in a hand basket stems from being carted off on a litter. Find out more about those retaking the craft and carrying it forward from It’s Nice That at the link above.
Friday, 11 April 2025
basket case (12. 383)
digital preservation jumpers (12. 382)
Courtesy of Web Curios (many more delights at the weekly roundup), we are directed towards this wonderful collection of knitwear with pixelated patterns inspired by legacy media formats that celebrates the intersectionality of punchcards and prints, albeit at scale rather than projects that one could undertake oneself. There’s also a sweater featuring the jumping dinosaur that Google displays when off-line. Detailed designs from archivist and creator Leontien Talboom of Cambridge library at the link above—even the floppy disks have the detail of the notch punched that made read-only ones writable and utilise both sides—replaced in the 3½" version with a shutter to prevent over-writing.
synchronoptica
one year ago: resurfacing buried rivers (with synchronoptica)
seven years ago: a visit to the University of Heidelberg
eight years ago: a cantilevered, overhanging pool, Lake Nemi, assorted links to revisit plus a Star Trek podcast
nine years ago: breaking the fourth wall, Jevon’s Paradox plus the Daily Mail to acquire Yahoo!
eleven years ago: a pioneering teutholog
catagories: ๐พ, ๐งถ, libraries and museums
Sunday, 6 April 2025
etsomnia (12. 370)
Via Marco McClean’s Memo of the Air, we are introduced to the very long-standing tradition (for which we were woefully remiss about perusing beforehand) of My One Beautiful Thing’s weekly curation of a sampling of some of the strange crafts discovered on the e-commerce site (see also here and here) with an emphasis on handmade jewellery, totes and home decor. The above disorder leading to sleep deprivation is a self-diagnosis from obsessive browsing of said upcycling marketplace, whose name itself comes from etsi—Italian for oh yes and French and Latin for what if. Frequent themes include taxidermied plush animals, ceramics, inspired doormats and wall signage and overly-accessorised charm bracelets and bedazzled garments.
Friday, 28 March 2025
sashiko, boro and bunka (12. 343)
Via Spoon & Tamgo, we are referred to the latest, as yet incomplete project by embroidery artist Tomoko Kubo to adorn and ornament all forty six characters of the hiragana lettering system (see previously), each glyph carefully laid out to feature foods, creatures and concepts that begin with that particular character, like the pictured U kana (ใ in hiragana and ใฆ in katakana—deriving from the kanji logograph ๅฎ meaning abode or territory—the former being a phonetic syllabary and the later being a simplified version of more complex Chinese characters). Not only a work of art, they also aid in approaching the language for beginners with this colourful and creative abecedarium: ใ is for rabbit (ใใใ, usagi) and for horse (ใใพ, uma), etc. Much more at the links above.
Wednesday, 12 March 2025
9x9 (12. 297)
ei-ei-o: a comparison onomatopoetic words for animal sounds across different languages—via Waxy
acrostic: textile company’s branding has the aesthetics of concrete poetry
destiny narrative: an omnibus post on the horrors and avoidability of war
analog society: a British group performs live mash-up of notionally similar songs
tectonic independence: why Greenland is an island and Australia a continent—see also
360: Manhattan’s only revolving restaurant to reopen
telephone game: Russia demands details from US before agreeing to any ceasefire agreement in Ukraine
cross-walk: mimes direct traffic in Bogotรก
an old error has more friends than a new truth: proverbs and idioms from around the world
synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links to revisit (with synchronoptica) plus more FOIA follies
seven years ago: raising awareness for prosthetic limbs, Japan’s residential towers plus more links to enjoy
eight years ago: provisions requiring employees submit to DNA screenings
nine years ago: what if the Singularity already happened, the doorway effect plus colourful ancient statuary
ten years ago: Disney reboots, even more links plus more made-up jobs
Thursday, 6 March 2025
7x7 (12. 280)
yarn-bomb: a collection of museums and monuments around the world for knitting and craft enthusiasts
defying democracy: Randy Rainbow breaks into the ballad from Wicked during an interview
the living? the miraculous task of it: Joseph Fasano’s short poetic response to a student who used AI to write a papereight million dollars to promote lgbtqi+ in the african nation of lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of: all you need to know about the southern African enclave (the only one outside of Italy) landlocked by South Africa
fission chips: a survey of Mid-Century Modernism
spinsrรฟche: a mashup of “Jet City Woman” and prog metal
mullet talley: cross-referencing hair-styles with football club fans in Australia—from the Annals of Improbable Research (previously)—via Pasa Bon!
synchronoptica
one year ago: the mental radio interceptions of Grant Wallace (with synchronoptica) plus more on endonyms and exonyms
seven years ago: Teen Look magazine plus a demonic backlog of unfinished business
eight years ago: presidential pets, animator Tom Oreb, separating migrant families plus NASA’s style guide
ten years ago: assorted links to enjoy
eleven years ago: neglected bestiaries
Saturday, 1 March 2025
mothman and the man in the moon (12. 270)
Having come across his astronomical illustrations beforehand, we appreciated this monograph on artist and amateur astronomer and entomologist รtienne Lรฉopold Trouvelot of French extraction who fled to Massachusetts because of his republican leanings after the coup d’รฉtat by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte in 1851. Problems with raising silk-producing moths (previously) in his adopted home in North America revised his long time interest in studying insects, and unsuccessful in breeding domestic species, had shipment of spongy moth (Lymantria dispar, also known as the gypsy moth) egg masses sent over from Europe. The larvae Trouvelot was experimenting with unfortunately escaped into the wild, where this voracious, invasive species has been damaging woodland habitats ever since. The incident, realising the gravity of his actions, made Trouvelot return to sketching pictures of the heavens, eventually attracting the attention of the director of the Harvard College Observatory due to his prodigious and detailed output, ultimately leading to the publication of his pastel studies of the Sun, Moon and planets the opportunity to turn his hobby into a profession, contributing to a number of scientific papers.
Sunday, 9 February 2025
๐ค (12. 218)
Via friend of the blog Nag on the Lake, we are directed this futuristic pair of pyjamas, a sleep apparel system, a garment sponsored by the government of Japan to improve one’s sleep hygiene in response to numerous studies that show the country’s citizens are among the most sleep-deprived among highly-developed nations—see previously. Meant to promote polyphasic cycles—that is getting in a nap, see also—with a portable, rest-inducing environment. The comfy down mantle with adjustable compression and inflating collar and noise-cancelling headgear are integrated with sensors to triangulate and optimise one’s sleep segments and was inspired by the traditional futon bed. More from Spoon & Tamago at the link above.
synchronoptica
one year ago: a clairvoyant horse (with synchronoptica), a quasi-moon, national jukebox plus lessons in logic and rhetoric from Star Trek: TAS
seven years ago: the state of public education in Oklahoma plus WiFi hotspots
eight years ago: chief of public enlightenment plus the degeneration of factory towns
nine years ago: ad blockers, assorted links to revisit plus this day in history
ten years ago: sitting is the new smoking plus the American roadtrip
Thursday, 6 February 2025
aplicรณ (12. 208)
The amazing mastery of Andean weaving and dyeing that surpassed the craft as known to Europeans at the time of contact is showcased in the vivid patchwork tunics of the Wari (Hurari) tribe, centred in what is now the western province of Ayacucho in Peru, which were well-preserved in desert burials. Surviving textiles also including hats and tapestries as grave goods, featured abstract motifs—possibly coded and too make through geometric distortions to make the wearer appear larger and more imposing befitting of their rank. These garments, whose requisite skills and traditions predate the Conquista by hundreds of years (circa the sixth to the tenth century) and have been transmitted and appropriated to an extent by successor cultures, both pre-Columbian and settlers, imparted as tribute along with treasure, but none can compete with this ancient that involved the multidisciplinary practise that involved exotic pigment-sourcing and precise llama husbandry for the ideal substrate, revealing social stratification and hierarchy. View a whole gallery at Public Domain Review at the link above.
synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronoptica) plus Saint Mรฉl
seven years ago: women’s suffrage in Britain (1918), MLK, Jr on capitalism, more links to enjoy plus a vocabulary lesson
eight years ago: amoeboid robots
nine years ago: the evolution of corporate logos, high-definition rewatches plus threatening dust bunnies
ten years ago: vaccine scepticism plus even more links
Tuesday, 28 January 2025
10x10 (12. 191)
i saw, i cut, i applied: a retrospective of the textile art of Ayako Miyawaki (ๅฎฎ่็ถพๅญ) at the Tokyo Station Gallery
hadron therapy: researchers at CERN are collaborating with oncologists to develop precision treatment that last a fraction of a second—via the new Shelton wet/dry
drag and drop: the development of tools that easily move data around with confidence it would not be lost
shวusuรฌ: an exhibition on community resilience through helps gird one for the trying year ahead

oreoboros: a round-up of recently introduced snacks and treats—via MetaFilter
comparative entomology: an 1879 study in the colour patterns in moths and butterflies
object impermanence: a glitchy and broken AI knock-off of Minecraft makes for a strangely compelling experience
experimental advanced superconducting tokamak: an artificial sun burned for nearly eighteen minutes at the EAST plasma physics lab in Hefei—a significant milestone for sustainable fusion reactions—via Boing Boing
the little loomhouse: the history and evolution of an ensemble of Kentucky cabins to a thriving arts community
Thursday, 2 January 2025
evenweave (12. 138)
Via Kottke, we are introduced to the embroidery journals that Sophie O’Neill, California transplant in Glasgow, has been keeping daily (sometimes batched—we can relate) since New Year’s 2020 as a log of each day’s events and memories, represented by stitching a tiny icon. The practise, not dissimilar to other diary-keeping techniques and cultivating gratitude even for those mundane and tedious periods when it seems nothing noteworthy happens and was tempted to throw in the towel. Streaks are important and motivating to keep up but not for the faith of heart (see also here and here), when each entry requires patience, dexterity and imagination.
catagories: ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ, ๐, ๐งถ
Friday, 13 December 2024
instavest (12. 079)
In 1962, Kenneth V Anderson (whom we imagine to be a prolific inventor) of La Crosse, Wisconsin secured a patent for his filing of a literal photo-jacket, an outer garment with pockets for displaying “friendship pictures” and shared snapshots, marketed specifically to teenagers and college students. Written to exacting tailoring details, Anderson suggests that the photographs could be turned inward facing at the wearer’s discretion and an empty sleeve could be used to convey a “hint” or invitation (see also, see previously) to another that it should be filled.
Wednesday, 27 November 2024
8x8 (12. 033)
this is all i’m asking for: Mariah Carey’s ubiquitous Christmas song in the style of classical composers
anti-slapp legislation: lawmakers rush to protect journalist and protesters from nuisance lawsuits before Trump takes office
๐ญ: experimental lickable devices extend augmented reality—see previously
don’t bring your zombies to work: ULCA student creates an escape room in their dormitory
the federation of damanhur: a spiritual commune outside of Turin constructed a spectacular network of secret underground temples in the 1970s, uncovered and protected, despite their illegal building, in 1992
all delicious mac & cheese recipes are alike; each gross mac & cheese recipe is gross in its own way: a dish from Leo Tolstoy—aka, Mac & Peace—via Kottke
11 bizarre things the US government actually spent money on: Musk’s mandate to increase efficiency does not add up, is sourced from a Readers’ Digest listicle
anitra’s dance: quilts inspired by the music of Peer Gynt—see previously—via MetaFilter
Tuesday, 12 November 2024
pont y borth (11. 995)
A temporary export bar has been placed on a 1827 needlework sampler made by Mary Anne Hughes, aged eleven, to prevent the national treasure (“rare, modest and of enduring interest”) from leaving the UK by giving institutions (see previously) the chance to raise funds for its purchase ahead of auction. The image depicts the Menai Bridge, opened to the public just the year before after seven years of construction, Designed by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford as the first suspension span of this scale and carries road traffic to this day, the bridge connects Anglesey to the Welsh mainland, bypassing a treacherous water route (particularly for fording livestock) through the Menai Strait. More from The History Blog at the link above.
Thursday, 7 November 2024
prรชt-ร -porter (11. 979)
Via Messy Nessy Chic, we are directed a curated trove of US military uniforms (over fourteen thousand) given the studio and cat-walk treatment—recently declassified but providing no clue about the purpose of the catalogued collection which spans from the 1970s to the 1990s. Artist and photo researcher Matthieu Nicol came across this find whilst browsing for vintage pictures of food (see also) and decided to salvage the pastel-coloured intersection between lethal functionality and the world of fashion and design from archival obscurity. Though not professional models for these prototype suits and ceremonial dress, the certainly look like any glossy fashion show montage produced today. Many more images at the links above.
Monday, 14 October 2024
the difference engine (11. 904)
Courtesy of ibฤซdem and following the same steampunk theme, we are directed to a presentation and pitch delivered by Charles Babbage (previously), disgraced and dismissed by his domestic backers to recuperate trust in his project, that addressed the concepts of software and programmable computers back in mid-September of 1840, couched in of course much plainer language as no one had such vocabulary in their quiver beforehand and discovered while researching an alternate history by the co-author of the above speculative work of science fiction. Building off the analogous punch-cards of the Jacquard loom, Babbage seemingly convinced his audience of prestigious and influential figures of the potential of his proposal, but having deposited such a world-changing idea, the outreach proves to be a dud and goes nowhere—with possibly some intrigue and industrial espionage behind this ultimate reception and protectionism over progress. Much more at the links above.
Sunday, 22 September 2024
mauritius (11. 863)
Fรชted on this day on the occasion of his martyrdom in 287 by execution for refusing to kill local Christians under order of Emperor Maximian, this disobedience punished with decimation—killing one out of every ten rebellious soldiers, at the Roman outpost of Agaunum (present day Saint-Maurice in the canton of Valais, and not to be confused with St Moritz in the Engadine, also named for the same leader of the Theban Legion), Maurice (โฒโฒโฒโฒ โฒโฒฑโฒฃโฒโฒฅ) is a popular and widely venerated saint whose patronage includes multiple kingdoms, municipalities and professions. Depictions and iconography of Maurice have been contentions throughout the centuries, with some suggesting that Holy Roman Emperor (who the saint champions with some crowned before his altar in St Peter’s) Frederich II in the eleventh century initiated the darker-complected trope as a symbol for the Crusades, and that the Christian mission was a universal and non-discriminatory one. Others argue Maurice was never turned Black, though the otherness (see also) went through periods of acceptance and intolerance, including the Nazis’ forbidding the city of Coburg’s coat of arms (since 1493) for glorifying another race and temporary replaced the Wappen with a sword (as guardian of sword-makers) with a swastika on its pommel. Patronage also include armorers, Alpine troops, infantry soldiers, cloth-makers, weavers, dyers and the Pontifical Swiss Guard, Austria, Piedmont, Sardinia, the Houses of Savoy, Lombard and the Merovingians and is invoked against muscle cramps and gout.
Monday, 2 September 2024
union label (11. 810)
We enjoyed this celebration of the American Labour Day holiday (see previously) through this collection of standard-bearers, banners carried on marches and strikes to unite workers for the common-cause of fair wages and bargaining rights, drawn from various archives and industries. Most of the oldest historical emblems—many still extant—comes from garment and textile workers, with delightfully florid iconography that harks back to the professional guilds of the Old World, like the New York Journeymen Tailors’ Protective and Benevolent Chapter. Much more from Hyperalleric at the link above.
synchronoptica
one year ago: anthropomorphised food mascots (with synchronoptica) plus Badger, Badger
seven years ago: reposting World War II as it happened plus the companies contracted to build Trump’s border wall
eight years ago: no more McDonald’s in Iceland plus arctic tourism
nine years ago: NASA’s graphics standards manual
ten years ago: a kissing flower
Thursday, 1 August 2024
i miss lorina bulwer well known by that name (11. 737)
Via Nag on the Lake we are referred to the rather sad and anguished life of needleworker Lorina Bulwer through her lengthy embroidered autobiographic tapestries created after becoming an inmate of a workhouse in Great Yarmouth and consigned to the Female Lunatic Ward. These samplers—see also—contain a message of protest for her station and predicament, likely institutionalised by her brother after the death of her parents, her life’s history with some possibly creative genealogy—these artefacts first coming to the public’s attention after being misattributed to Baroness Rosina Bulwer Lytton similarly falsely confined by her novelist husband. Click through at the link up top for a full transcript of the longest (over four metres) hand-stitched missive, in all capital letters and with no punctuation, which makes this quiet legacy all the more poignant.
Monday, 22 July 2024
wilde karde (11. 711)
During the mid to late summer, fields can filled with these tall flowering perennials that had always called thistles (Disteln, a much shorter cousin it turns out) but are properly classified under Linnean taxonomy Dipsacus fullonum (teasel or by the title common name in German) from the Greek ฮดฮนฯแดจฮฑ for thirst for the cup-like catchments that form where the leaves merge with the stem that collects water. These little obstacles may have evolved to prevent bugs from climbing up to the inflorescence (blooming like a pineapple, where they differ from thistles) of pink to purple flowers. With a wide range from Africa to Eurasia, the dried heads are an important over-wintering food resource for birds and the plant formerly played a role in the textile industry (see also) as a natural comb for teasing, raising the nap on fabrics, particularly wool—a process called fulling.