All Mirth and No Matter

[sea-changed]

The Tatter Textile Library in New York put out a call for volunteers to stitch the names of the 146 garment workers who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911. They sewed all the names into a banner, which was placed on the site of the fire in commemoration. On Instagram the Library wrote:

In this alarming era of callous governmental deregulation at home, continued abuses against textile workers globally, and rampant anti-immigrant sentiment, our community has found potent meaning and purpose in this collective project and is excited to unfurl our banner at this year’s commemoration.

[aaronstjames]

One of our fabric sales reps came in for an appointment yesterday and we ended up talking about the long term impacts of the pandemic. The home quilting market is predominantly a conservative customer base, so when COVID precautions were politicized, those ladies followed along and didn't get vaccinated, didn't wear masks, etc. Now many of them are dead. Most of the fabric stores in the conservative regions that our reps call on have lost twenty percent of their customers. The ladies the shop knew by name because they could be counted on for annual trade-in upgrades of $9000 sewing machines? Dead. Viking is laying off half of its staff. It's taken two years for the impact to become obvious, but the home sewing industry in the US is in shambles. A lot of experience, knowledge and artistry was lost and when the independent shops have to close, we'll lose even more.

[aaronstjames]

Aaaaand now JoAnn Fabrics is closing 500 out of 800 stores. Full list here: https://www.fastcompany.com/91277436/joann-fabrics-closing-stores-list-locations-states-bankruptcy-update

[aaronstjames]

Sorry to anyone who had a JoAnn's not on the above list. All stores will now be closed and liquidated.

[aaronstjames]

The CEO of Birch Fabrics just sent out a letter saying that they are running a sale to see if they can generate enough cash to last another month. They are literally a five person business at this point, and production costs have gotten so high that they might not be able to continue. I hope they can hang on, because their organic cotton canvas is so good. I love their Charley Harper collection. :(

[elodieunderglass]

This is wild, I live in the uk and only quilt out of spite and vinegar (Really bad at it, only doing it because I wanted quilts, enemies with my sewing machine) and now I’m like I should quilt more out of double spite ✌️

[mamoru]

moleskine = bad

[lettering-is-my-music]

IT’S SO BAD AND I HATE IT

[mamoru]

moleskine makes people hate pens and is probably a huge part of why so many people give up on good pens.

to folks who might not know, moleskine is extremely famous AND infamous. they are hardcover notebooks with elastic enclosures. they are expensive, and sold everywhere from pharmacies to bookstores, and does collaborations with a variety of brands including james bond and pokemon. moleskine has tried to establish itself as a luxury notebook, which it technically is.

as long as you do not write in it.

moleskine paper is wholeheartedly shit. it is complete fucking garbage. you might wonder, what makes good paper? well the first thing is how well it can be written on. good paper can handle ink well. good ink handling means clear, solid lines without any feathering (fuzzy spreading), not bleeding through the page, and not ghosting. basically, you want paper that can do crisp lines with a variety of different inks and be used on both sides.

moleskine does not do that. anything more than a ballpoint or pencil will look fuzzy and gross and bleed right through the fucking page. the paper is shit. and that makes people think their pen is shit. and ballpoint pens can be seen on the other side of the page.

common knowledge is that fountain pens, rollerball pens, gel pens, felt pens, and more work better on good paper. good meaning good with ink. but when many people think good paper without knowing any better, they will reach for a moleskine notebook. because moleskine is expensive and advertises itself as good and is widely available. so people try out actually good writing implements on this shit paper, see how bad it works, and then blame the pen.

fountain pens, gel pens, and rollerball require much less pressure than ballpoint pens. they are ergonomic. easier on joints, easier for chronic pain. and moleskine makes people give up on them. nobody wants shitty bleeding feathered lines.

in the united states, our ideas of good paper and good stationery in general are extremely warped. so much of this is because paper here fucking sucks. a lot of paper performs like moleskine. there is shit paper at all price ranges. but you can pick up caliber brand paper (the ones that say made in vietnam) from cvs and have infinitely better performance for pennies. even though it looks low quality, caliber paper (vietnam) can even handle calligraphy ink clearly. bad paper makes people hate good pens and bad pens make people hate writing.

another thing really important to mention, a lot of people think thick paper is always better. this is extremely wrong. in terms of being able to handle a wide variety of inks clearly and cleanly, some of the best paper in the world is tissue thin (tomoe river).

do not buy moleskine. even if the stand is right there. they have some of the worst paper you can get at that price point. expensive paper is not always good paper, good pens need good paper, moleskine paper makes good pens seem awful, and moleskine is something you should only give to someone you loathe.

[mypunkpansexualtwin]

[jimtheviking]

THIS.

God Moleskine is such a frustrating product, and as an aspiring stationer, I hate that it’s so popular in North America. They’re beautifully constructed, yes, but god the 70gsm paper that they use is SUCH GARBAGE when it comes to inks wetter than a ballpoint pen. They do offer heavier paper - 100-200gsm weight - but only in extremely expensive, large, or difficult to find products.

Leuchtturm 1917 produces great sketching books and, if you get their 120gsm notebooks, they hold up to inks fantastically. Their standard notebooks come in 80gsm paper, and that does hold up to fountain pen ink much better than Moleskine, but while you do get much less feathering and bleeding, there is still some bleedthrough with wetter pens.

Now, if you want the finest fountain pen paper I’ve found in a notebook format, you want Maruman’s Mnemosyne 183. It’s also an 80gsm paper, but it’s treated and laid in such a way that there’s no feathering or bleeding, even with a very wet fountain pen.

That said though, honestly the best notebook I have, in terms of accessibility, expense, and quality of paper, is a Brandz United notebook that I got for my birthday a few years back. It’s not anything special, in terms of paper weight - I can’t find anything concrete, but it feels like 80gsm to me - but it barely feathers and you need to really saturate the page for it to bleed through.

Also, if you’re looking for loose paper, I highly recommend Tomoe River’s paper - so fine and thin you can practically see through it, but it holds ink like a sponge, doesn’t bleed, has no feathering, and is smooth as glass. For correspondence, though, I am a fan of G. Lalo’s Pur Vélin, which is a 125gsm 50% cotton and 50% wood pulp paper. It’s absolutely beautiful and has just enough grain to it that there’s a super pleasant tactile feedback when you’re writing.

[swedishwarriorwoman]

And if you want to go a lil’ bit fancy with gorgeous designs (and I mean GORGEOUS designs), look up Castelli. 

My current fave. No feathering, no bleeding, works perfect with ballpoint pens and with fountain pens, and the paper is super smooth. I’ve literally written novels in these fuckers. Also: cheaper than moleskine. 

[petermorwood]

@jimtheviking​ already mentioned Leuchtturm; I’m adding Black n’ Red, Clairefontaine and Rhodia.

All have better paper than Moleskine, which has been milking its early reputation for years while product quality went downhill. Now they’re just another Lifestyle Accessory for people who shop by brand-name.

[debrides]

I worked with toddlers and pre schoolers for three years. Sometimes I accidentally slip and tell a friend to say bye to an inanimate object (“say bye bus!”) & occasionally they unthinkingly just do it.

[lesbirdan]

I’m glad there’s a teacher version of “accidentally called teacher ‘mom’”

[hermionegranger]

when I worked at Medieval Times occasionally I would slip in real life and call people “my lord”

[mugsandpugs1-deactivated2019010]

One time during family prayer, dad began: “our father who art in heaven, American Airlines, how can I help you?”

[thomrainierskies]

One time my dad went to the White Castle drive-thru and the lady (who was supposed to say ‘Welcome to White Castle, what’s your crave?’) asked, “Welcome to White Castle, what’s your problem?”

She apologized profusely while my dad proceeded to lose his shit laughing.

[mirab3lle]

Yesterday I went to Wendy’s and the girl said “Welcome to McDonalds” and then just sighed

[icouldwritebooks]

Somebody in the elevator asked me what floor I lived on, and I answered “please open your books to page eight”, and we just kind of stared at each other, blinking.

[crimeronan]

i work retail full time and my script gets frequently messy - ill ask the same question twice, or say “$2.60 is your total” while handing back their change, or say “how are you doing today?” instead of “have a good day!” like name it ive bungled it

but anyway, this lady came thru my line buying a book and the review on the front said: “few books are well written, fewer still are important, and this book manages to be both”

as i handed her the bag i was trying to say “thanks, youre all set” and instead my brain mashed up the review and i said “thanks, youre important”

there was this short pause in which i tried to figure out what the fuck id just said. she blinked and then said “oh thank you! youre important too!”

the real kicker was one of my coworkers. when i was relating this story later his response was “at least you said something NICE. last week i accidentally combined ‘youre welcome’ and ‘no problem’ into ‘youre a problem’”

[agrestenoir]

one time, since I used to work as a daycare teacher with preschoolers, i was on my college campus in my gym, and someone was running in the weight room and tripped over a machine and fell, and instead of offering to help, I just stared and said, “This is why we use our walking feet.” we both sat there for a while until the guy nodded and said, “yeah, okay, i should’ve done that.”

[gin-and-eschatonic]

I’ve spent a good chunk of time working in kitchens, so I still will reflexively say shit like “behind” and “coming around” as I maneuver through spaces and around people.

Which, actually, not such a bad thing; I’m a big guy and can come across as imposing pretty easily. The position calls can help defuse that, and also help avoid collisions.

Less good is the time my brain was half functional and I let slip a “coming with a knife” while grocery shopping. THAT took some explaining.

[harold-theyre-thespians]

I work in an office and send tens of emails to customers every day. Once my mum asked me to send her a train ticket I had bought for her. I emailed her “Hello mum, as agreed, please find attached the ticked you requested. Thanks, Alex”

[narwhalsarefalling]

i worked as a camp counselor, and i would have the kids tap somewhere on my legs if they needed something because im a pretty tall dude. today asked my cat if he needed something.

[wren-likethe-bird]

I have woken up in a cold sweat saying “is that for here or to go?”

[la-mancha-screwjob]

Every time a friend thanks me, and I respond with “gladly” or “my pleasure”, I die completely 1000% inside

[fair-itself]

I work at a plasma donation center. When processing donors, we call them by name, they walk up to the counter, and then we ask for their name and donor number. One time, instead of saying “Robert” I hollered “Name and donor number!?” into a full waiting room. Three people started announcing their names and donor numbers before we all realized that I fucked up.

[maplefiasco]

In college, I was a barista at Borders (remember Borders, you guys?!) I once drove through Taco Bell on my way home after a shift. When the cashier said, “okay, that’ll be $5.46!” I cheerfully responded, “Do you have a Borders rewards card?”

[iamthatbeast]

I have dealt with so many difficult customers over the years that I used to angrily call my dog “Sir” when I was mad at him.

[widonotts]

My first job was at my nearest Panera, and after coming home from a ten-hour Sunday morning shift, I was exhausted; but when my mom called me to come downstairs, instead of replying in the grumpy teenagerish tone I usually would, I said in my cheeriest, fakest voice, “Not a problem at all, let me just check with my manager!” before realizing my mistake.

[artwlw]

my coworker went to back up the cash registers one time and she had been at customer service right before. when we finish with a customer we have to sometimes get the attention of the next person and will shout “i can get the next person in line!” but instead of saying that she yelled “HI WHAT CAN I HELP YOU WITH” to everyone in the general area

[youlovelucie]

I have told my dog “no thank you” so many times after working at a preschool

[spacecores]

a couple of times i’ve gotten stuck in a hello how are you good how are you good how are you loop with an equally tired Fred Meyer’s cashier after a long shift but the best time was after a 10 to 10 post-holidays after they told me my total, I asked if they would like a bag today and after a confused few seconds they were like, “no… I have the bags”

[thebritishteapot]

Worked in a gallery where we asked people to take off their backpacks in order not to accidentally damage paintings. So when I went to the shop later and saw a guy in the line in front of me, I told him he had to remove his backpack. He probably thought I was politely trying to rob him.

[valkyrieritter]

The other day they had me working with softserve and fried dough. I was burned out because I kept bouncing back and forth between the fryer and my register and these people had like, 8 things in their order. We get to the ice cream part of the order, and it comes in a bowl or cone. Instead of saying “Would you like the vanilla in a bowl or cone?” I said “Would you like the bowl in a vanilla or cone?” And we all stopped and had to think that through as my cart runner is staring me down like “tf are you doing?”

[dhampir-dyke]

I work at Hardees and we have to yell “thank you” whenever we’re told to do something because of how loud the kitchen is.

One morning, my mom hollered at me to wake up, and half-asleep me yells at full volume,

“THANK YOU”

[eyefriend-deactivated20181218]

i work with dogs, and i have to be a bit strict with them sometimes in order to keep fights from breaking out. recently, while making tea, the kettle started boiling sooner than i wanted, so without thinking i turned around sharply, pointed my finger at it and stared it down, and said, “Bad boy! You need to wait!” needless to say i was very glad i was alone

[mynameisdevon]

I know I’ve reblogged this a billion times but I’ve worked retail for 8 years and these things are never not funny.

[swimtonewyorkstate]

I work with horses and whenever someone’s driving too fast I’ll say stuff like “whoa” and I’ve tried to click to a car because that’s a cue for a horse to go faster.

[immaplatypus]

every time i go to order food at a counter my brain always wants to answer with my customer service phone greeting, I just open my mouth and it comes out

and lemme tell you there is nothing like being in a mcdonald’s and responding to “can i take your order?” with “AUTO GLASS, THIS IS JESSICA”

[sadiebwrites]

As a librarian, there were several times where I’d be in Barnes and Noble and I’d see someone looking for a book in the same section I was shopping in, and I’d ask them “can I help you find something?”

Half the time they didn’t even realized I didn’t work there and we’d both just go with it.

Also in the same store, I would accidentally slip up and tell kids to stop running before I could stop myself.

[akamarykate]

My brother, who a) has talked in his sleep since he was a kid, and b) is a police officer, once shook his wife awake in the middle of the night and when she said, "what?" he responded, "License and registration please."

[always-rolling-my-eyes]

As both an Early Edition and Friday Night Lights fan, I see it and I get it

Just another piece of the puzzle 😂

[wiisagi-maiingan]

Hey, if you do crafts (especially things like crochet, knitting, embroidery, etc), make sure to look up how to identify when a listing is AI generated. You do NOT want to waste money on an incredible looking kit or pattern that is physically impossible to make, especially if you're on sites like etsy hoping to support an actual artist.

[pleasespellchimerical]

OP's tags:

#as an embroiderer: big red flags are curved straight or satin stitches #stitches that you cannot identify or figure out at all #thread that fades into other colors #backgrounds that match the piece weirdly well (like a floral embroidery piece with a matching vase and flowers on the table) #and a lack of videos of the piece and photos from other angles

[elenorasweet]

Here's a guide for identifying real freaking cross-stitch patterns that are doable, and not AI-converted confetti:

A guide for crochet patterns:

How to Spot FAKE (AI) CROCHET So You Don't Get SCAMMED

How to Spot FAKE (AI) Crochet is full of practical tips for being able to quickly identity aritifically created crochet patterns and images.

And one for embroidery:

Artificial Intelligence In The Embroidery Community

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is affecting our lives in a multitude of new ways. Every type of art/maker community is being affected, inclu

I don't knit, but I'm sure someone has a comparable guide somewhere. I know crochet and knitting seems like more of a problem- the crochet "patterns" make vastly different items than what's pictured, and you can find some of those on r/CraftedbyAI because some people do follow those "patterns" to make a point.

Cross-stitch and embroidery seem like they'd be easier to fake, right? Like, cross-stitch patterns are basically pixel art, so what's the harm?

The cross-stich often has dozens or hundreds of colours and they change every single pixel, which is basically impossible for a human to reproduce. It's just not a pattern, dammit.

The embroidered ones break my heart, though:

Wherein someone is making a lovely embroidered piece but they end up dissatisfied with their work because it doesn't look as impossibly plush and bright as the fake.

It makes people who are new to these crafts feel like they're not doing it right, or gives them insane expectations, and it can drive people away from the craft.

I know of several cross-stitch pattern shops on Etsy that have closed because it's just not worth the investment when they're competing with AI-generated nonsense that can charge pennies because it doesn't take any time or effort to make.

Fuck AI-generated patterns and crafts.

[gn005virtue]

I'm actually knitting right now! Most of the resources I can find are targeted towards crochet because amigurumi and crocheting cute little creatures is super hot right now, but this information definitely applies to knit pieces as well.

Quick Tips for Identifying AI Content

It is probably not shocking that the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has created a stir in the technology world - especially in recent

Unmasking Artificial Crochet: How to Spot AI-Generated Designs - Hooked by Kati

Learn how to identify AI crochet to avoid pattern scams.

People Are Using AI To Sell Fake Items on Etsy

In my last article in my AI Griftwatch series, I covered the recent phenomenon of AI-generated images of fake crochet items popping up all…

Most (if not all) AI-generated images that feature knitted objects possess at least one of these traits:

-Rows (or even entire components of the project) splitting or merging in ways that make no sense. This sweater looks impressive until you try to make sense of that lump near the left shoulder or whatever is going on with the collar. You can even see one row splitting into two near the bottom for seemingly no reason at all.

-Impossible stitches. Those lumpy squares (?) in between Mario's eyes are not real stitches. Neither are the stitches that fade seamlessly into tufts of material on the lion's mane.

-Impossibly huge projects. This elephant is almost twice as tall as the person next to it, and you'll realize that the stitches are actually massive when you take the time to think about how you could make it yourself. If you look closely, you'll also see a fifth leg on the elephant!

-The overall "vibe" of the image is glossy, shiny, plastic-y, or smooth to a degree that is almost unnerving. Yarn comes in lots of different colors and textures, but what's depicted in the image below is a bit too vivid and perfect to be real. Excessive blurring/out-of-focus areas on the project itself can also be signs of AI use.

Apologies for the long addition, I just loathe this stuff with a passion. The only people who benefit from the proliferation of AI images in fiber artist's spaces are scammers, and they make things worse for literally everyone else.

[celestial-fang]

Why can’t real life cities be 10 mile tall gothic metropolises with red and black and skulls and statues of weeping saints everywhere

[who-canceled-roger-rabbit]

Can confirm

Also this works surprisingly well with the "Gotham is Chicago while Metropolis is NYC" theory (though isn't Gotham canonically in southern New Jersey?)

[kaijutegu]

come to chicago we have:

the council of owls (on the library downtown)

carbon and carbide

goth target

wayne enterprises

you can study here but it's at u chicago so. not worth it, probably.

our normal streets

the shadow realm (lower wacker)

the forbidden zone (lower lower wacker)

public art with threatening auras

one of our many fine gothic revival apartment buildings (i picked this on bc it's red and black)

newspaper building and chewing gum building

i could go on but you get the point, yeah? chicago's got some incredible broody architecture. we're lucky to live here.

[kosmogrl]

they should invent a january that doesn’t make you go through every emotion known to mankind every day

[iliacl]

PRETTY FLY FOR A WHITE GUY: a mix for icarus, history’s greatest downfall

“guy’s i’m gonna get so hella tanned” — icarus, probably

breaking free high school musical 

i believe i can fly r kelly 

defying gravity wicked 

wind beneath my wings bette midler 

here comes the sun the beatles 

timber pitbull feat. ke$ha 

drop it like it’s hot snoop dogg feat. pharrell williams 

it’s raining men the weather girls

{ listen }

[thegethwarden-deactivated201503]

this is literally the most hilarious mix i have every seen im crying help

[akamarykate]

reblogging this so I can find it to share with my 13yo nephew, who's enrolling in a mythology course at a community college this spring and will die laughing...

[lakecountylibrary]

LIBRARY WRAPPED

You checked out... probably some stuff? Thanks for doing that :)

Used our wifi maybe? For something?

Look we actually don't know what genres you read or how many times you renewed Gender Queer.

We don't want to know.

Our gift to you is privacy.

Take it.

Be free.

[trueloveistreacherous]

@pscentral event 33: underrated tv & film

Girls5eva + Character Tropes (insp.)

[were--ralph]

Obsessed with this post

[were--ralph]

Oh my god , it's happening

[modeus-the-xenofeminist]

To incite Monty Pythons Holy Grail....WE ACTUALLY COULD USE SOME WATERY TART TOSSING PEOPLE SWORDS RIGHT NOW!

[hidiane]

no you don’t get it because when martha says she spent a lot of time thinking she was second best yes she is talking about comparing herself to rose but she’s also talking about comparing herself to the doctor

[hidiane]

like imagine you are martha jones and smart and competent and kind and relatively self assured of these characteristics and then imagine the doctor drops into your life and takes you to all these other worlds and places and you watch how he helps people and you say to yourself oh i see! i understand how this works and i can do that too! and so you help people and you care for people and you fight for people and you essentially model your behaviour off your quote unquote mentor and you do EXACTLY what he would do every single time but your mentor is so filled with self loathing that he can’t bear to see himself reflected in you and so spends the entire time telling you you’re doing it wrong (but then not elaborating or providing one jot of feedback!). and see you don’t know about the self loathing so you assume it must be something YOURE doing and so you try so so hard to do better and BECAUSE you are so competent this guy unloads so much crap and responsibility on you that you never asked for because you just wanted a fun little jaunt in time and space and then only after he ruins your life does he have the gall to actually act as though you being there means anything to him. i think we should kill him for this actually

[ghostlyxoxo]

[queerical]

i remember when elementary first came out and bbc sherlock fans were saying elementary's sherlock was OOC becuz he wasn't an asshole just becuz he was compassionate to victims and people suffering hard circumstances

putting the claims of OOC-ness aside, but it's clear they actually didn't watch or didn't pay attention becuz elementary's sherlock is absolutely an asshole. he is arrogant and entitled and rude and aggressive to people who impede his investigations even if they are also victims and hostile to his brother for no discernible reason

the difference from bbc's sherlock is that elementary's sherlock actually has consequences for this behavior. it strains his relationships, it gets him fired from his job, it gets him into legal trouble, it hinders his investigations, it gets his friend shot

we're used to modern adaptions of sherlock prancing around being callous and inconsiderate to everyone around him and ppl grudgingly putting up with it becuz, well, he's a eccentric genius what can you do

elementary's sherlock is compassionate to people who've suffered becuz he knows what it's like to suffer, but he's also an unmitigated asshole, he just doesn't get a free pass on it

[nkp1981]

Bear Selfies Captured By Camera Traps

[mitchipedia]

[vaspider]

You know what, though? This is actually not bad advice, as silly as the typo on the sign is.

If you drive in the snow as if you have an unsecured giant sheet cake on the back seat because you're on the way to the birthday party of your favorite friend, you'll actually probably do okay! Be cautious, keep a steady speed, leave lots of space around your car. Don't speed up too quickly or brake too sharply. Take turns at a steady, smooth speed. Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.

Genuinely, this is similar to how I taught friends from places where it doesn't snow how to act in a car when it's icy or snowing, so let's go with it:

Drive with cake.

[nudityandnerdery]

It's like the classic advice says: