parenting -tiny golden books

American children of the 70's and young parents probably know all about the Little Golden Book series. The really hip kids read TINY Golden Books... 12 Nonsense Stories and a 24 book Tiny Golden Library were printed around 1948 that make a very neat addition to a child's book collection. All written by Dorothy Kunhardt (of Pat the Bunny fame) and illustrated by Garth Williams (Little Fur Family, Charlotte's Web etc)

Had not seen these until last week junking around a very cool shop in Manchester, Vermont; The Smokin' Trout -filled with vintage fishing lures and angling paraphernalia, old baseball gloves/cricket balls/sterling knickknacks, new and reconditioned pipes, and big jars of tobacco. Worthy of a whole post really... Anyhow, picked up Shame On You Baby Whale. Nautical images + woodgrain cover = buy I guess.

These cardboard children's books measure just 3" by 2" and contain stories of animals learning lessons about manners usually. You can get full sets of each for around $100. As another writer has noted;

But the most important aspect of the book was its tiny size. They were made to fit in a five-year-old's hand. This made the experience of reading the book, or having the book read to you, extremely tactile. This was especially poignant when my father would read the books to us, his giant hands suddenly becoming awkward as he handled the delicate pages. The books rendered the child the center of the experience, the master of the book. And to a five-year-old it is a magical experience. -Adrienne

orvis chew holder

Attach the new Orvis Chew Holder to your belt and avoid the dreaded Skoal-can "ring" on your selvege jeans. Available in red-engines neoprene or moss-green cordura. Fits standard Skoal/Cope tins. Limited quantities so don't sleep. Today only I believe...

chiles

There is a time of year, maybe around Labor Day, in Santa Fe where the chile harvest is in and on backlots and streetcorners people set up big wire tumblers of chilis and roast them. Usually over propane flames it looks like.

Something like that.

Really want to go one day. Up there with cranberry bogging. Need to find some chile roasting gloves, they are probably just like pig roasting gloves... The food forums are full of arguments about who does the best chile roasting; the guy in the BigLots parking lot or the Santa Fe farmers market -awesome. Can imagine the air all smokey with chile-eye-burning goodness... getting hungry. Have had New Mexican food a few times (meaning in NM, not nouveau-mexican or anything) and it is fantastically greenchilesloppy.

Roast chiles do not equal dried chiles is my understanding, cheat sheet below... Sidenote: at Dave's Pasta in Davis Square they have a bowl of cherry peppers you can grab from on the way out. Perfect for the walk home.

lochcarron -wool ties

Lochcarron of Scotland is a family owned company which has been weaving a wide range of fabrics since 1947 [insert any fabric as long as it's plaid joke -ed.]. For over three decades it has been offering factory tours, and a visit to Lochcarron is a chance to see the industries which were once central to the economy of southern Scotland; weaving and knitwear.

Since 2006 Lochcarron has been in a modern facility in Selkirk named Waverly Mill, the name is all that remains of Lochcarron's old premises, six miles to the north in Galashiels [both tiny towns in the Scottish borders -ed.].

I found a great flickr set by one Alexander Cunningham of a factory tour he had taken, and he has agreed to share the pictures, thx Alex.

Setting up the threads for the warping mill

Guide explains the workings of a modern Suzuki Warping Mill.

Sulzer Ruti Loom

The darning room, where minor flaws in the mechanical production are carefully repaired manually.

Freshly completed tartan bales.

Lochcarron pops up as source materials for Jack Spade, JCrew, Ralph Lauren, JPGaultier and no surprise Vivenne Westwood. There are 3 weights of tartan fabric created;

REIVER, 10oz -Over 500 authentic tartans in a light worsted wool suitable for tailored items.
BRAERIACH, 13oz -Over 220 authentic tartans in a medium weight worsted wool suitable for kilts, home furnishings
STROME, 16oz -Over 580 authentic tartans in a traditional heavy weight worsted wool synonymous with the 8 yard hand made kilt.

Long/short of all this is that I like wool ties... it sort of dresses you up and down in an odd way. The texture of a woolen tie synonymous with the outdoors, and tartan working its usual transporting power. Bonus points for a family tartan... Lamont below.

Same up/down dynamic could go for the selvege ties of Hill-Side or the winter stuff from Pierrepoint Hicks. Lochcarron seem to be THE source for "100% wool made in Scotland" wool ties, especially the gift shoppy tartan ties (nothing wrong with that, not at all) and older examples are all over ebay in the $10-20 range. Hell, new ones only cost about $20 with shipping. Locharron seem to have sidestepped the 70's affection for wide ties and all models old/new are in the 3-4" range for width.

ignore that elephant in the room

Didn't know Kim Katrall was English. She got one of her big breaks in Porkie's; sweater girl remember? Respect. Great older interview in The Independent with Ewan McGregor (about parenting, laying off the bottle and loving radio) that I fall back on myself sometimes. Dwell-tastic beach house, and Ewan kitted out in ?? Anyone? Paul Smith? Anyhow looking quite sharp. Plus this film has Olivia Williams and Eli Wallach. Class. But then there is that elephant problem...

The film began production in February 2009 in Germany, at the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam. Germany stood in for London and Martha's Vineyard due to Polanski's inability to legally travel to those places. The majority of exteriors, set on Martha's Vineyard, were shot on the island of Sylt in the North Sea, and on the ferry "MF SyltExpress". The exterior set of the house where much of the film takes place, however, was built on the island of Usedom, in the Baltic Sea. Exteriors set at a publishing house in London were shot in downtown Berlin, while Strausberg Airport near Berlin stood in for the Martha's Vineyard airport. -via Wiki.

parenting -gap

Chambray lined collar and cuffs, check. Western styling and/or pseudo period stitching, check. Gingham lined and tab collars, check. Madras, natch'. In 3 color schemes. For kids only... Gap.