Journal

Tannins are a family of chemical compounds found in plants. Different plants (and different parts of the plant) have different concentrations of tannins. E.g., galls > outer bark > sapwood. When mixed with iron, tannins form new chemical compounds (mostly importantly, ferric-polygalloyl glucose complexes). The chemical compounds are black, bond with paper, and are (relatively) waterproof after a few days. By adding gum Arabic, we protect these chemical compounds from degrading while in solution. Tannins fall into two groups of chemicals: Hydrolysable tannins Bonded sugar and water. Breaks down readily in water. Yellow-brown without modifiers. Black when iron is added....

Did you know there are more than 250 species of dandelions? Apparently they give botanists the cold sweats when trying to identify them. (I love knowing this. It triples my admiration for these flowers.) Personally, I've come to appreciate dandelions as an early food source for bees, and also cordage. If you're familiar with Alice Fox's work, you've been introduced to cordage. She has a great mini-series on how to make cordage on Instagram. I was first introduced to it last year on Caroline Ross's course. It is surprisingly addictive. Last year I plucked all the flowers and popped them...

A challenge for those who enjoy having their head in the clouds.

This week I printed the cover for our upcoming chapbook. From experience, I know that printing handmade paper with a deckle edge does not always result in printing on a straight line. To ensure the covers are free-from wobble, I printed the words onto a sheet of paper which will then be pasted to the front of the book. The title is printed onto Five Seasons paper, which is a recycled, British-made paper. Designed for use by Five Seasons Press, this paper is lovely and smooth. Hopefully this paper will be continued, but with the passing of Glenn Storhaug, it's...