Iris Apfel, a textile expert, interior designer and fashion celebrity known for her eccentric style, has died. She was 102.

Her death was confirmed by her commercial agent, Lori Sale, who called Apfel “extraordinary.” No cause of death was given. It was also announced on her her verified Instagram page on Friday, which a day earlier had celebrated that Leap Day represented her 102nd-and-a-half birthday.

do you have a rec for a channel that teaches you to crochet? the video i found was rly confusing lol

yes!! i watched this video by lovecrafts to learn the basics (holding the hook, making a chain etc) i found it very easy to follow because she uses chunky yarn and a big hook which lets you see the stitches more clearly! she also teaches how to do some basic stitches in the same video. (and she explains the difference between us and uk terminology but that hasnt been an issue for me so far!) there are also a lot of tutorials on the channel for crochet hats, clothes, plushies etc<3

this video by goodknitkisses is also good, she explains what to do when you make mistakes, how to count stitches, how to start a new row etc!! (she also has a left-handed version of almost every tutorial) in the comments she pinned links to the rest of her series<3

i hope these help!! it's very hard and fiddly at first but it can be a lot of fun<3 and dont get discouraged if a video doesnt work for you, there are hundreds and hundreds of different beginner series to learn from❣️❣️

I am become Christmas finished!! Had a lot of fun with the cursive for this one!! Half way through now

Rip my skin off pls

eeeeeee omg i’ll have part of h for dinner and i’ll save the rest to make a pretty vase wrap orrrrr maybe table cloth with!!

watching this person try different a different holding style for knitting and the different styles of knitting and crocheting have always been interesting to me, every video i watch always does it slightly different. a lot of ppl i see use english style knitting or smth equivalent in crochet, which i don't really like doing bc the majority of my wrist pain is already in my right hand so i try to balance it between the two, but it makes me wonder if there are even more ergonomic holds that i haven't tried yet.... esp since this type of activity is already one that's bound to come with wrist and hand fatigue... the history of it all is really interesting too, maybe one of these days i'll do a lot more research and get properly excited about everything

really suck when the answer to ‘what do you want to do for your career’ is ‘everything but my current interest will cycle through in about 2 months’

Today I watched a museology video lecture on different bugs that can damage wood and textiles in museum collections, and all through it I was itchy.

Revolutionising the Textile Industry: The Role of Treatment Experts

Textile treatment experts are playing a pivotal role in revolutionising the textile industry. They bring expertise, innovation, and sustainability to the forefront, enhancing fabric performance and functionality. Through collaboration and customisation, treatment experts are catering to the specific needs of various industries. As the industry embraces new technologies and materials, treatment experts will continue to lead the way, shaping a future where textiles not only fulfil our needs but also contribute to a more sustainable and advanced society.

Diploma in Textile Design | EduBrain Academy

EduBrain Academy is a leading institute that offers diploma in textile design. It has been offering this course since the year 2010 and has been providing quality education to students across India. The institute offers a wide range of courses under textiles and fashion, which are designed to help students develop their skills and knowledge in this field.

The course offered by the institute is offered on a full-time basis, which means that you can enroll for it as well as pursue your studies during the same time period. This makes it easier for you to manage your academic schedule within one semester or less. You can also choose from two different study plans depending on your needs: modular or non-modular.

The curriculum of the course is designed by experts from various fields, who have worked with companies like Zara, Marks & Spencer, Topman UK and many others. They have provided their knowledge through lectures and workshops where they share their knowledge with students so that they can gain access to some important aspects of fashion such as trends, designs, etc.

The main objective of this course is to provide you with a solid foundation in textile design.

For more details visit here - https://www.edubrain.in/

send me asks about fashion & fashion history, btw.

honestly so much of the way we conceptualize autistic special interests is predicated on there not being anyone who shares them with us? and like. have you met humans. have you talked to any autistics. because lots of them are pretty interesting actually! and autistic people are often pretty good at infecting you with their interests so that you share them too even if you're not as motivated to fixate happily on them for their own sakes!

huge whorls of autistic-generated human communities exist, and people who aren't used to autistic people never seem to realize that Yes Those Are Also Autistics, often because people are used to autistic special interests occupying some very limited contexts like Computers because Computers were a big new societal innovation and community spinning up right when people also started thinking about autism as a Distinction Among Humans. Also Pokemon. And the Internet. Nineties kids know what I mean, eh?

anyway here are some heavily autistic communities that allistic people never seem to realize tend to concentrate autistics and be driven by them:

every non-commercial domestic animal fancy ever, including dog, cat, pigeon, chicken, and horse people; also includes a fair chunk of the commercial kinds but there are slightly less of these

fandom of any kind (for some reason--it's misogyny--no one seems to realize that this also applies to female-slanted forms of fandom focused on storytelling and modification as well as male-slanted ones that involve information curation)

religion. especially any kind that involves any kind of organization--less the charismatic ones that involve manipulating other people, more the kind that draw people interested in the way that religion works. less/more is not all/none.

kink and sexuality generally and also gender. we think a lot. it's a problem. and we get snagged on stuff. plus sensory shit ties into everything. just saying. e v e r y t h i n g.

academia. look we get. we get interested in things. if you get interested enough in things people call you an expert and sometimes they give you money. money is nice. it lets you buy more objects of special interest.

acting. we wear masks all the fucking time and we get caught up in it. which makes you think about structure, eh?

comedy. ditto.

building shit. admittedly the allistics have largely noticed that engineers concentrate us by now but it has taken a surprisingly long time to realize that this also applies to other, older crafts.

fibercrafts and textiles. what about "we like textures and also figuring out how things work" is a surprise to you. also math. again the answer to how the allistics keep failing to notice this one is "there's lots of ladies in there."

I bet I'm missing plenty that I'm just not thinking of but my god, man, look at how many of these things touch us! look at how they shape our understanding of one another and ourselves! how cool is that

Laundry stripping may be popular in certain circles, but it's important to understand the science behind the deep-cleaning practice before you decide to give it a try. Ultimately, stripping some fabrics (like silk and wool) can actually do more damage than good—and utilizing this method too frequently can prematurely age your garments. […] [Cleancult CEO Ryan] Lupberger advises against the practice altogether, especially if you were considering Borax. "It's one of the products people often use to strip laundry, but is also an irritant. It can lead to skin irritation or a rash and respiratory side effects," he says, noting that there are concerns for exposure to humans, as well as pets. […] The shock of laundry stripping is the water—the process results in a dark, seemingly disgusting pool of filth. In reality, this discoloration is largely caused by hot water leeching the dye in your clothes, causing them to run. Stripping can, however, help remove dirt, lingering body oils, detergent residue, and hard water minerals; together these soils do contribute in part to that brown-gray water, says Lupberger. According to Tide scientist Jennifer Ahoni, "Our research and laundry expertise suggests that there are more effective methods to remove build-up on fabrics." Per Tide's findings, continues Ahoni, the stripping process can actually cause issues with many textiles. "The mechanism by which washing soda precipitates out water hardness can actually form new soap scum residues on fabrics," she says. "Additionally, we have learned that low wash pH is an effective method for soap scum removal, and washing soda raises wash pH—which is the opposite direction." Not to mention the fact that washing soda can also deactivate some detergent components, preventing your wash from getting extra clean in the first place.

So I've been thinking about this post by @thethirdromana about why Jonathan describes the fabrics in his rooms as being good quality and condition, but the drapings in the wing he enters today as being old, dusty, and eaten by moths. I've seen a bit of speculation that either Stoker wasn't keeping track of his descriptions or Jonathan doesn't know the difference between good and bad quality linens, and while I get where this comes from, I don't think we're giving Stoker, or Jonathan, enough credit. Jonathan isn't exactly a textiles expert, but there is a very clear difference between curtains that moths have gotten to and curtains that they haven't, and that would be a huge inconsistency for Stoker to just "miss". I think this discrepancy was very intentional.

There's a couple of important things to note here. One, Dracula clearly doesn't want Jonathan in here. The door may not have been locked, but I think the count has made it pretty clear at this point that Jonathan is not supposed to be leaving his quarters. I'm guessing either Drac forgot this room was unlocked, or just assumed Jonathan wouldn't be strong enough to open the door (I doubt he has a good handle on how strong the average human is anymore). Two, the reader, and Jonathan, at this point is discovering how much of a facade Dracula's hospitality is. Jonathan is ostensibly a guest, but truthfully he is a prisoner, forced to follow his "host's" schedule and confined to basically two rooms. We now know the Count's kindnesses to be deceptions.

Which brings us to the intentionality of the musty drapes. I definitely agree that Dracula cleaned up the rooms he knew Jonathan would be staying in, but I think it was a deliberate choice on Stoker's part to show the Count's true colors. The hospitality is a performance, and the comforts of Jonathan's bedroom are no more a genuine depiction of his host than Drac's initial friendliness. Additionally, Jonathan comments that his own rooms have been tainted by the presence of the Count, and yet he finds these dusty old rooms comforting. I think this is meant to show that our friend has seen past the deception, and the ugly truth of this castle's nature is far more tolerable to the false comforts of his own rooms.

Disabled people’s own accounts, as well as reports of employers, prove that Deaf and disabled people were an intrinsic part of the textile workforce. In addition, evidence collected as part of investigations on behalf of the Government into conditions in textile mills show high levels of industrial injuries amongst workers. Accidents from machinery, constant loud noise and the effects of working in unventilated premises led to large numbers of workers becoming disabled as a consequence of work. Some people’s injuries meant that they were no longer able to work, and many did unfortunately end up in the workhouse. However, many other disabled people stayed in work – through sheer necessity, to meet the demands of the industry, or simply because they were able to. My research puts disabled people at the centre of the history of industrialisation, rather than pushing them to the margins. It challenges some widely-held stereotypes of disabled people and shows that they were (and continue to be) part of the world of work. Not dependent, not tragic, not inspirational – but reliable colleagues, friends and family members. Disabled people were involved in Britain’s leading industry during the nineteenth century: textile production. They also played their part in improving working conditions in the textile factories at the height of industrialisation. For instance, the 1832 parliamentary committee to investigate factory conditions, chaired by Leeds Member of Parliament Michael Sadler, followed by the Government’s Factories Inquiry Commission of 1833, finally gave disabled workers the chance to speak up. Giving evidence meant that they were not merely victims of industrialisation, but that they were contributing to the movement for reform and the struggle for better working conditions. The resulting reports ultimately led to legislation which reduced working hours, set up factory inspections and made further improvements to the workplace.

[...]

Because of the noise, weavers in the textile factories gradually became expert lip readers. This was a necessity rather than a choice – the weaving sheds were such noisy places that a combination of lip-reading and hand-signing was the only way to communicate. Lip-reading was more than just a practical form of communication for the weavers – it was a badge of honour. It showed that you were used to manual work, no matter that you were now deaf, and set you apart from the mills’ office workers and management.