Garak's Apprentice
@garaksapprentice.bsky.social
Textile artist, writer, permaculturalist, medieval re-enactor, nerd. I write about fashion history and textile crafts at the intersections of permaculture, sustainability, equitable tech, & neurodivergence. They/them.
In case you're ever wondering "should I bother washing vintage silk kimono and obi before I turn them into other things", I just threw my latest acquisition (a dusky pink obi with gold brocade) in the wash tub and the water immediately turned yellow, so yeah. Be a good idea to clean em, huh?
October 5, 2025 at 1:31 AM
In case you're ever wondering "should I bother washing vintage silk kimono and obi before I turn them into other things", I just threw my latest acquisition (a dusky pink obi with gold brocade) in the wash tub and the water immediately turned yellow, so yeah. Be a good idea to clean em, huh?
Left is warp, right is weft. No idea what weave draft yet beyond "probably a vaguely fancy twill". Let's goooo
September 19, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Left is warp, right is weft. No idea what weave draft yet beyond "probably a vaguely fancy twill". Let's goooo
It hasn't been a particularity quick or easy process - making a thing the first time never is - but it's finally starting to look like a waistcoat.
And now for a metric butt load of hand stitching all the linings in place, before I can actually finish the thing.
And now for a metric butt load of hand stitching all the linings in place, before I can actually finish the thing.
September 15, 2025 at 1:37 AM
It hasn't been a particularity quick or easy process - making a thing the first time never is - but it's finally starting to look like a waistcoat.
And now for a metric butt load of hand stitching all the linings in place, before I can actually finish the thing.
And now for a metric butt load of hand stitching all the linings in place, before I can actually finish the thing.
*sigh* guess who carefully did a wrap test on their yarn and then designed a great inkle band to be exactly the right finished width, and then warped it up and wove a couple inches, only to realise they forgot to double the thread count from the wrap test to account for the warp-faced weave?
July 22, 2025 at 2:30 AM
*sigh* guess who carefully did a wrap test on their yarn and then designed a great inkle band to be exactly the right finished width, and then warped it up and wove a couple inches, only to realise they forgot to double the thread count from the wrap test to account for the warp-faced weave?
Relearning how to gouache the only way I know how: shitty paint, shitty paper, and The Picture that every kid draws when they're six. But with more perspective and shading.
April 29, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Relearning how to gouache the only way I know how: shitty paint, shitty paper, and The Picture that every kid draws when they're six. But with more perspective and shading.
Fancy new ergonomic keyboard arrived today. It is Very Fancy. But luckily also very easy to rip off all the keycaps and put them in their godgiven rightful order, which obviously is not qwerty, because why do you think I need an ergonomic keyboard in the first place?
April 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Fancy new ergonomic keyboard arrived today. It is Very Fancy. But luckily also very easy to rip off all the keycaps and put them in their godgiven rightful order, which obviously is not qwerty, because why do you think I need an ergonomic keyboard in the first place?
Yes. I picked an *excellent* colour to paint all my re-enactment gear.
(If this isn't actually a plausible orange for medieval wood paint it's too late, I'm doing it, all shall love me and despair.)
#medieval #reenacting
(If this isn't actually a plausible orange for medieval wood paint it's too late, I'm doing it, all shall love me and despair.)
#medieval #reenacting
April 13, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Yes. I picked an *excellent* colour to paint all my re-enactment gear.
(If this isn't actually a plausible orange for medieval wood paint it's too late, I'm doing it, all shall love me and despair.)
#medieval #reenacting
(If this isn't actually a plausible orange for medieval wood paint it's too late, I'm doing it, all shall love me and despair.)
#medieval #reenacting
Twenty minutes to warp 31 ends. Sewing thread is so much less fiddly than other yarns.
April 12, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Twenty minutes to warp 31 ends. Sewing thread is so much less fiddly than other yarns.
Too awake to go back to sleep after the nice tradie came and looked at the (lack of) insulation in the roof. Too tired to crawl under the floor loom and fix tie ups so the pedals are slightly lower and thus my knees happier. Backstrap project I put down for *mumbles* months it is.
February 19, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Too awake to go back to sleep after the nice tradie came and looked at the (lack of) insulation in the roof. Too tired to crawl under the floor loom and fix tie ups so the pedals are slightly lower and thus my knees happier. Backstrap project I put down for *mumbles* months it is.
Well shit Wheatley, way to punch me straight in the feels in the *first damn chapter*. Now I'm going to get nothing done for the rest of the day on account of *plot*.
"Bastard's Honor" by Elizabeth Wheatley, first spin off from her Assassin series. #booksky
"Bastard's Honor" by Elizabeth Wheatley, first spin off from her Assassin series. #booksky
January 26, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Well shit Wheatley, way to punch me straight in the feels in the *first damn chapter*. Now I'm going to get nothing done for the rest of the day on account of *plot*.
"Bastard's Honor" by Elizabeth Wheatley, first spin off from her Assassin series. #booksky
"Bastard's Honor" by Elizabeth Wheatley, first spin off from her Assassin series. #booksky
Sure! I bought these from Kmart, but a lot of places sell them. A lot will assume you have a vacuum cleaner to suck the air out, though - I went with these ones because they come with their own hand pump.
January 2, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Sure! I bought these from Kmart, but a lot of places sell them. A lot will assume you have a vacuum cleaner to suck the air out, though - I went with these ones because they come with their own hand pump.
Doggo, *I'm* the one doing all the work of measuring and cataloguing all this fabric. Why are *you* the one looking so tired and put-upon?
December 2, 2024 at 4:31 AM
Doggo, *I'm* the one doing all the work of measuring and cataloguing all this fabric. Why are *you* the one looking so tired and put-upon?
Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy:
November 11, 2024 at 11:12 PM
Your last saved meme is your moral philosophy:
I'm almost done with the beekeeper's quilt that I started a decade ago and then abandoned when I learned to knit socks, so apparently now is the perfect time to learn English paper piecing.
And it's possible I may have a type. Oh dear.
And it's possible I may have a type. Oh dear.
October 13, 2024 at 7:24 AM
I'm almost done with the beekeeper's quilt that I started a decade ago and then abandoned when I learned to knit socks, so apparently now is the perfect time to learn English paper piecing.
And it's possible I may have a type. Oh dear.
And it's possible I may have a type. Oh dear.
I went old school with a paper tally sheet too. Usually I'm all digital so I don't lose things, so this is a new one for me. Tally marks are each individual hexie, squares are each hundred.
Even with only working on it when I feel like it/until my wrist hurts, I'm flying through the cutting out.
Even with only working on it when I feel like it/until my wrist hurts, I'm flying through the cutting out.
October 4, 2024 at 2:16 AM
I went old school with a paper tally sheet too. Usually I'm all digital so I don't lose things, so this is a new one for me. Tally marks are each individual hexie, squares are each hundred.
Even with only working on it when I feel like it/until my wrist hurts, I'm flying through the cutting out.
Even with only working on it when I feel like it/until my wrist hurts, I'm flying through the cutting out.
I am also being a terrible person & marking the cutting lines with a fine point permanent marker (Bic Mark-it Ultra Fine Point if anyone cares), unless the fabric is too dark. Soooo much easier than faffing about with chalk or a washable fabric pen. It'll all be hidden by the piecing/lining anyway.
October 4, 2024 at 2:03 AM
I am also being a terrible person & marking the cutting lines with a fine point permanent marker (Bic Mark-it Ultra Fine Point if anyone cares), unless the fabric is too dark. Soooo much easier than faffing about with chalk or a washable fabric pen. It'll all be hidden by the piecing/lining anyway.
Despite being in the middle of packing up a 3.5 bdr house, 3.5 people, an entire garden, & 5 chickens, my brain decided that now is the perfect time to start cutting out ~650 hexagons to start a EPP project (a thing I've never tried) & make shorts (a thing I do need more of, at least). *Sigh*.
October 4, 2024 at 1:58 AM
Despite being in the middle of packing up a 3.5 bdr house, 3.5 people, an entire garden, & 5 chickens, my brain decided that now is the perfect time to start cutting out ~650 hexagons to start a EPP project (a thing I've never tried) & make shorts (a thing I do need more of, at least). *Sigh*.
Myrtle would like you to know that meal worms are delicious. I don’t know why she thinks that’s useful, but she has strong opinions on the matter.
July 22, 2024 at 1:22 AM
Myrtle would like you to know that meal worms are delicious. I don’t know why she thinks that’s useful, but she has strong opinions on the matter.
Judging by the state of today's sourdough, these are going to be panbread rather than the more traditional pancakes. Teaspoon included for Poof Scale.
July 12, 2024 at 1:31 AM
Judging by the state of today's sourdough, these are going to be panbread rather than the more traditional pancakes. Teaspoon included for Poof Scale.
A friend brought these to sword training so in the finest @ksonney.bsky.social tradition we ate some.
1/10, way too much chilli. The only other detectable flavour is that unique two minute noodle salt. I don't want my crunchy snacks tasting like my CBF dinner.
1/10, way too much chilli. The only other detectable flavour is that unique two minute noodle salt. I don't want my crunchy snacks tasting like my CBF dinner.
June 23, 2024 at 12:29 AM
A friend brought these to sword training so in the finest @ksonney.bsky.social tradition we ate some.
1/10, way too much chilli. The only other detectable flavour is that unique two minute noodle salt. I don't want my crunchy snacks tasting like my CBF dinner.
1/10, way too much chilli. The only other detectable flavour is that unique two minute noodle salt. I don't want my crunchy snacks tasting like my CBF dinner.
“Identity is something very personal, and people attach important meanings to the terms they use to describe themselves… Understanding transgender history contextualises why people use particular terms and can affirm people’s identities while acknowledging why the preferred language has evolved.” 📖
April 21, 2024 at 11:22 PM
“Identity is something very personal, and people attach important meanings to the terms they use to describe themselves… Understanding transgender history contextualises why people use particular terms and can affirm people’s identities while acknowledging why the preferred language has evolved.” 📖
And now I have delicious forbidden fairy floss.
This is only two loads from the combs. TWO. And it's too fat to fit in my spindle box. I will be spinning this for DAYS.
This is only two loads from the combs. TWO. And it's too fat to fit in my spindle box. I will be spinning this for DAYS.
April 20, 2024 at 7:09 AM
And now I have delicious forbidden fairy floss.
This is only two loads from the combs. TWO. And it's too fat to fit in my spindle box. I will be spinning this for DAYS.
This is only two loads from the combs. TWO. And it's too fat to fit in my spindle box. I will be spinning this for DAYS.
And so, having played with a few different fibres to get the feel of things, it’s time to put these bad boys through their paces. A hand distaff full of alpaca should do nicely. I did a load of this while testing and got over two hour’s worth of spinning from it, a whole distaff will last a while!
April 20, 2024 at 1:14 AM
And so, having played with a few different fibres to get the feel of things, it’s time to put these bad boys through their paces. A hand distaff full of alpaca should do nicely. I did a load of this while testing and got over two hour’s worth of spinning from it, a whole distaff will last a while!
We have breached self-imposed containment and made it all the way onto the lawn. I rewarded this great display of bravery with scratch mix, and distracted Her Grumpiness so she didn’t chase them all off on principle. #chickenupdate
April 18, 2024 at 11:24 PM
We have breached self-imposed containment and made it all the way onto the lawn. I rewarded this great display of bravery with scratch mix, and distracted Her Grumpiness so she didn’t chase them all off on principle. #chickenupdate
I have had my new wool combs for less than 24 hours and they have already tasted flesh. (It was entirely user error, but they didn’t miss their chance to show me who’s boss in this relationship.)
It’s OK, I still love them. They’re still less violent than the chickens.
It’s OK, I still love them. They’re still less violent than the chickens.
April 13, 2024 at 10:53 PM
I have had my new wool combs for less than 24 hours and they have already tasted flesh. (It was entirely user error, but they didn’t miss their chance to show me who’s boss in this relationship.)
It’s OK, I still love them. They’re still less violent than the chickens.
It’s OK, I still love them. They’re still less violent than the chickens.