I should be enjoying this ink more than I am. There, I’ve admitted it and now I can relax. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely shade and I’d be inclined to suggest that people who hanker after the discontinued Lamy special edition Dark Lilac should really check out Scribo Notturno Viola. Also, anyone who needs an ink which could almost be black, but isn’t, would also be the ideal target audience. For my own tastes, it is just a bit too dark, a bit too dense, perhaps even a bit too subtle.

One of my chosen pens for the month has now officially fallen by the wayside, been sent to the bench for the remainder of the game, put on gardening leave. I knew as soon as I got home and tried it out after the Autumn Pen Show last year, that my prized Waterman Exception’s Medium nib was not the nib of my dreams. To my eye, it leans towards a broad stroke which doesn’t suit my handwriting at all, or, more accurately, doesn’t make me happy with my handwriting. Comparison below shows the Waterman Exception at the top of the page and a sample with the fine nib of my Parker Sonnet below, on William Hannah paper with 8mm line spacing.

The problem I have with the broader nibs is that they remind me of writing with a felt-tip pen – something along the lines of the old Papermate Flair pens. These are still going strong, by the way, though I haven’t used one in years.

The Exception isn’t going anywhere, it is still a beautiful pen which I’m happy to have in my collection. However, it is a candidate for professional nib-work in the future so that it can be turned into something perfect for me. For now, though, my line-up for the rest of the month will still include four pens as the new Cross Beverley will be allowed to come out and play more than it has for the first half of the game.

Another thing I should be enjoying, but am definitely not, is my choice of project for the BC Garn Organic Shetland wool. I don’t like the needles I am using at all – the wool is too grippy and the needles are too heavy in the hand. More than that, though, I’m just not feeling it. The project is, on paper, exactly the right thing to be making, but it doesn’t stir any kind of chimes in my heart, and so a re-think is in order. I won’t say that starting the Turin cardigan has been a mistake, since every cloud must have a silver lining. In trying to avoid picking it up and working on it, or making the decision to rip it out, I have been busying myself with a new pair of socks.

The wool I’m using for this sock is Rico Vintage in a pleasing melange of greys, blues and purples. This is a “use it up” project with the joint purposes of getting a ball of yarn out of my stash and completing the second of the six pairs of socks I’ve promised myself this year. When I previously tried to knit this yarn I wasn’t impressed. So far this time it’s going well, so I think I’ll press on and finish these whilst I ponder what type of garment that pale blue wool is yearning to become.