October came and October went, hello and goodbye, nice to see you, don’t hurry back. I started the month with three extra-fine nibs inked with what turned out to be the most boring set of inks I could possibly have chosen.
Parker Sonnet / Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun This was a great combination and I do love the colour of this ink. I shot through a full converter, using it in my journal, in my planner, and generally whenever I picked up a pen. It was quite a strong start to the month. I’d love to say that I quickly cleaned out the pen and returned it to my pen case, but actually I popped it down momentarily on the sofa cushion and only found it again today. I’m happy to say that it’s now in the kitchen waiting to be cleaned.
Lamy Studio Aquamarine / Lamy blue-black cartridge This pen spent the month begging for a more exciting ink, but Lamy’s cartridges last forever and this one saw me through the majority of the month. It was used extensively in my planner plus occasionally for journal-writing and general note-taking. I’m claiming credit for actually writing it almost dry, but now it’s time to say goodbye and move on to something with a little more pizazz.
Kaweco Collection Iguana Blue / Graf von Faber-Castell Cobalt Blue This combination is marching on solidly into November with me. It’s proving a well-behaved journal-writing pen and perfectly suited to the narrow lines in my Letts of London journal. This sits in its own little pouch inside my little blue pencil case and I haven’t needed to take it with me when I leave the flat. The pen will probably continue as my journal-writing choice, but I fancy a different ink once the cobalt runs dry.
Cross Century II / Montblanc William Shakespeare Velvet Red This was the highlight which got me through a blue month. After the first few entries in my new journal, I realised I needed to write the date in red. I’ve also used the ink on a number of note-taking sessions, even holding the pen up so other members of a Teams meeting could see it when my line manager mentioned that I have fountain pens with different coloured inks. This pen is very economical in its use of ink and the current fill will probably see me through November. The pen sits in my three-pen case together with the matching ballpoint (because occasionally I have to address an envelope) and whichever pen is my current daily driver. This pen case goes everywhere with me.
Whilst I said these were the most boring inks, I didn’t intend to demean any of them individually; the fault lies with the combination. A whole month of muted blues just didn’t turn out to be the best option for me and I can’t imagine what possessed me to think it might be. Perhaps the fact I came down with a stinking cold in the second week of the month suggests I may have simply been running on empty myself and lacked the imagination to see how little I’d enjoy my ink choice.
Moving into November I decided to just ink up one pen to start the month; one pen to be the prime mover in my three-pen case, joining the ballpoint and the Cross Century II. I’ll use it until it’s empty, then ink another. For a couple of very sentimental reasons, this being November and all, I decided to ink up my dad’s Parker 51, the only black pen in my collection, and I’ve chosen Diamine’s Honey Burst ink to add that much-needed shot of colour as we head into these late autumn days. It’s a candlelight colour, full of warmth with a bit of shading thrown in for good measure. I’m enjoying writing with this so much and I’m finally pleased with my choice.
Pam Alison Knits 