It was a dark and inky day...

when I first tried to figure out how to use the converter for my new fountain pen. The ink was much darker than I thought it would be (but remember, colors on a monitor may vary!) and the writing was, well, blotchy.

I thought I was doing something wrong. I am, after all, a complete fountain pen newbie, and a lefty to boot. However, after disassembling the pen, carefully cleaning it according to the directions several times, and even trying a new bottle of ink (just in case the first bottle was problematic), I still have a pen that writes blotchily. Is that a word? Doesn't matter. If I wrote it with the pen, you wouldn't be able to read it, since the lines would spread, but you'd get the idea.

There are benefits to having a pen that is, for now, allergic to bottled ink. I no longer spend time browsing through oodles of Noodler's bottled ink colors, wondering what to get next. I'm saving time. I'm saving money. And I'm saving myself from writer's cramp too, since I would have to make serious inroads on one bottle of ink before permitting myself to order a second bottle. Now that I have to bottles, I think the third bottle may be some distance away. It's good for developing character, patience, forbearance, and a neat hand.

Anyone have wise ideas about why a fountain pen will work wonderfully with cartridge ink (the blue) but not with converter ink (the blotch?). I'm all ears! (or eyes, as the case may be.)

We're finishing up our first week of school in 2007 today. The standardized test results came back, with no surprises or anything requiring further testing. Our schedule seems to be working out pretty well ... a bit of chores here, a bit of Math, Latin, CW-Poetry, Life Science, lunch, reading, and music there ... and the day goes smoothly. Fairly smoothly, that is. I have one child that forgets about school every subject or so, and needs to be retrieved. I also ordered the National Latin Exam this week - it doesn't happen until March, but the deadline for early entry is next week.

I also spent some time tracking down Christmas presents that haven't arrived yet. One is supposed to come around the end of January (sigh) and the other, after 3 reports of imminent shippage, turned up out-of-stock with no restock date in sight. Argh. 'Twould have been nice to know that in the beginning of December when we chose that item specifically because it was in stock. That order was cancelled, a theoretically in-stock item ordered, and theoretically, it will be here in 7-10 days. No one is holding his breath.

Knitting has been rather boring of late... same projects, same yarn, same knitter. I'm working on the Scarf with #20 Edging, and there's not that much to see at the moment, beyond lots and lots of #20 Edging. I've 2 repeats to go before I can pick up 222 stitches and change the pattern, briefly, before I start knitting another 22 repeats of #20 Edging onto those 22 stitches, one leetle row at a time. There's a Knitalong for Victorian Lace Today, and I hope to join. I've not gotten much work done on the Very Warm Hat's inside, but it has grown slightly since the last photo.