We Coulda Had a V-8! In Which Dr. Inkenstein Plays With Zebras

Behold!  Yet another cheap little pen that Dr. Inkenstein just HAD to have. 

We have played happily with many Zebra pens before.  The Zebra Sarasa retractible gel pen is one of our go-to models when we're not using fountain pens or drafting pencils.  Zebra's (now-discontinued) Super Marble gel pens, which my kind friend Susan managed to attain for me, are amazing writers, with a rainbow of color swirls in each pen.

Thus we were excited to note that Zebra was producing a fountain pen, at the cost of a whole three dollars! 

In an attempt to write a more, er, ORGANIZED review of a pen, Dr. Inkenstein followed some suggestions on FPN.

The doctor has discovered that this is not at all our style.  No, our style is far more slapdash and impressionistic.  And full of lolz.


But anyway, we present this handwritten review:

Dr. Inkenstein should amend that last written sentence.  

We liked the Preppy's SECTION better.  But only initially!   The more we write with this cute little stainless-steel Zebra cylinder, the more we like it.   The ink flow improves, we are better adapted to manipulating the admittedly-odd section, and it's just plain fun to work with such a cheap pen that also has a cool mecha name.

The proprietary carts can probably be refilled with bottled ink.  It should prove interesting to see how it likes its first refill, but it's nowhere near that stage yet.

Having written with this Zebra V-301 for a couple of weeks, we liked it so much that we took it out and played with it at a recent BBQ, where it was much admired. 

We had also passed a couple of extra Zebra V-301s along to other fountain pen aficionados.  We got ours at  Jetpens , but we hear your local office supply store might carry them. 

A fountain pen!  For three dollars!   In this day and age!  Don't miss out! 

Burning Passion! In Which Count Sockula Solves a Mystery

About a year ago, Count Sockula bought a hank of yarn from a local yarn shop. The yarn was on sale for something like two bucks, had no ball band, and the store owner didn't have a clue what it was: no brand, no fiber content, nothin'.
　
But I liked the colors (every twilight/sunset shade imaginable). Count Sockula is made that way: 'Oooo, colors pretttyyyyyy!' I bought the colorful pig in a poke and let it sit in my drawer while I went, 'Hmmm.......'


The yarn sat patiently, waiting for me to make up my mind about what to knit with it. Then it hit me: Short-row heel.
　
So, trying to master short-row heels, I started a toe-up sock with it. I used a knitted-square cast-on and discovered I LIKE these: you simply cast on with a reasonable number of stitches, and work either a garter stitch or stockinette square (measure both ways to make sure it's a true square.). Then you pick up stitches evenly all around the square, increase as needed on each needle, and you have your toe practically done!

　
Quick as a wink, Sock One's toe was finished, using one lonnng #5 Bryspun needle on 40 stitches.  Worked sl 1, k 1, for the sole on and off.   Decided on a k 1, p 1 rib for the cuff.

All those decisions, and I didn't even know what fiber I was dealing with! All I knew was, to my surprise, I loved knitting with it. It has very short color repeats, so that practically every stitch is a new color against the mainly-mulberry ground: orange, suede, cerulean, cobalt, pink.


Oooooo. Prettttyyyyy. Photo does NOT do it justice:

But was there, I wondered, any way to tell what composition this mystery yarn might have?   Was it acrylic?  Wool?  Cotton?  A mix of all three, or some mysterious Bigfoot of fibers?

　
At a guess, it is DK weight, the springiest yarn I've ever used, with many plys, and tightly twisted.

　
No smell, no sheen and is in fact very matte and soft. Yet it doesn't feel like cotton. For that matter, it doesn't feel or smell like wool.



Then---several knitters on the Yahoo Socknitter's list suggested----dun dun dunnnnnn!----THE BURN TEST. Apparently, acrylic will flat-out melt. Cotton will ash. Wool will smoulder.


Count Sockula waited until a windless day presented itself, then went outdoors with a lighter to ingnite the yarn. After several unsuccessful attempts, the yarn----didn't burn.


Didn't melt, either. Produced something like a flat black char.

　

At a guess, it's wool. If I knew the make, I'd buy more of it, in different colors.
　

MUAHAHAAA. Mystery solved, socks nearing completion.
　

Oh, and Count Sockula decided on an Afterthought Heel for both socks, because this was after all only one hank of yarn, and it magically rolled itself into two BIG balls and two littler ones, as if it WANTED to have an Afterthought Heel.

　
We went with it. Nice sock.  Colors preeetttyyyyy!


Stay tuned for, quite possibly, some fan fiction.

Mismatch! In which Count Sockula knits more dishcloth socks

Just a lightning entry here from the Count, because I wanted to experiment with two different kinds of double-wrap, no pick-up short-row heels.

One is the garter stitch heel, ably demonstrated by  KnitPurlHunter   -- this type of heel, double-wrapping but NOT picking up the wraps--- works so well that the Count might use it to exclusion in all socks.  Instead of KPH's clicker, though, Count Sockula employs stitch markers to mark the unworked center stitches.


The other heel is the Count's own harebrained scheme: why not do the same thing of not picking up wraps,  but only use stockinette stitch!  Muahahaaaa!

And it worked.  Sort of.

Count Sockula was presented with a nice stockinette stitch heel that looked perfect on the left side of the heel (when the heel is facing the Count), but some not-insurmountable gaps on the right side.  This may have to do with stitch tension.  We shall see.

And because I wanted two different color socks, but a single yarn ball for each, I picked some Sugar 'n' Cream self-striping cotton.  Top-down, 36 stitches, worked on #4 needles for the K1 P1 cuff, switched to #6 for the heel and foot.  It's likely that for future dishcloth sockies, I will switch back to the smaller needle to work the heel.

Behold!  Cousins, all the way.  The coral-toned sock with the stockinette heel shows some green from an added strand:

Count Sockula is also beginning not to like a very pointy toe.   I pointed the toe because that meant fewer stitches to Kitchener, but meh.   I should have bit the Kitchener bullet and worked the usual 8 stitches per needle, not five.  And decreased every row after a bit, for an even blunter-toe effect.

Yes.  Mystery Sock.  On the way.  Unllikely to be finished until colder weather hits.

Go Speed Racer Go! In Which Dr. Inkenstein 're-views' an old pen/ink

Checkered Flag or Crash!
Hero fountain pens,  a well-known brand made in China and  imported by dedicated pen dealers, produce some very spiffy pens at a next-to-nothing price point.

Dr.  Inkenstein aquired this particular model, the 569, quite some time ago, attracted by its general look.   It probably cost between $10 and $15.

The Hero 569 has such a pronounced racing-theme look with its silver 'rims' and black and white checkerboard barrel, that I almost expect it to sprout wheels and take off.

Unhappily, it doesn’t fly quite yet.

I had high expectations for the 569, perhaps because of its semi-hooded nib look and heavy feel. Eager to make it to the starting line, I first tested this pen (it’s a converter-fill) with a small amount of J Herbin Diabolo Menthe ink, and found that it was a ‘hard starter.’ I had to really coax the ink to come forth, but when it did I immediately tried it on a page of story notes on a ruled Levenger Letter pad. I was enjoying the color of the ink and the look of the nib, and had written a sentence or two of chapter notes when---SPURT!  STUTTER!  BLOB!
What the---?  Oh, the pain.

Dr. Inkenstein wiped the pen off and started in again. One word--BLOB.  I ended up with three fat inkblots on the page, and decided to write out the ink on a cheap steno pad.  I only got three paragraphs or so out of this quarter-fill before the pen ran dry, which seemed odd to me.

So I ran to the fabled Fountain Pen Forum for help, and taking the advice I got, tried a different ink, Noodlers Navajo Turquoise---another quarter-tankfull.  I started writing with this ink on the cheap steno pad, and it started with less difficulty than the previous fill. Using the cheap pad, I wrote a draft of this review with no further problems.

I don’t dislike this pen’s writeability at all---but in addition to seeming fussy about the ink, the line it produces isn’t quite as fine as the Hero 329 and the grip doesn’t suit me as well due to the ridges just north of the racy black ‘hood.’

The Hero 569 has a stiffer  feel to its nib as well. 

But with the Hero logo big and bold on the nib end, and a repeat of the logo surrounded by laurel leaves on the snap-on/off cap, the Hero 569 carries its racing theme all the way up and down the pen.

Dr.  Inkenstein tried one final test on the Levenger pad with the new tank of Noodlers---and instant blobbage!

Maybe the pen just hates that paper.

Sorry that there's no photo of the pen itself.   Just this scan of hasty scribblings.   Got the pen from isellpens, where it might still be viewable on one of their Hero pages.


Since I like the Speed-racer look of the pen, it will stay in my collection, as long as I keep it away from Levenger paper.




On Edit:

This ancient review illustrates the many and mysterious interactions of pen, ink, and paper.   I write with some inks that bleed on every conceivable form of paper, even Clairefontaine (Everflow True Blue, but I LOVE that color!).  I write with some inks that behave themselves in anything, on anything (just about any Sheaffer ink).

Levenger's pads are decent; I use them with a variety of fountain pens and inks.  J Herbin inks, ditto.   Speed Racer just really, really needed to throw up on that Levenger pad. 

Nothing Dr. Inkenstein can't cope with.

Oh, and here's Speed Racer himself:

Not the best pic, but ehh...

Stay tuned for TEH MYSTERY SOK.    It lurks in the wings, waiting.....

A Wing and a Sung: In Which Dr. Inkenstein Compares New Toys

Recently, Dr. Inkenstein broke the Unofficial No New Pens rule, with the purchase of a few inexpensive pens from isellpens---mostly Chinese, one Japanese, none costing over fifteen bucks, a couple as cheap as two bucks. Here's a picture-heavy overview.

All four pens, plus notebook plus ink.  Dramatic lighting (ie: iz DARK!) courtesy of early morning.

Burgundy Wing Sung, notebook, bubble wrap, dramatic (DARK!!!!) lighting:

The handwritten comparisons were accomplished by dipping each nib in Levenger Gemstone Green (thank you, Contrasuggest, for the gift of this ink!), which Dr. Inkenstein liked so much  that I will soon purchase a blue and a red from the same manufacturer.

　
We have two 'aero' fillers and one cart-filler.  The burgundy Wing has a removable squeezy filler, but this does not mean it can accept standard international cartridges. Believe me. I tried.

　
The black Wing Sung would do well with any ink, provided you remember what color is in there; the cute little amber clutch ring probably distorts hue. The gold check WS would also be happy with any color, but of course the burgundy will have to be content with reds and, well, burgundies, like J Herbin Rouge Bourgogne.
　

It is baffling why they call this Plaisir 'yellow.' It doesn't read yellow but soft molten gold, very appealing, perfect for inks in the red-brown-gold family, like Sheaffer King's Gold, or J Herbin Terre de Feu.
　

All told, Dr. Inkenstein stands in amazement. No, these are not high-end Sailors nor Pelikans. They are decent writers, nice inexpensive pens, representing good value. The Plaisir may be the cream of the crop, with its gold-pearl finish, but for their two dolla' tag, the Wing Sung 235 and 840 are pleasant surprises.

　
(Insert obligatory MUAHAHAAA. Because you still await the unfolding of the Mystery Sock!)

That Old Blue Baoer Pen! In Which Dr. Inkenstein Admires A Gift

Pen pal 'KP' recently sent Dr. Inkenstein a beautiful blue Baoer pen.  Here it is, pictured above, on a nest of pocket notebooks (reviewed previously).

Dr. Inkenstein likes it very much.  It is a pretty little number, silver-trimmed and with a blue-wave motif to the rather shiny, heavy body.  In contrast, it writes in a light, delicate line. 


The clip is interesting, to say the least, with a lot of detail where it attaches to the cap.  The clip also follows a wave-ish design motif.   Since I don't know the name or model number of the pen, I will probably call it Mizuno Ami, AKA Sailor Mercury.


Because I can.


Behold!   Here below, some notes on the pen and its performance, scrawled with PR 'Avacado' Green.   Dr. Inkenstein almost said, Levenger Gemstone Green, for thus it looks on the monitor.

In all, a nice addition to the Pen Farm, with many thanks to KP!  

Mole versus Field: In Which Dr. Inkenstein Compares and Contrasts

As some of you might already know, Dr. Inkenstein loves notebooks of all bindings and sizes.


Lately I have been fond of those little brown Field Notebooks, having first discovered them bundled in a pack of three with three different types of pages: blank, ruled, and grid. They come in handy for all sorts of things.


When a set of similar-in-size Moleskine notebooks appeared in a stationery catalog I had to try them.

Both notebooks are pocket-sized (abt. 3 1/2" W x 5 1/2" H), and in a side-by-side comparison, they crossed the finish line in a dead heat. (A little horse-racing lingo, there, folks).

　

The paper quality in each is similar, being softer and less slick than the noted Clairefontaine, yet harder and more fountain-pen-reliable than the average composition notebook, maybe on par with Miquelrius.


The verdict? Six of one, half-dozen of the other. The Moles are sewn, the Fields stapled in three places.
I like the pocket on the Moles, like the notations on the Fields (which is really handy for us sock-knitters! A ruler, right in the notebook!).


Both are more or less a similar price, so take your pick and have fun. Or be on the safe side and buy both!


Coming soon: Four new fountain pens, quick impressions thereof.