- Congratulations to the folks over at Caroline Weaver Pencil Enterprise for almost a full year in the business! If you haven't made your way over to their amazing shop yet, and you're in the New York City area, their shop should be a mandatory item on your list.
- Ed Jelley reviews the Field Notes Shenandoah Edition. This is another great looking Field Notes colors edition that I haven't had a chance to use myself. I'm interested in seeing how the heavier paper translates into a better experience for fountain pen users.
- Susan Pigott, writing for the Pen Addict, reviews the Conid Bulkfiller Minimalistica Demonstrator model. I haven't been keeping up with the Conid website to see what new products they have been offering, so this one took me by surprise. I love demonstrator pens, but I'm lukewarm on the "half demonstrators" (i.e. a clear barrel with a solid cap). TWSBI did something similar with the Mini.
- Brian over at Office Supply Geek reviews a set of gold-plated staples. In light of what people will spend on fountain pens and related accessories, I shouldn't be surprised that this product exists. But I still am.
- Mike Dudek at The Clicky Post has a piece about the Parker 61 with its unusual capillary filling system. I've always wanted one of these to play with, but have had a hard time finding one in decent condition. This stainless steel flighter model Mike picked up was a gorgeous find.
A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the New Year's giveaway. There were over 180 entries (via comment or subscription)! A winner has been chosen and I've reached out, but if I can't make contact for whatever reason, I will pick a new winner in a week. In case anyone is curious, here are the top three suggestions for future articles:
- The Hobonichi Planner. There's a lot of interest out there in this planner/journal, and I purchased one for the first time this year. Don't worry, there's going to be some Hobonichi content coming, whether the planner sticks with me or not.
- Vintage Pen Restoration. People are more interested in vintage pens than I thought. I have some articles in progress on the how-to's of vintage pen restoration, but I've not been able to finalize anything that meets my standards. I recently purchased some better video and audio equipment, so stay tuned. Until then, you can check out my "Vintage Pen Primer" series, where I review pens such as the Parker Vacumatic and the Parker 51. If you are looking to purchase a reasonably priced vintage pen, I sometimes offer pens I've restored for sale via this site. Most of these are "user grade" pens, meaning that they aren't in mint condition, but otherwise write perfectly well. Vintage pens are a great way to experience gold nibs or materials such as celluloid at what can be a fraction of the price you would pay for a modern pen.
- More "Top 5" or "Best of" lists. I hear you on this one, and I have a lot more lists in the works, and maybe a few guides!
As always, thanks for reading. I appreciate all of you, and in case you've missed it, check out this week's posts, in which I review Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo, and discuss my five favorite pencils for everyday writing.