Method and Mayhem: The YosekaLab Planner (via A Gathering of Curiosities). A deep dive into a few of the different options available in the YosekaLab “experimental” planner. I love the idea behind this product.
Hooray for Workhorse Fountain Pens (via Cheryl Lindo Jones). There are many different interpretations of the term “workhorse pen”, and you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a pen that you can carry with you everywhere and use every day.
Spicing Up Old M and B Nibs (via mnmlscholar). Given that I have so many “standard” JoWo and Bock nibs, whenever I order a pen featuring one of these interchangeable nib units I typically order a Medium or a Broad for this same purpose - to maintain a healthy stock of nibs for grinding.
Bullet Journaling: Dot Pads (via Stationery Pizza). There are top-ring-bound Rhodia Dot Pads? I need to find these.
Pros and Cons of the Ultrasonic Cleaner (via Goodwriterspens Blog). I don’t use my ultrasonic cleaner as much as I used to, but I do find it quite helpful for certain pens where the section and feed have lots of nooks and crannies where ink can get stuck, or for pens that aren’t easy to disassemble.
The London Autumn Pen Show, 2023: My Haul (via Fountain Pen Blog). A Parker 61 capillary filler? Maybe a new goal for the upcoming Ohio Pen Show?
2023 Autumn London Pen Show (via Rachel’s Reflections). The London Pen Show seems like an outstanding, well-run event. The idea of a one-day show intrigues me.
October London Pen Show Selling Experience (via Dapprman). Taking a table at a pen show to sell part of your own collection is an excellent way to (mostly) pay for the cost of attending, and you also get the benefit of meeting all the people who come by to visit your table!
Yamamoto Paper’s Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Collection, Volume 7 Review (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). These Yamamoto Paper samplers are an excellent way to experience rarer Japanese papers before splurging on a large-quantity purchase.
Pen Review: Pilot FriXion Ball3 Slim 3-Color Multi-Pen (via Well-Appointed Desk). Don’t sleep on the Frixion! (Sorry Pilot, the “FriXion”.) As Ana points out, it can be extremely convenient to be able to erase gel ink, especially in a professional context.
Sometimes it’s ok to just dock the boat for a week.
In Case You Missed It…
I was on vacation this week! I actually managed to take some real time off, so new posts were kept to a minimum, though I did finish and post this longer discussion of what pens and notebooks I took with me on my travels and why I decided to leave these specific pens inked up. I also recapped this year’s pen travels and talk a bit more about remaining pen shows in 2023.
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - More Clairefontaine!
The big news from this week was the arrival of Clairefontaine clothbound notebooks. I purchased a HUGE amount of these, since they have been a popular seller and inexplicably became a bit difficult to source this year. Our selection of this workhorse paper, as well as other papers and planners like Laconic, will continue to expand, so stay tuned! We’re also working on a larger Roterfaden restock, though we have at least one in each size available to ship immediately. Once again, we truly appreciate all of you who placed orders while we were away, since it’s scary to walk away from your shop even for a week without the (admittedly irrational) fear that the business will disappear overnight without constant attention. Your orders have started to ship and my goal is to get them all out the door by tomorrow.
Patreon Update - Support T.G.S. via Sample Sales, Early Access, and Meetups with Special Guests!
If you’re interested in further supporting T.G.S., consider joining the T.G.S. Patreon, which features not only access to meetups and the early gently used sales, but more exclusive content. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. In addition to purchases from The Curated Shop, Patreon allows us to continue to grow the site without relying on advertisements and affiliate marketing. If you’re interested in meetups and exclusive content, or simply supporting the site, we greatly appreciate your pledge!