Thanksgiving This week we celebrate the harvest and a day of thanks which entails journeys to the homes of relatives, near and far.  Tradition mandates large dining room tables laden with turkeys the size of ostriches and several side dishes followed by desserts laden with calories. But that is not the meaning of Thanksgiving.  We…

Pina –Fiber of the Philippines Imagine making a luxurious, diaphanous cloth from a pineapple.  The fiber is a leaf fiber from the red pineapple.  The long fibers cannot be spun but are hand knotted to form the warp and weft yarns.  The plain weave yardage is produced on upright looms in small workshops.  Pineapple is…

Pina –Fiber of the Philippines Imagine making a luxurious, diaphanous cloth from a pineapple.  The fiber is a leaf fiber from the red pineapple.  The long fibers cannot be spun but are hand knotted to form the warp and weft yarns.  The plain weave yardage is produced on upright looms in small workshops.  Pineapple is…

Giving the Gifts The holidays are rapidly approaching.  Have you finished your holiday shopping? Actually, I quite like shopping, whether for the holiday season, or just a leisure activity.  The process of consumer buying has changed drastically over time.  Initially, people grew their own food, made their own clothes and were generally independent.  What goods…

Giving the Gifts The holidays are rapidly approaching.  Have you finished your holiday shopping? Actually, I quite like shopping, whether for the holiday season, or just a leisure activity.  The process of consumer buying has changed drastically over time.  Initially, people grew their own food, made their own clothes and were generally independent.  What goods…

Fantastic Fans Hand fans have been a fashion accessory for centuries.  We have all seen images of servants holding large tropical leaves by the stem to cool the air around their master (and probably keep flying insects at bay). An Egyptian fan was found in a tomb and was constructed from peacock feathers and a…