Topic: The Fungus AmungUs
Not a lot to say today. It's been one of those weeks where I would like to declare it a write off and try again next week. Not anything serious, just a combination of stupid little things that made me feel like crap all week. The only good thing is that today I feel fine. So the week has bee 80% crap rather than 100% crap.
I did remember how to properly insert clear elastic into the coverstitched neckline of a stretch top. Yay! Now i can wear it with the jeans and skirt that i made... the ones with the mushrooms on them. it's made with a stretch lace that has a real 1974 colour scheme, brown rust, how about a swatch?
That's the lace at the top, at the bottom is some bamboo rayon knit, some ribbon festooned with coils and beads that make a pleasant jingle, and some sequined lace.
And that's to top I made. The bamboo knit is under the lace right up to the sweetheart lines just above the boobs. The original had nothing in the back, just the lace and it was bit too much. The original also had elbow length sleeves that looked either a bit too long or a bit too short. I like the retro yet modern look of this piece.
Project Runway season one winner Jay McCarrol now has fabric available on his website: http://www.jaymccarroll.com/category-s/21.htm?ref=ts His stuff is all quite retro-cool, whimsical, and unique. Because this entry is titled "the FungusAmungus, I need to mention that his woodland friends collection with the mushrooms is available.
A depressingly common story: Family in hospital due to mushroom poisoning. without reading the article I will make a few un-psychic predictions: The shroom in question is an amanita. They are from a country where foraging is common. They mistook the amanita for an edible species common in their home area. they weren't aware that there are toxic shroom the superficially resembles their prized delicacy. To the article....
Yup, oh yeah, of course, and no surprise. The first rule that all mushroom books drill into the heads of North American collectors is "Learn to recognize the tell-tale characteristics of the Amanita family before you eat a single mushroom" Surprisingly, once you become informed and learn what makes an amanita an amanita, it becomes easy to recognize them, and easy to tell an amanita from an agaricus, a russala, or a hygrophorus. It's like being able to tell the difference between spinach, lettuce and cabbage and know that these three aren't poison ivy. All green, all plants, but all are unique.
I never ever risk eating anything I am not sure about or anything that someone's grandma in Europe or china or japan ate everyday and lived to 119 years old. There are many toxic north american natives that look superficially like wild treats from elsewhere. Since most people don't travel with a microscope or take spore prints, they fall victim to mushroom poisons that vary from stomach upsets to liver failure.
There is one big error in the article, They say they ate "death caps" and identify them as Amanita phalloides, yet further down they describe the appearance of a Amanita Virosa/bisporga, the two commonly called "destroying angel." which is it? the white one or the green one? Death Caps are quite green, while the angels are white and can appear green or brown depending on age, decay or lighting.
I know all about mushrooms. MYcology is better than YOURcology!
One last thing, courtesy of The Fail Blog:
see more Epic Fails
These, people, are what we in the fashion world call "jorts" And that's all for today. I must be feeling tons better, I have the urge to go do laundry! Must Fight Urge!
