Sign in

Crystal

@crystallography.bsky.social
147 followers 189 following 268 posts

Fiber & jewelry artist. Word person. Lover of native plants, old books, Earl Grey, sartorial expression, cool science, pretty fight scenes, whimsy, handmade, and doing the right thing. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. —Gandalf the Grey

PostsRepliesMedia
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 2h
Today I learned that vanilla orchid sap irritates my skin. (Signs that I probably should have looked up how to attach a vanilla orchid to a trellis before attempting it for the first time ever.)
static.klipy.com
Well, Now You Know
Alt: An animated gif of Professor McGonagall (played by Maggie Smith) saying "Well, now you know."
100
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
One of the perils of the modern world is that I can't tell if my declining social skills are a result of trauma, exhaustion, perimenopause, hermitdom as a response to All the Things, overwork, or just plain lack of practice. Naturally, there's also the "all of the above" option.
020
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Note to self: Spin some yarn already. This will require excavating the spinning wheel, but the faux-archaeological dig is worth the effort.
000
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
It's funny that the difference between roasting peaches and baking peach cobbler is, essentially, throwing some biscuits in there. It does not seem like those two things reeeeeaaaally need different verbs.
110
Reposted by Crystal
Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 10/07/2026
In Iceland, people commemorated its first glacier formally declared lost to climate change. Western culture needs more of these rituals
theguardian.com
We know how to mourn other humans – but what about ecological grief?
05225
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
It's ... weird and uncool when people with privilege attack other people literally inside a space they claim they're trying to make safe. I guess some people want safety for everyone except those they disagree with? But nobody agrees all the time with everyone, so that means no one is actually safe.
000
Reposted by Crystal
Jennifer London @jlondonlit.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Fellow writers and editors, there's still time to donate your books/services to @romancingthevote.com! Donations close 6/28. Help preserve the right for every person to have their vote counted.
11614
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Leafblowers in stereo this morning, because why not start your Friday with well loathed, frequently weaponized, gas-powered symptoms of late stage capitalism? I'm just going to leave this blog post (not mine, but I empathize) from 2019 here. agardenersdelight.com/why-leaf-blo...
agardenersdelight.com
Why Leaf Blowing is Counterproductive – A Gardener’s Delight
000
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Currently attempting to make sense of my desire to spend a rather ridiculous amount of money on the sketchy possibility of crocheting a whole blanket, which would then cost more (especially counting time spent) than I've spent on all bed linens and blankets I've bought across my whole life.
130
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I have mixed feelings about AI in general, but I do have to love that Google's AI overview just told me, when I was looking up music, that my interest in playing "Flower of Scotland" on the dulcimer is a fantastic choice. #music
010
Reposted by Crystal
JourneyDude in Scotland @scottishinsider.org · 13/05/2026
Hill of Tarvit Mansion & Garden ❤❤❤🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Beautiful National Trust for Scotland property A real hidden gem - off beaten track :) #moody #urbanphotography #photography #fife #mansion #scotland #architecture #cupar #urban #sunset #alttext
Hill of Tarvit Mansion and Garden at sunset. The elegant white historic house with ivy-covered walls stands beautifully under dramatic orange and blue clouds, with manicured gardens and topiary in the foreground. National Trust for Scotland property in Fife.
116220
Reposted by Crystal
Jon Poole @total2total.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Morning 😂.
Cat biting a picture.
170187942323
Reposted by Crystal
Mandy B 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @begoodmandy.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I found myself on the edge of a lake, on a cold foggy morning … I was invisible, it was peaceful (pic by me)
looking over a lake, it’s cold and foggy, the sky is featureless grey, the lake is still and grey, a small island with trees is visible, a distant shoreline vague in the fog
903014191
Reposted by Crystal
East London Kingfishers @londonkingfishers.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Lady of the Lea Cracking sighting of the female kingfisher. #LondonBirds #nature #wildlife #hackney #riverlea #birdphotography #ukbirds
275472
Reposted by Crystal
The American Geographical Society @americangeo.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
#TopoTuesday: The geologic story of Arches National Park in Utah begins roughly 65 million years ago, when it was a dry seabed. Geologic forces & erosion have combined to turn fractured rock layers into arches. There are more natural arches here than any other place in the world.
021
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Got a new frame loom this week. Time to finally work on learning tapestry weaving.
Pieces of an unassembled wooden frame loom sit on a faux wood table surface. One piece is burned with the brand name Beka.
040
Reposted by Crystal
Amy Gann @amygann.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
"How dare you?" - grackle #birds #birdoftheday #captionthis #grackle #protectnature #wildlife #EastCoastKin
A grackle stares at the camera.  Its look from this angle looks angry
1024930
Reposted by Crystal
Gordon Nodrog @gordonnodrog.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
A gentle walk into a bluebell wood on a sunny morning.
341468126
Reposted by Crystal
Rachel Burch @rachelburch.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Sheep being moved in the lanes near yep, Sheepstor last April #Dartmoor #Devon #photography
A herd of sheep walk down a country lane.
1697
Reposted by Crystal
Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Child: I know your name. Mamdani. Obama: What’s his first name? Child: Mayor.
972444917237
Reposted by Crystal
Edward Vogel @mathartforall.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Just got a used copy of this. If you are looking for summer camp math art activities this is the real deal - how to, aesthetics and rigorous mathematics including calculus, complex numbers and group theory. press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu
Creating Symmetry
A step-by-step illustrated introduction to the astounding mathematics of symmetry
3132
Reposted by Crystal
John Golden @johngolden.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
#mathart amazing from Werner Herzog news.artnet.com/art-world/we...
news.artnet.com
Is Math Art? Werner Herzog Says Yes | Artnet News
Werner Herzog kicked off Brooklyn Public Library's Pi Day celebrations with a keynote titled “Mathematics and the Sublime.”
1124
Reposted by Crystal
Ele Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
April 14 has been designated World Quantum Day in honour of Planck’s Constant which can be rounded to h~ 4.14×10−15 eV·s (and some folks write April 14 as 4/14*). 🧪🐡🎢 Planck’s constant comes up a lot in quantum mechanics; for instance a photon’s energy is h times its frequency). 🧵
Linocut print ‘Feynman Diagram Bauhaus’ is a hand-carved and printed variable edition on cream-coloured Japanese washi paper, 8" by 10" with a jumble of Feynman diagrams and coloured shapes with a Bauhaus feel. Shapes include circles, rings, triangles, stripes, semicircles and irregular semicircles under wiggly lines. Colours are tints of fuchsia, blue-green, blue, yellow and purple with Feynman diagrams in black lines.
512347
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Oh, the past week. Days on end of slogging through UGGGGH WHY, a couple of under the wire mixed-feelingsy wins, then a previously discussed work opportunity pops up earlier than expected and looks better than expected. So tired. Crossing fingers that the "better than expected" part stays on top.
020
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Yes, in fact, today I have been playing the sound of running water on two different background noise generators in two different rooms, waiting for the real-world rain to start so I can finally relax in the knowledge that the neighborhood for-profit tree manglers are (probably) gone now.
010
Reposted by Crystal
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 12/03/2026
There has never been a singular Christian perspective on how religion, power and politics ought to relate to each other – not even in medieval “Christendom,” which many Christian Nationalists idealize as a time before separation of Church and State.
theconversation.com
Notions of ‘Christendom’ often miss the mark – medieval Europe’s ideas about faith and power were not so simple
There has never been a singular Christian perspective on how religion, power and politics ought to relate to each other – not even in medieval ‘Christendom.’
1189
Reposted by Crystal
JA Westenberg @joanwestenberg.com · 11/03/2026
The entire machinery of online discourse around building and creating has been so thoroughly captured by entrepreneurial "logic" that we've lost the language to describe what it feels like to simply make a thing that helps someone www.joanwestenberg.com/the-noble-p...
joanwestenberg.com
The Noble Path
It is a truth universally acknowledged that an indie hacker in possession of a widget must be in want of a business model... Every tool is a startup now. Every script is a SaaS product. Every neat little hack you cobbled together on a Sunday afternoon to solve your own
1132
Reposted by Crystal
Jennifer C @thejenniwren.teamlh.social · 09/01/2026
Philadelphia in candlelight. A city paused. Love showed up for Renee Nicole Good.
6151431350
Reposted by Crystal
Puff the Magic Hater @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Tonight, I was one of more than 200 people who gathered on Chicago’s North Side to mourn Renee Nicole Good. Several people asked me to publish my remarks from the vigil, so I’m sharing them here.
organizingmythoughts.org
The Cost of Staying Human
Remarks from a vigil for Renee Nicole Good
282253720
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
It figures I'd end up living in a world that increasingly rewards people for convincing others to believe in unreality. Like, I should have seen this coming because literally everything I was told was worthless as a kid is something I see people making gajillions of dollars off of now.
010
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
I guess one advantage of having ignored the guitar for a while is that it's a pleasant surprise picking it up and rediscovering that it does in fact sound nice.
000
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
apnews.com
Women in Mexico step up to protect ancient Aztec farms and save a vanishing ecosystem
In Mexico, traditionally women did not inherit chinampas, island farms first built by the Aztecs thousands of years ago.
010
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Organizing my ridiculous number of open tabs into a categorized word processing document is more validating than expected. My computer's CPU and I are happier.
010
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
This year may be the year I finally do not resist baking utterly ludicrous amounts of bread. It absolutely seems less insane than some people have been acting lately if I bake 60 types of bread in the next two months.
000
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
My latest approach to social media feels not like shouting into the void, but more like tap-dancing into the void wearing a snazzy suit with pastel rainbow pinstripes and sequins, maybe to a ska version of "Singin' in the Rain." (Can you tap dance to ska? I choose to believe.)
000
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Finally got around to unsubscribing from a Mailing List That Shall Not Be Named (<--- 👀) and the unsubscribe message was basically "Thank you! You're unsubscribed," which feels a bit like "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Not sure I've ever been thanked for rejecting a business before.
000
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
A thought: If you are using the term "both sides" while expressing that something shouldn't be a binary, you are implicitly reinforcing the validity of the binary. Please check your usage of binary phrasings if you are trying to encourage thinking outside the binary.
010
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
Someone casually included me tonight in their self-identified group of magical people, and this instantly helped mitigate the WTFery I was feeling about some very unmagical behavior going on in my community. Spread the magic. Fairy dust all around. Validating other people lends them strength.
020
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
Whoops. I forgot how reckless it is to go into a craft store when fall/Halloween items are on sale. The number of cauldrons and seasonal baking items in here has jumped up significantly.
010
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
It feels oddly like an accomplishment to discover that some Google searches defy AI Overview.
A screenshot of part of a Google search results page for the search "silly git." Where an AI Overview would normally appear, instead there is the text "An AI Overview is not availalbe for this search."
010
Reposted by Crystal
Adopt A Station @adoptastation.org · 21/08/2025
Last month, Congress voted to end public media’s federal funding. Now, local stations across the country are at risk of going dark. That’s why we built adoptastation.org — a simple way to support a station in need. Adopt one. Spread the word. Save public media.
078
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
Neglected to realize that a mini food processor would be about ten times as high-pitched as a full-sized one, and it seems nobody in the reviews I read thought that was notable. Might have to dig out the ear plugs next time, but at least for today's efforts we have cilantro pesto.
010
Reposted by Crystal
Lady Fanny of Omaha @ladyfannyofomaha.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
I love #showmeyourknits and am excited to see #sewandtell develop! Here is my first quilt!
Small quilt in reds and blues
2465
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Just came across a Reddit thread from a few months ago, and sheesh — how did I not even get the final NaNoWriMo email announcing its official shutdown? Maybe it slipped into my spam folder and became a sacrifice to the cruel internet gods. Well. The past 12 months have been quite A Year.
030
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Is anyone else mildly obsessed with the daily LinkedIn games? They are literally the only reason I go on LinkedIn well above 90% of the time.
000
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
This thread will always deserve a place in my heart and my life.
020
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Belatedly, but still.
030
Reposted by Crystal
Gizem Karaali 🧿 @gizem-karaali.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
So ... we did it again! The July 2025 issue of the Journal of Humanistic Mathematics is now ready for your enjoyment! At 415 pages, we hope that there is something in it that will appeal to everyone. Please check it out! #mathart #poetry #openaccess #mathishuman scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/
scholarship.claremont.edu
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics - an online-only, open access, peer reviewed journal | Current Journals | Claremont Colleges
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics - an online-only, open access, peer reviewed journal published by the Claremont Colleges Library.
0229
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Oh, dear. I just discovered corzetti. I really, fairly direly need to locate whatever box contains my pasta machine.
110
Crystal @crystallography.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
I have the urge to use all caps here, but I'm restraining myself. Feel free to imagine a shouting level of excitement for the next sentence: I have played a partial barre chord. That may be the first time I have successfully played any kind of barre in all the times I have tried across the years.
110