Two Years of Curiosities, and May-August 2025 in Stationery
Today marks the second bloggiversary of Curiosities. I’m still having fun with this blog, and plan to continue into Year 3! Thank you for reading.
Today I’m posting another 4-month retrospective (you can check the series out under the tag Year Planning). This retrospective covers May to August of 2025 :)
Pens
During these four months, I added one pen. It’s an old Montegrappa from the 1990s which I bought after another old Montegrappa got away from me in St Louis. For some reason I don’t feel like saying more right now; maybe later in the year. I am still getting used to the pen. My tally so far for the year is four pens added, plus one catch and release. The total of pens in the Gathering is 23, the same as at the start of the year.
“Beware the wave-soaked maidens / to whom the depths belong / if you sail upon their waters / then you won't sail for long” (Ginny Di, The Wave-Soaked Maiden)
The true highlight of these months is not a 2025 pen, but a 2024 pen. It is the Conid Kingsize Wild Tiger, which I purchased last year and which had a faulty nib with three different issues. It was fixed in St Louis'; I am using the pen with the MB 149 nib from the Gentleman, the gorgeous singing nib with the split ebonite feed, and that combo surpassed pretty much everything else this summer. I’ve emptied a bulkfiller. I’m writing with this pen all the time. Either the infatuation will wane at some point, or it will result in a paradigm shift vis-a-vis my other pens. Right now, it’s making me feel that most of the other pens I bought were not good purchases, because I have prioritized the Conid above pretty much everything else. Like everyone else who loves stationery, I am also concerned about tariffs, and how they will impact the hobby - so I do not exactly regret the pens I bought, since I have no idea what I will be able to afford going forward, if at all.
Emptying out the Conid Bulkfiller has been satisfying. It took me almost two full months.
Atlas had an excellent sidewalk sale deal for an Aurora I’ve been wanting to buy, but I desisted. I do not even feel regret as such. At a better time, I would have bought it, but this is not the year for it.
Inks
I purchased three new inks: Akkerman Steenrood van Vermeer (acquired in St. Louis), the Wet Pen Pacific Octopus, and Oblation Sitka Spruce. Of these, Sitka Spruce was an upgrade from sample, and the Wet Pen ink was a spur of the moment purchase during the latest drop. I also traded a Montblanc ink with a friend: I let go of my Shakespeare Velvet Red ink and acquired the Montblanc Year of the Rabbit. Of these, the standout so far is the Akkerman. Hands down. I used up the whole Bulkfiller of it and am contemplating a refill. I also already love Sitka Spruce, and am looking forward to using it.
Seven inks acquired so far this year, out of my guardrail of 10 maximum. Exactly twenty bottles have left the ink library.
My conclusion from all these comings and goings is that I cannot use this much ink. Of the inks I acquired this year, I used two extensively: Akkerman Steenrood van Vermeer and Teranishi Antique Black. The other five are wonderful, there aren’t any duds, but I just can’t use all that much variety when I love piston fillers and now also bulkfillers. I love colored water as much as the next fountain pen person, but I also feel the need to slow down. Let’s see how it plays out in the fall and early winter, when I normally buy more, rather than less.
I’m not posting a tally of ink usage for these months - I am not sure if I like the process, but I think my ink usage has been rather minimal. I had three pens inked in June, five in July, six in August (two pens ran out of ink during the month), and many of those have been continuations of inked pens from previous months. I am still very much enjoying variety, but it’s much more focused and contained.
What happened with Ferris Wheel Press?
I offloaded all of my Ferris Wheel Press bottles, mostly sold them. I loved many of those FWP inks, but made this decision because I no longer align with this brand ethically. The misses just kept coming. (You can look them up on Reddit - I am not up to discussing the specific controversies). I already stopped buying FWP, but in 2025 I decided to move away from them entirely. Perhaps it would not matter if I was not blogging, but I do have a blog, and people read what I write, and using FWP on this blog started to feel too much like an endorsement. I do not endorse this brand. Onwards.
Our collective brown ink moment
2025 saw many of us play around with brown inks. I certainly did. And my biggest winners in this category are Akkerman Steenrood van Vermeer and Teranishi Antique Black (surprise? I don’t think so!). Steenrood is a red brown, aka brownish red or reddish brown. I think it is supposed to be classified as a red. But if Montblanc 80 days “brown” is a brown, then I think I am justified in calling Steenrood a brown. Using the same logic with Teranishi Antique Black, I think I’m also justified in calling it a brown.
Two “brown-something” inks. Akkerman Steenrood van Vermeer is billed as a red-brown, and it looks pretty red in a large swatch. It’s much more of a brown as a writing line. I do love it. Montblanc 80 days “brown” is not a brown. It’s elephant grey. If you squint at it in sunglasses and whisper “brown” in its direction, it might look your way, but then again, it might not.
I’ve also enjoyed Teranishi Traveling Sepia and Scribo Classico Seppia, but… they are actually brown, rather than brown-something, or something-brown. That seems to have less staying power for me. The only exception to this has been Montblanc Sand of the Desert, but it’s been a while since I inked it.
Paper
In 2025, Hobonichi blank/date-free inserts have really disappointed me. So I moved away from them. I tried a bunch of other papers and formats, and I enjoyed a Klesha A5 slim during my travels in particular, but this fall I am using an A6 Life Noble Note. It’s nice. Not sure if I love it as much as the Hobonichi insert, but that paper was not pleasant, and such a disappointment after the good experiences of previous years. I hear that 2026 Hobonichi paper will be better, so I’m waiting to see what happens with that.
I’m still using my A5 Plotter with assorted Plotter inserts, and I’ve also tried a few Laconic inserts carried by The Gentleman Stationer. I LOVE the various formats, especially Meeting, but - holy bleed-through, Batman. I’m actually still using them. The formats of some of them are fantastic. But I will hesitate to buy more. Plotter paper is my favorite paper at the moment.
Laconic insert - great format and organization. but this is not a friend of juicy pens. Text on reverse was written with :1) EF Flex Scribo, 2) 149 vintage nib F. both bled through. Japanese pens might fare better.
I also returned to my Plotter Bible for the pen show, and loved it. It’s not in use during my regular work semesters, but I am keeping it.
Accessories and other stationery
It’s been a great time for accessories with the addition of my Alfie tray! I also enjoyed the tiny watercolor set I got in St Louis, and a set of watercolor pencils I bought for my travels. It’s been a nice year for accessories.
One unexpected highlight has been the one pen pen sleeve on a lanyard I got from Erick Gama at the St. Louis Pen Show. You can get it at Amarillo Stationery. (I am not affiliated with Erick or with anyone else whose products I like). I find myself carrying a pen in the lanyard with me during the semester - not only is this an Emotional Support Stationery accessory, but the sleeve also harmonizes with my clothing (I love yellow accents) and it’s fun and usable. This week, I’ve been carrying my Scribo Piuma Impressione inked with a sample of Teranishi Brilliant Mint.
My lineup on a gloomy morning - Amarillo pen sleeve with lanyard, Scribo Piuma, and Life notebook, and of course the Galen Magnum Opus case with yet more pens.
What’s next?
Last time I did a retrospective, I said I wanted to feel more alive, and - I do! It’s still Long Covid ups and downs, but I think there’s an upswing overall, and that’s amazing. The Fall semester started, and it’s already busy and frustrating one week in; universities in the US are struggling. I’ve been taking solace in my fountain pens, and I’ve been carrying a folder full of stickers with me to share the love.
I am challenging myself to step away from the narrative that I am a Fall shopper. Can I use the many orange, green, brown, and yellow options already in my collection rather than branch out yet more? Let’s see what happens.