This week, we get magical. From my trip report to the Montblanc Boutique in Las Vegas, to Montegrappa pulling a Houdini, we cover it all. And yes, that includes more Zento talk, as I finally got the Signature model into my hands.
This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:
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Pen Chalet: Check out this week's special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.
(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)
Want to keep your pens AND your heart cozy and warm? Then you need to check out SHEdesigns Nepal—a women's empowerment business devoted to enriching the lives of women through the crafting of beautiful local textile goods.
The business began with an effort to sew sanitary products for girls who were missing school at an alarming rate due to menstruation. The pads allowed them to remain in school, resulting in higher test scores and better overall education outcomes. With the success of this effort, more women were employed to create even more products, from placemats to bags to pen cases. The company now employs ten women who are able to support their families and find independence.
But they aren't just a good cause! They're good at what they do!
All the products they offer are made from high quality traditional Nepali dhaka fabrics. These densely woven, colorful patterns are made using a traditional process mastered thousands of years ago by the indigenous Limbu people of eastern Nepal. It is a fine woven cotton fabric characterized by intricate geometric shapes in a broad range of natural colors.
The original cotton-producing plant that supplied dhaka artisans with the fiber they used to produce what was once the finest and most expensive fabric in the world (follow me down an amazing textile rabbit hole with this article from the BBC,) has since gone extinct. While the fiber is gone, the wisdom of its weavers has carried on, and while the emperors of the world are no longer wearing dhaka muslin, my pens are getting the royal treatment.
The SHEdesigns pen sleeves are available in 4-pen or 6-pen varieties and in six gorgeous fabric options. The pre-order for the sleeves is limited, due to the limited quantities of the woven fabric, and it is only open for a while longer. Sleeves will be made to order and ship at the end of August.
The pen roll shown here is the six-pen design. It has soft cotton outer fabric with a plush red velvet lining. The central flap folds down to cover the tops of the pens so there's no risk of scratches. The case rolls easily and is secured by a red cord with a decorative bead on the end. Each of the pen pockets is sewn 1.5" wide and accommodates even thicker fountain pens. The pockets are deep enough to cover a pen up to 6" long.
The stitching is well done, with no loose threads or crooked seams. It was clearly made with care and pride, and holding it, you can't help but feel a connection to its maker.
As a fiber artist myself, I have an inherent love of handmade textiles and fabric goods, and there's nothing better than a well-crafted item with an inspiring story behind it. Frankly, I'm a bit envious of my pens' new threads, so I'll be visiting the SHEdesigns site for some accoutrements of my own. And as a bonus, with every order you place, you can add on a donated sanitary pad kit for women and girls in Nepal. You can make a difference AND spoil yourself at the same time. And your pens will feel spoiled, too.
(SHEdesigns Nepal provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
It's easy to forget just how wide the definition of stationery really is. Your immediate thought is likely pens, paper, and ink - and that certainly covers a majority of the stationery out there. But there's all sorts of good stuff in the margins that make the stationery world so diverse, colorful, and interesting. I never would have thought that having a writing pad would be that beneficial, but I've been pleasantly surprised by just how useful they can be.
The Kyoei Orions Writing Mats (the A5+ and A4+ sizes are featured here) provide several features for writing on loose paper or even in notebooks and notepads. At just 2mm thick, they're easy to pack in a notebook or bag, but thick enough to provide a luxurious cushioned feeling when writing on top of them. And, of course, the more obvious benefit of these writing pads is the grid that adds visual structure to blank paper.
Let's talk about the obvious feature first: the grid guide lines. This is really useful for writing on blank paper when you want to make sure you're writing evenly across the page. There are two grid guides on the pads — the bold lines are 10mm apart, while the thinner dotted grid lines are 5mm apart. For me, the lighter 5mm grid isn't visible through the paper, so it's really not there. The bolder 10mm grid is really easy to see through the paper. When using the writing pad, it looks really similar to notebooks I've used that have an atypical "white lines" ruling. It's visible enough to provide an easy guide for writing in a straight line, but also light enough to fade into the background if you want.
While you're writing in a perfectly straight line, there's also a comfortable cushion under the paper that makes any pen feel about 25% softer and smoother without changing the feel enough to disrupt your normal writing style. What I mean by that is that the added cushion enhances the feel without making it difficult to write like you normally do.
Another benefit that caught me by surprise is how well the writing pad keeps loose paper in place while you're writing and sliding your hand across the page. There's just enough grip on the writing surface to magically suck the paper onto the surface like there's thousands of tiny suction cups pulling the paper down. I've trained myself to be really careful when writing on a cardstock-style line guide because the paper slides around so easily, forcing you to stop and carefully realign your writing to the lines under the page. This just doesn't happen with these writing pads. Once you situate the paper into the correct alignment, it doesn't move under normal writing circumstances. If you need to move it, that's easy enough, but it only happens if you intentionally move it. I love this feature so much.
While I've mostly used these writing pads with loose paper, they also work well with notepads and notebooks. When using the pad on top-bound or spiral-bound notebooks, it's really easy to slip the writing pad under the page and write away. It's a little tricky with sewn or glued side-binding notebooks, but you can make it work as long as you remember that the pad doesn't extend all the way to the binding. This isn't a problem for me when in terms of writing, but it did feel a bit weird since the page was abnormally taught in the small gap between the writing pad and the binding. In most cases, though, you can use these pads with a notebook without any major problems.
If you look at the specifications for these writing pads, you'll notice that there's a plus sign after the size, like A5+. The pads are just a few millimeters larger than the paper size so that there's no paper hanging over the edge of the pad, even if the paper deviates slightly from the standard size. I'm glad they added this extra bit of size so that you don't have to worry about paper hanging over the edge when writing.
The pads are flexible and pliable, and the backs have a grippy surface to prevent them from moving around while you're writing. It's pretty interesting to see how just 2mm of a firm foam can change the way your pens feel. For me, this is a positive change, but I'm sure it's not for everyone. For my writing style, the pads don't alter the writing feel enough to make detailed work more difficult, but this might be the case for some. If you're looking for either a great grid background for blank paper or a luxurious writing pad, then these are great options.
The A5+ writing pad is $9.75, and the A4+ writing pad is $11. They're both 2mm thick and offer the same grid pattern and black background. There are other options as well (both colors, sizes, and thickness), so be sure to look around if you're looking for something a little different. I've really enjoyed using these writing pads to add gridlines and a cushioned writing surface over the past few weeks. These are things that I don't use all the time, but they're also stored in a convenient spot because I've been reaching for them at least a couple times every week. Having a couple of common size options has been great for my use. I love finding seemingly mundane stationery items that actually pack a lot of joy and utility!
Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.
Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!
