alert, not alarmed

Google offer various entertaining gadgets and amusements to those who want to romp joyfully through the ether hand in hand with the interpixies

one of these things is the 'google alert'

which can be set to any subject that interests you

and will cast up all sorts of useful stuff

i have google alerts for dyes, and paper folding and sustainable textiles

and

i blush slightly to admit it

for

india flint

yup, the latter subject DOES interest me

and i'm curious as to where my name pops up

at very least it tells me where i've been

handy in the event of memory failure

earlier today, sitting happily in the Qantas lounge on my way to Denmark

i had to take an extra sip of bubble when i discovered what my alert had gathered up

a person i have never met [but on whose blog i once left what i thought was a helpful comment about eucalypts] has apparently taken me in severe dislike and published a less than friendly review of my book Eco Colour

however much i am pricked by what she's written and mystified as to why she hates me so much

i do support freedom of speech

and so have pasted her words below

so you can share the love too, dear readers

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

heavy coffee table book, 31 Oct 2009

By	Dot (fibre2fabric)

I was very disappointed in this book. I felt it was strongly self-promotional (her family history is not of interest to me) and it is the type of book you'd expect to find accompanying an exhibition of the artist's work.

I had thought it was going to be was a book of dyeing technique and instruction - it isn't.

She does include some information about techniques, but it is not set out for you to follow through a set of instruction. If you are an experienced dyer that may not be a problem. It is though she is selling a book on the basis that she will reveal her techniques, but has then backed off and tells you as little as possible and tucks it in the middle where it is hard to find.

I also found that the the dyeing is for garments, not yarns, and the garments all look very much the same, which is fine if it is a style that appeals to you. To me, her style would make 70s hippy clothes look smart by comparison. I find the prints unappealingly confused and untidy.

It is a big, heavy book, full of photographs, and with a strange paper dust cover that is purely for decoration and does not protect the book - the beige piece with picture of a garment is a band that wraps around the cloth hardback cover, leaving 1/3rd of the cover exposed (the green bit) and the book's corners unprotected. I found all this - weight, excessive photos, lack of useful instruction, much waffle and puff in the writing - at odds with the author's environmental concerns because it is wasteful of paper and large and heavy for transport (this book has travelled half way around the world from Australia).

This is a book which will appeal to the collector of coffee table picture books (of which I am not one) and to the fans of India Flint who want to own a piece of her work. It may be relevant to anyone interested in textile design. For dyers concerned about the environment I recommend authors Jenny Dean and Gill Dalby, who have written modest, small and information packed books.

and be warned my friends, the next book [called 'second skin'] has family stories in it as well, so if you don't want to read any more about my grandmother, avoid it

on the other hand, if you're interested in techniques that can take you back to Haight Ashbury and into the Wild Wood

stay tuned