Well, yeah, survived the challenge for the 12th year. Which Google Chacha tells me is called a duodecad. So I'm a duodecadal survivor. I thoroughly enjoyed getting back with properly researched, immersive posts for the A-Z. I left a lot of stuff out, which I knew I'd have to, because textiles comprise a range from carpets to shawls to towels to turbans to dupattas to handkerchiefs, from little socks and underclothing to tents and sails and sheets and quilts. Even though I resolutely left all of that out and focussed on the saris only (I had to leave some saris out too, Bomkai, Arni, Ilkal, Dharmavaram, the list goes on) - it still made me feel awful - Pashmina shawls! Kashmiri carpets! Assamese Gamusas! Bandhej dupattas! - how can they be excluded?? The non-saree textiles can make an A-Z theme by themselves.
I read widely but not as deeply as I wanted, that is an unreachable target. 'Wide' this year meant less than 200 blogs, I was reminded of Alex saying that was what the challenge was like in its first year. I wasn't there for that, I joined in the 3rd of 4th year I think. Deep reading always comes at the cost of deep writing, I've learnt that from my first A-Z experiences. So that's that, c'est la vie.
Thank you to the hosts and all those who visited, read, commented and generally kept things lively and interesting.
Will I be back next year? A cautiously optimistic yes - circumstances permitting. Hopefully, see ya next year, same time same place.
You did better than survive the challenge. You kept me fascinated from start to finish. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed the series. Thank you.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteYup, EC said it! Congrats! YAM xx
Thank you, Yamini!
DeleteWell done! Yes, there were only a hundred of us that first year. You joined when the number got crazy.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yeah, those years the numbers were close to 2000 instead of 200. No question of covering every blog.
DeleteYou did a great job! I'll be back during the road trip to read more indepth. Be sure to leave a light on for me.
ReplyDeleteThank you, will do. Btw, the porchlight's always on :)
DeleteI enjoyed your topic and look forward to next year, hoping things don't get too crazy over here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristin! Your theme blew my mind as it always does. The amount of research is just unfathomably deep.
DeleteIt's a hard balance, to write posts as well as you do, and have enough time to visit and comment everywhere.
ReplyDelete“As full of spirit as the month of May, and as gorgeous as the sun in Midsummer.” – Shakespeare #quote
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZchallenge
That's a beautiful quote, thank you!
DeleteI got back to blogging in the middle of it and stumbled across a couple A-Zers. It made me miss it. So much. Good on you for participating so many years! Whew! You deserve a badge. And cheese. Definitely cheese.
ReplyDeleteI do love cheese :P thank you for stopping by.
DeleteCongratulations on completing another excellent A to Z. I enjoyed learning so much about saris with you. The fabric is so beautiful, and I hope all the different handcraft techniques of weaving, dying, embroidery, etc. can be preserved.
ReplyDeleteHi Nila - I'm off to read all your A - Z posts ... I went to see an exhibition in 2017 - that I've never written about ... as there wasn't an exhibition guide (I don't think) or a book on it ... and as the subject/s were only 'v interesting notes' to me I never got to write it up. Now I've looked a little further - I'm a little better off - I might put up something as ... I've lots of pics - and your A-Z topic will bring some more sense to it.
ReplyDeleteSOAS - School of Oriental and African Studies, part of Uni of London, put on the exhibition: Embroidered Tales, Woven Dreams ... about the textiles along the Silk Road.
Should you wish to look ... I'm including info here ... but join them up to make links - which I've taken out for posting here:
Textile Research Centre, Leiden - expert Gillian Vogeslan-Eastwood: check blog 524-Brunei-gallery-exhibition-london
Textile-Art-Revue.Fr it's not in French ... but gives a relevant overview of the exhibition ...
This is very long - so ignore ... but no rush to reply also!! I am going to read ... but later in the week - now you've awakened me to my visit to SOAS back in 2017 ... cheers - sent with thanks and thoughts - Hilary
Hi Hilary! Great to see you here and thank you for the info! So interesting! I have a cousin in SOAS, at least I did in 2018 for sure. :)
DeleteVA had put up a similar exhibition of ancient hand made textiles sometime in 2016 or so. Wish I were there for both! I'm going to have a good nose around now... thanks once again.