I guess, the bottom line is, you can’t do it wrong. As we have discussed so often, you try to be captain of your own ship, but even captains know that they must work with the wind and waves, and we do not control our path but only guide it. And every so often, someone is cast upon the rocks or finds himself in a strange, sometimes hostile, land. It really doesn’t matter. It‘s what you do with it, how you face it, where you go from there that matters, that defines who you are.
Anyway, enough drivel for now.
Take care,
S
BOTANICAL GARDEN MAP
AUDREY’S NOTE
KATHY & STEVE’S POSTCARD
THE ANG LEE CHECKLIST
THE COSTS OF THE NEW YORK TRIP
THE DRAFT OF THE LETTER TO AVY
THE BILINGUAL SHOPPING LIST
POSTCARD FROM THE BLOND BOY
Rajiv Surendra in his favorite article of clothing, a gansey knitted for him by Marion Brocklehurst of the Flamborough Marine knitting collective in North England.
A gansey is a distinctive British woolen sweater originally designed to provide protection for fishermen from wind and water, with origins dating back some three hundred years.
Using a tightly spun worsted wool, the intricately patterned gansey is knitted in one piece on five steel needles. The patterning to back and front and, in some cases, the upper part of the sleeve provides an extra layer of protection, while the combination of seamless construction, fine wool, and tight knitting produces a garment that is both wind- and waterproof.
Many of the stitch motifs used to decorate the ganseys were inspired by the everyday objects in the lives of fishing families. Some of the best-known designs represent ropes, nets, anchors, and herringbone. Other patterns are based on the weather, echoing the shapes made by waves, hail, or flashes of lightning.
At a time when the loss of a boat was a frequent occurrence, the patterning of a gansey made it possible for fishing families to recognize which fishing village, or even which family, the wearer came from. Deliberate mistakes or the wearer’s initials were often incorporated into the design in order to help to identify a body recovered from the sea. As the gansey was traditionally worn tight-fitting and close to the skin, and with no seams to come apart, it could not be washed off in the water.
By tradition, the sweaters worn by all kinds of seafarers, whether they be fishermen, naval, or retired sea salts, are navy blue—a color reflecting the sea and sky. Before the advent of synthetic dyes in the late nineteenth century, blue was obtained by using natural indigo, a plant extract imported from India.
Author photograph by Luke Fontana
RAJIV SURENDRA is a modern-day renaissance man: he’s a painter, potter, woodworker, and calligrapher. He’s also an actor and is best known for his performance as the rapping mathlete, Kevin Gnapoor, in Mean Girls. The son of Tamil immigrants to Canada, Rajiv was born and raised in Toronto and holds a bachelor’s degree in art history and classics from the University of Toronto. Today he lives in New York City where he runs his business, Letters In Ink, while continuing to pursue a multifaceted career in the arts.
65 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012
Copyright © 2016 by Rajiv Surendra
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Regan Arts Subsidiary Rights Department, 65 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012.
First Regan Arts hardcover edition, October 2016
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016939715
ISBN 978-1-68245-050-5
ISBN 978-1-68245-051-2 (ebook)
Interior design by Nancy Singer
Interior and cover illustrations by Rajiv Surendra
Cover design by Rajiv Surendra
Front jacket chalk artwork by Rajiv Surendra
Jacket design by Rajiv Surendra and Richard Ljoenes
Jacket photos by James Tse
The Elephants in My Backyard Page 23