Erin Brown-John
LightNews LightNews
banner
eebeejay.bsky.social
Erin Brown-John
@eebeejay.bsky.social
2K followers 980 following 310 posts
Writer, science communicator, maker/mender. I like to spin yarns.
Posts Replies Media Videos
eebeejay.bsky.social
I wonder what happened to this Douglas fir.
A tree trunk with a serpentine vertical gash with perpendicular lines radiating out of it. It’s dusted with a sage green lichen Close up of the gash in the tree showing that the lines kind of look pleated. The wound is dusted with a sage green lichen and there is some moss clinging at the edge Close up of the gash in the tree showing that the lines kind of look pleated. The wound is dusted with a sage green lichen and there is some moss clinging at the edge
November 9, 2025 at 9:29 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
My whiteboard is ready. #OreCup2025
My office whiteboard where I have recreated the official Ore Cup 2025 bracket. An 8-mineral elimination bracket for Ore Cup 2025. From top to bottom in pairs alternating from left to right, the competitors are Galena vs Copper; Molybdenite vs Tetrahedrite; Ilmenite vs Jadarite; and Carrollite vs Bornite. The bracket for Round 2 onwards is blank. At the bottom of the bracket, a caption reads “Campaign on your favourite social media using #OreCup. Daily voting takes place on www.MineralCup.org the first week of November
October 31, 2025 at 11:20 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
SWCC Book Award books are piling up on my desk but there's room for more! If you're a Canadian citizen or resident and you've published a science book for youth or general audiences in 2025 send them our way! sciencewriters.ca/bookawards/s...
A desk with a big stack of 126 colourful-looking children's books
October 29, 2025 at 11:44 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
It’s Thanksgiving so as per tradition we start a new puzzle at my parents’ house. Zane is helping.
A puzzle box that says MC Escher. The picture is “Order and Chaos”, which is a pencil drawing with many broken things arranged around a geometric sphere and star. Zane the floofy grey lynx point cat is sitting on a chair at the table and looking at many grey puzzle pieces Zane the floofy grey lynx point cat is sitting on a chair at the table, resting his chin on the table, giving those puzzle pieces a closer look
October 13, 2025 at 3:44 AM
eebeejay.bsky.social
End of day madder, coreopsis, walnut #ehgautumnalreds #wool #botanicaldyes
Many small piles of wool in many colours ranging from yellow-green to red, peach, orange, brown People sitting and having tea around a long table with many small piles of wool in many colours ranging from yellow-green to red, peach, orange, brown
October 4, 2025 at 11:59 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
I’ve been waiting for this all year. It’s madder day! #botanicaldyes
Fresh bright red wool locks out of the madder pot with colourful tongs Samples of wool and yarn in various shades of peach, orange and pink
October 4, 2025 at 6:50 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
Where does one get a Hawkins Cheezies patch? Asking for me.
A punk in a skytrain station wearing a black leather jacket with metal studs and patches that say Anti-Nowhere League and Subhumans, with a large orange patch on his arm that looks like a bag of Hawkins Cheezies.
September 23, 2025 at 1:18 AM
eebeejay.bsky.social
If you’re at Draw the Line in Vancouver drop by Trillium North park afterward for Worldwide Spin in Public Day! #spinning
Flax stricks with a sign showing an Elizabethan looking woman with a spinning wheel that says this machine kills fascists.
September 20, 2025 at 9:09 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
New thing to opt out of! LinkedIn wants to use your data for generative AI www.linkedin.com/mypreference...
Data for Generative AI Improvement Can LinkedIn and its affiliates use your personal data and content you create on LinkedIn to train generative AI models that create content? Use my data for training content creation AI models When this setting is on, LinkedIn and its affiliates can use your data and content to train content-generating AI models that are used in product features. The data we use for this purpose does not include your private messages. Learn more
September 18, 2025 at 5:52 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
This was him last year. He’s all grown up now!
Juvenile great blue heron hanging out beside the Simon Fraser University AQ Reflection Pond
September 8, 2025 at 11:21 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
My work friend is back. @everyheron.bsky.social
A great blue heron standing on the jade boulder in the Simon Fraser University AQ Reflection Pond A great blue heron standing on the jade boulder in the Simon Fraser University AQ Reflection Pond
September 8, 2025 at 9:04 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
My office whiteboard is ready! #MinCup25
I have reproduced this year’s Mineral Cup bracket on the whiteboard outside of my office. The starting matches are, in chronological order: chrysotile versus pectolite, stibnite versus okenite, jeremejevite versus haüyne, calcite versus perovskite, silver versus baryte, carpathite versus leucite, sanidine versus hematite, pollucite versus tugtupite, kosmochlor versus azurite, dioptase versus wavellite, titanite versus thortveitite, zunyite versus molybdenite, topaz versus kyanite, cuprosklodowskite versus ikaite, taenite versus nontronite, and paddlewheelite versus mannardite.
August 30, 2025 at 12:39 AM
eebeejay.bsky.social
I’ve been contemplating posting/trolling it on my LinkedIn as a professional accomplishment because I hate LinkedIn. My mittens are also the best.
A pair of blue and white fair isle mittens with a fish pattern and blue first place ribbon
August 25, 2025 at 9:53 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
I’ve been way too busy this year to keep you all up to date on stuff I’ve been working on this year, but since we’re talking about fairs… I made the best basket.
A woven willow basket turned on its side so you can see the interior. A leather strap is dangling from the rim. A paper tag states my name and a description of said basket. A blue first place ribbon is stapled to it.
August 25, 2025 at 9:50 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
Hand for scale because I need you to appreciate how massive this bobbin is. #TourdeFleece #handspinning
120 grams of grey two ply Rambouillet yarn on a bobbin that dwarfs my left hand
July 13, 2025 at 9:57 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
Glad to say that the improvised lazy Kate is working! Speedy performance through Stage 6 and hoping that there’s enough room on this bobbin to ply everything. Things always get a little hairy after 100 grams. #TourdeFleece #spinning
One large spinning wheel bobbin half filled with 2-ply grey Rambouillet yarn
July 12, 2025 at 12:10 AM
eebeejay.bsky.social
I spent the Stage 5 time trials being annoyed with my lazy Kate and making a better one out of a box. Sometimes low tech is best! #TourdeFleece #spinning
Two large spinning wheel bobbins filled with grey wool singles sit on top of a box that is slightly wider than them. I cut notches out of the edges to hold the dowels running from end to end.
July 12, 2025 at 12:08 AM
eebeejay.bsky.social
Today’s #TourdeFleece progress: finished my second bobbin of Rambouillet. Tomorrow we ply!
A bobbin of pale grey Rambouillet wool on my spinning wheel
July 9, 2025 at 4:48 AM
eebeejay.bsky.social
I have mountains of fibre to get through this #TourdeFleece2025 so we’re starting with finishing up this Rambouillet to get it off my bobbins. #spinning
My left hand pinching drafted Rambouillet wool fibre while spinning Spun grey Rambouillet wool on a bobbin
July 6, 2025 at 12:36 AM
eebeejay.bsky.social
I don’t know what you did today but I made a basket.
Willow basket progress shot The same willow basket, finished with a carrying strap
June 30, 2025 at 4:23 AM
eebeejay.bsky.social
Baskets!
Progress shot of my willow basket. I’ve added vertical ribs to the edges and a concrete brick at the base for stability Progress shot of my willow basket. I’ve added vertical ribs to the edges and a concrete brick at the base for stability
June 29, 2025 at 12:19 AM
eebeejay.bsky.social
Life’s short. Make baskets.
The woven base of the willow basket I’m making
June 28, 2025 at 9:48 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
Lots of great reading material at this year’s @swcc-can.bsky.social book awards this year! Looking forward to adding a bunch to my tea list. #SWCCReads2025
The book porch at the Science Writers and Communicators Conference
June 12, 2025 at 1:20 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
I’M ON A BOAT
The control room of the Barnston Island ferry A sign with the Barnston Island Ferry information
May 17, 2025 at 5:56 PM
eebeejay.bsky.social
I visited the world’s largest cyclotron @triumflab.bsky.social for the Global Physics Photowalk and all I got was these awesome socks. (Photos to follow) #PhysPics25
Front entrance of TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator and the world’s largest cyclotron. Official TRIUMF socks, knit in a turquoise and yellow repeating geometric design.
May 12, 2025 at 10:34 PM