The post 10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits (Portrait Photography Guide) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

How do you do portrait photography that has the wow factor? Capturing stunning portraits often seems difficult, but it’s actually pretty easy once you know a few tips and tricks. Below, I share my 10 absolute favorite techniques for shooting portraits, including tips for lighting, composition, perspective, and much more. I’ve also included plenty of […]

The post 10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits (Portrait Photography Guide) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

The post The Essential Guide to Low-Light Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Natalie Denton (nee Johnson).

Low-light landscape photography offers a unique challenge for photographers. On the one hand, a landscape lit by softer, subtler light can result in the kind of magical shots that go beyond more conventional photos. On the other hand, capturing these scenes requires a careful approach and a keen understanding of camera settings. But don’t fret! […]

The post The Essential Guide to Low-Light Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Natalie Denton (nee Johnson).

The post 17 Beginner Photography Tips (How to Get Started) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

Talk to an experienced photographer, and they’ll tell you that photography is both incredibly fun and extremely rewarding. When you’re just a beginner, however, it’s easy to become overwhelmed; after all, you have to understand so many details, covering gear, camera settings, post-processing, lighting, and more. But don’t worry! I’ve been exactly where you are, […]

The post 17 Beginner Photography Tips (How to Get Started) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

The post 7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

When the weather gets rainy, most photographers put away their gear – but in my view, that’s a mistake! There are literally hundreds of great rainy day photography ideas. They don’t take great technical expertise, fancy equipment, or waterproof housing; in fact, all of them can be done from the comfort of your own home. […]

The post 7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

The post How to Use a Graphics Tablet to Edit Photos: 10 Powerful Tips appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

Photo editing is simpler than ever thanks to the power of a graphics tablet! Explore our top 10 tips to level up your skills. If you’re just getting started with post-processing and retouching, you’re probably using a mouse and keyboard combo. You can get by with this setup, sure. But when the tasks become more […]

The post How to Use a Graphics Tablet to Edit Photos: 10 Powerful Tips appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

The post Smartphone Photography: The Essential Guide (+ 15 Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.

These days, you don’t need professional photography equipment to take stunning photos. The smartphone in your pocket has the power to capture the kind of high-quality shots you can find in magazines – and it’s extremely easy to use, too! That said, smartphone photography involves more than grabbing that iPhone or Google Pixel, turning on […]

The post Smartphone Photography: The Essential Guide (+ 15 Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.

The post 12 Tips for Self-Portrait Photography (+ Examples) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Guest Contributor.

Starting a self-portrait project? Want to capture beautiful portrait photos using nothing but a camera, a tripod, and your own ingenuity? Self-portrait photography can be an outstanding creative outlet, and it can be a lot of fun, too. But it can also be very challenging; you have to deal with a variety of factors, including […]

The post 12 Tips for Self-Portrait Photography (+ Examples) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Guest Contributor.

The post 12 Tips for Stunning Urban Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Leanne Cole.

Urban landscape photography is all about taking the chaotic complexity of a city and turning it into well-ordered, beautiful compositions. But if you’re just a beginner – or even if you’re a more experienced city shooter – you may struggle to get solid results. After all, cities are often messy, unstructured, and full of movement; […]

The post 12 Tips for Stunning Urban Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Leanne Cole.

Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, and Rogue Squadron are coming out as new trade paperback editions in September as part of Del Rey's Star Wars Essential Legends Collection.

Author-illustrator Ken Lamug has created award-winning picture books and graphic novels. Born in the Philippines, Ken moved to the US with his entire family during his teenage years. His debut middle grade graphic series, MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM #1: BORN TO BE BAD, launched this week from Katherine Tegen Books / HarperCollins!

Mischief and Mayhem is about Missy and her cat Gizmo. They were kicked out of superhero bootcamp. Now it's time for some super-villainy! I love the plot twist that the main character, Missy, decides she doesn't really fit into the labels the world she lives in has created; she's not really a villain, nor is she a superhero.  

Links where you can find out more: MischiefBook.com, Ken on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. His website: Rabbleboy.com.

Q. I read that MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM started as a 32-page picture book story. How did it end up as a graphic novel?

Yep! The idea for Mischief and Mayhem started as a 32-page picture book - originally titled "Mischief the Supervillain". At the time, I was focused on my picture book ideas and wasn't even considering graphic novels. I had experience illustrating books, so I knew it was just a matter of time until something clicked for me. I went through the steps book creators are familiar with: writing the manuscript, creating dummies, and many rounds of revisions.

The dummy went through the submission process and even hopped to another agent (when I switched to a new one). We received a few rejections and a few interesting comments. One of the more resounding comments was that the idea was cool and needed to be expanded. But the picture book format limited what we could do.

We finally received an acceptance offer along with a caveat... turn it into a graphic novel! Yikes!

A few things scared me about this: it would have to be in full color, and at least 240+ pages. How does one turn a 32-page picture book into something that big?

And before anything was signed, I had to give the editorial team a few things: a fully illustrated first chapter, and a full outline for the book. This would give them a better idea of the story and my comic style. So I added new characters, expanded the moments from the story, and added a lot of jokes!

Once the editorial team gave the thumbs up, I was off to the races to get my debut graphic novel complete.

EXTRA: You can find out more about Ken's process as well as sample sketches in his Q&A with We Need Diverse Books.

Q. I've been thinking about a graphic novel middle grade project, but am intimidated by the amount of time the ART could take. Do you have any tips? How much time did MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM TAKE YOU in total? Were you working on anything else at the same time?

No kidding. Graphic novels ARE a lot of work. I've easily spent 1000 hours on Mischief and Mayhem (including creating marketing materials, videos, etc.). I also have a day job, so most of my after-hours are spent working on the book (typically around 5 hours on the weekdays). I basically stare at the computer screen all day!

During this time, I was also creating art for a picture book. And since the schedule for picture books are a bit more relaxed, I was able to squeeze it in without much problem.

Here are some tips I hope you'll find useful:

1. Working digitally has helped increase my productivity. It's easier to create dummies, inking, make revisions, and get feedback.

2. Scheduling and planning are very important. Find out the deadline, how many pages you can complete per day, and do the math.

In my case, I've determined that I am inking(outlining) about 1 page per hour. This means it will take me roughly 250 hours to outline a 250-page book. Based on that number, I can then determine if my deadline is a realistic goal. I know, it's a lot of math but it does help and you will be able to strategize how you approach the project.

3. Streamlining your art style. This varies depending on your abilities and time. Some artists are blessed enough to work full-time on their books and with longer deadlines. But if you're not one of them, then I would suggest streamlining the look of your characters, your drawing techniques so you can work faster and efficiently. Some artists are able to also hire a team to help support the rest of the task such as coloring, inking, letter, etc., but a majority of graphic creators are one-person operations.

4. Don't forget to take a break and enjoy life.

Q. What advice do you have for young graphic novel writers and illustrators?

Start small. You don't have to create a big "novel" length book right away. I started my comic book journey when I submitted a 4-page comic to an anthology. After I gained some confidence, I started creating 24-page comic one-shots (single issues). And it just kept growing from there.

Comics should be fun for both the creator and the reader, so make sure to enjoy the process and don't stress out about getting it right the first time.

Q. What's next for you?

I just finished illustrating a picture book called FAMILY BUSINESS (by Lenore Appelhans). It's about a raccoon family who seems to always get into trouble. I'm excited for that to come out (no dates yet).

I'm also in the middle of Mischief and Mayhem book 2. As I write this my hand is hurting from illustrating a "Where's Waldo-Esque" spread. Ha! But I'm proud to say the art has improved and the story is even bigger than the first one.

I've never really had a big plan for my drawing/art career. It's all a blessing and a humbling experience. I just hope that the readers love the stories and connect with the characters. So we'll see what happens next!

~~

For more interviews with children's book creators, see the Inkygirl interview archives.

Brian McLachlan is a cartoonist who's worked for Nickelodeon, The Nib and the New Yorker. He writes the monthly comic Spruce Street Squad for Owl Magazine. His book, Draw Out The Story: 10 Secrets to Creating Your Own Comics is an ILA-nonfiction award winner. Each Tuesday he hosts a group of artists in a PG-13 game of Dungeons & Dragons where they live draw what happens in game on Twitch, called Magical Marker ( MM ). You can find Brian at his website, on Twitter, and Instagram.

Synopsis of COMPLETE THE QUEST: THE POISONOUS LIBRARY (Imprint/Macmillan):

Save your kingdom in this interactive role-playing adventure, which reads like a graphic novel but also plays like a game! It’s perfect for fans of all ages who are interested in the exciting world of fantasy gaming.

Q. How did you come up with the idea for Complete The Quest?

Complete the Quest in a brand new mix of role playing game (RPG) and comic. It started as an experiment to see what would happen if I took a Dungeons & Dragons or Chose Your Own Adventure multi-path story and made it into a comic. How would the gameplay change by putting it into a visual space? For me, it was a literal game changer, turning the CYOA anxiety of multiple choices, into a laid-out, laid-back invitation to check all paths for your favourite way forward. It also encourages people to come up with their own, better solution if they want. While I always give the reader a clear path forward, I invite them to forge their own. It's a great introduction to co-operative storytelling.

Q. What was your writing/illustration process?

I draw a scene much faster than I can write about it. A picture's worth a thousand words and all that. So I draw my scripts in rough, laying out out the word balloons, figuring out how much space I need, how the page turns feel, etc. This was especially important for this comic gamebook which also filled with maps for the reader to navigate. We needed to see if the pathing was clear. Creating the tutorial was the most time intensive part, trying to make the most elegant, clear way to ease the reader into how the game part functions. I think we nailed it. I hear from parents who don't play RPGs that they were worried about the reading a gamebook, but they quickly "got it".

Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrators?

Advice is hard to give because everyone's different. Some people need to hear "finish what you start" and some need to hear "stop working on that thing, it's good enough". So my advice is to train your inner advice-giver and follow it. What is it about the way you work that you've been putting off improving, but could do right now? Because you know what type of story or art you're making, and if you're trying to make an apple, the best advice in making a banana isn't going to help. And the best advice in making an apple right-handed isn't going to help you if you're left-handed. Not all advice is for you, it's a skill to figure out what part is for you to take right now, later, or never.

----

Also see my other Inkygirl interviews with book creators and advice for young writers and illustrators from book creators.

That awkward gap between your refrigerator and wall doesn’t have to be wasted space. Palestinian DIY enthusiast Qamar Derbas (@decorista_93) had the same thought – and turned it into a brilliant pantry storage solution. Her clever IKEA hack transforms the IKEA GERSBY bookshelf into a rolling pull-out pantry that slides perfectly into that refrigerator gap. This project requires no special tools or much DIY expertise and takes a mere hour or two hour to complete. What’s more, the GERSBY bookshelf […]

The post The $50 Solution to Your Kitchen’s Most Annoying Gap appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

ZombieGeisha says: "My guinea pig, Spooky, making a mess of his orange snack."

Now Spooky, who is going to take you seriously when you can't even bother to wipe your chin?

Do you have a squee pet that you want to share with the world? Send us your pet pictures and stories, and they could end up on Daily Squee!

Client: “I need the number for Jack. Can you give me his number, please?”

Me: “Jack? Jack who?”

Client: “The manual for the modem said that I need to connect to Jack, so if you could give me his number, then I can connect with him.”

California-based Greatfill makes zero waste easy. With a variety of refillable household products, the company’s focus is on health for the home, humans and the environment.[...]

Do you know how much energy each appliance takes in your home? If you're like me, you get confused by the math on voltage because it doesn't account for use over time, but you do understand that EnergyStar rated appliances and LEED-certified efficient systems in your home are a good thing. If you haven't done a recent energy audit, here are some ideas for finding the energy vampires lurking in your home. [...]

If you've grown a garden for a while, you may have noticed that the last few years have been brutal due to climate change-related patterns. One month it's drought and the next it's flooding. What is the best watering system for your home garden and can it help you navigate the climate ups and downs? Here are some great options with the pros and cons so you can decide the right garden irrigation system for your micro climate.[...]

Los Angeles, often hailed as the entertainment capital of the world, is not only a hub for the film and music industries but also a fascinating canvas of urban design. The city's architectural landscape reflects a rich tapestry woven with threads of history, culture, and innovation. As one navigates the vast expanse of Los Angeles, it becomes apparent that the city's design is a dynamic fusion of tradition and modernity.[...]

In this edition of the Arsenal Women Arsecast, Tim and Jamie go back over the UWCL qualifying victories over Rangers and Rosenborg last week, the performances of Mariona Caldentey, as well as Laia Codina and Kyra Cooney-Cross and whether it will be difficult to dislodge them from the team, Tim and Jamie also look ahead to the next qualifying round against Hacken. Then there are listener questions about low defensive blocks and Arsenal’s finishing, team selection and whether Arsenal will add before Friday’s WSL transfer deadline.

Get extra bonus content and help support Arseblog by becoming an Arseblog Member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arseblog

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November 9 is the 96th birthday of Harrison Ruffin Tyler, a retired chemical engineer and a historical preservationist who lives in Virginia. His claim to fame is that he is the grandson of U.S. President John Tyler, our tenth president who served in office from 1841 to 1845. That's like, 180 years ago. How is that possible?

President Tyler fathered 15 children. The thirteenth was Lyon Gardiner Tyler, born in 1853, when the former president was 63 years old. Lyon Gardiner Tyler had six children, the fifth being Harrison Ruffin Tyler, who was born in 1928 when his father was 75 years old. Therefore, a president who was born 234 years ago has a living grandchild today. 

Harrison Ruffin Tyler is also a descendant of Pocahontas and several other prominent figures from both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Happy Birthday, Mr. Tyler. -via Boing Boing

(Portrait of President Tyler from Wikimedia Commons)

You've certainly heard of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, but have you heard of the Nutty Narrows Bridge? Futility Closet introduces us to this bridge that was built in 1963 in Longview, Washington.

Workers in an office building near the R. A. Long Park noticed a number of squirrels that were killed crossing the street from the park to an area with abundant nut trees. They proposed that the city build a bridge for them. Two local architects and an engineer designed the bridge, and it was built by contractor Amos Peters. He built the bridge with recycled aluminum piping and a recycled fire hose, for a total cost of a thousand dollars. The bridge is 60 feet long and 22 feet high over the street. A city councilwoman named it the Nutty Narrows Bridge. The bridge has since been removed and repaired several times, and the location has been changed slightly a couple of times. The squirrels love it and use it regularly. The tourist attraction is known as "the world's narrowest bridge," and inspired the city to launch their annual Squirrel Fest in 2011. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. -via Nag on the Lake  

(Image credit: SounderBruce)

Plant-based paper has been used for thousands of years, but exactly how is it created from trees?

This week was a total digital dumpster fire! Hackers were like, "Let's cause some chaos!" and went after everything from our browsers to those fancy cameras that zoom and spin. (You know, the ones they use in spy movies? ????️‍♀️) We're talking password-stealing bots, sneaky extensions that spy on you, and even cloud-hacking ninjas! ???? It's enough to make you want to chuck your phone in the ocean.

Cybersecurity researchers are warning that a command-and-control (C&C) framework called Winos is being distributed within gaming-related applications like installation tools, speed boosters, and optimization utilities. "Winos 4.0 is an advanced malicious framework that offers comprehensive functionality, a stable architecture, and efficient control over numerous online endpoints to execute

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new malware campaign that infects Windows systems with a Linux virtual instance containing a backdoor capable of establishing remote access to the compromised hosts. The "intriguing" campaign, codenamed CRON#TRAP, starts with a malicious Windows shortcut (LNK) file likely distributed in the form of a ZIP archive via a phishing email. "What makes the CRON#

⚠️ Imagine this: the very tools you trust to protect you online—your two-factor authentication, your car’s tech system, even your security software—turned into silent allies for hackers. Sounds like a scene from a thriller, right? Yet, in 2024, this isn’t fiction; it’s the new cyber reality. Today’s attackers have become so sophisticated that they’re using our trusted tools as secret pathways,

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed new security flaws impacting Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop that could be exploited to achieve unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) The issue, per findings from watchTowr, is rooted in the Session Recording component that allows system administrators to capture user activity, and record keyboard and mouse input, along with a video stream of the

Q: What will happen in Donald Trump’s New York state criminal case now that he is president-elect?

A: Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26, but the judge could decide that sentencing is no longer appropriate. If Trump does receive a sentence, it could be appealed, or the judgment could be deferred until 2029, when Trump would be out of office.

FULL QUESTION

What happens if Trump wins the election and then he gets sentenced at the end of the month?

The post Trump’s New York Case: What Happens Now? appeared first on FactCheck.org.

Z went to a Duke recruiting weekend where accepted kids can get a feel for the university. He hung out with some kids who decided to go to Harvard and Stanford, and a bunch of kids who decided on Duke. What was similar about all of them? They talked openly about having autism. At lunch […]

The post What explains the outsized success of autistic applicants to college appeared first on Penelope Trunk Careers.

The post The Giant Fecal Art Object Appeared in St. Petersburg appeared first on English Russia.

The post The Best Works of Sergey Maksimishin: Prominent Russian Photographer appeared first on English Russia.

The post A Sculpture of an Easy Girl Appeared in the Belgorod Region appeared first on English Russia.

The post They Said “Give Weapons To Everyone” appeared first on English Russia.

The post Russia With Weapons by a Mentally Ill Artist appeared first on English Russia.

The post The Most Beautiful Country Photography Contest appeared first on English Russia.

April Fools Day is coming up!

Time to order your coffee-table book of April Fools RFCs!

More info here: https://www.rfchumor.com

Makes a great gift for nerds that own coffee-tables!

Order it today!

The defining detail of this traditional Shaker apple pie is the use of rose water in the filling. Sliced apples, brown sugar, and a splash of floral results in a special combination. Pair it with an all-butter crust and you have a beautiful apple pie on your hands.

Continue reading Shaker Apple Pie on 101 Cookbooks

1. “Wir müssen uns von der Vorstellung lösen, dass Journalismus gleichbedeutend mit Content ist” (journalist.de, Leif Kramp & Stephan Weichert) Bei journalist.de ist ein lesenswertes Interview mit dem US-amerikanischen Journalismus-Experten Jeff Jarvis erschienen, der gleich in der ersten Antwort ziemlich direkt wird: “Während wir die US-Wahlen durchlaufen, frage ich mich, ob es Zeit ist, den […]

Research by Princeton scholars at the Atacama Cosmology Telescope collaboration has culminated in a significant breakthrough in understanding the evolution of the universe.

The Princeton professor's research follows elephants, wolves and urban lizards. He hosts the new PBS series, "Human Footprint."

Two projects — one that maps the function of the brain’s neuronal network in unprecedented detail and another that combines robotics and light-based computer circuits to create safe self-driving vehicles — have been awarded funding through Princeton’s Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund.

The expansion will allow other national laboratories to join PPPL in supporting the growth of the next generation of innovators and technicians.

An international team of researchers and gamers, led by Princeton’s Mala Murthy and Sebastian Seung, mapped every neuron and every synaptic connection in an adult fruit fly's brain, building a comprehensive “connectome” that represents a massive step toward understanding the human brain.

“Close Encounters: Facing the Bomb in a New Nuclear Age” is on display at SPIA’s Bernstein Gallery through Oct. 25. 

Xie, a materials engineer, won a 2024 Packard Fellowship for creating atomically thin materials. “Thinking and inventing down to an atomic level like Saien is doing, most spectacularly I should add, is the future,” said James Sturm, ECE department chair.

The 9 a.m. service on Monday, Nov. 11, will also be livestreamed.

I started this project in October, 2014, so I would have a nice handwork project while traveling for a month in Europe. I love it!!!

A bunch of pre-cut threads and trims, a small package of mixed seed beads/buttons/sequins, a folded piece of felt with various sizes of needles, embroidery scissors, Sue Spargo's book, and 16 wool chicks already stitched to the background wool fit very nicely into a 12 x 9 inch zippered, mesh bag.... perfect to tuck into my backpack! I stitched on the airplanes, in people's homes, and with my beady/quilty friends! At the end of the month, 8 chicks were finished. You can see them here.


Since then, I've been busy making a Travel Diary quilt, and starting another very challenging "Shimmer" quilt, which will be the subject of the next post. However, once in a while, the Chicks are just the right break from machine sewing. Working on them makes me happy and peaceful.


The new ones are in this post... As you can see in the photo below, I still have 2 chicks to embellish, plus one that might need something more.


When all of them are finished, it will be time to decide what to do with them. My idea so far is to make them into a small wall quilt, hand quilting around the chicks, maybe adding a few flowers between some of the chicks.  I'll wait to decide, keeping all options open until the chicks are finished.


Most of the chicks are girls, but so far 3 of them seem to have a bit of testosterone...  can you tell which ones are the boys? You'll need to click on the above picture of all 16 to enlarge it enough to find the boys. If you feel like making a guess, let's give them numbers starting at the top left with 1 and going across row by row. As you can probably tell, the one below is definitely a girly girl!

By the way, the lace trim on the above chick is vintage lace from LaDonne Weinland, an Etsy vendor. It was white, which was too "strong" a color for this piece. So I painted dye on it!!! These are the pieces I painted. To give you an idea of scale, the lace is just under 1/4" wide. The chick, from the bottoms of her feet to the top of her crown, is exactly 3 inches tall.

Threads! 

People ask me where I got all the threads I use for these chicks. Here are some answers...

Variegated pearl cotton. I'd estimate that over half the stitches (all the beaks and feet, most of the edge stitches, tails, and top-knots) are pearl cotton, size 8 or 12. I like using threads that are subtly variegated. DMC and Valdani are two brands of pearl cotton that come in a ball for $5 to $7 per ball. I have purchased some Valdani balls from Sue Spargo and some from this site.

But most of my perle cotton comes from African Folklore Embroidery ... Leora Raikin, the owner, packages hand-dyed, variegated, pearl cotton on cards of three colors, each color about 10 yards in length, for $5.  She has a HUGE selection, from which you can have 24 colors for only $40!!! I love the colors, the subtle changes of colors in the variegation, and the quality of the thread. Here's a page that shows her colors in size 8 pearl cotton... mind boggling!

My photo does not show the full amount you get... only how it is packaged, 3 colors to a card!

Embroidery floss.  For finer stitches and details, I often switch to regular embroidery floss. Again I gravitate toward the variegated colors. DMC has put out a lot of new variegated skeins in recent years. If you have an older supply of solid colors, you might want to check out DMC's 24 new colors. Here's an Etsy seller that offers them. Or, if you are in the Seattle area, Nancy's Sewing Basket (on Queen Anne hill) stocks all of them. They are much more subtle than previous DMC variegated floss choices, more like hand-dyed. Anchor has also added nice options to their line.




I also buy hand-dyed embroidery floss when I see a skein that appeals to me. Again, I like the subtlety of it.

Other threads. Sue Spargo offers a line of variegated silk threads in beautiful colors, which she calls Silken Pearl. I bought some of them from her during the class, and have enjoyed using them. The sheen of the silk is a lovely contrast to the more matte quality of the pearl cotton.

In her book, Sue recommends using a wool thread to applique the wool chicks to the background wool. Since it is quite expensive, I used 60 weight cotton applique/sewing thread by Metler, which I already had in a range of colors. It works fine. If I didn't already have the Metler thread, I probably would have bought a set of Genziana wool threads on bobbins on Etsy, here. This wool thread is a bit too fine for embellishment work, but it's great for wool applique.

Novelty yarns, metallic threads, chenille, dazzle threads, etc. all have their occasional use as well. As I tend to like more matte and less bling, I don't often use these threads. But it's fun to experiment with them. I did use chenille on one of the above chicks... can you find it?