More Magicians

Since I have little to report but another milimeter of growth on the Black bag this is a good opportunity to answer a question about another magician. Namely the Amazing Jonathan. There are a couple of definitions about what make a proffessional magician. One is membership in one of three groups The Magic Castle, Internation Brotherhood of Magicians and Society of American Magicians. His has performed for each of these group and I am almost certain is a member of all of them.

The Second is prestige in the Magic Community. Unlike Mark Wilson, people will probably not be teaching magic classes out of any of the books that he has written. Unless they are talking about blue material. Although his material is more witty than most and does not rely on the F Bomb. A lesson that many people in Show Biz could learn from.

The last standard of a Proffessional magician is the amount of money they have made. And he has made a boat load. Hence he can afford expensive cars and floozies. Although these are proabably simulated floozies in the form of expensive models. And if you can afford to simulate floozies then you know you have really made it.

I have seen him at two magic confferences where he was on the slate with Jeff McBride, Harry Lorayne, Eugene Burger and other past and present greats. By the way for those of you keeping track clowns such as myself rank somewhere bellow your Uncle Sid with the "Got Your Nose Trick". Well Jeff and Harry are two of the best Magic teachers and performers that are out there. Even Harry who does not perform like he once did can kick the daylights out of that goof ball who locked himself in a box recently. At least Houdini stuck the box underwater. Harry to the best of my knowledge never needed Floozies real or simulated. Perhapse that is the difference between a class act and well all the other acts. Still, in this world where a comedy routine and or a magic routine rely heavily on profanity and nudity The Amazing Jonathan is much classier then most of his peers. And like contreversy in most of show bussiness it is a fiction used to hype shows and sell tickets. Except where David Blaine is concerned no one really likes him.


I have also been informed that there is at least one male member of the Punk Rock Knit Girls. Well that is reassuring, perhapse I should give it a shot. I do have lots of blue hair and a couple jars of Manic Panic.

Be safe out there and keep you stick on the ice.

Multiple People Blogs

I have always been facinited by the multiple people blogs. I have been reading the Punk rock Girls Knitter blog. It has people from many areas blogging about knitting. I have not found a punk rock knitters blog for boys. I probably could not pass myself as a punk rock girl.

Moving along I am still looking for new neat blogs.

Well I did not have much to to say. I am just not getting to sleep.

Contintue to have a good evening and keep you stick on the ice.

Male Knitter & Clown Stuff & A New Blog

The Wednesday group was nice this week. Much knitting was done and the black bag 2 continues to crawl along at a slow rate. I think I need some enchanted Needles like from Harry Potter.

From those that do not remeber one of my stated goals was to meet some other men that knit. Over the last couple days I have met four. Two attended the Hive Knitting Group a third claimed her could but forgot his knitting so I did not count him. I met an older gentalman on the bus who also claimed he could knit. As we were going through Arlington Heights {which is not that dangerous since they knocked it down} he refused to knit. He did not want to be outed in a dangerous neighborhood and could not beleive I knit on the bus.

When we were out of the dangerous neighborhood he showed me a lace top that he was making for his wife. Well Bob your secret is safe with me I will not tell anyone that you knit or that you are making a surpsie gift for your wife. He told me that she did not understand his knitting. He said that he was forced to hide his yarn from his inlaws and he had hidden his secret obsession all these years since he learned to knit in the Navy.

My wife locks me in the basement when company comes over so do not fell bad, Bob. Still, the basement is well ventalated and I get Grilled Cheese sandwiches when I am locked down there. I do like grilled cheese sandwishes. Velvetta should be one of the food groups if we still had food groups. That is if Velvetta was a really a food.

The fourth knitter is one of the Clowns that I am training. He is knitting and purling and I could not be more proud. It has been four years since I have done honest to goodness Master Clown work. I am thankful for the opportunity.

In semi related news the Clown Brigaide has been asked to perform it their first show. I did not think we would be ready for any sort of show our first year. I am proud that we will be able to perform after only four months of practice.

A very nice lady named Stephieface has been visiting my blog and her blog has a cheeky monkey featured today. He reminds me of myself at that age. I would have put a picture of the monkey on my blog but I do not know if that is allowable according to the blogging rule book.

well have a good evening everyone and keep you stick on the ice.

Sorry Mrs. Howe & The Incredible Nani Darnell

I think I tried to post the same thing about thirty times. I thought that I was not entering the little coded thing right and apparently she has to screen her comments. I am told that is what happens at the more popular blogs. Since I only have two readers I do not have to worry about strange people putting things on my blog. Although now that I think about it I am probably one of the stange people posting things on blogs.

Someone sent me an email ask Nani Darnell. Nani is married to one of the corner stone of 20th century Magic Mark Wilson. If she were starting here career now she proabbaly would have been on her own. magic if the last corner of the world that feminism has not conquered or even made a dent in. Besides being a talent magician in her own right { and better looking in tight then Mark, her husband} I am told she was the bussiness sence behind their act. If you go to the website , www.markwilsonmagic.com, you will see that he always reffers to "their act" and "us" as the performers.


Bellow are some publicity show from their T.V. show on CBS. They also worked with a clown name Rebo who I think was a Master Clown from Cole Brothers. Don't quote me on that it as been along time since I read about them. The rabbit was named Basil and also got top billing.

Well be safe out there and keep you stick on the ice.

Hive Knitting

We had eleven people at the group tonight. We had several members of the knitting group from Garfeild attend as a feild trip. It was nice to have the visitors and I hope they come back someday.

Using a gizmo { the Clover Wonder Knitter} and some stuffing I think I should be able to actually knit a Bee Hive. I think it would be nice to knit a hive for Hive Knitting. Well I will let you know how that goes if I do it.

It is late I just wanted to let both of my readers know Hive Knitting went well this evening.

Have a good evening and be safe out there.

Blogs I Read & Charity Knitting

Some one asked me what blogs I read. I am not sure if they were seriously looking for an answer still here it is. As far as most of the knitting blogs go I have listed them with links on the side bar. If anyone has a blog they think I should be reading please let me know. I do have a couple more to add but I am dispatching for the power outage in Duquesne. If someone is reading this blog then they are into some pretty obscure stuff. And I imagine they have been to some odd blogs.

Charity Knitting was nice today. I had not been able to get there because of church meetings and the like. I am told Stacy took a box of items down to our shelter. I am sure they went over well and I thank everyone who knitted and continues to knit for our Shelter.

Well have a good evening and keep your stick on the ice

Slow & Steady Progress

The Black Bag continues to make slow and almost painful progress. I have gone back to the old stand by strait knitting needles. It may be odd but I find them comforting. Well what can you do?

I am also working on putting my yarn stash into some semblance of order. In my Basement I have milk crates laid on their side to make up book shelves. I have putting netting across the bottom two third of the opening in them to hold the yarn. Fortunately my basement is dry even though it is not really finished. Still, the yarn is fighting for space with toys, books clown equipment and tons of other stuff.

I have also just purchased a fish for my other office at work. I let the church kids name him and they called him Sinister. Zoltan does not get play with Sinister because he like him a little too much. He does look a bit lonely to me and I will probably get him friend when I am near a pet store again. He is what they call a Lion head Gold Fish. He does not have a dorsal fin and had a calico color scheme. Actually he is not really that gold. I am told the designation Gold Fish refers to his breed not his color. Sinister had a four gallon fish bowl with little plastic plants in it. He appears to be very happy. On the Up side it probably does my office some good to have a living thing in it. Feng Shu or karma must be helped by him.

I am also going to starting Tai Chi at the Dojo of one of the soldier at my Corps. I get spiffy pajamas and slippers. They assure me the pajamas are not the reason that most people take Tai Chi. Still, I look at it is a nice benefit.

Well you all have a good evening and be safe out there. And no high sticking.

New Format

I am working on a new format for the blog. I am not thrilled with it yet. Perhapse some color changes. As always any suggestions are welcome. I was not thrilled with the rounders template. I still need to play with the spacing and layout especially on the sidebar.

I am very pleased with the new internet service. It is more reliable and I have more time to putter around with this thing.

Well I don't have much to say just making note of the changes. Stay safe out there everyone.

Following Natasha's Orders

Reading through the blogs today I stopped by Natasha's blog and there was this set of instructions. Well I pasted it here and filled in my answers. Please keep in mind that I am in a basement office surrounded by yarn toys and radio dispatcher equipment.

1. Grab the nearest book. Open the book to page 123. Find the fifth sentence.Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions."
The book closest to me is the Rand Mcnally St. Guide for Allegheny County. Actually I have most of Western Pa. and Ohio in map books. I picked Allegheny. On that page is the grid that includes Jackson and Forward Townships along with the northern part of Evans City

2.stretch your left arm out as far as you can...what do you touch first?
All the way to my left is a Canamex communication Quicktel paging System and a Bearcat 60 channel fire and police scanner

3. what was the last thing you watched on tv?
Law and Order Rerun

4. without looking, what time is it?
9:00 PM.

5.what is the actual time?
18:57 Ops Military time still I was close. The law and order rerun was ending

6. with the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Another law and order rerun. The scanner Alarm activation in Witaker, Refrigerator, dog , cat playing

7. when did you last step outside?
8:30 to let the dog in.

8. what are you wearing?
Khakis

9. when did you last laugh?
ten minutes ago when the cat slapped the sleeping dog

10. seen something weird lately?
the cat nursing on the dog.

11. what did you dream last night?
I drempt I was the skipper on a Ship of the Line fighting the Spanish and French squadrons North west of Gibraltar. I took out a two French frigates with a classic capping the t maneuver in only five broad sides.

12. what's on the walls of the room you're in?
I have a royal standard of Scotland, picture of John Demchak, a rack for holding yarn balls while knitting, clown shoes, ice skates tools, hats, compass, whistle

13. what do you think of this survey?
It is odd but it is like the last time I went to a shrink

14. what was the last film you saw?
Swashbuckler - a pirate flick with Robert Shaw and James Earl Jones

15. if you became a multi-millionaire overnight what would you buy first?
a new scanner a new church

16.tell me something about you that I don't know.
having never met Natasha well I like Jelly Beans.

17. what would you change about the world?
I would have no more pants for men, all men in kilts. And baseball teams would have Tartans. And Ghana would have won the world cup. And world peace.

18.Do you like to dance?
Yes I took tap and ballet

19. imagine your first child is a girl, what do you name her?
Lydia or Natasha Two Clowns I know.

20.boy?
Andrew or Zoltan I probably can't use Zoltan because of my cat Zoltan. It would probably give the boy a complex

21. would you ever consider living abroad?
I have live abroad I liked both Canada and Mexico.

consider yourself tagged if you want to be!

well that was fun. I anyone else wants to do it give it a shot.

New Blogs

I am impressed with new blogs on Pittsburgh Knitting. Just Be, Steel City Knitter, Mrs Bear and Knitsburgh are all very impressive. they each have a good layouts and lots of pictures.

It has continced me that my blog is the 3 am infomercial of the knitting blogging world. I will proabbaly have to get a camera and start sprucing up my blog. I am open to suggestions. So far folks have emailed me that my color scheme is ugly. I will proabably stick with the color scheme.
I suppose the header needs worked on. I do have a nice pciture of my cat playing with yarn that might make a good backround. I think I will use the picture of Russel Crowe knitting instead of me. I am told he is good looking.

On other fronts the knitting for our shelter is going well. A box of completed items have been taken to our shelter already. Any one wishing to join the group should go to Knit 1 on sunday afternoon from Noon to 4. I will be the one in the blue uniform with the bread. There is also Hive Knitting on the South Sides Monday at 7:00 PM the knitting group in Homstead in the Barnes and Nobles in the Water Front.

Have a good day keep you stick on the ice.

It has been a while. And really Big Needles.

My internet has been on the frits for several weeks. I am switching companies on monday. Since I started this blog I have had a several problems with my internet. Still, switching to another DSL company should allow me to add to the blog when I am awake at 4:00 on the morning.

Firstly I wold like to think Lynn for the gizmo. I have already been experimenting it. In recently months I have been experimenting with felting. Even thought this means that I must use a natural wool it is a very good process for making bags. Using the machine I have made a couple test swatches that could help me deign a felted apparatus bag. For those of you that know me that is the bag I carry my juggling equipment in.

I am currently putting together another a clown troop. I am going to have to make several new bags. Looking into the price of canvas if it takes less than 20 skeins it might be cheaper to make it out of wool. the only problem with this is the fact that it would take many weeks to make a bog and I will probably need to make 6 of them. Even as complicated as the bag is with it's expernal pockets there are only six angles on the bag and no button holes. I think I could make an entire bag in a couple days once I master the gizmo.

I may be heresy amoung some knitting circles but in the Circus circles it is what ever it takes to get the job done.

My wife is doing well and will be going back to school in a week. Sally and Zoltan are also doing well.

The new black bag is coming along slowly. I have decided to make it a little bigger. And since it will be felted it is going to be enourmous until it is felted. I have made one of the removable pockets and felted it. I am very pleased with the result. This first test pocket is one of the thing that makes me think it might be able to an Apparatus Bag from felted wool.

It is odd how some thing come full circle. I am told that this first bag that were used by my old circus just before the civil were felted wool much like Army Uniforms of the time were made from.

The only problem with the felted black bag is that I am forced to use a circular needle. I am apparenly the only person in the world that does not like them. And they do not like me. I just broke the one I am using today and I don't have another number 6 in the size I need. I will have to pick one up tommarrow. this further intensifies my desire to have a set of three and a half foot needles made. It may be considering the most insain madeness by most knitters, still, it is how I was taught. And a good set of steel needles never breaks.

I have found a welding company that is willing to take a crack at making these supersized needs. the old ones I used to have were just bare metal. Perhapse Rustolium would be strong enough to finish the needles. I do like the slightly tapered points on the Bryspuns that I have bee using. It should not be hard to replicate that with a grinder.

I have looked high and low an it looks as if no one makes such a needle anymore. maybe I am stuck in a bygone age. Still, they are easier.