Viewer Mail 1 and a Black Bag Picture

Well I delved into another aspect of the whole internet knitting today. I started my own knitting ring on the Ring Surf type thing. Clown Knitting, well I bet you saw that coming. After six hours of having my very own ring surf net ring thing I am still not famous and powerful. Well I didn’t think it would go that fast. I will give it till tomorrow afternoon. So if you are a clown out there and knit, stop at the ring surf thing and or on the button gizmo on my side bar.

As I sit here I am watching the Red Green on the television. As always there are tools and men who do not know how to use them. Remember the right tool for the job may be efficient. But beating something to death with a hammer is more fun. By the way if you are from Canada you have a great country. I loved living there and had much fun. As David Foley once said Canadians are just like American just with fewer guns. By the way I have spent some time in rural Manitoba so that is not entirely true. And you know who you are.

I wanted to take some time to answer some question from emails.

Yes, No, No, Blue, 12, large Mouth Bass. Well I hope you remembered your questions.

I am sorry, just kidding. Someone wanted to know what my sign off meant at the end of my entries. Well, “Keep your Stick on the Ice” is something that little kids are told in hockey all the time. It is against the rules so making people do it is telling them to be fair. Also it is the sign off from the Red Green Show. Before the Red Green show an old clown I know used to tell his apprentices to keep their stick on the Ice. This is also super Canadian. The first part of it is from Sgt. Phil Esterhaus from Hill Street Blue. Possible my favorite television show. He would also finish the morning briefing with “Let’s be safe out there.”

The second question was what makes me so great. Actually it was not that flattering. They were referring to my email and instant messenger names Zeeppo_the_great. Well as a Master Clown my rank is Master. Well Master Zeeppo just does not sound right. And there is also the obvious white guy going around with the title Master. Any way when I had my Troop rather then call our Masters, Master on paper we put the great after their names. It has a show biz ring and does not offend anyone.

Some one also asked what my church is. Well I am a member of The Salvation Army. My individual church is The Salvation Army Steel Valley Corps. By the way being an Army we do not call our churches churches was call them Corps like in an Army.

If you have questions feel free to email me. Some months it is the only contact with the outside world I have.

As for actual knitting stuff I have a picture of the Black bag creeping along.

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

?Dondes esta mi Photographias?

I have noticed that a lot of people state what book they are reading on their side bar. Does anyone care what book I am reading?

I wonder why people are interested in this. It is some ploy developed by the intelligencia? Perhaps it is a voyeuristic curiosity. Maybe it is just small talk for blogs. As always I am open to opinions. Oh and in case you are curious I am reading Sea Change by Robert B. Parker. I good read if you are into detective stories.

The Black Bag got another row or two today. I am glad to note my wife’s crocheted blanket is coming along well. I will post pictures of it when I have them.

Gorillaz is on the Yahoo Radio. I always thought they were a neat group. They have combined such different styles into a single piece of music. And their videos are something else as well. Any way I degrees. I could probably spend the entire evening saying what I think about the pieces of music that is playing on the radio.

Oh Oh Soraya is singing Solo Por Ti. I have always liked here as well. She has a great vocal range and sings with a soul that is uncommon in popular music Spanish or English. By the way I was walking around the South Side down near the tenth street bridge and a guy came up to me. He was pointing at a bus ticket and saying “Donde”.

My Spanish may not be perfect but I told him it was across the bridge and to the left. He thanked me and went on his way. An older gentleman suggested that I was encouraging them. I asked him how he was sure that I was not one of them. I suppose he meant someone that spoke Spanish or I guess Mexican.

I am a white male, which I suppose gives me the right to decide who them is. The older gentlemen was also a white male and it would appear that he was exercising his right to decide who them is as well. Why is it that anyone we do not feel is a part of us is them. When I last checked there was no official language in this country. So until there is we should not grumble about them not wanting to speak English. Even thought it is the language of Shakespeare it is not that great. It is one of the few word order languages and large numbers of it’s words were stolen from other languages. It does not sound as nice as Spanish. And by the way Spanish was the language of Cervantes. If it is that important take a lesson from Canada and put your language into law.

Interesting La Tortura by Shakira and Horatio what’s his name is on now. Hmmmmmm, a lot of Spanish tonight. I suppose it is the mystical power of the internet telling me that I am right. Sanz I think his last name is Sanz. He has a pretty good voice as well. He did a really cool song with Nelly Furtado. According to her bio she grew up in B.C. (British Columbia for the non Canadian knowing people) and her parents were Portuguese. I wonder where she picked up Spanish well enough to sound that good singing it. I bet the Spanish speakin folks were not them or they in her household growing up.

It looks as if I have not talked about knitting that much. If this is your first time visiting my blog I do talk about knitting, sometimes. Just look down the other entries there is talk about knitting. I just tend to wonder around when I have keyboard in front of me. I suppose it is good thing it is attached to my computer or I would physically wonder around as well.

Any ways Knit One Blog Too was accepted me as a member of their Web Ring. My never ending journey to get to know the knitting on the web takes another step forward. There should be an evil laugh at this point but I do not know how to type that. I have a good deep voice so don’t give me a girly maniacal laugh. If anyone has a ring they think I should join let me know.

And what is wrong with Blogger. I know it is free service, still, I should be able to post some pictures and not have to go through tons of aggravation to do it. By the way that is a really cool Sawzall cutting pipe bellow. I know you all agree with me. Stephieface posted about piping a while ago. I am all about the plumbing. I have a torch, Sawzall and even a big old pipe threader type tool. If you are into tools I know you are jealous. And don’t’ get me started on wrenches.

Well I have wasted enough Cyber space this evening. Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.

I like Barry White alot more then a male should. Any way I had always wanted to be barry White. But every man wanted to be Barry White at one point or another.

Blogger didn't like me Yesterday

Dag nabbit this Thing did not let me post my pictures. This is a picture of one of my favorite tools. The cordless Sawzall. And here is after just cutting pipes. Nothing says manly like power tools.



And bellow is yesterdays Savage Chicken. We have bee talking about kilts alot so this one spoke to me.

Sawzall and Open Knitters

Today has been very cathartic for me and my blog. I spent a couple hours fixing a few of the links to my web rings. I also added a few links and created a couple new problems that I will fix later when I get around to it. By the way if anyone has a web ring they think I should join let me know. I am surprise by the number of people that stop by this blog.

I was wondering if people came to this blog through web rings or the Pittsburgh Knitting site. Maybe they are coming from the other blogs I submit to. Or perhaps there are some people out there that put some really strange stuff into the search engines and they came up with my blog. Either way I am not sure why I am curious about it.

I would like to understand the dynamic of the knitting cyberworld. There are a lot of creepy things out in the virtual world. The knitting virtual world appears to be untouched by that. I find that interesting.

I wonder what has moved so many people that they have the need to share. Maybe it is because I come from a world that there are so many secrets. There is an openness in the knitting world that does not exist in many other places. Like the Circus there is an odd mix of functionality and artistic talent. I had though that openness was due to the fact that there were not many people making a buck off of knitting. I suppose the truth is there are more people making a living off of yarn than face paint and juggling. So profit is involved in both.

I suppose there is not the ego that is common elsewhere. I don’t know I will have to consider this more.

By the way I think the next stop on my world tour will be the 61C Café next Wednesday. That would be for the Material Girl’s Knitting group. I have not found an email for a person in charge so I will have to go unannounced. Well except for stating it here. Since there are only two people that read this that probably does not count as an announcement. And if you are either of my avid readers I thank you for your attention. It makes up for the pony I did not get as a child. So the good knitters of Squirrel Hill be warned. I and my olive green tote will be visiting you. Perhaps, I should not say that ahead of time. They might cancel.

The Police just went off the Yahoo radio and now it is Stan Getz. I love the internet. Since I do not have the money to program my own radio station it is nice to have the internet version. I wonder if there is a way to pipe that good music into my blog. That would be nice. It would be like experinceing part of my single window subterranean world for yourself. Why you ask would you want to. I don’t know, I like it.

I have ranged far and wide without talking about what I am knitting. The black bag was worked on today and much was accomplished with the fixing of the blog and adding new gizmos. I wonder if I can get tee shirts printed for the world tour. That would be cool.

By the way I do read everyone’s comments and I too tear up at plumbing supplies and lumber. Oh Oh and a new Makita Sawzall, especially a Sawzall cutting pipe. I have to go and find a hanky.

Bellow is some Savage Chicken. Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice. And happy Rabbit Day.

Rabbit Day Yay!!!!!!!

I have spent the better part of the evening tweaking the Blog. Wow five years ago that would have been a really blue comment. Any way I have decided to add a new feature to my blog. So from now on Thursday will be Rabbit Day. Every Thursday I will show a picture of a famous Rabbit or a rabbit that I have worked with. And no magicians and clowns do not pull rabbit out of their hats by there ears. Even a well trained rabbit will bite you if you do that.

This young lad is Ruppert. He was one of the best little bunnies I trained.

No Time Tonight

I do not have much time the evening. I busy with the thing in East Liberty and cannot post a decent post tonight. I have a plan for the next two stops on my world tour and will talk about them next time. I have made my first button gizmo thing. I am going to enter in Stephieface's contest. This is it bellow. It is simple but I think it is good for a first try.



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

I want to see this movie.

I need to fix a couple things around this Blog & More on the the new Knitting Culture

Any way as it was pointed out to me some of the picture button clicking gizmos are missing from some of my links. I never did get around to loading up a few of them. So here are the ones that I did not load up.


Webrings are something that I have not done alot of. Some Blogs you visit and they have links to literally dozens of Web Rings. It is another part of this new knitting culture That I would like to understand better.

As I have been noticing the internet has shaped or maybe simply been used as a tool by this new knitting culture. As I am occasionally told, some of my views are the views that an old time knitter might hold. I suppose that may be because those who taught me to knit made Zimmerman look like a left wing knitter crazy. Although I still think they had good reason to shun circular needles and natural fibers because of what they were doing.

Oh sure there are still the Yarn Snobs and Knitting Nazis that there have always been. With the internet added to the mix the smaller groups in the knitting world are able to look out and find others like them. I am still looking for a clown knitting ring but I digress. Groups are doing new and innovative things that were once considered wrong by the knitting establishment. And groups are so specialized that some things that were once neglected are being experimented with in depth.

I have found dozens of people that are working on those fingerless gloves on the internet. And now when there were once a few patterns there are dozens freely being shared. The same is true for many other things in this knitting cyberworld that has breached the convention that some may have though stagnated the knitting world.

I friend of mine was telling me that there is an internet group that is trying to get the old British Sci Fi series the Tomorrow People on DVD (and if you have heard of this you are a huge nerd). Similar groups have probably saved series like Dr. Who and made Sci Fi in general more main stream. At one point the major networks would only dabble with Sci Fi once and while. Now for five or six years there have been several offerings of various degrees of quality.

I have been lamenting that this current trend in popular knitting is probably doomed like all the other rises and falls in Knitting History. Perhaps this new element of cyberspace is what is needed to stabilize that trend. Oh am sure that ten years from now we will not be getting the newspaper coverage that we are now. Still, even if this bubble of popularity slows down I have hope that the internet will keep innovation and maybe even a chunk of that knitting community going through the next slow time. Maybe even hold off the next slow time all together.

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

Knitting Today

I am used to being stopped on the bus or in public while I am knitting. It has come to the point that it does not bother me when people ask me silly questions about knitting. Today I was sitting on the bus and a young man looked over to me and asked if I like what I was doing. The thing was that I was not knitting, I was reading a book. Well, I suppose there is one on every bus.

Knitting is going on as always. The black bag is creeping along.

I am also working on a juggling sweater. I do not know where my old one is and winter is coming around again. It is just like any button up Mr. Roger’s type sweater. I am not sure what color it should be. I am leaning toward red hear mexicana. The ones I had were acrylic. Just warm enough to take the chill off but not enough to make one sweaty while juggling. This sweater also has very large ribbed cuffs. They are made so the sweater is tight around the forearms. It may not be a fashion statement, still, it is helpful for juggling.

The sweater also has shoulder loops. I am not sure if I am going to do the rank thing with my troop yet. If we do then we will need them. Other wise they are not much of a fashion statement. Although, tradition may win out even if they are not needed.

It is nice working on making something that will need a pattern. I have not written a pattern in a while. With the black bag, scarves and the odd little project I have not really made anything that complicated recently. It will be nice to do something like this.

The booklets for the knitting church knitting is also coming along slowly. I have been working on the section about how to knit. I have a little more typing on the section on knitting equipment and then that should be out of the way. All and all it is shaping up nicely. I think it should be thrown together in no time.

Well I don’t have much to report this evening. Tomorrow is another knitting group. I have not decided what knitting group to go to on my world tour next. When I do I will post.

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

Savage Chicken and Other Cool Stuff

Someone sent me this on the electronic mail thingy. It is cartoon sort well I will let you look at it.

<http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=M6ZjMWLqJvM>

My Punk Rock quetionaire Again

My questionaire rolled off my page so I am posting is again

1) How long have you been spinning/Knitting/Crocheting? 18 years

2) Do you consider yourself a beginner, novice, or experienced Yarn Artist? experinced

3) What type of fibers have you worked with? Acrylic, mohair, wool, llama, wire, all kinds of stuff

4) What types are you dying to try? I've already worked with most stuff

5) Are you allergic to anything, (Fibers, Food, Smells that make you want to puke, etc.)? Just bees

6) Do you have any Disorders, ex: Diabetes? Arthritis

7) What is your Favorite Time/Style period, ex: Romatic, Grecian,Metal, Goth,etc? Colonial America, 1940's

8) What fibers do you dislike? Do not really have a dislike.

9) Name some of your favorite Artist, Movie wise, Television if you watch it ex: I heart Keanu, some things cant be helped, and Rachel loves Mike Ness !? Judy Dench, Liam Neeson, Helen Hunt, Harrison Ford,

10) Whos your favorite Character ex: Jack or Cpt Jack? Horatio Hornblower

11) Do you prefer natural colored fibers, or handpainted/dyed fiber? I like artifical fibers.

12) What are you favorite colors? reds, blues, pruple

13) What colors do you dislike? Flurecent

14) What projects are you currently working on? Knitting bag, Pink scarf, todler sweater, kilt socks

15) Do you have a wishlist?

16) Do you have any other favorite hobbies? Carpentry, juggling, canoeing17) Whens your birthday?(mm/dd) Thanks Rach' june 19

18) What is your favorite food, candy, scents that you love!! Etc.? Fetuccini Alfredo, Stash licorish spice tea, rock candy, root beer logs,

19) Are you pierced at all? Any tattoos? Can you/would you wear jewelry that real? I only wear my wedding rings. Don't wear jewelry because of my proffession. Working on my first tatoo that would give away my identity.

20) What do you like Culturally, ex: Celtic, African, Devil Worshiping, Kidding!? Scotland,

21) What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? hand made wrap, rolling tote for classes, boxes, fishing tacle boxes, on the computer table. In the rafters in my basement and a couple other places

22) What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) My computer can play MP3 and I like rock, bag pipes, old school rap, clasical, techno. all kinds of stuff

23) What's your favorite season and why? winter I like snow

24) What season do you abhor? Summer I don't like heat and there is no snow

25) How about Sports, any that you just cant get enough of or do they make you throw up in your mouth just a little? I played soccer, cricket, baseball I don't like watching sports.

26) What is your family situation Do you live alone? I live with my significant othrer and various animals

27) Do you have any pets? Yes

28) Do you like handmade gifts? not really

29) What’s your favorite thing to make, knit/crochet or other craft wise? hats, scarves, vests

30) Do you prefer straight or circular needles? strait

31) Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? yes

32) Tell us how you learned to knit/crochet? I learned as part of my training for my job

33) Do you enjoy getting helpful hints from others or does it just piss you off? I like advice

34) How old is your oldest UFO? 14 years old

35) Is there anything that you collect? books, balls, tools

36) Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? Squirrel & Yarn Red Heart Mexicana

37) What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have if any? Knit 1, Rebbecca, Vogue Knitting

38) Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? i just need to practice what i know

39) Do you enjoy knitting socks? How big are yer boats (feet)? My boats are really big.Yes I like knitting socks

40) Deleted

Blue Blanket

This is the blue blanket I could not picture yesterday. I am going to try and sleep tonight so I will not be saying much except for several unimporetant things.

Well Hive Knitting was nice this evening. Someone from the wednesday group came to visit it. It is also most like baseball teams trading players except nothing like that.

Anyway my kilt has been the topic of conversation recently so this is the Savage Chicken for this evening.

Well there is a call coming in that I may have to dispatch. I have to go. I might be back .

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

Knitting Heritage

Charity Knitting was nice today. A lady and her daughter who had attended Hive Knitting showed up today. In addition to her daughter her son also knits but refuses to in public. I finished a blue blanket that was working on for Charity Knitting made from Galaxy super bulky yarn. It is a nice little acrylic that is soft and knits up fast. And with a stockinet center and a garter boarder I think it is a nice effect. I have a couple ends to weave in. Blogger is not letting me load the picture I will put it up when I can.

As I think about the generations of knitter I am forced to think about the line of people who taught me to knit. My clown mentor Beeppo (yeah that is where the name came from) learned from his mentor Beepko (and you can see where his name came from). Both were male and had come from hard lives. They had joined the circus both victims of the injustices of their time. B (Beeppo), was the son of a rather unenlightened Pentecostal Minister in Ohio who used his family as a punching bag. As a young teen in the 20’s he decided this was no way to live and ran off and joined the circus.

After he secured a place as an apprentice it became apparent that he had inherited some of his father’s racist tendencies. To cure him of that they assigned him to Beepko. John Smyth was also a young man in an untenable situation when he joined the circus. It was shortly before the Civil War and the Circus had gone to Richmond for their first tour of the South. Since the Clown troop was about a third black they figured the time was wrong for the Southern Tour and headed back to Philadelphia. As they were in the Richmond area young John Smyth took his opportunity to escape. He was what they called a house boy. He entertained his master and fetched things. As he was reaching his twelfth birthday he could see that his next stop would soon be their fields.

He hid in the Circus slop wagon eating the food waste on his trip north and when in Philadelphia he went to the local abolitionist society and told them his story. They said great, get a job kid. Well he went back to Circus and became a clown. Apparently one of the things his did as part of his duties on the plantation was to knit. I was told that he made one of my old Circus’ first long scarves and long sweaters and was one of the early pioneers in those routines.

Well I didn’t come from a family that knit. My mother sewed as do I. Someone was talking today about their great family heritage of knitting. Until I was thinking about John and B I never really thought I have a knitting heritage. B would tell me about John and the fact he learned to knit from his mother who encouraged him to escape when he could.

John was afforded a certain amount of protection because of his skill with the needles as was his mother and grandmother who he knew. I suppose that is as nice a knitting heritage as anyone has.

Well onto other subjects Hive Knitting is tomorrow on the South Side at 7:00 PM anyone that would like to join us please. Great fund will be had by all.

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

Zeeppo's World Knitting Tour :South Hill's Village Barnes and Nobles.

My world tour started yesterday at the Barnes and Nobles at South Hills Village. Not to go off on a tangent but this store is not in the mall. I am alright with stores that stand alone in the parking lot. This is good for fast food stores that need a drive through. This store is surrounded on three sides by the mall and is not connected. This is not right on many levels. Why can’t it have an entrance near the food court. No a person that has never been there before just wonders around aimlessly looking for the entrance and it is not there. An angry letter the Simon people is sure to follow.

Moving along The South Hills group is a nice little group that meets every other Friday some where in the disconnected book store. They have a space reserved for them with a little sign. No one at the Bee Hive reserves us a space. We have to fight the wanna be Goth kids for a space. Fortunately Clowns scare them. The space they are seated at is one of those book store over stuffed chair enclaves that are popular these days in book stores. Which island of over stuffed chair changes from week to week. So it is like a little knitting safari to find them. Don’t shoot any one when you find them. I am told that does not go over well.

Unknown to me I had met one of the ladies at the Knitting in Public event at the Point a few months back. The group is friendly and made up of mostly mothers and grandmothers. There was a teen age girl who dragged her boy friend along who browsed the stacks as the rest of us knit. As I have found with most Pittsburgh groups diversity was the rule, except for men. Several faiths were represented and coexisted in a way that the middle east should take note of.

The Knitting projects ranged from a prayer shawl, a new knitter swatch, a scarf and socks that are part of the sock wars going on the internet. I have always found that the better groups have people knitting on multiple levels. It is not just that they are teaching new people to knit, which they are. It is good for even seasoned knitter who gets to learn about something that they may not have known a great deal about. Even the finest knitters have not mastered every knitting skill. Eve though it is relatively simple the combination to create new things are endless. This aspect of knitting flourished best in the sort of environment that exists at this group.

And most importantly there were no fiber Nazis. This is not one of those groups that will turn their nose up at what you are doing because it is not alpha shaved by monks, spun by teen age girls under the management of a five hundred year old spinning master and transported to your local yarn store one skein at a time by camel train. I suppose that was a run on sentence. Still, this is a blog and if you expect editing you are assuming I have a budget or am capable of editing.

Well I don’t have a camera that can be disconnected from my computer so there are no pictures. In addition I am not sure if people would appreciate having the picture plastered on the internet. All and all a very nice group the meets in a geographically easy area to get to. Even for those of is who travel by mass transit.

This groups meet as 7:30 PM at the South Hills Barnes and Nobles. There next meeting will be two fridays from now.

If you have a group you think I should visit let me know. For now I am going down the list on Pittsburgh Knitting. And if you are not on that site go over and see it. From what I have gleaned it is the most popular internet resource for knitting in Pittsburgh area.

On other subjects I actually put a couple inches on the black bag yesterday and hope to do the same today. I think I may start calling it my retirement knitting bag.

For anyone that wants me to visit their group I will never say anything bad about your group in writing. That is just uncool. Every group has it’s merits and usually serves the needs of the people that attend them well. Although, there was that one group in Cleveland that was full of Fiber Nazis. And they were in Cleveland it goes not get any worse then that.

Well I will not say anything bad except for that group in Cleveland. Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.

Time after Time

I bet H.G. Wells didn't think of this.

A New Book and The Knitting Comunity at Large

Another day of knitting is coming to an end. I picked up a copy of “Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns”. It is published by Sterling Press. It has dozens of patterns and is brightly colored. It is a neat little book. In addition to the color pictures of there are charts and written patterns. There is also a legend for each of the charts directly next to it. I haven’t seen many books with all four of these elements together. And it’s only fifteen bucks. Most of the patterns are in Vogue Knitting Stitch books. Well there are not many books with over five hundred patterns in it.

On other subjects my projects continue to come along slowly.

I do think I am going to try and go to one knitting group that I have not been to every other week. I am traveling by bus so I imagine some of the groups will be harder to get to then others. I am not sure why I think this is a good idea. The Knitting Community at large is more active then I can ever recall it being.

What worries me is that it has definitely gone through cycles. With the exception of the Circus I cannot think of any group (apart from the Amish) that need to knit. I hate to think that this outpouring of excitement is a passing fad. Unfortunately, history would say otherwise.

I was talking with a woman in her fifties who noticed I was knitting. She stated that she knit in the late sixties and gave it up when it was not longer popular. I suppose there will always be ebbs and flows. I suppose I learned to knit at a low point in it’s popularity. So I figure I will continue to do it regardless. And it certainly it is not as popular among men as it once one.

Well I just wonder how long this current high will last. I suppose all I can do is just be part of it while it lasts. And when I am telling an apprentice they have to knit ten or fifteen years from now I can tell them this was once popular. And that if they are luck they will get to be a trend setter when it is popular again.

Well I am not sure where that ramble was going. Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.

This reminds me of some missionaries I knew who did not know how to preach to the group they were preaching to.

My Young Apprentice and Mexicana

A lovely day was had at knitting at the Water Front. My young apprentice is casting off and on, knit and purl stitches all the things a good knitter should be doing. He is currently working on a checked swatch, life is good. After this swatch he should be starting his first project. I am not sure he wants to do. Still, I am sure it will be good no matter what it is.

The black bag creeps along at it’s snail like pace. I still, hope to live long enough to see is completed.

On the up side I did find some mexicana colored yarn today. I did not see it on the Red Heart web site and it had not been in stores for a while. This is good I need to make a new clown sweater and this is the yarn you do it with. Well it is a yarn you can do it with. the ghost of Joseph Grimaldi will not come in kill me in my sleep if I use the wrong yarn. Well at least I don’t think it will. I suppose it is better to be on the safe side.

Another mile stone for an apprentice clown was met today as he bought his first set of make up. This is heart wrenching touching stuff if you are into clowning. I would be crying right now if I were not such a manly man.

On other knitting fronts my yarn stash continues to grow. My yarn is stored in milk crates. Over the next week I think I am going to have to add a couple more milk crates for yarn storage. I am going to stock pile as much mexicana as I can because it appears to be a seasonal yarn even though I have no proof of that. I am sure I will be filling at least one milk crate with it so that I can have an adequate stock of it for the next year. I will probably also start to stock some navy blue as well. Even though this is common I am beginning to form an idea of a uniform sweater and it will probably have blue in it. I will begin playing around with it when I have a couple more UFOs out of the way.

OBK is playing on the launchcast. it is a Spanish techno group I recently discovered. They are cool and have a great sound. I have not found out if they have done an English album yet. If their popularity has anything to do with their talent then they will cross the pond soon. Well Kidney Stew by Count Basie is coming on and I think this entry is beginning to wind down. Letterman will be on soon and all is right with the world, except for everything that is wrong.

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

I feel like the Pet rock some days

Fire Stuff & Kniting Stuff

The last couple days have been very busy. With September 11 one of the Fire Associations I attend moved their meeting back a week. So both associations met within a couple days of each other. The nice thing is that this is my second or third year attending these meetings. They already know I am nuts so they do not mind knitting. At the County Volunteers meeting my wife worked on her red yellow and blue blanket the entire way through the meeting.

I am sure this has nothing to do with knitting, still, there is a lot of legislation out there that has been shelved. Any one will to write their local politicos email me.

Onto actual knitting. I finished a blue baby blanket out of Super Chunky for knitting for charity. I will be putting in the booklet. By the way the Booklet is up to ten patterns. I figure there should be about thirty. As always anyone with a cute pattern for babies, children or adults that could be done by a beginner please email me. And it must be able to be published.

I am backing up my case for knitting at the waterfront. The black bag creeps along. I am hoping to have it done before I retire in thirty years. I am still debating what to put on the flap. Since I am a good long while from that part of the bag I will have time to mull it over.

I am sure I will post again today. So both of my fans do not despair. Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day

Kntting Tonight

Tonight was a good night for knitting. It has been along day and I am sleepy. Will post when awake.

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

HELP!!!!!!!

I thought this was cute.

The Many Colors of Squirrel & and a 12 Step Program for Sheep

Unlike silly sheep that only come in three colors the squirrel come in many colors. From gray to black to brown to red and stripped.

Someone somewhere should be knitting with squirrel. As Monty Python might say they are cute and cuddly and ready to please.

People make paint brushes out of squirrel hair so why not yarn. It may not be very soft still it would be really cool. "What is your sweater made from?"

"Why it is made from squirrel." I would say.

"That is so cool, I want to be just like you Zeeppo."

I was at knit 1 in Squirrel Hill today I should have asked if they had any squirrel. They probably did not. Still, I should have asked.

I think this black one is dancing. I never really thought that a squirrel could bust a move. Just another example of how much we have underestimated them.

They are all nature's all terrain vehicle. They can swim run up tree and some can even fly over short distances. Can you say that about sheep? I think not. Sheep are truely slackers. They lay about and wait for a hair cut. It doesn't get any lazier than that. Squirrels even feed themselves. The average sheep has to have food brought to them.

This is yet another reason I think we should not knit with wool. We are enabeling sheep. They are like alcoholics that need a twelve step program.

Step One: admit you have a problem.

Step Two: get off your furry little buts.

Step Three: feed and take care of your little slacker selves.

Well I guesse it is only a three step program. If we truely love our sheep we would love them enough to tell them they have a problem. Once again this is something we do not have to tell the petrolium based acrylic yarns. Petrolium runs industry and almost everything produced today has some plastic in it. Have you ever heard of a lazy barrel of oil. I think not.

Well I am not sure where I was going with all of this but there it is. And if you are one of the two people that is reading my blog you are used to it.

I did finish a blue baby blanket for Charity Knitting. I think it will go in the booklette

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

Road Crossing Chickens

Well this is one they had to tackle. You cannot do a chicken cartoon with out this one.

Fire Legislation and Super Squirrels

I was a t a fire association meeting this evening. I did not get a lot of knitting done. I would imagine we do not have very many fire fighters reading this. Any way there is some very important legislation that would help volunteer fire fighters that is tied up in committee. If you are interested in writing you state rep or senator email me and I will send you a list of legislation that should be passed.

Well I got home really late and need to go to bed. Make sure you brush your squirrels and keep the fur. If you brush sixty squirrels daily for an entire month you can make yourself a dandy scarf. And if you are living in the Midwest you have grey, brown, black and red squirrels to brush. natural color how can it get any better. There is nothing more super than squirrels.

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

In preparation for church this Sunday I thought this would be nice.

Your Knitting Could Save the World.

It has been a long day. I have still been working on my black bag. I even took some time out to crochet a wash rag. It is blue and I will bring it to the Monday group to show that still can.

The Hive Knitting blog is coming along nicely. Well I think so.

The Police are playing on the internet radio and I have been thinking about the last couple decades. I remember when my greatest fear was not hitting my mark in a routine or dropping a club in front of my mentor. Now we worry about hair gel on planes and death from above.

As someone on another blog suggested today knitting can keep one from committing homicide. So as you are knitting today remember you may be the last line of civilization. Be proud of yourselves. I will be here packing up my spare knitting needles and yarn. I think I am going to send it to Osama to end the current conflict.

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

Savage Chicken Fix

I live on a dead end street with a stair well at the other end. Well there was a new guy that tore down me Street at top speed for two blocks until he came to the stair well. I have not heard him anymore.

Still Working on Hive Knitting

Still working on the Hive Knitting Blog. I added a place for joining Hive Knitting’s Yahoo Group. I also enlarged the text on the side bar. I know that is terrible edgy still I think we can take it. And a email was sent to the member who are on the yahoo group. If you have attended the group and would like to post email me. Some one put up a hive shaped hat on Punk Rock Knit Girls. Those folks really are very nice.

I have been crocheting for the last day. I feel a little dirty. Logically I know that crocheting is not the devil’s work, still, it is not as good as knitting. Nothing is that good. Well any way here is some Savage Chicken to take your minds off things


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

Up Again - Munhall this time

It is super early in the morning and I am up once again. I am practicing my crocheting mainly for yucks. I do not practice it enough because of the vast superiority of knitting. This is after all a knitting blog.

I did post my first message with the sci fi knitting people. I sent them a picture of the long scarf. With Dr. Who and all it was the most sci fi thing I had a picture of. Perhaps I will knit a tribble. Well if anyone else is up you should be in bed. All reasonable people are sleeping right now.

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

Another Mile Stone

This is a picture of a scarf I knit a couple years back. This is a good example of 90 foot scarf. It is used for clown routines. For those of you that have been asking what a clown knits well this is one of those things.

Any way the thing I find interesting is that I did not take this picture and I discovered it on the Steel City Knitter Blog {See Side Bar}. Perhapse it is just me and some sort of silly pride but I am could not beleive that someone would think this was that interesting to take a picture of it and placing it on a blog. I cried it was such a happy moment. Well I didn't cry because I am a manly male knitter who makes big manly scarves in rainbow colors that I use while wearing heavy make up. Well maybe I am not that manly, still, I have a bigger scarf then you do and isn't that all that really matters?

This is so cool I will have to put on other blogs. Thank you Steel City Knitter this is the nicest thing that has happened to me all week.

be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.

Long Scarves

For those that attend the Wednesday Knitting Group I will be bring two long scarves. The first is a 25 footer that was my first knitting project. It is acrylic in red yellow and blue. For those that have seen me stand kettle that is the scarf that I have worn for many many years.

The second still needs to have the ends knit in, which takes a while on a 90 foot scarf. I have not had occassion to use this one so I never knit the ends in. It is made from red heart mexicana yarn that does not appear to be made any more.

I am sure that the Red Heart people are reading my blog, just as important yarn manufactures all of the world do daily. So start making that yarn again or you are going to have alot of angry clown on your hands. And there is nothing worse then that.

By the way both are done in garter stich that is traditional for such an item.

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

New Knitters and a Possible Fire Sale

Monday was a long day. We went to that fire at the Crazy Horse at the Great Southern Shopping Center. I am happy to report the Joann's is still standing and only has some minor smoke damadge. There may be some cheep yarn there now. So even fire is a good thing for knitting on occassion.

Hive Knitting marks a mile stone in my quest to get more men knitting. For the first time since I have been in the Circus I have been at a knitting group where there were more men tham women. And two of the men that were there had learned to knit recently. One was learning that evening. At that meeting another young lady was also learning to knit. Life is good.

Also with Hive Knitting we are going to start a blog for the knitting group. Any person that attends the group is welcome to post. We will be putting up picture of what we are working on and the fun times that we have there. I hope you stop by. We are setting it up now and will start posting at our next meeting.

The baby blanket is coming along nicely and will probably be done this week. The black bag is still creeping along as well. I am trying to figure out what pattern to put in the front flap. Thanks to the ladies at Punk Rock Knit Girls i am seriously considering a jolly roger. Well as always I am up for suggestions.

Bellow is some Savage Chicken

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

Today is a sad day.....

I like this monkey. He is a nice monkey that I imagine to be named Ruppert. Someday I must make a monkey like Ruppert. I have too many projects to start another one. And yes I know that many think there can never be enough unfinished objects. Still, I gusse that is why I am project oriented. Well Ruppert I will make you one day.

On other fronts the black bag lurches along. The pink scarf also had very little progress as well.

I am trying to make some sort of doll. I recall the Flesh Cactus from the Ides of March March on the Sourth Side. They were really cool. I always came back to Pittsburgh in early March so that i could take part. I will let you know when I get close to having one finished.

There is also the matter the socks and other projects that are sitting around. I will finish them all one day.

The Hive Knitting we be tommarrow as it always is on Mondays at 7:00 PM. Everyone come down that can. I have had several people say that they are interested in coming. It will be nice if they would come.

The group has been going along nicely. We have had at least five people a week. There are usually a couple of guests a week and there are a dozen or so people that come montly or irregularly. From what I have seen most of the groups that have met on the South Side have not met for very long. It looks as if they last a few month. From people that I have talked with none of the groups have made it through the summer. Well it is good to see that we are beating the curve.

Charity Knitting was very nice at knit 1 this week. The staff was spending most of their time recovering from the aftermath of the saturday sale. It did look as if they had sold off large amounts of their stock and were restocking it. Well it is good to see the store I like doing well.

There were several people there who are apart of the Tuesday group that meet at Knit 1. Fun was had by all and I put several inches on the baby blanket for the book.

I have been allowed to join the sci fi knit a long. They seem like a nice group I will look forward to powsting with them.

bellow is another serving of Savage Chicken.

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

It is Late

It is late and the hounds are out. I have worked on various writting projects while I am waiting for our Unit to come back to station. I am almost finished with the Spencer novel I am on and I need more super chucky for the baby blanket I am working on. Perhapse I should join the midnight knit along I saw a few days ago.

I cannot lure either one of my pets close enough to the web camera to take their picture. They must think there is something wrong with me because I keep pointing the plastic ball at them. Well I am going to try and take a cat nap between reports.

If anyone else it still up you should be asleep. I know I should be. Have a good morning.

Hive Knitting Logo

I am working on a web thing for Hive Knitting. I have never made one before. Well as always I am looking for suggestions. There is a Bee Hive and the word knitting. Well my longer and more important entry for the day is bellow.

Be safe out there

Speaking of the Murphys someone sent me some MP3s of their guy playing the chanter. I have not known many groups that play the chanter. I would imagine they have a bit of Irish influence. Still, it is nice to hear the old instruments being use in modern music.

Not much knitting was acomplished today. I did come across a Sci Fi knit a long. I submitted a request to join. It is getting to the point that I am writting about knitting nearly as much as I am knitting. Perhapse I should start a zine or something.

Anyway this knit along uses picture of sci fi charaters to respresent the various members. Judging by the pictures I would be the first male in the group so that gives me some possibilities. I went with old standard Captain Kirk, a young Captain Kirk. At first I was considering Dr. Who but which one. Then there was Han Solo a space Pirate would go well for. For those that know I am working on my own sci fi novel I did think about using the hero from my book. Well one I don't have any picture and she is a woman.

Any way they have used Star Trek, Farscape, Red Dwarf, Lord of the Kings, Buffy, Queen of the Damned, Futurerame, Battal Star Galactica and even the Fritc Lang Movie Metropolis for their pictures. I don't think I have seen a group of women into sci fi like that. And if you were able to pick out those sources from the collection of photos that were theren then you to are as big a geek as I am. Well if any one has a suggestions I am always open to it.

Bellow is some more Savage Chicken. I used the Klingon one yesterday. Well this is funny as well.

It bring up a nagging fear that I have always had about Meg Ryan. I don't know, she just scares me a bit. Perhapse it is because I am a Dennis Quaid fan. Well that you got mail movie bothers me on multiple levels for reason that I will not go into. She beat up Billy Crystal for an entire movie. I know that it is the writters fault. Still, she spends a great deal of time beating up her male counterparts in her movies. Maybe I have been forced to watch Sleepless in Seatle too many times. My wife has a rigged up dentist's chair with shackles that she uses to forces me to watch it. I think there are subliminal messages init that makes people want to date jerks. And I am certainit works on women and men.

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

Am I Crazy & Savage Chicken

The Natasha had five items listed on her site and suggested that people do word association with them. This was my result. The first word is the list that was posted. The second is the first thing that came to mind when I read those words. She suggested that Freud would be interested in my answers.

1. lick = Kitty
2. snoot = dirigable
3. whisker = turtle
4. number = panzy
5. plastic = chicken

Well to deffend my sanity. The cat was bathing himself. I had a turtle named Whisker. I think the one guys from the T.V. show Numbers is a panzy. I own a collection of plastic and rubber chickens. As for snoot and dirigable that means that I have a severe bipolar disorder that involves a fear that I will be hit in the nose by a large crashing ridged airship. When ever I think of either item it emediately and radically alters my mood.

I don't think that my answers have any reflection of my sanity. Except for naming my turtle Whisker. That obviously means I want to dye my hair pink and get a giant tatoo of Bengi the dog on my back. The Tatoo would picturing Benji kicking the daylights out of Keanu Reeves in swooping Kung Fu move.

Well there is a more sain and possibly even touching entry bellow this one.

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

Friday Random Stuff

I have been accepted to the Ohh Bag Me group. I like being alphabetically last. In the knitting blogs it is as if I am letting all the ladies go first.


In addition the Punk Rock Girls are very freindly. They even mentioned that I was male in their introduction. Even though I do not doubt their finding it is very flattering that they would alter their blog for me. I must admit that when Stephieface suggested I join I was suspicous. I am not much for pink. Which I am sure is some sort of male role forced upon me by society. In addition men with beards have a hard time getting though the day wearing pink. Still the knitting and rock and roll more then make up for it.

As I listen to the Drop Kick Murphys I find myself reconsidering the premis of this blog. For six months I have gone out on the web looking for the knitting brotherhood. Simultaniously I have been looking for that brotherhood here in Pittsburgh. I must admit that I have not found the brotherhood that I set out looking for. I have found a couple of guys knitting. I even started teaching a guy how to knit. I started a knitting group in my neighborhood and attend a couple else where. In the process I have met alot of very nice ladies and girls. My wife has even started crocheting again during this process.

It would be nice if knitting was a manly art again. Still, the knitting community is doing well without massive male participation. I have always known the craft was the most important thing. The odd thing is the sort of people that I have met in the past few years. In the circus why we were there was always clear. And why we knit was just as clear. And even though we were all individuals we have more in common with one another then most groups. The greater knitting community that I have been a part of does not have such common threads amoung their members {pardon the pun}.

There are no finantial, social or cultural boundries in the knitting community. There are not many places in the world like that. As an outsider you get to know the restrictions and boudaries that are out there. And the few places where there are not many boudaries are few and far between.

And I have already noted that this might be because there are not many men involved in this community. Never the less it is nice regaurless of the motivation.

Have a good Evening and Keep your stick on the ice.

Ever have one of Those Days?

Thursday Knitting Group

It does appear that the group that met at the Panera bread is no longer meeting. It is sad because that was the first group that I was attending when I returned from Iowa. I had hope that it was some sort of unexspected summer hiatus. Well they were not there today and I am sad.

On another front. With the camera I supposed I should start posting pictures of what I am working on. this is the pink scarf. It is about a third done and probably should have been done in a couple days. I simply have not put in the time that it deserves.

The black bag also lurches along slowly. Life has just been hectic on a couple fronts.

Thank you for reading, have a good evening. Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.

punk rock gift exchange questionaire Again

My questionaire rolled off my page so I am posting is again


1) How long have you been spinning/Knitting/Crocheting? 18 years

2) Do you consider yourself a beginner, novice, or experienced Yarn Artist? experinced

3) What type of fibers have you worked with? Acrylic, mohair, wool, llama, wire, all kinds of stuff

4) What types are you dying to try? I've already worked with most stuff

5) Are you allergic to anything, (Fibers, Food, Smells that make you want to puke, etc.)? Just bees

6) Do you have any Disorders, ex: Diabetes? Arthritis

7) What is your Favorite Time/Style period, ex: Romatic, Grecian,Metal, Goth,etc? Colonial America, 1940's

8) What fibers do you dislike? Do not really have a dislike.

9) Name some of your favorite Artist, Movie wise, Television if you watch it ex: I heart Keanu, some things cant be helped, and Rachel loves Mike Ness !? Judy Dench, Liam Neeson, Helen Hunt, Harrison Ford,

10) Whos your favorite Character ex: Jack or Cpt Jack? Horatio Hornblower

11) Do you prefer natural colored fibers, or handpainted/dyed fiber? I like artifical fibers.

12) What are you favorite colors? reds, blues, pruple

13) What colors do you dislike? Flurecent

14) What projects are you currently working on? Knitting bag, Pink scarf, todler sweater, kilt socks

15) Do you have a wishlist?

16) Do you have any other favorite hobbies? Carpentry, juggling, canoeing

17) Whens your birthday?(mm/dd) Thanks Rach' june 19

18) What is your favorite food, candy, scents that you love!! Etc.? Fetuccini Alfredo, Stash licorish spice tea, rock candy, root beer logs,

19) Are you pierced at all? Any tattoos? Can you/would you wear jewelry that real? I only wear my wedding rings. Don't wear jewelry because of my proffession. Working on my first tatoo that would give away my identity.

20) What do you like Culturally, ex: Celtic, African, Devil Worshiping, Kidding!? Scotland,

21) What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? hand made wrap, rolling tote for classes, boxes, on the computer table. In the rafters in my basement and a couple other places

22) What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) My computer can play MP3 and I like rock, bag pipes, old school rap, clasical, techno. all kinds of stuff

23) What's your favorite season and why? winter I like snow

24) What season do you abhor? Summer I don't like heat and there is no snow

25) How about Sports, any that you just cant get enough of or do they make you throw up in your mouth just a little? I played soccer, cricket, baseball I don't like watching sports.

26) What is your family situation Do you live alone? I live with my significant othrer and various animals

27) Do you have any pets? Yes

28) Do you like handmade gifts? not really

29) What’s your favorite thing to make, knit/crochet or other craft wise? hats, scarves, vests

30) Do you prefer straight or circular needles? strait

31) Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? yes

32) Tell us how you learned to knit/crochet? I learned as part of my training for my job

33) Do you enjoy getting helpful hints from others or does it just piss you off? I like advice

34) How old is your oldest UFO? 5 weeks

35) Is there anything that you collect? books, balls, tools

36) Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?

37) What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have if any? Knit 1, Rebbecca, Vogue Knitting

38) Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? i just need to practice what i know

39) Do you enjoy knitting socks? How big are yer boats (feet)? My boats are really big.Yes I like knitting socks

40) Deleted

More Savage Chicken

In honor of there being seven people I have come in contact with having a cold, getting a cold or talking about a cold on their blog. I am running the three cold cartoon from Savage Chicken.