Answering Velma

A few entries ago I was rambeling on about large needles and other reletively unimportant things. She wanted to know where people knit with three and a half foot needles. The answer is no where that I know of currently. I leanred in the Circus from some people that were so old school that it was painful. When we knit it was often in groups.

Say for instance you were working on a 90 foot scarf several people would work on the scarf. When one person was tired of knitting the next person would continue. So a large project could be comepleted with in one's life time. The same was also true for projects like blankets that you would knit on the 3 and half foot needles.

If you can imagin it, you would hold the neddles like pencils. You would rest the needle on your fore arms to hold the weight. For those who get annoyed by the backing up of their knitting on circular needles at the joint between the needle and cord this is the ultimate way around this. Some of our people could even knit tandem. Each person would hold a needle. If a pair was good at it they could go wicked fast. Even faster than continental style {take that Zimmerman}.

To be even more silly tandem knitters could knit with even larger needles. We had a juggling team that could knit with six foot needles using three people. Two would hold one of each of the needles and the third would guide the yarn. It was a sight to behold and required team work. Multi person knitting was not as efficient as a knitting machines that we also used. Still, performing teams could build a sort of uncommon team work that is rarely seen. It would almost be as if they could read each other's minds.

Alot of performing troops would pruchase their props we still made all of ours. Amoung those things were our apparatus bags. These carried our practice equipment, 3 balls, 3 clubs, 3rings, Devils Sticks, decks of card, air pumps, balloons, a few books and what ever knitting project you were on at the moment. Being that I am working outside the Circus I find that I do not always need all of my practice equipment. Hence making the knitting bag. She mentioned that most of the jugglers she knows use duffel bags for their equipment. At the confernces that I go to I have not seen an old fashioned apparatus bag in years. The only ones that I see are by clowns who make their own. They are more comfortable than duffel bags and if you are in a crowd and have to juggle a little or make a balloon animal you can do it with out setting your bag down. They are quite nice. Most jugglers have to set up an area where they will perform and there is a fixed place where that audiance is. Clowns even when practicing do not always have that option.

I do not have more pictures because I do not have a working digital camera. I'll get one eventually and post some pictures. And as for my accent I am from Pittsburgh, Pa. I have lived a little of everywhere but I am a run of the mill American.

Well as always I enjoyed answering your questions. Have a good evening, stay safe out there and keep you stick on the ice.