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July 28, 2004

Barack! It sounds like its coming up again!

Like everyone else, I'm looving Barack Obama these days, so in case there isn't enough out on the internet about him I thought I might add my 2 cents. He's so good looking! And what's not to love about the son of a goat herder? If I were him I would skip this whole presidential run..oops I mean senate thing and go into the family business, Harvard law degree be damned. The world needs goats (cashmere!) more than politicians, in my humble opinion, and I should know, as I am a Capricorn, born in the Year of the Goat! But I'm glad he is here and I know he will be an excellent president. Plus damn, he's got nice teeth! He's way better looking than that goose Kerry, but hey, we'll take what we can get..
And on to the weather- it is beyoooteful out today, a perfect day for strolling in the park with one's poodle!
It is the purest form of bliss to watch Marcel trotting down the path by the prairie, and then flopping on his stomach in the grass and closing his eyes halfway, so as to take in the smells better! On the corner of our street is a well tended little garden, where the most outrageous orange poppies bloomed early in the summer. Now they are only seed pods but every time I walk by I think of how there probably is just the teensiest bit of opium in those things, maybe enough to cure tendonitis if one were to brew some poppy tea! Could it be illegal?!? Somehow I always think the fact that one knits must be evidence enough of one's pure intentions in the world. No jury would convict me!

In knitting news~ I am still chugging along on the blanket, when I can, but since it is big (and getting bigger all the time) it is heavy and weighs on my wrist quite a bit. Not sure what can be done, because I want to finish it in time to wrap up in when it gets cold outside.. Washcloths keep coming since they are small and easy to knit on round needles, which are much easier on the wrists.
Patrice Lumumba, also known as Elephant, has taken his toque and gone to Montreal. We miss him but sometimes an elephant gets that wanderlust and needs to roam.. He said something about a double major in French and philosophy at U de M in the fall. We wish him the best of luck!
Samkat is currently being sewn together and stuffed, look for photos of her in all her semi-3 dimensional splendor coming soon to a blog near you.
p.s. there is an exciting new feature to the Pippy Knit-A-Log- the Muppet Terror Alert Level! Scroll to the very bottom of the page! Click on Bert! Don't miss it!

Posted by pippypippy at 10:04 AM | Comments (1)

July 15, 2004

House of Snooze

There seems to be some kind of energy hole today. Everyone is all sleepy around here. I am feeling lazy too but still remain vertical. Even Marcel

who is generally bouncing around making trouble somewhere has been in bed all day, on and off with just the occasionally potty break. Not a bark, not a peep from that boy. Not a howl. Not even when I went to the basement to do laundry. This is not unprecendented but highly unusual for not even a rainy day. I'm pretty sure he is ok, but wondering if I ought to check if my sister-in-law is still breathing...
Plus, it is still a knitting blackout for me. My wrist seems to be healing somewhat, and my hands aren't aching non-stop as they were. So many projects are calling my name! The blankie is abandoned mid-row in my knitting box. Every now and then I stop to pet it a little. The parts made with Manos are especially soft. As soon as I have money and my wrist is up to it, I want to make this Manos pancho pattern I found online.
Today in the shower I was thinking about when I used to draw. The way that I drew was not unlike the way that one knits, only less mathmatical. I have a dream of totally organic knitting which would result in beautiful, wearable, slightly gossamer things. Big, big things. Things one could wrap around oneself sari-like. Hm. This is the type of idea which can easily go horribly, horribly awry, which is why I hesitate to try it. But still I like the idea of knitting with abandon, if such a thing is possible.

In other news- the health care system in this country is a huge f#@!%^$#ing mess, and its kicking my ass. Probably voting for Kerry in the fall won't change this. Voting doesn't ever change much I've found. But do it anyway!! It seems diabetics in are entitled to nothing, just like everyone else, but I sure wish the state apparatus would cut us some slack. (We have to stick ourselves at least a million times a day or WE WILL DIE. A slow, miserable death. Does anyone get that?? There. That's my self-pity session for today. ) There was none to be found yesterday when I went looking. Anyway! It just surprises me that more people aren't really incensed about this. I would write an angry letter but to whom?? Argh. Down off my soap box.

Posted by pippypippy at 03:44 PM | Comments (1)

July 12, 2004

hit me with your best shot

Today I had to take a tendonitis break, so no knitting has gone on (sad face)..forced to live vicariously through other people's project galleries, I spent some time surfing the vast ocean of knitting blogs. And discovered, to my utter amazement (I don't know why really) that there exist knitter/gun freaks! At least one, I don't know if there are more. Well I'll be! That's all I'm saying about that! Egads.
This day is weird. I've been painting but it feels like utter futility. Oh, the angst.

Posted by pippypippy at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2004

Fairyland!

Oh gosh, I haven't blogged in so long, for I am lame! Lame!
And plus I was in Delaware.
So where to begin??
The beach was nice, and a good time was had by all, despite some *ahem* tense moments (that's all I'm saying about that!). The original plan was to stay for 3 days but I ended up staying on for the week, hanging out with friends big and small, going to the beach and swimming at the pool. Plus getting quite a bit of knitting in, mostly on the blankie. I also knitted at the beach and at the pool~ knitting in the sunshine is more fun than I thought it would be. The sunscreen proved not as sticky as I thought, and since I only brought cotton (washcloths!~ which, btw, are available for any and all cats, Schmoo, for free even! Just let me know the color!)
There was also a kind of impromptu Stich 'n' Bitch group, as Mrs. Hinshaw was pursuaded at the last minute to bring along her knitting too! Last I saw she was pretty far along on the sleeves of a smallish sweater for a certain adorable grandchild who will look very fetching in blue. Her knitting bag also contained a treasure trove in the form of a vintage (60s? 70s?) pattern book. Oooh la la, the hair! The couture! Fascinating!
Today was an excellent day for knitting books at the library, it seems they all come back in the summer since people stop knitting, if such a thing can be believed! So I have out A Treasury of Rowan Knits, Edited by Stephen Sheard, Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls
(I am dying to try a Faroese shawl. Did you know it? Faroese is old Norwegian for Fairyland! The place where Fairy Godmothers come from! ) Here is what is says in the book "Ancient Norwgian sailors passing the foggy cliffs of certain islands in the north Atlantic took the strange creatures flying in and out of the fog to be fairies. In that time fairies were believed to be a powerful race, one to be avoided if at all possible. The sailors named these islands Faroese, old Norwegian for Fairyland, to warn others of the cliffs' inhabitants."
I'm not sure what creatures they mean. Birds? Bats?
Anyway. Those fairy godmothers know from pretty shawls. I want, I want.
I do wonder if I am too easily distracted for this type of thing, following patterns and whatnot.
Anyway I also have out Knitting on the Road, Sock Patterns for the Traveling Knitter, by Nancy Bush.
The patterns are interesting but I don't know if I am ready for socks quite yet.
Today I got out this one about finishing techniques which I can't remember what its called. Tried to learn the picot cast on and failed because it is just too weird. I only can seem to cast on one way, which I think is not legitimate, and makes me feel inferior. Oh well, one day I will branch out.
There is so much more catching up to do, but my brain is fuzzy and Marcel has to pee.
A smallish project involving Lion Brand Fun Fur, for a small person who was curious about knitting, will be on its way in the mail very soon, speaking of dancing fairies and whanot. Don't tell!
More later....

Posted by pippypippy at 03:23 PM | Comments (2)