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March 22, 2008

there's wolves in the house

Today I finished this-

The little billboard in the center says "Everything You've Ever Wanted".
Larger version here.
Hope you enjoy!

Posted by pippypippy at 09:35 PM | Comments (4)

March 19, 2008

Knit for peace

You have to love these ladies. Their description of the event is rather hair-raising in its bluntness-
"Our military amputees need stump socks. Iraqi babies need blankets. Please start your knitting and join us on the first day of the sixth year of this bloody crime."
The Grannies call it like they see it.
Picture of Grannies, in their awesomeness, knitting and marching here. Oh, I love those Grannies.
It is a fact that I began knitting again as part of a Knit-In for Peace sponsored by AFSC- I think it was in '04. We made baby blankets, to be included in kits given to women with new babies at an Iraqi hospital along with other supplies. Hopefully some Iraqi child was kept warm by a rather oddly knitted but functional blankie- stockinette stitch with a garter stitch edge at both ends, in baby blue cotton/acrylic. Odd though it was a lot of love went into that thing for sure. I can't imagine that any amount of good-intentioned knitting is enough to make a difference in the state of the world at this time. Still I think it is evidence enough of a kind of personal pure intention in the world, creating something useful and beautiful. The world could stand more of that.

If you want to hear more about the war and what is being done in Iraq in our names over the last 5 years, give a listen to the testimony of veterans and active duty soldiers at the Winter Soldier Hearings. Not covered by the corporate media, but available at Democracy Now or watch the video at Iraq Veterans Against the War. Not for the faint of heart.

Brother Ali says it really well (thanks to Oso for the tip)-

"What you think happens to the money from yo' taxes
S*** the governments an addict
With a billion dollar a week kill brown people habit"

Yep.

Posted by pippypippy at 09:20 AM | Comments (1)

March 18, 2008

a funny thing that happened

Yesterday I was getting on the bus, going to a doctor's appointment. The bus driver and I smiled and said hello to eachother, and exchanged pleasant chatter of the how are you? Fine, and you variety. Then he looked at me for a longish minute and said,"I was just about to call you Pippy".
For a second I was totally confused- how did this total stranger know my name? Had I seen him somewhere before? Did he look at knitting blogs??
Then I realized I was wearing red pigtails. Oh yeah.
So I laughed and said "lots of people call me that."
Just thought I'd share that.

Posted by pippypippy at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2008

One skeiny Tuscany socks + Found Art Friday

For a couple of days there the weather wasn't total crap!
Marcel went for real walks, in fact we walked him to the fave new coffee swilling spot which is far, in little dawg miles. This is him in the doorway of the cafe, pining for Oso and waiting for his treat, as his custom-

We three sat in the park in the sunshine, Marcel taking his place on my lap as usual and sharing my croissant. We weren't even cold. How crazy is it??
Later Oso took this photo in the backyard-

The beer came from a leisurely walk to Trader Joe's, which is just past Knit 1. We had gone on a quest for more sock yarn, as I finished the Tuscany socks with one skein and a little to spare. Here they are in their splendor, kind of-

although its hard to do the color much justice. Also one of the socks has a solid bright blue heel, because I was afraid I would run out of the Tuscany. As it turned out, I had enough left over and probably would have been fine. But the heel makes it odd and we like odd. Because if you can't knit odd things then what is the point anyway?

That's the thing.

Anyway I've started a new pair, although am questioning the logic of knitting wool socks just in time for warm weather, but I can't seem to stop myself. This pair are going to be the limest of lime greens because I couldn't resist it-

I am attempting an improvised fern lace pattern and even made a little book of steps where you flip the page for each row so you don't get confused. Here's how you do it- xerox the pattern, cut the lines apart, glue each one on a notecard, punch a hole in the corner of each one, put it on a round thingie- I used a round paper clip and cut out the middle. Oh, its hard to explain but I think you get the idea. Index cards, man. It keeps you sane.
And speaking of office supplies. The thing I used to do when I worked in an office was make good use of post-it notes, ballpoint pens, and white-out. On Thursday I was working on Duchamp! the zine (remember that? Yes, its the long-awaited 2nd issue- Spring 2005! Sad, I know. The 3rd issue, on the theme of Decay and Urban Wildlife, will hopefully follow in a couple of years. Omg. Anyway.) and somehow ferreting in some old sketchbooks when I ran across these-
for your viewing pleasure-

These were from when Marcel was a puppy and thus his head appeared much larger on his skinny little body.
And this from my sketchbook from a long time ago-

Just thought I'd share.
Maybe a more inspired post someday.

Posted by pippypippy at 05:03 PM | Comments (3)

March 06, 2008

World Cephalopod News + phosphorescence-transcendence (Rock Out With Your Sock Out!)

Well, Marcel and I could have told them this a long time ago, (actually, our Octoman is now spectacularly pentacular) but some marine biologists are calling it a first- a six-legged octopus, or hexapus, Henry! Have you seen him?? It seems the poor guy was minding his own business when he became ensnared by a lobster trap. No one noticed his anomaly until he squicked to the glass of the aquarium where he was being held- (Personally I think he was trying to tell them something else) and they counted. Whoa.

Tuesday night Oso and I saw this show and I am still glowing and humming! Dear readers, am I the last to know, as usual? In case I'm not- do run out to the internet and get the latest from Phosphorescent! The live show was more vibrational- quite literally- with a giant looping and feedbacking huge wall of perfect and exquisite drone at the end of the last song which tickled up the spine to the floaty chemical center of the brane pan- it was a long cosmic Om and I swear my chakras lined up in perfect symmetry- it was that good. The earth moved. Amen.

Here's what else I discovered at the Phosphorescent show- it is possible, if you are able to find a comfy place to sit along the periphery, but still within view of the action- to knit a sock and rock- simultaneously. Now, if you drop a stitch, you will have a momentary crisis- but I found Oso's cell phone gave off just enough light to see- almost- enough to grope my way back from having dropped three stitches- decreases!- omg, in the semi-darkness. It took a little more doing but the stitches were saved and I was able to carry on, rocking out with my sock out.
Awesome.

And thus- the sock that rocked.
I'm really happy with the way the colors are striping.

Its a bit of a white-knuckle project because I am trying the squeek a pair out of one skein of Lorna's Laces in the Two-Skeiny Tuscany colorway. Its a fact that I have rather small feet and can get a pair of 3 out of one skein of Trekking XXL. :)
Think good thoughts!

Posted by pippypippy at 10:56 AM | Comments (2)

March 02, 2008

sooner or later you'll bare your teeth.

Ah! Music to knit by! How is it I missed this for so long? Oso told me about Joanna Newsome-

Don't be thinking its overly shrill before you hear the words, so sweet and lovely! Just for example-

"Down in the green hay
Where monkey and bear usually lay
They woke from a stable-boy's cry

He said; someone come quick!
The horses got loose, got grass-sick!
They'll founder! Fain, they'll die

What is now known by the sorrel and the roan?
By the chestnut, and the bay, and the gelding grey?

It is: stay by the gate you are given
And remain in your place, for your season
And had the overfed dead but listened
To that high-fence, horse-sense, wisdom...

Did you hear that, Bear? Said monkey
We'll get out of here, fair and square
They've left the gate open wide!

So
My bride
Here is my hand, where is your paw?
Try and understand my plan, Ursala
My heart is a furnace
Full of love that's just, and earnest
Now; you know that we must unlearn this
Allegiance to a life of service"

and more-

"Deep in the night
Shone a weak and miserly light
Where the monkey shouldered his lamp

Someone had told him
The bear had been wandering
A fair piece away from where they were camped

Someone had told him
The bear'd been sneaking away
To the seaside caverns, to bathe

And the thought troubled the monkey
For he was afraid of spelunking down in those caves"

You have to love her energy, how she moves her hands as she sings and sings. I am so enamored.

In any event, its feeling a bit more spring-like around here, and what were piles of dirty snow are now lakes and pools of dirty water, and the animals in the yard have taken to using the lawn furniture again since it has emerged- this morning a fat, handsome, dark gray squirrel was perched on one of the arms of a chair eating some bread. Marcel was indifferent to him, in keeping with his custom of neutrality toward squirrels, birds, and most other critters, but we startled the squirrel from his perch nonetheless, tip-toe-ing through the puddles.

My boy doesn't care for the damp between his toes!

Everybody knows that.
Anyway.

Up to now its been so cold, and having finished the Oso scarf, I was wanting a nice new pair of warm wool socks, and something mindless to work on. Thus I whipped up the new Trekking socks-

Not actually using a pattern from this book which appeared magically at the library- and is highly recommended if for no other reason than that it contains the most coherent instructions for kitchner stitch that I've ever seen.
There seem to be some nice patterns in here too and I am hoping to try some, although I have to say I am pleased enough in general with plain ol stockinette stitch. Its mindless, its functional. Yes.

Here is another pitcher just because-

The magic of gauge swatching has given me new sock knitting powers. Its true.

Posted by pippypippy at 01:52 PM | Comments (1)