When Knitting Was a Manly Art

Just finished my usual Sunday day shift and found we have a couple young ladies who are less than happy with their employment. One 18 and one 19. Both have their own problems and both are unhappy with the hours they’re getting. One showed up an hour late for work this evening with lots of excuses. Sigh.. Just when I thought I’d start getting two days off a week…

But, I’m in a great mood this evening.. Listening to Buena Vista Social Club. Munching a Caramel Drumstick (I never said I ate healthy..)

No knitting pictures, but I’ve got a photo backlog of the unusual and interesting that I’m just going to start to share.

Da Tung is a 12 foot tall bronze sculpture that’s located in the North Park Blocks in downtown Portland. A replica of a Chinese antique, it was donated to the city by a Chinese businessman.

Every year Nora Barlow Columbine returns to my garden. A *very* old spurless columbine, it just begs to be photographed each year. And I’m usually able to get a shot that I really like. This is this year’s photo.

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I ran across this young lady’s page thanks to StumbleUpon. Click on picture to be transported to an incredible array of *very* tiny knitting on *very* tiny needles. She offers 00000000000 needles and patterns for sale. Yes that’s eleven zeros. 0.25mm.

I’ve knit a little sock on 0000 needles and thought I was in extreme danger of getting puncture wounds.

Personally… I’m impressed.

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Another fun class this morning. Quickly learned that after years of cooking, I still don’t know how to chop onions (well, actually I do now) or how to hold a chef’s knife.

Class ran a bit late, but it still left me time to head into South West Portland in the area around the South Park Blocks to photograph some public art.

This bronze statue is located in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Named “Allow Me” (aka Umbrella Man) by artist John Seward Johnson.

A couple blocks away is the Portland Building with it’s statue, Portlandia. It’s the second largest hammered copper statue in the U.S. after the Statue of Liberty.

Next statue is “The Quest” (more commonly known as “Three Groins in a Fountain”). This sits in front of the Standard Insurance Building.

While really not art, the Pioneer Courthouse, which sits next to Pioneer Courthouse Square, is the oldest federal building in the Pacific Northwest and the second oldest west of the Mississippi.

And finally, Benson Bubblers. These fountains were installed all over downtown Portland by Simon Benson, teetotaling lumber baron, to cut down on the consumption of alcohol at the turn of the (20th) century. Most are still bubbling along.

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slowly to the ridgetop, though we did have a little burst of snow tonight.

I love the beginnings of spring. After a dreary, wet winter it so nice to see stuff starting to bloom.

It’s really been a warmer than usual winter and it seems to me that everything is starting early.

The yellow blossoms of our native filbert (aka hazelnut)

and the pretty beginnings of a little yellow crocus at the edge of the lawn

and it also returns to me too. I spent the day in Portland at the Portland Art Museum visiting the Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Quest for Immortality. It’s extremely humbling to view pieces of human art that have existed for as much as 3500 years.

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Day off yesterday and once again, a bike ride around Portland. This time specifcally looking for the plastic horses. I had 4 locations I was going to try for. None found at two of those locations, but I didn’t search really hard and two standing proudly.

First one near the corner of NW 14th and Hoyt. Rearing and ready to go.

And second near the corner of NW 10th and Couch (pronounced ‘Cooch’). This one had a little note explaining the horse and the URL to the Horse Project and a spot of melted icecream.

On the knitting front. Somehow I managed to *truly screw up* the Feather and Fan Shawl on Saturday and haven’t had time or inclination to sit down and figure how many *hundreds* of stitches I need to tink back. Sigh… I really need to only work on it when I can give it my undivided attention. Twice I’ve tried to work on it in environments that have been too busy to really concentrate. I’ll fix it, just not right now.

I’ve decided it’s time for some mindless knitting, so I’ll probably be working on scarves for a while. First project is a Multi-Directional worked in the ‘Socks That Rock’ yarn I picked up on Saturday. I think I’ve got enough socks on needles and this is turning out kind of interesting.

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FIrst.. Sorry I missed talking to Judy and Sarah. Actually saw Sarah in her booth, but she was busy and I never was able to get back.

It’s been many years since I’ve been to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. Many changes, good and bad. Many more vendors. It seems that the number of animals were down from the times we were showing.

My only purchases were a skein of ‘Socks That Rock’ yarn in ‘Christmas Rock’ colorway and a pair of Addi Turbo 24 inch US#1 for socks. Not that I need to start another sock.

Finished out the day at a pub in Northwest Portland and managed to get a picture of one the of plastic ponies tied to a curb horse ring. Still bizarre.

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