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August 28, 2005
Personality crisis, you got it while it was hot
Some people are still under the delusion that this weblog is about knitting. Just so I don't lose any more Bloglines subscribers with all my self-pity and moaning and lack of knitting content, here's a picture of something I finished last night.
Get a load of the glare on my shiny white belly: sex-ay! And those waistband creases, va va voom.
It's Stefanie's tube skirt from SnB Nation. I finished it up before leaving home but I had to redo the ribbing a little tighter. The truth is I've been working on nothing but Peter's sweater, since I'm on a deadline for it (I wanted to have it finished by now, of course), and can't show the progress on that to you just yet. But last night I pulled this skirt out and redid the ribbing so it would look like I'm still doing some knitting that isn't a secret.
The yarn is a cotton that I recycled from an old sweater. That should go without saying by now, eh? Y'all know exactly how cheap I am when it comes to buying yarn, but hey, if I've got some money to spend I'd rather buy paper for printmaking ('cause nobody's giving me a master's degree for knitting). And besides, there are so many lovely yarns out there in the thrift stores, just begging to be liberated from the ugly sweaters they've found themselves in. Think of it as a charitable action: save the yarn!
I made a few modifications: since I'll be wearing this exclusively as a skirt and not a shoulder thingy, I put ribbing at the top instead of the garter stitch edge that rolls. Because, as you can see in the photo, there are enough rolls around that area already. I also did a simple chevron lace pattern in the hem band instead of the bobbles on the original. Let's face it, bobbles are for skinnier girls than me. And my yarn was fatter than the yarn called for in the pattern, so I had to rejig the gauge in a big way.
imaginary friends made flesh
Last night Jenny organised a potluck at our place for me to meet some of her friends; Anne Marie came, and so did Carrie and Jacob. It was so strange seeing people walk in the door that I recognized from looking at pictures of them all the time on their blogs. Are they strangers? Or do I know them already? A bit of both, and a weird feeling. We had a blast, but I didn't take any photos to show. Some photos were taken by other people, but the best ones were not really the kind you want to put on the internet. All I'll say is that Carrie can put her whole fist in her mouth, and that those were among the worst pictures I have ever seen.
Well, okay. They weren't actually even close to the worst pictures I have ever seen. They're not even the worst pictures I've seen this week, because I've been doing a little bit of research on spider bites, just to put my mind at ease that these bites all over my right leg are nothing to worry about. I have two groups of bites behind my knee, one above (twelve days old) and one below (thirteen days old) as well as a smattering of individual bites across my thigh (eleven days old). The ones behind my knee are big and red, dried out and itchy. But it's okay. I looked at some pictures of brown recluse bites the other day (don't. don't ever look at pictures of that, if you can help it. I'm warning you) and now I'm not at all worried. Just itchy.
down with the past!
The blotting out of old images continues apace: yesterday I went in to the studio and covered up the rest of my old lithos with white ink, and put a second coat on those that I felt hadn't been sufficiently covered the first time. Now I'm ready to start printing on top of them. I also laid down some white ink on a couple of the cutout prints:
I have five of these that I printed on a tea-stained Japanese paper and never did anything with. I don't know what I'll put on top of them just yet, but I'm thinking of printing a layer of map-like lines, maybe in a green or blue so it will look like all those varicose veins I discovered on my legs one day at Pennsic when it was hot and I had nothing else to do but look at my own legs. I drove Pete, Miguel and Merouda crazy insisting that they look at all the little patches of spidery lines, and "look! there's more over here! Hey, there's a huge swath on this thigh too! On my ankle too! Look!". I was pretty excited to be getting old lady skin. Later when we went to a party where i.d. was being checked at the door, and Miguel and I had to walk all the way back to camp to get ours, I really wanted to show them my thighs instead. But it was too dark to fully appreciate the beauty of those fine little blue and purple cracks. But man, they're pretty.
Here are some more photos I took in the studio yesterday. In honour of a new school, new print shop and new beginnings for my work, I decided to retire my old printing apron and start fresh with a new one.
I found this one at Value Village, and it't just the thing, especially since I feel like I need to wear a Canadian flag on my forehead in order not to blend in with the infidels here in the U.S. Sing with me: I love Habitant, Habitant pea soup! Okay, not really. Ew, don't they put pork in there?
Here are my studio guardians: four cicada carapaces that I've found near Green Street. The two in the middle are bigger than any I've ever seen before. I have seven more back at the apartment that I picked up at Pennsic, including three found on the first day that spent the week lined up on the dashboard of our van, guarding and protecting my belongings as the van sat fully loaded in the parking lot. And it worked, too: Peter accidentally left the driver's door unlocked for two nights and nothing was stolen (he didn't tell me about this until we were in the hotel on our way to Athens, because he knew that I would freak out; my laptop was in there, and my stereo, and my art).
One more picture:
This image is from "The Historie of Foure-Footed Beastes" by Edward Topsell, printed in London in 1607 by William Iaggard. It's going to be my "Canadian" tattoo, and I think I'll put it on the inside of my right leg, a few inches above the ankle. Just as soon as I change it to a girl beaver. Because, sorry if this is TMI, but my beaver's a girl.
38 days.
Posted by jodi at August 28, 2005 05:08 PM | categories: art stuff : self-absorbtion : sticks and string
Comments
So glad you had a good evening! Well done with the skirt and the art progress. No idea what Habitant is but like the apron anyway! :o)
Anna
Posted by: Anna at August 28, 2005 06:27 PM
wouldn't some university get thousands of students if they offered a masters in knitting? i'd sign up!
i love that skirt. i didn't like the original in the book, but after seeing yours, i might have to go back and check it out again
Posted by: kim at August 28, 2005 08:10 PM
Masters in knitting? Surely something could be done through fiberarts...
Posted by: mk at August 29, 2005 12:21 AM
that is one amazing apron! is habitant soup canadian? i had no idea - i'd never eat the stuff.
so i just had an idea - i want you to write a tutorial for the zine on yarn recycling. don't worry though, you've got tonnes of time - i won't need it until a few months into the new year.
now about that tattoo...
Posted by: jae at August 29, 2005 08:57 AM
I adore that skirts. I've toyed with the idea of knitting it myself, but the thought of my behind in knitwear is quite prohibitive. You look smashing! I like the little peek of tatoo that you've given.
Posted by: Gina at August 29, 2005 10:59 AM
Skirt is divine - excellent fit. But you're not really going to get a beaver tattooed on your leg? I think I'm missing something - I'm english so the whole humour thing regularly bypasses me!
Posted by: Lix at August 29, 2005 01:13 PM
Habitant "means" pea soup to me, too...but most people 'round 'ere don't know what it is, and even if they try it, they hate it. And I'm close to the border....never mind a few miles south of here. And hey, stop calling us infidels. Geesh, you Canadian Supremecists!
Posted by: Norma at August 29, 2005 01:22 PM
I like your skirt and your beaver so much that I will ignore the infidel comment. Har.
Posted by: Carrie at August 29, 2005 03:50 PM
Mine's a girl as well, but it doesn't have what appears to be a double-breasted button-down coat, teeth on its tail, or balls. Are those balls? I clearly need to examine the underside of more mammals.
Posted by: Snowball at August 29, 2005 05:03 PM
Firstly, your skirt is absolutely hot. Seriously hot. Inspiringly (is that even a word?) hot.
Secondly, your love of leg veins made my night. Personally, they fascinate me. The colour, the way they look like roots. It's neat :)
Thirdly, that beaver tattoo will be the greatest canadian tat ever. I can't wait to see how it looks.
Posted by: Heather at August 30, 2005 01:00 AM
Wow, it was great to finally meet you. Your skirt looks great. And since it has some holes in it, it may be cool enough to wear in Georgia at some point :)
And the tattoo...COOL!
Posted by: Anne Marie at August 30, 2005 10:50 AM
Somehow you manage to rock the knitted skirts hardcore every time. I haven't yet worked up the nerve to wear a knitted skirt, but you give me hope for them looking awesome!
Also: the beaver? Maybe greatest idea for a Canada tattoo, ever, however, yes, without the scary genitalia...
Posted by: Erin at August 30, 2005 11:33 AM
"my beaver's a girl"
Heh. THAT made me smile.
Posted by: NWJR at August 30, 2005 01:46 PM
Oh God!!! I should have listened to you about the Brown Recluse bites.
Gnarly!!! (and not the good way)
Posted by: Rachel T at September 1, 2005 07:51 PM
I am so glad your beaver is a girl. That boy beaver scared me. Can't wait to see how it turns out. If you wanna share that is.
:)
Posted by: Micky at September 1, 2005 09:54 PM
I'm a good B.C. peasouper, Iyam Iyam, and eat Habitant often.
There is a veg and non-veg kind. I choose veg and add a BIG splash of sherry and lots of pepper.
I covet that apron and hope to be a more skilled knitter some day.
No tats here, but that's just me. I like 'em on others.
Chris
People's Republic of Vancouver Island
Posted by: Chris at September 5, 2005 03:51 PM