every square inch
"Perseverance, secret of all triumphs." -- Victor Hugo
By now I know every square inch of my globe's surface. Yes, prior to knitting a sweater for my globe I painted it. What can I say? I'm a perfectionist. I knew the globe's surface would be seen through the mesh of the knit fabric, so I made sure that what was seen matched my quality standards. A shiny blue and green marble protected by a 32 lb monster of a sweater.
After high winds and rain forced the "ruffles" of the northern hemisphere to shift south, I was faced with the unpleasant prospect of ripping and re-knitting. Yesterday, I did just that. The knitting took less time as I removed over 40 rows and 24 stitches, but it certainly was more difficult. Have you ever knit upside down? Or twisted like a pretzel? I was working on site, so I couldn't unbolt the globe and turn her on her side, so there I was upside down and twisted like a pretzel.
I was the unexpected performance. "Hey honey, look over there! There's an artist! A real live artist! Let's see if she will talk to us!" - Or was I really just an outdoor exhibit extension for the Field Museum? - I mean really. Does anyone address the business fellow in such a manner as he clickety clacks away on his computer while commuting to work? The comment was funny the first time, but incredibly annoying after the 40th. I like to work in and with the public, but the zoo show commentary was bizarre. It makes me wonder about this image of the artist as eccentric and loner. Okay, I admit that knitting a globe in the wind and sun while upside down and twisted like a pretzel may be viewed as slightly eccentric, but I find it equally odd to walk into a cafe and see everyone, and I mean everyone, bent over their laptops ignoring the world around them. Do they send secret emails to each other? What happened to cafes as places to socially interact?
But I digress, the globe is back to a pristine sphere. Or is she? Last night brought more high wind and rain........ Fingers crossed.
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