The Cult(ure) of Katherine

Woo-hoo!

2012-03-02T23:31:00.001+09:00

Today is a good day.
For starters, it's Friday, which means the weekend has finally arrived!

Also, I made it through the advancement exam without panicking (well, not too much, anyway).

Tomorrow is the Seabee Ball! Celebrating 70 years of Building & Fighting. It's my 5th Seabee Ball (I missed 2010 due to food poisoning), and Tim's 2nd.

There have been 500 visits to this blog as of today, which makes me pretty happy. Still no followers, but at least someone's reading!

And, I linked up my entry to the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge. You see that button on the right hand side of the screen? Click it. (You know you want to.) I'm about as hopeful of winning the challenge as being promoted this spring, but at least I'm trying. On both counts.

Anyway, since I haven't taken any photographs of my WIPs, I'll leave you with a photo from last year's Seabee Ball at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA. (wow that just looks like too many capitalized letters in one line...oh well.)

Mug Rug or Table Topper?

2012-02-29T20:06:00.000+09:00

I finished this last week and don't know what to call it.

It's 14" square...which makes it a bit too narrow to be a place mat, a bit too big to be a mug rug (which is really just an over-sized coaster, but I'll stick to popular terminology), and too small to properly be a mini-quilt.
I'm promoting it to my sister as "a table centerpiece mat." Something to put underneath the flower vase.

At any rate, it's my entry for the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge, hosted by Jennifer at Ellison Lane Quilts. (Yes, it's that new button in my sidebar that took me forever to figure out how to add!)

This is the first time I've actually joined a quilting challenge, quilt-along, or anything like that.
Oh, yes, the fabric...I received the "Blogger's Choice" Fat Quarter bundle for February, and these were the fabrics that jumped at me and said Use me! Use me! Make us into something pretty!
From the center, I used:
Daisy Cottage Gray Leaf Stripe
Pam Kitty Morning Yellow Powder Puffs
Mimosa Orange Pop Ditsy
Nursery Basics Earth Gingham
and
Fly a Kite Red Dot (binding)

Overall I'm happy with how it turned out, and hopefully my sister will like it too. (It's going in the box to her as a surprise gift, along with the scarf, beret & coasters. And maybe some Japanese sweets.)

Weekend Wind-Up (photo-heavy)

2012-02-20T21:44:00.000+09:00

Three day weekends are awesome.
Especially when your birthday falls on one...even better when your husband manages to throw you a surprise party. Which is exactly what happened on Saturday, when I thought we were just going over to a friend's house for dinner. Instead, the house was decked out in Hello Kitty birthday decorations (yeah, the Exchange is kind of limited on party supplies, and this is Japan, after all!)
Here are two of the sweetest things from the party:

There are two mini-bouquets in there, from a co-worker's two adorable daughters. I love flowers, and these are now brightening the LDK.

The other great thing about three-day weekends is the amount of work you can get done! I don't mean catching up on paperwork at the office (although I did get called in for an hour to fix a problem), I am of course referring to all things craft.

I managed to crochet another panel for Tim's Babette blanket:

And here is the entire project thus far:

I got started on the sweater I'm making for Tim:

Another thing I made was a mug rug.

Ok, I feel the need to explain something here. I'm not really a "mug rug" type of person. I am a coaster person. I have several gorgeous sets of coasters that I am quite fond of using. Not a single one of them is made from fabric. I prefer stone or wood.
However, I like to practice free motion quilting, and I like to play around with different ways to cuts fabric to little bits and sew them back together. Hence this little guy.

He did, in fact, provide a place for my coffee mug this morning:
But I'm pretty sure he's going to go in the stack of mug rugs that are, in fact, a chronicle of how my skills improve with practice.
(This one is much, much better than the first oversized coaster I made.)

Finally, there is the super-awesome finished object that I am oh-so-happy to announce completed.
My nephew Link's quilt:

Now I've completed both quilts (there was also Liz's quilt that I completed a couple weeks ago), I can throw them in the washer, then dryer, then box them up & ship 'em across the sea.

And then, I can start planning exactly what I'm going to do with this newly-arrived fabric.
Yes, that's Kate Spain's Good Fortune line. I am totally in love with it.

Yay for Weekends!

2012-02-11T19:11:00.003+09:00

I finally had some time completely to myself today! And I got a little crafty...

Ok, to be honest I made this on Monday, and just now got around to posting it. It's just red felt, I think I bought it at Nishizawa, and I traced the hearts, cut them out, and ran them through the sewing machine without stopping or cutting the thread. I wanted something a little Valentine-y in the house.

And today, I was struck with the urge to make something for my sister. Why? Because she's my sister, and I love her, and I very, very rarely get to see her. (Christmas, 2010, was the last time we were in the same room at the same time.)
So here's what I came up with:

Some cheerful, flowery coasters. These are 4" square.
Not sure what else I'm going to work on tonight...

Weekend Wind-Up

2012-02-05T23:09:00.001+09:00

This weekend, I came very close to finishing my to-do list.
The goals were as follows:
1) Finish the quilt for my niece. I got this one:

Have I mentioned how much I detest hand-sewing the binding? I really, really need to find another way.

2) Make another panel for Tim's Babette blanket.
Again, accomplished:

This is going to be pretty big. Right now, it's about 26"x17", and it will be more than four times larger when it's complete. If it makes a decent bedspread, that will be awesome...but it will likely end up adorning the couch.

3) Organize the tatami room - Still in progress. Tim decided the tatami room off the LDK should be my sewing/craft room. He even cleared away all the stuff that had been sitting there since we moved into the house. This weekend, I added a shelving unit to the closet, and tried to organize my fabrics and yarn...I think I need more containers, though. The challenge is trying to keep things stored with some sort of logic, instead of just stuffed into drawers or cardboard boxes.

4) Make an apron. -Fail...but this is not a make-or-die situation. I was actually starting to lay out fabric for this project, when I noticed that one of my elephant figurines was a little dusty. So I stopped to dust it. And then I realized that the entire shelf needed dusting, which then led to a full-on assault on dust throughout the house, followed by four loads of laundry. No apron, but the house is clean!
I did, however, sew a crochet hook case, which just needs binding added before I photograph it. And as I mentioned before, I detest sewing binding.

Goals for this week:
1) Finish a knit object. We'll see what I come up with.
2) Order fabric for a quilt that Tim wants me to sew.
3) Order extra fabric so I can finish my nephew's quilt.
4) Figure out what I need to finish getting the tatami room usable.

Am I missing anything?

Out of Touch

2012-01-30T17:49:00.000+09:00

Wow. Two weeks without posting.
I think part of the problem is, if you let it go too long, then you don't know how to catch up, and then because you're afraid you won't catch up, you just don't write.
That's how it is for me, anyway.

So, what have I been doing?
Well, I have the quilt for my niece almost finished:

This picture was taken before the binding was sewn on. Right now, I'm trying to get myself motivated enough to finish hand-sewing the binding to the quilt back. (It is not my favorite thing to do.)

Then, there was the massive box of yarn that arrived from knitpicks:

Followed by the not-quite-as-massive shipment of fabric:

And I've got enough projects to last the winter. I hope.

Last week was my MRI, which was just as loud as I remembered them to be. The doctor analyzed the results and the good news is, I don't need surgery.

That's about all I have for today.

Weekend Wind-Up

2012-01-16T01:36:00.000+09:00

Remember last Sunday, I showed you my City View quilt top & said I'd have it complete this weekend?
I succeeded.

I'm convinced there has to be an easier way to finish binding, though...every reference I've read, says to machine stitch the binding to the front of the quilt, then hand-stitch to the back. It works, but...I'm not a very patient person. It took about 6 hours to hand-sew. I need to do some experimenting on this.

I also finished a crochet beret:

I think, if I make this again, I'm going to add a couple rounds to make it wider.

So, two projects down...just another 6 to go. Of course, a few more projects will surely be added before the list gets down to 4 (especially since Mom is commissioning a hat, and I ordered the yarn for Tim's Babette afghan as soon as he approved the color scheme). I like to stay busy.

Too many projects?

2012-01-15T00:18:00.002+09:00

I do have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew. And then, being incredibly stubborn, I'll force myself to get it all down.
That might be what has happened here this weekend. Might. It depends on who you ask. If you ask Tim, he'll answer emphatically that I have too many projects at the moment.
But if you ask me, I've got just enough to keep me busy.

First, I am really making progress on my City View quilt:

It is fully quilted! I used 8 full bobbins while quilting this. Wow. No matter how many books, magazines or blogs you read, you really don't anticipate things until they happen. I should mention, this is a small throw-I used crib-sized batting (45"x60") and had about 3 inches extra on every side.
Not pictured: the binding that I made. It's currently pinned to the quilt edges, but since Star likes biting at pins I put it up immediately. I had to shoo her away more than a couple times while I was pinning. I also had to retrieve one of the pins that she pulled out with her teeth. She does this with any type of pin or needle she can find. (And yes, we initially discovered this "bad kitty" move the hard way.)

Second project: In keeping up with my goal of 6 afghans in 2012, I started the Painterly Stripe afghan. So far, I have 7 rectangles complete, out of a total 24:

I'm using Lion Brand Homespun in Painted Desert and Wild Fire. I have to say, I adore this colorway. I've been to Petrified Forest National Park, and seen the Painted Desert...and it really is as fantastically colorful as these pieces turned out...my camera really doesn't do it justice:

Ok, third project: Another crochet beret. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo yet, but this one is a prototype to show Mom. She asked me to make her a beret-type hat, and I want to give her options.

And the fourth project: I'm attempting to knit.
Yes, you read that correctly. The crochet snob who insists that there is nothing you can't make just as well, and probably faster, with a crochet hook has taken up a pair of needles. Why? Because...well, I guess I didn't feel like I had enough going on.
Ok, honestly it's because there are far more knitting patterns for sweaters & socks than crochet ones, and knitting uses less yarn. That's really it.
I became a crochet snob in response to all the knitting snobs at my LYS in Ventura. Every time I went in there to buy yarn for a project, as soon as they learned I crocheted, without fail, there would be a long, audible sniff followed by a lecture about why I needed to knit, not crochet. (Considering I had to buy one or two more hanks of yarn for my crochet project, than if it was knitting, you'd think they'd like crocheters. Or that I crochet so quickly that I'm done with two or three projects before their one is complete...I buy more yarn!) Anyway, as a response to their incessant snobbishness, I became very biased against knitting.
Of course, I'd probably still be a crochet snob if I was back in Ventura. But I'm not, so I won't be bothered anymore.

Hmm...I forgot to list the two quilts that I'm making for my niece & nephew. They're kind of on hold right now, but as soon as the City View is complete I'll pull those out again.
So that makes...6 projects currently in progress. Nope, it's really 8...there's the afghan for my sister, and the mystery afghan that I'm working on. (It's not a mystery to me...but I'm keeping it a secret for now.) Is that too many? If so, I'd like to know why?

Tim asked me to finish at least one project this weekend. I'll make it two: City View & the beret.

And it's on!

2012-01-11T21:26:00.000+09:00

Last night, I decided to sit down and quilt the City View quilt I pieced over the weekend. I'd been trying to decide whether to just straight-line it with a walking foot, or if I was going to use free-motion quilting. I finally decided "No guts, no glory"...and went ahead with free-motion.
I'm using a bubble pattern:

I honestly don't know where I saw this first, if it was on Leah Day's blog or if it was in Elizabeth Hartman's book "The Practical Guide to Patchwork". It's in both places. At any rate, it really isn't difficult, the toughest time I'm having is getting everything to fit on the table, under the machine's arm, in my lap...

But despite wrestling with the fabric, this is really fun!
I remembered to take pictures frequently, too...I took a photograph every time I had to change the bobbin. There are a lot of pictures, but it's pretty cool seeing how this progresses...

First Bobbin

Second Bobbin

Third Bobbin

Fourth

Fifth

Sixth

Yep, 6 bobbins already and I'm still not done...I estimate another 3 or 4 to go. And this is just throw-sized! Then there's still the binding...yeah that scares me a bit. But I'll get there.

And it looks as though...

2012-01-10T17:01:00.001+09:00

...I will finally finish a quilt! No, really. I don't mean just piecing the top. Or piecing the back. Or piecing the top & back and then setting them both aside to work on something else.
Alright, yes, this is really simple, quite small (crib size), and the pattern was free...but I might actually finish this week! I just can't decide if I'm going to just straight-line quilt it, or take a chance and free-motion quilt it. I've been practicing the latter on scraps. The new sewing machine is definitely inspiring.
Oh, did I not mention that? Around Christmas, I think Tim got a bit fed up with hearing me curse every ten minutes when sewing, and he said I should just buy a new one. I should mention that I'd been thinking about doing just that for a while, but I couldn't justify it quite yet. I guess I just needed someone else to tell me it was ok.
I bought another Brother, this time a CP-7500. So far, I like it a lot. It's a lot quieter than my old one (a LS-2125i that I bought at walmart for $70 four years ago), and it hasn't made me cuss at it yet. I still need to use it some more before I can give it an actual review.

Really, though, my big question to myself is...do I want to try and free-motion quilt this? Part of me really, really wants to try. There's another part that demands perfection (or something close to it) and says "just use the walking foot. You want it to look good."
Eep.

Weekend Wind-up

2012-01-08T20:03:00.001+09:00

Well, it's Sunday evening again, and once again I have quite a bit to show for the weekend.

First, there's the dots. Yes, dots. Bright ones, crocheted from wool.

No, I'm not making a stoplight. No, I won't tell you what I'm doing with them (yet).

Then, there's the "City View" quilt top:

and back:

I haven't gotten around to basting & quilting yet because, well, I just haven't gotten to it yet. But hopefully, this time next week, I will finally have a completed quilt!

Also completed: A scarf & beret for my sister, but they haven't been photographed yet. Hopefully she'll send me a pic when she gets them!

6 afghans in 2012

2012-01-06T21:41:00.001+09:00

Yeah, that's right. I do indeed intend to complete 6 crocheted afghans in 2012.
Someone in one of my groups on Ravelry suggested it as a CAL, and I jumped right in. I can do it! It's really only one afghan every two months. That isn't impossible. Last year I managed five.
One of them has already been completed...the crochet clusters afghan I finished on the first day of the year. That's a pretty good start, I think.

So here's the list, in no particular order (because otherwise Tim would pester me about working on more than one at a time):
Babette - because Tim actually asked me to make that one. He saw it, loved it, asked for it. He's not done that before.
Moorish Mosaic - because it's beautiful and will make a good gift for someone.
Painterly Stripe - On Black Friday, there was this ridiculous sale on JoAnn.com. Lion Brand Homespun was going for less than $4/skein. So I ordered a bunch. That was Black Friday. It is Twelfth Night, and the yarn still isn't here. And JoAnn.com customer service never actually answers my inquiries, just tells me that my order should arrive within 20-30 days. No, I'm not buying anything from them ever again. (Especially when WEBS and Knitpicks get orders to me in a week.) But I'm still going to make this afghan, if the yarn ever actually arrives.
New England Revs logo blanket - hmm. Yes, I have the yarn, I need to get to work on this one. It's pretty big, though, and kind of intimidates me.
Sister's Afghan - Remember my quest? ...yeah I should get back on that.
Crochet Clusters - Finished!

...oh wait that doesn't count? Ok, well how about the squares for the CAL? 24, 12" squares will make a decent sized afghan by December.

Yeah I think I can manage this. If it looks like I'm falling behind, Tim will start nagging me anyway.

Fall Cables Lapghan

2012-01-05T19:00:00.000+09:00

It feels like too long since I've achieved any notable progress in my crafting endeavors, so I decided this is a good opportunity to finally get a crochet pattern out there, even if it is the wrong season. I've been working on writing out this pattern for a while. It's the first pattern that I've actually written, and one of the first original designs I've done. As such, it may have mistakes. If you are using this pattern and discover an error, or get confused by something, please let me know and I can fix it.

Also, while you can do whatever you like with the finished objects, you may not sell this pattern!

This pattern is for my Fall Cable Lapghan:

This can be done in any colorway, and the instructions are written for the stitches only. On my afghan, I did 12 rows in each color, and the 3rd and 5th orange bands were 6 rows each with a stripe of brown in the middle.

Finished size: 49" x 40"

Materials:
Yarn-I used Loops & Threads Impeccable in Pumpkin and Chocolate, but any worsted weight should do.
WW Yarn: 21 oz/ 1800 yards
Hook-US H/8 (5 mm)

Directions:
With A, ch 186.

Row 1: SC in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (185 sc)

Row 2: ch 3 (counts as first dc here & throughout), dc in next 4 st, *ch 1, skip next st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next st, dc in next 5 st; repeat from * across. Turn. (149 dc, 36 ch sp)

Row 3: ch 3, dc in next 4 st, [(ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next st, fptc in next 3 st, dc in next st) twice, (ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 5 st) twice] two times, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next st, fptc in next 3 st, dc in next st, [(ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 5 st) twice, (ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next st, fptc in next 3 st, dc in next st) twice] two times, ch 1, skip next st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next st, dc in next 5 st. Turn. (122 dc, 27 fptc, 36 ch sp)

Row 4: ch 3, dc in next 4 st, [(ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next st, bptc in next 3 st, dc in next st) twice, (ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 5 st) twice] two times, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next st, bptc in next 3 st, dc in next st, [(ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 5 st) twice, (ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next ch st, dc in next st, bptc in next 3 st, dc in next st) twice] two times, ch 1, skip next st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip next st, dc in next 5 st. Turn. (122 dc, 27 bptc, 36 ch sp)

Repeat Rows 3 & 4 until afghan is approximately 40" long.

Final Row: sc in each st across. Fasten off.

First Day of 2012!

2012-01-01T22:34:00.000+09:00

Well, the new year is off to a pretty good start for me. I've decided that this year, I am going to crochet 6 afghans and sew 5 quilts. And it looks like I might easily achieve this, if today's results are anything to go by.

So far this year I've:

1) crocheted one of the January squares for my Block-A-Month CAL on Ravelry:

(This is Melinda Miller's Pretty Petals square. I used Mary Maxim Starlette yarn in Light Willow)

2) finished piecing my winter-y quilt top:

3) finished my second Crochet Clusters afghan:

For this afghan I used Lion Brand Hometown USA in Cambridge Tweed. It's very thick and very warm. I'm excited to finish the first afghan of the year!

Another Year Down

2011-12-31T11:45:00.002+09:00

I've noticed a few people "taking time to review" and "reflecting on the year" now that it's December 31st.
I don't.
I'm not re-hashing what happened this year, because quite frankly, what good does it do? How about looking forward to 2012, and what's going to happen? Here's some stuff that I'm looking forward to:

The London Olympics. How cool is that? We get to watch soccer, basketball, tennis, badminton (no, really, have you seen the ferocity girls have when playing?), volleyball...we get to watch the gymnasts flip around like it's nothing to balance on a 4 inch wide beam. We get to watch Michael Phelps break his own record again and bring home more gold.

The Election. I admit, I love politics. Not that you'd ever guess from reading my blog...or speaking to me at work, for that matter. But I follow election news very closely. Because the leader of the United States of America is chosen by us, not someone else. It's a very big deal and always an exciting night.

The End of the World. Some people say that since the Mayan calendar ends this year, so will the world. Other people say the Mayans got tired of writing. I'm just curious to see how it all goes down.

So what are you looking forward to in 2012?

and here's a little bonus pic of Star to help ring in the new year:

On the 4th day of Christmas...

2011-12-28T18:08:00.000+09:00

...I decided I'd better post again.

Christmas was wonderfully low-key. Tim and I exchanged presents, we had a skype conversation with my family, and then he started playing Skyrim while I played with the new yarn.

Oh, yes. New yarn. Mom was quite generous and sent me 4 hanks of Berroco Voyage, which immediately was crocheted into the Sagramor Cowl:

It's very, very warm.

And I'm apparently the first person (after the designer, of course) to make this on Ravelry.

I still have just enough yarn left over to make a hat...just looking for a pattern.

Today, I started working on some quilt blocks again. This time, it's using the Northern Cardinals jelly roll that I bought at half-price earlier in the month. (Thank you, Fat Quarter Shop!) It's my first real attempt at strip-piecing:

I actually have two jelly rolls from the same collection. I'm thinking I'd like to make both the front and the back of this quilt pieced. Still working out the design for the back, but I'm leaning towards a rail-fence or streak-o-lightning design. I'm also still waiting on the batting I ordered, so I've got some time to play around with ideas.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T21:53:00.002+09:00

It's getting a bit late on Christmas Eve here, in a few more hours we will find out if Santa visits Japan.
Which has me wondering, since houses here have no chimneys, how does he manage to get in? Through the shoji doors?

Another Pillow Cover!!??

2011-12-19T18:15:00.001+09:00

Yes, that's right. I had another fit on Sunday and just had to re-cover an old throw pillow. It was looking a little worn, and needed a facelift anyway.
I love the look of log cabin blocks, and that inspired this design. It's not really a log cabin design, in fact I'm not really sure what to call it. But here it is:

It's made with some of the half-yards I ordered from Connecting Threads (they were on sale for $2.96/yard, and they were orange...how could I resist?).
In case you're wondering what it looks like on the other side:

This is the same method I used on the blue&black pillow I made last week. I like this style because 1) it's easy to get on & off the pillow, 2) it's fast to make, & 3) it looks good. Although in retrospect I would have the orange panel on the outside, instead of the blue.
Anyway, I'm definitely on a pillow-making kick, likely because I have a bunch of fabric that isn't tagged for a project. Plus, I like being able to finish a project in a day & enjoy it right away. And did I mention it's good practice for piecing? I'm getting much better at it!

The best things...

2011-12-19T17:52:00.001+09:00

...come in small packages.

In this case three flat-rate priority mail boxes from Michigan that arrived today.
The best part of what was stuffed into these?

Well, it wasn't all the smaller boxes wrapped in Christmas-y paper.
And it wasn't these, either:

(Although that Sweet Cajun trail mix is like ambrosia to us...)

And it wasn't even the absolutely magical Chocolate Revel Bars that Mom made:

Nope, the absolute, amazing, beautiful things that arrived were these:

Yep. A couple of wooden ornaments from the early '80s. That teddy bear has hung on my parents' tree since 1983. It was a gift from Mrs. Carnahan in Edina, MN, when I was 3 years old. Since we left Minnesota when I was 5, I only have hazy memories of her...mostly playing with toys, those little plastic monkeys that you could chain together by hooking an arm over a tail, and see how long you could get the chain before it either reached the floor, or you knocked some of the monkeys and they all fell. But that teddy bear ornament was always mine to hang on the tree, and I'm pretty sure as the years went on it was placed higher and higher as I grew taller.
The cardinal I'm a bit less certain of, but I do know that for me, cardinals are associated with my grandparents' house in winter. There was always snow, every Christmas (and we drove there, every Christmas, for almost two decades), and there were always birds at the birdfeeders. My grandmother's napkin rings were painted wooden birds. There were paintings of birds, books about birds, birds done in needlepoint all around the house. (There were lots of flowers, too, but I like to associate those with summer.) Now I have a little red bird nested in my tree.
Since we can't be with our family this year, having a piece of the family here is wonderful.
Thanks, Mom & Dad, you two are awesome. I love you.

What happened to the moisture?

2011-12-18T10:43:00.000+09:00

I (re-)discovered the downside of cold weather this morning.
It required two tylenol and turning the humidifier on high for an hour to fix.

In Japan, very few houses have central heat. Instead, combination air conditioners/heaters are used. These are electric and work for one room. For other rooms, portable electric heaters may be used.
This didn't seem like such a big deal when we first moved in. I was a bit concerned about the cost, but when I discovered it costs less to heat the house than to cool it, I stopped worrying.
That was before the temperature dropped to just above freezing.
Now, it is very cold outside, and fairly warm inside...but dry. Very, very dry. So dry that when I took the laundry out of the washer and hung it up, the sweatshirts were dry in a couple hours. It is so dry you catch a static shock just by walking close to something metal.
It's so dry I woke up with a severe headache this morning.
So this afternoon, I will be venturing back to the Navy Exchange and picking up an additional humidifier for the bedroom.
Because I can't wake up every day feeling like my head is split in two.

Pillow Talk

2011-12-16T18:15:00.002+09:00

I get a bit manic sometimes.
I find myself inspired to take on a project, and then I just can't stop until it's done.
So it was last night, when I found myself still awake at 1 am, stuffing a pillow form into its new wrapper.

What do you think?
I'm pretty happy with it. The seams are all perfect, it fit over the pillow just fine, and it wasn't so big that there is excess fabric draping all funky.
Here's a closer view:

Unfortunately, due to the current season I'm never home during daylight hours, so artificial lighting is what I get to take photographs.

This weekend I have big plans for crafting. We'll see how much I get accomplished.

More Motifs (with bonus Buddy pic)

2011-12-14T18:55:00.002+09:00

I really can't seem to stop making crochet squares. Maybe I'm not going to find that perfect motif because it doesn't really exist. Maybe I'm just wasting a lot of time (and yarn) by trying.
Then again, it's a lot of fun. I don't want to stop.

So here's the most recent in my exploration:

This was my attempt at the Sunrise/Sunset square. I've seen a couple of afghans on Ravelry using this pattern, and they look awesome. Mine....doesn't. I miscounted stitches and didn't realize my mistake until several rounds later. Oh well.

Next, there's this one:

I have to say, this is probably my favorite square to date. (Have I said that before?) This is Priscilla Hewitt's Spring Breeze Afghan Square. It is very easy to stitch, and looks so pretty! I'm going to stitch some more using more than one color...

In case you are wondering what happens to all these squares once I've finished them...

Buddy

They get piled in a yarn box. Each and every one of them has Buddy's seal of approval.

Over the Hump

2011-12-14T18:11:00.003+09:00

It's Wednesday. We're more than halfway to the weekend.
I wish I had more to write about, but really that's about it. Work is a grind. My evenings are spent browsing the internet, watching Big Bang Theory on DVD, and crocheting.
Oh, add sewing this week.
I found a pattern in the Winter 2011 issue of Simple Quilts & Sewing for fabric produce bags made from fat quarters, and I decided to give it a go. I've had some green batik yardage hanging around the craft bin for a long time (I think it was intended for pillowcases, but I bought it so long ago I don't remember.) Anyway, the pattern was ridiculously simple and I think each one took me about 20 minutes, and some of that time was waiting for the iron to get hot.
Here's what I finished with:

They're on the smallish size, but I fit two bottles of water, a notebook, colored pencils and a tylenol bottle in one of them just fine. Tim figured out they are the perfect size for an egg carton, too.

I might try making some larger ones. Next week.

Weekend Wind-up

2011-12-11T18:17:00.001+09:00

Today, I don't feel like I accomplished anywhere near what I did last weekend.
I'm sure this is partly due to being called in to work last-minute today, the day I had planned to use for replacing the kitchen light, crocheting some more motifs, and finishing up piecing my first quilt top.
Instead I got to venture out into the cold and wind for a few hours.

But I did succeed in a few things yesterday, most notably creating (and subsequently rejecting) two more motifs, as well as piecing a large chunk of the quilt I am making for my niece.

One of the things I like about trying out so many squares (and other shapes) is that with every completed square I realize more of my requirements for that "perfect" one. Size is important, as well as ease of construction. Picots are out, and too many single crochets are cause for rejection, as well. Shape is, oddly, not that critical to me; squares, circles, hexagons, and octagons are all fine, so long as I can join them easily.

First, the crochet:

This motif came from the Sunset Evening Throw available on the Caron website. The motifs actually look pretty nice in the deep red sample featured on the website, but I don't like working it. All those little loops? There are many single crochets in each one of those. Far too tedious for me.

Next, is the Castle's End square, the pattern for which is on Crochetville:

Actually, I shouldn't say I've rejected this one yet. It's actually really cool-looking, and it's pretty fun to make. Also, the one I made is 7" square, which is pretty decent. This motif shows some promise.

On to the quilting:
I decided some weeks ago that I want to start making quilts. I have no idea where this impulse came from, but the upshot is that I planned two kid-sized quilts to make for my niece & nephew, Liz & Lincoln. I found a (very simple) pattern utilizing charm packs (5" squares of fabric) here, and I ordered the fabric, which arrived last week. I spent Saturday morning cutting, and Saturday evening sewing. As of bedtime last night, this is what I had:

There are eight strips piled on my table. Yes, that is a crochet tangle peeking out from underneath. No, I haven't made any more progress on either of these. My intention was to finish sewing the strips together today, but getting called in to work put a hold on that.

My weekend was by no means unproductive...it just wasn't as productive as I would like.
Maybe this week I can achieve more?

Secret Santa Origami Book

2011-12-08T23:12:00.001+09:00

Here's the book:

Here's the inspiration:

Here's how I made it:

I started with a modified Swagged Square: there are extra post stitches in rounds 4 and 6. I used an I hook instead of an H for this, which was just enough to match the square size to the origami paper size.
Once the square was completed, I used half-double crochet across one side of the square, turned, and used hdc across until I could fold the panel to make a book cover:

You will probably notice I changed colors a few times. In this case, the color changes went:
Red- 5 rows
Green- 2 rows
Red- 3 rows
Green- 4 rows
Red- 3 rows
Green- 2 rows
Red- 11 rows

The next step was to fold the end over and make it stay. I used the green yarn and single crochet for this:

This wound up being a single crochet border around the entire book.

Once it was complete, it was wrapped & given to my Secret Santa at the office holiday party, who loved the origami paper. Not so sure about the crochet cover, but this was just to keep the paper from going all over.

*A word about the color: That really is red and green, not red and yellow. The green and my camera did not get along, which is too bad.

What happened to the blue & gray?!

2011-12-08T00:11:00.001+09:00

Something you may notice if you've been following my Quest for the Perfect afghan motif, this week's squares changed color.
Yes, I ran out of navy blue and heather gray. Now I'm using Forest Floor and Bone.
On the other hand, I've found one really cool square! This one is the Swagged Square by Karla Fitch, author of the blog The Itsy Bitsy Spider. It's from her book, The Great Granny Swap Pattern Book, which is available as a free Ravelry download. (Click the title to go there!)

Anyway, here is what I created:

I love the way the contrast looks! My only concern is for how a bunch of these squares will join...the sides curve in a bit, and I'm wondering if the blanket would have a ripple to it? There may be only one way to find out...

I tried another square from Edie Eckman's book, Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs (link is to amazon listing). This one was a square motif, #95:

This is another one of those squares that I thought was really cool-looking, especially since it reminded me a bit of filet crochet. That was before I hooked it. It's still a cool-looking square, but it was a little annoying to make, and I don't like that.

There's one final square that I made just tonight. It's from "Beyond the Square" again (I'm definitely getting my money's worth out of this book!), and it is Motif # 113:

I'm realizing that I should probably stop photographing these on my desk & dining table. The wood is just too dark for these colors to show up properly.

The Quest Continues...

2011-12-05T21:08:00.001+09:00

Despite today being Monday, I managed to try out two more motifs today.
I don't really like the way either of them turned out.
The first one was from the book Beyond the Square by Edie Eckman, as most of the motifs I've tried have been. (Actually, I think all of them have been, until today.)
Motif #93 looks so cool in the book. And actually, my one-color trial didn't turn out too bad:

It isn't very big (5.5" square), probably because I reduced the starting chain.
My issue with this square is the counting. I miscounted on the 2nd round, and didn't discover the mistake immediately. Then, when I was re-counting, I miscounted again.
That's a bit frustrating, and I don't want to get upset with every square I crochet. So it's off the table.

The second square I tried, I found on Ravelry. It's the Forest Chains square by Jessica Gil. It's a 12" square and the examples on Ravelry look awesome, so I thought I'd try it.
It didn't work out so well.
Something is wrong here. Since I've been having an issue with counting today, I double-checked it, thinking maybe I added an extra stitch that I shouldn't have, but no...

I gave up on this one before it was finished.

It's just too ruffled, and although I really like the other squares folks have made, I just don't want to go through the hassle of fixing it.
We'll try again with some different squares tomorrow.

Sunday's Trials (and Errors) part III

2011-12-04T17:49:00.001+09:00

And now we come to the errors of the day.

I've been interested in quilting, so much so that I borrowed a few books from the library and dragged my sewing machine out of the closet where it sleeps for most of the year. I love to crochet blankets, and I somehow got it into my head that I could sew a quilt just as easily, but faster, than I can crochet an afghan.

The same department store at the Arcade where I found yarn, also carries quilting materials. They have 100% cotton by the meter, and they have pre-cut fat quarters and layer cakes. I thought, "Why not?" and bought some material to play around with.
So, a couple weeks ago, I tried piecing a quilt block. The intention was to make a cover for a 16" pillow form that I have stashed. I originally intended to crochet the pillow cover, but this seemed like good practice.
I read the books, looked at a few patterns online, and decided I wanted to make a Dove-in-Window block. Why this pattern? Because Laura Ingalls Wilder pieced a Dove-in-Window quilt when she was a little girl, and I loved the Little House books.

My first mistake was choosing a pattern so complex. I'm sure there are many, many quilters out there who can piece this block with their eyes closed and will say to me, "But that's easy!" And it might be. It sure looks simple.
My second mistake, was using a tape measure, cardboard template and regular fabric shears to cut the pieces. I work with the tools I have available, and my sewing kit didn't have all those fancy things like rotary cutters, see-through rulers and the like. I'm actually surprised I found spare bobbins and a couple pincushions.
The third mistake I made was piecing this on my sewing machine. Actually, to my mind, a sewing machine is the perfect way to make a quilt, but in this case...well, I just had the regular presser foot that came with the machine. And I eyeballed that 1/4 inch seam.
I was careful to press every seam, like all the books told me too, and pressed the seams to the darker fabric...but...well...
Why don't I just show you?

Pretty sad, huh?
Of course, after this disaster, I ordered a few things: a rotary cutting set, a 1/4 inch piecing foot, and an even-feed (also called a "walking") foot.

The rotary cutting kit arrived last week, and I immediately set out to practice using it. Practice is a very good thing. It helps you learn to be careful and make sure the cutting blade stays against the clear ruler, because otherwise you get a strip sliced at a weird angle. (Yep, did that once.)
After making a few practice strips, I decided to make a Streak O' Lightning block. This one is much simpler than the first one I attempted, which is good. I sewed two of the strips together, then cut the strip into squares, then sewed the squares into strips, then sewed the strips into a block. It went a lot better, but I discovered why I really want that 1/4" piecing foot:

You see it, don't you? Bottom left. That one seam messed up the entire block.

I know, I could have ripped all those seams and started over, but I'm holding on to these for the future. I'll get pretty good at this eventually. When I do, I want to show how far I've come.

And with that, I move into the final trial of the day. I found a pattern for a "mug rug" (basically a giant coaster), and it looked pretty simple. It's just a front & back piece of fabric (no piecing!) and the batting. I figured it's a good way to practice machine quilting.
And I learned why I ordered that even-feed foot.
The top layer of fabric didn't move as fast as the bottom layer, and the fabric wound up with a tuck in it. I also learned that the tension on my sewing machine likes to change on its own. I'm not really in a position to upgrade my machine (yet), so it's something I need to watch when working.
Anyway, this is what came out:

front

back

At least I'm practicing, right? I love learning new things, and this was certainly a day for it.

Sunday's Trials (and Errors) part II

2011-12-04T16:49:00.001+09:00

The Quest continues...

I'm really feeling stuck on what motif to use for my sister's afghan. I don't want to use a traditional granny square, but I can't seem to find the right design.
Originally, I planned to make a larger version of the Sonoma Baby Blanket, but I changed my mind after reading the pattern again. It's a very simple pattern, but I realized that I would get bored making all those squares, and then I would have to join them all...
So, I started looking for something else.
I recently purchased "Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs" by Edie Eckman. I was very excited when this book arrived, and I am still excited when I try the motifs out.

I'm just looking for the "right" one.
And I haven't found it yet.

Motif #49 looked promising. I even made a couple more to see how it might work, using join-as-you-go. Here's what it looked like with 2 motifs:

And with three:

This may be what I go back to, but finding the "right" motif is a bit like finding a wedding dress: you have to try on 50 to make sure you get the right one.

So, my next attempt from the same book was motif #7:

This thing is huge. I put my hand next to it for scale.

I actually liked this pattern a lot, and unlike the other circle I tried, this one has 8 spokes, making it rather octagon-like. Octagons can be joined together quite well, and I'm sure I can come up with something to fit in the gaps.

One thing I'm not too thrilled with is, of course, all those picots. So I made another trial piece, without them. It looks pretty nice, actually. I think I'm going to have to make a third, though, and see how the joining might go...or perhaps I could crochet them all together afterward...hmm. Something to think about.

There was also an ill-fated attempt to make motif #121. It's a square, with long chains on each corner that tuck into the next. The example in the book is awesome. Mine looked...maybe not-so-awesome...especially after one of the cats snagged it out of my hands and killed it. The resultant yarn tangle is not fit to be shared with anyone (except maybe the other cat-they seem to love it.)

In conclusion: I have two solid ideas, but the search continues. I'm going to try crocheting a square a day, and see where that gets me.

Oh yeah-the day wasn't over with these. See part III for my mis-adventures in fabric craft.

Sunday's Trials (and Errors) part I

2011-12-04T16:27:00.001+09:00

I'm having a not-so-lazy Sunday. Actually, it bordered on manic for a few hours. The result of my productivity is a multi-part post.

PGX8HEFSZQHH (<----yes, that looks weird. It's for the folks at technorati, so they know this is my blog. Please forgive it.)

This morning entailed a major shopping trip, during which I spent most of the yen in my wallet. However, I got the office Secret-Santa gift taken care of, and found an awesome gift for my sister.
I also found myself at Nishizawa, a department store that has a pretty nice fabric and crafts floor. I've found some yarn there (Note: 40g worsted weight does not go very far. At all.), and I finally picked up extra purple yarn to finish my amigurumi elephant. See, here he is:

When I said 40g of worsted weight doesn't go far? I meant it. Back in September, I found the yarn section at Nishizawa. I was on a budget, wanted to make some amigurumi, and I figured, this little guy isn't that big, one ball of yarn should be enough for the elephant, with maybe some left over.
I was wrong.
For several months, this is what sat in my yarn box:

Sad, isn't it? He had no legs, no tail...for months! Tim was even asking when I was going to finish this project; I think he felt sorry for it. But today, at last, he can walk!
In case you're curious, this is what the yarn looks like:

I honestly never saw that part on the label where it says "51m" until just now. Huh. I might have saved myself some trouble if I'd looked closer...but then again, I think at the time I was too scared of the kanji and hiragana to look for something that made sense.

I still have no clue what kind of yarn this is; I know that it is very fuzzy and works quite well with a "G" hook. It's pretty cheap, too; less than $2. (The current exchange rate is about $1=75 yen.)

Check out part II of today's post to see where I am on the Quest for the Perfect Motif.

A Very Productive Saturday

2011-12-03T17:42:00.001+09:00

Wow! This is one of the first Saturdays I haven't been called in to work. I managed to get a lot done around the house, too!

For starters, I finally finished my "Delight" afghan. I found the pattern in a Leisure Arts booklet called "Beloved Afghans." You can find it on Amazon here; I bought my copy at a Michael's craft store in Texoma.
Anyway, here is what the final product looks like:

And this photo makes it look softer, I think:

I started this project back in October, pretty much the same day I received the yarn. The sample in the book used Lion Brand Homespun, which I have worked with before (remember my "I Am Loved" filet afghan?), but I'm not all that thrilled with the way Homespun ends tends to fray. With all this fringe, I wanted something different. So, I used Bernat Softee Chunky in Faded Denim and New Denim Heather.
The pattern goes pretty quick at first, and after a few repeats it would make a good scarf:

But then, I got to a point where Tim & I would be watching TV and I'd have this project in my lap, and I'd reach the end of a row and need to turn it...and the cats would choose that exact moment to jump into my lap. It's been getting pretty cold here, so 3 out of 4 times this happened, I'd just leave it. Hence it took almost two full months to finish.
Of course, finishing the rows are one thing. Then, there's the fringe. If I'd simply finished off the final row and let it be, it would have looked a bit scraggly:

So I had to add a bit of extra fringe. Here's what it looked like after I added the dark blue:

And finally, when the light blue was complete:

Looks much nicer, I think.

Once I finished the afghan, I decided it was finally time to start decorating for Christmas. As in, more than a wreath on the front door. As in, put the tree up!
We have an artificial tree. Our decision to get an artificial tree was largely influenced by availability; Japan doesn't have Christmas Tree lots like you see stateside. The Navy Exchange sells live trees during Thanksgiving weekend, but to get a decent tree instead of a "Charlie Brown", we would have needed to be at the store first thing on Black Friday...and then we would need to figure out exactly how to get it home in our little Cube car.
There are some things to like about artificial trees: they don't pose as great a fire hazard, they stay green forever, and you don't have to buy a new one each year (and later dispose of it).
That being said, there are some downsides:
1. You have to store the darn things. We actually bought our tree two weeks ago, and the box was standing in our living/dining room until today. In January, when it comes down, Tim gets to wrestle the whole thing down to the storage shed.
2. You have to assemble them. Granted, this is much easier nowadays, with the trees being three pieces plus the stand. I remember my parents' first artificial tree had separate branches that needed to be attached individually to the trunk. After Dad put the three-part trunk together, we had to sort the branches by length and attach each one.
3. They don't look so pretty right out of the box:

See what I mean? All those branches had to be straightened & then spread. It took me a while.

It's up, though, and it has lights, and 17 ornaments. Yep. Just 17. We have 8 red balls, 8 gold balls, and one silver bell. There are also a dozen candy canes, but those will disappear over the next month.
Actually, I'm surprised I haven't tried to crochet any ornaments yet. Maybe I should get on that?

December has arrived.

2011-12-01T20:59:00.001+09:00

Late last night, the wind began assaulting Sasebo. I thought it sounded spooky last night. This morning, it was so bad I was nervous to drive to work. (I didn't even leave the house until full daylight - driving was scary enough without the added factor of not being able to see the road clearly.)
It stayed windy all day. And all afternoon. And all evening. And I was working late again...hour-past-sunset late. The temperature dropped again, too. I have no cold-weather gear for work.
However, I did come home to a delicious dinner, and I put up a Christmas wreath on the front door. It's very simple - no lights, no holly, just a green wreath and a red bow. Ok, the wreath hanger does have jingle bells on it, but it's still very simple.
--as I write this, I wonder if maybe putting a wreath on the door in high winds is smart...but I just checked. It's fine.

Still figuring out what motif to use on my sister's blanket. Still just as clueless.
--ok, I haven't even made another test motif since the last few I posted. But I have an excuse. The rotary cutting set I ordered arrived yesterday, and I had to practice on some scrap fabric to get the hang of using it.

That's about it tonight. Tomorrow is Friday, though, and I have a weekend full of crafting planned! I'm even going to get the Christmas tree set up!

The Quest for the Perfect Motif

2011-11-26T12:41:00.001+09:00

I've decided to crochet a blanket for my sister. I have a decent amount of Caron Simply Soft (which I love using for afghans-so cuddly! so durable!) in blue tones. Figuring out what yarn to use is the easy part; figuring out the pattern? Not so much.
A couple weeks ago I ordered a few books from Amazon, which arrived in less than a week. (If only my orders from Jo-Ann arrived so quickly!) One of them was "Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs" by Edie Eckman...so I'm giving that a go.
Since I also have a decent amount of random Simply Soft ends left over from other projects, I'm doing test motifs.
The first one I made was Motif #6:

I really like this one, but upon completion realized it wouldn't work for the project I want. This motif is a 10-point circle, and I cannot figure out how to evenly join all those motifs and create a uniform design. I'm a bit of a stickler for uniformity in crochet projects. It might work for an interpretation of the Santa Fe Shawl (also designed by Edie Eckman-I really like her designs!) but for this project I just don't see it working out.

The next one I tried was a hexagon: Motif #46:

This one would be fairly easy to join, and the blanket would certainly look like a bunch of snowflakes...but those points drove me nuts when I was working on this! Triple picot stitches on each point...I get frustrated easily. I like the end result, I just really don't like the process.

On to the next one...Motif #49:

This one is starting to show promise. I like the way it looks, there are no annoying picot stitches, and it wouldn't be difficult to join-as-you-go (which, incidentally, I have yet to try.) I may have to make another motif & try the joining...of course, I also plan to try out a few more motifs before I decide for certain what pattern I'm going to use.

Well, I'm off to work this morning (I knew a long weekend was too good to be true!). I'll update later with more test motifs & hopefully a decision.

Post-Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T01:40:00.001+09:00

Ok, back in the States everyone is either cooking dinner or eating dinner.
Here, it's early Friday morning, and at my house everyone is awake after the requisite post-turkey nap. Although, the restaurant where we had dinner had much better roast beef than turkey, so I supposed it should be called the post-dinner nap. Yes, we had Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant. No, I didn't cook a turkey myself. We don't have an oven.

I'm very thankful for a number of things this year:
1) I have a very wonderful family.
2) I have a 4-day weekend--especially nice considering that since I arrived, I have not had more than one day off at a time.
3) I have the two most wonderful cats on the planet (even if they do shed their weight in fur each month)
4) I have several boxes full of yarn with which to crochet fun stuff like afghans....

Speaking of which, I have been working on quite a few crochet projects. Some of them have even been completed.

For example:

This was the "practice" Crochet Kingston Hat, by Teresa Richardson. The practice was done using Caron Simply Soft yarn.

And this one was the "real deal":

Made using Berroco Lustra. I've had 4 balls of this stuff sitting in my stash drawers, waiting for the right project. Well, it's getting pretty cold here and I wanted a cool-looking, yet warm, hat. It took less than one ball of yarn, and then I had a lot left over, so...

I made this scarf to match it. It is very warm. Which is good, because our house is very cold. I definitely miss California right now. I miss central heating even more.

At Last...

2011-11-15T22:39:00.001+09:00

We finally have internet installed at the house.
This makes us very happy.
Now I can sort through thousands of crochet patterns and post lots of pictures of the afghans I am working on, and my husband can do...whatever it is he does online.

A few things that were missed while I was unable to post:
I managed to lose 25 pounds in 2.5 months, thus managing to keep my job and make my mother & sister very jealous.
I also developed tendonitis in my right Achilles tendon, which makes running (and walking, and climbing stairs, and depressing the accelerator and brake pedals while driving) pretty uncomfortable.

It is, unfortunately, well past my bedtime and I need to sleep. So I will have to post more later.

"Money talks, mine says Good-Bye"

2011-09-26T16:42:00.000+09:00

The title of this blog post came from one of those novelty checkbooks. (Remember writing checks to pay for things? I do!)
Today, I spent more in 2 hours than I have ever spent in a month...$11,700.
No, really. I did.
The thing about renting a house in Japan, is there are all sorts of fees for all sorts of things...you know how in the States, you can expect to pay first month's rent, perhaps last month's, and a security deposit? Well, those all exist here, too. In addition to first month's rent and an exorbitant security deposit (the equivalent of 2 month's rent), there is a restoration fee-to replace the tatami mats, shoji doors & fusuma doors when you move out. And also, the realtor's fee, which is 10% of a year's rent. It adds up; 120,000 yen/month for rent (about $1600 with the current exchange rate), plus all the other stuff...it cost us $8,500.00 just to move in.
Of course, we also needed to buy a car. We are now the proud owners of a 1998 Nissan Cube. It cost us $2,800. Then there is insurance...luckily this is pretty cheap in Japan, so our one-year policy only cost $400.
Still, having just spent a LOT to secure a house & transportation, it kinda hurts. When I looked at my bank balance this afternoon, it was hard not to whimper a bit.
Move-in tomorrow; unfortunately the internet service will not be installed until November (the company is running new fiber lines to the Cho). So my posts, however infrequent, will become more so.

Finished!!

2011-09-17T21:26:00.000+09:00

Done. Finally.

Maybe I shouldn't say "finally," since it only took me about 6 weeks to make, and during that six weeks I was packing up the house, moving across an ocean, starting a new job, looking for a house...
Anyway, it is complete.
Here's a picture of the blanket, spread out:

The cabling does not show up as well in this one, though.

I used Loops & Threads Impeccable in Pumpkin and Chocolate; I don't think I'll use it again. The price is right and it isn't bad yarn, but it is only available at Michael's craft stores (kinda tough to shop there when I'm overseas) and I still prefer Caron Simply Soft.
Anyway, this pattern is really easy once you get a couple rows done, but writing it out (and reading it) is probably going to be a nightmare.
I will still try, though.

Forgive the delay in posting...

2011-09-10T19:08:00.000+09:00

9/4/2011
We've been in Japan for 5 days now.
A lot of folks back home keep asking questions along the lines of "How do you like living in Japan?" and "Don't you love it?"
So I'm taking some time to answer these questions with my typical (albeit silent) response:
We are not "living" here. Not really. We are staying in a Navy Lodge hotel room. Imagine an efficiency apartment. Got that in your mind? Ok, good. Our room is smaller than that.
No, I don't love it. See the preceding paragraph.
We've been here 5 days. We don't even have driver's licenses yet, so don't expect to see a whole lot of new pictures, and we certainly won't have many stories for a while. We're not on vacation, people. We're still "arriving".

Ok, now that's out of my system.
There are a few things that have happened worth noting...for instance, taking my advancement exam approximately 24 hours after we landed.
And there's always the challenge of figuring out exactly what those kanji, hiragana & katakana symbols are trying to tell me.
Pictures help, of course. Still, some things are unexpected...like when you choose what appears to be grape pop from the vending machine. And it turns out to be some kind of carbonated grape jelly in a pop can.
No, really:

You can see the jelly-ness of it, creeping slowly out of the can. Kinda weird. And even creepier, when you don't expect it to have the consistency of jello.

Did I mention the spiders? They are huge (although I have been assured there are no poisonous species living on Kyushu.)

That thing? Is as big as my hand.

I might feel a little more chipper about this place in a month or so.

Arrived

2011-08-31T13:13:00.000+09:00

We made it.
Finally.

11 hours on the first plane, made it through customs & immigration no problem. The cats were approved for immediate release (no quarantine necessary!). Got on the second plane. Two hours later, we landed, and then a few hours after that we made it to Sasebo.
Now I need a nap, then check on the kitties at the kennel (pets aren't allowed at the Navy Lodge), then sleep some more before the exam tomorrow morning.
Yay.

Adventures in Yarn

2011-08-27T04:44:00.000+09:00

While the house is packed up & I'm counting down to our flight (!), I figured I would finally add some photos of the blankets I've made this year.
There are several.
Of course, a few of them have been given away already, so not all will be featured here. And there is one that is a work-in-progress, and it is the second blanket for which I created the pattern. When it is finished I'll post directions.

Ok, this one was actually completed last fall, but it was the first afghan that I made! The pattern is "Cozy 'Man-Ghan'" from Caron International & is available for free here. Husband loves it, obviously-see him smiling?

This one, I made for my mother-in-law. The pattern is for the Dublin Country Throw by NaturallyCaron.com and is available for free here. It took most of the summer to make, mainly because I was working on it while in school & between other stuff.

This one I made on a whim. I wanted to make another filet crochet throw, and I had the idea initially for it to read "I am loved" on one line & repeat itself. Then I started charting, and I realized that 1) it would be a really wide afghan & 2) it would use a lot more yarn than I actually had. So, I searched and found this chart, then transposed it to negative. Also, the charts for the font are here.

Finally, here is the massive granny square blanket. No, really, these granny squares are each 12" across. The story behind this is, I was plowing through the clearance bins at Michael's and found a few balls of Patons Shetland Chunky Tweeds that were about $1.99 each. So I bought them. And had no clue what to do with them.
I found myself idly making granny squares, and just kept making more of them until I had 17 big squares and just a few odds & ends of yarn left. Then I joined the squares into strips of four, then joined the strips. Maybe I'll get some more yarn and make this bigger. Maybe.

Finally, this one I started about a week ago. I just decided to wing it with the pattern, and so far it's turning out nicely. When it is done I will attempt to write out the pattern for it.

The Joy of Moving

2011-08-23T03:51:00.000+09:00

Since Thursday night, I have been packing.
Packing clothes into suitcases, packing dishes into boxes, packing my little fantasy figurines into Styrofoam...wrapping crystal goblets and wine glasses in t-shirts and putting them neatly in stemware cases.
The moving company came and packed everything else up into neat bundles, put everything in more boxes, and finally put all the smaller boxes into a giant wooden box, which is now on its way to Japan.
I'm still left with clothes that need to go into suitcases, and a pair of high-strung cats that need to go in a crate to the veterinarian's office tomorrow to get their health certificates.

All told, I am very glad we had professional movers to perform most of the work. I may, in the future, shell out for professionals again--the amount of stress saved seems to be well worth the money spent.
It's the final countdown this week, we are days away from traversing the Pacific and setting up home in a completely foreign country.
It will be an adventure, that's for sure.

Southwestern Paradise

2011-04-30T08:45:00.000+09:00

I love New Mexico.
After spending two days here, I can say this with certainty. Nevermind the altitude; I can get used to it (everyone tells me it only takes a couple of weeks). This state is amazing. I can't believe it wasn't admitted to the Union until 1912. Of course, this means that the city of Santa Fe is getting ready for the State's Centennial celebration next year.
Oh yeah, Santa Fe. The capital of the State and one of the oldest cities in North America...founded in 1610. Yes, 1610, that's ten years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It's home to the oldest church in America, and the oldest continually-used public building in America. There's also some really cool museums...like the New Mexico Museum of History and the New Mexico Museum of Art.
Ok, ok, this post is not just to promote Santa Fe. And I've missed a couple days of describing my adventures.

I spent my first night on the road in Flagstaff, AZ. My impression of the city: Dark. As in, no streetlights. No lighted store signs. No lighted parking lots. Kind of a scary place to be driving at night, if you ask me.
However, the next morning I drove up to Wupatki National Monument and walked around the ruins, which were pretty cool. The walk was pretty easy and the photos I took were fantastic.
Then I drove over to Sunset Crater National Monument. To get there, I had to drive 20 miles through the Poconino National Forest. When I saw a sign for a Painted Desert Vista/picnic area, I pulled over to snap some pictures. The problem here is that the Painted Desert is huge, beautiful, and just doesn't translate into film very well. Not the full picture, anyway. It's something that really has to be experienced for yourself.
Anyway, at the vista I met a woman who was also traveling on her own, seeing the USA from coast to coast. We compared notes about the monuments (she was headed from Sunset Crater to Wupatki).
Sunset Crater was something I wanted to see because it's the youngest volcano in the San Francisco Volcano Field. Unfortunately, when I found the mountain itself, I found this:

Oh well. I did, however, get to hike around the lava flows.
From there I drove to Walnut Canyon and explored the ancient cliff dwellings, which was totally worthwhile but be warned: you climb down over 200 stairs, which means that at some point you have have to climb back up.
I also drove through Petrified Forest...which reminded me a little of visiting Yellowstone or Rocky Mountain National Parks. How? Well, you know how in Yellowstone, if someone sees a bison or elk, they pull over, and then three more cars pull over and suddenly you have 20 tourists staring off at a distant spot on a hillside? In Petrified Forest, the trigger is a fossilized tree from the Triassic period. I wish I were kidding; it's kind of embarrassing to see a dozen grown men and women stand around and stare in awe at piece of dead tree #352. At least bison move around.
Of course, the Northern end of the park overlooks more of the Painted Desert, which is breathtakingly beautiful. It was also where I very nearly got plowed over by a giant crow trying to land. (Sorry, Barb, but at that moment I actually was glad you weren't there.)
I probably could have stayed the night in Holbrook, AZ, and seen El Morrow and El Malpais monuments the next day, but Holbrook felt a bit sketchy to me so I just drove all the way to Albuquerque.
For those of you who haven't had the aggravation of navigating Albuquerque's freeway system, I'll spare you the details and simply say "Nightmare."
Petroglyph National Monument is pretty cool, though, especially if you like prehistoric graffiti art. And the view from Sundias Peak is worth the cost of the tram ticket. & when I got to the top, there was a really cool couple from Minneapolis who took my picture for me.

See? That's me. And behind me, that's Albuquerque. Albuquerque sits 1 mile above sea level. Sandias Peak is more than 2 miles above sea level. Pretty cool, huh?
I moved on to Santa Fe...and I can't praise this city enough. It's awesome.
Oh, and that cool couple from MN? Ran into them at Starbucks in Old Town this afternoon. We compared notes on museums & scenic routes. Traveling is AWESOME.

Seeing the USA in my Chevrolet...

2011-04-27T14:34:00.000+09:00

I actually never thought I'd get to do that. I always thought it was just a nostalgic Chevy jingle, and I was destined to go no further than 300 miles from home in any of the Chevrolets I have owned. (For the record, there were 3. Plus a fourth that was on loan from a friend whilst he was deployed to Afghanistan. Technically it might be 5; California is a community property state and my husband drives a Malibu...Huh. Just caught that one.)
And yet here I am, trekking across the southwest in my ~~tiny~~ compact, ~~cheap~~ economical Cobalt.
So I left the West coast this morning, where it was about 67 degrees. When I drove through Needles, it was close to 92 degrees. As I was driving across Arizona, the temperature fluctuated quite a bit and by 6pm it was about 47 degrees. Of course, all these readings require me to trust the thermometer in my car, whose reliability (in reading the current climate, anyway) is a bit questionable.
So my mission this week is to see as many national parks/monuments/forests as I can...I have a National Park Service Annual Pass, so I won't have to keep shelling out for entrance fees.
More to follow.

Definitions

2011-04-16T14:57:00.000+09:00

Culture -the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time;
-the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generation.

An Introduction

2011-04-16T14:51:00.000+09:00

I was coerced into starting this blog.

Okay, not really, but I was certainly encouraged to this end, mostly by the awesome Jess P. (And she will likely be the only person who reads this on a regular basis.)

I'm pretty big into cultural exploration, especially when I can be completely immersed in the culture. Since my job requires me to often travel far & wide, I find myself blessed to experience a broad spectrum of the world's peoples, places, and happenings.

I'd like to share this with you.