Random Thought 11/18

My iPhone is my new favorite knitting accessory. I can punch up patterns online instead of printing them out (and more likely than not losing them); and if I forget a row counter, I can open a note and keep track of them there.

Also, have I seriously not updated since January? That's a new low. So much has happened since then, including but not limited to:

-Losing my old job
-Starting a new job
-Getting drafted to a home team (I was previously skating on the farm team)
-Adopting two cats
-Developing an insane addiction to fancy tea

I tend to have downtime at my new job, so my intent is to use said time to update more often. This, of course, is when I'm not using it to work on league business, as I was also elected co-chair for one of our committees.

And the excuses keep on coming....

Status report: Still setting up the new apartment. Still an insomniac. Still haven't picked up my knitting needles in about 4 months.

And honestly, I haven't really wanted to. My crafting inclinations are a Karma Chameleon. They come and go. Sometimes I really want to knit. Sometimes the crochet hook calls to me. There was that beading spree last summer. Lately, though, I've been much more interested in catching up on all the books I found in storage and playing my bass. I've practiced nearly every day since I moved.

There are a lot of UFOs idling in my knitting bag right now: my Knitty Shimmer, a beard hat for a gentleman I'm no longer seeing, not to mention yarn for planned projects that aren't even underway. At this rate, I'm not sure when they will be.

Techincal Difficulties

Wow, almost two months since my last post, this must be a new record in laziness.

Actually, there have been several factors conspiring against me:

-The aforementioned combo of no laptop or camera power sources, thus limiting my ability to post new stuff

-Insomnia since February which has left me unable to do much besides sit like a lump on the couch and watch tv when I get home from work, let along make things

-A long-ass commute, made all that much worse by construction, which doesn't leave me much time to sit like a lump on the couch before it's time for bed

-Getting sick twice in the past month. I'm still recovering from a cold and can barely talk after losing my voice completely last week

However, I just moved to a new apartment which is much closer to work, and the doctor gave me some meds which should help with the sleeping issue, so hopefully I'll be back on the creative track soon.

I'm just a big ball of excuses.

I've been back from Japan almost two weeks, and I still haven't made good on my promise to post fun stuff. Here's the deal: my pictures are being held captive on my laptop and my camera.

The power cord appears to have died on my laptop, so I can't turn it on; and I can't find the battery charger for my camera, so I can't turn it on. I hope to rectify these problems over the weekend.

What I had planned to post pictures of: a new Hangover Helper. Using my pattern and leftover yarn from the one I made for the book, I knit a bottle of Asahi as a (very extremely super-duper) belated birthday present for a friend and finally gave it to her when I visited.

Greetings from Japan!

Consider this an internet postcard of sorts. I'm back in Japan for the week, mainly so I can attend a junior high graduation ceremony on Tuesday. It'll be a whirlwind trip and I'm tired already, but I should have some fun stuff to post when I get back.

Happy Birthday, Blog!

You're one year old! I know I haven't been great at maintaining you, and updates are inconsistent at best, but... well... I really don't know how to finish that sentence.

Hopefully year 2 will be more productive and update-y.

Yeah, I know I've said that before.

*sigh*

Oh well. To all you readers out there (all two of you), thanks for reading, and who knows, maybe I'll surprise you with... actual photos! Of projects! Woooo!

First Post of 2008

Happy New Year!

All right, so I never actually got around to updating during vacation, but I did add the labels, and I uploaded a lot of photos, so they're one step closer to being posted.

Ok, here's the Plan

I am a terrible updater. I'm sure my regular readers are all aware of this. That is, if I even *have* any regular readers. I'm sure anyone who might have attempted it has given up by now, considering I haven't even posted in over a month.

However, in light of Son of Stitch 'n Bitch being released and my blog address being in there and all (I submitted the Hangover Helpers), I figure I should probably attempt to update a bit more regularly.

Seriously, I have FOs dating back to this summer when I was still in Japan that have yet to be posted. I have FOs that I've started and finished since moving back to Chicago. I have eighty gajillion WIPs. There's probably enough material to write about to keep me occupied through March, even without the inevitable adding on that will occur!

So here's the plan: my office is closed from Dec. 24 - Jan 2. During that time I plan to give my blog an overhaul. Updates. Links. Some semblance of organization. Hmm, this has "New Year's Resolution" written all over it....

If it wasn't nearly 2 am, I'd be a lot more interesting

Craft Update: I have some photos kicking around here somewhere that I need to upload, and I've started yet another new project (never mind the previously started ones that still haven't been completed, but that's an old story).

Life Update: I'm back in Chicago, more or less. Technically I'm living in the north suburbs and will soon start working in the south suburbs. How this will affect my crafting habits has yet to be seen. The introduction of kung-fu, bass guitar, and a renewed love for Dynasty Warriors have already cut into my knitting time lately. Never mind the adorable demon dachshund who likes to gnaw on my bamboo needles while I'm using them; I keep trying to explain to him that he's not a panda, but he doesn't listen.

Also, I think it's funny that at the time I made this post, the only photo on the page is a mass of Fun Fur.

I swear I'll start updating again soon

I've been back in the States for almost two weeks, and I think I've finally readjusted, more or less. There's still the risk of reverse culture shock down the line, but I'm feeling less out of whack than I did when I first got in.

Anyhoo, I'm waiting for most of my craft supplies to reach me. Since sending packages by ship was the cheapest option, that's how I mailed them home, but it takes a month or more for the boxes to get here. Fortunately I ordered a ton of yarn while I was still in Japan that my mom never sent to me, so I do have a couple projects in the works right now, ranging from complicated (a cabled afghan that I'm pretty sure has a few errata in the pattern) to simple (a 1X1 rib Gryffindor scarf).

Checking in

I've been busy doing nothing at work for the past month or so, which means that I spend a lot of time online at my office. As a result, I haven't been on the computer much at home, which is where all my photos are. The point is, I'm still making things, just not posting the results.

My recent Buffy addiction has now spread to Angel (yeah yeah, just a few years late on those, I know), so in order to combine hours of watching tv and productivity, I've been crocheting afghan squares for Warm Up America!. It's also a good way to thin out the stash before I head home at the end of the summer, I'm already sweating how I'll get everything home. As much as I try to use it up, I somehow keep buying more....

Status Report

Ok, ok, so I've been a bit neglectful. I actually haven't been crafting too much this month in order to give my wrists a break, they were pretty sore after all the work I did in February. Well, that and I've been super-addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer recently. Not that I can't knit and watch tv at the same time, I've just chosen not to, for the aforementioned wrist ailment. I do have a few FOs and some WIPs that I should have pictures of soon.

Oh, and as for my dilemma in the previous post, I figured out a solution that I'm not sure why I didn't think of before: instead of yarn, I slipped the held stitches onto circulars. Worked like a charm!