Excuses, excuses

First I was too busy to update because I was moving home from Japan. Then I was too busy because I was searching for a job. Now I'm too busy because I just started my new job last Friday (which so far I love) and it's really hectic right now. *le sigh*

Random Thought 9/20

I was more or less expecting it, considering The Happy Hooker kept getting bumped back, but the Son of Stitch 'n Bitch release has been delayed from October to November. I know it'll come out eventually, but I really want it to come out now.

In other non-related news, I'm getting very sick of the dachshund running off with and subsequently mangling my skeins of yarn.

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).

The cost of moving

I've made it from my home in the country to my host family's house in Osaka, at the expense of several WIPs that I previously mentioned working on, most notably the cabled bag and vintage dress in this post and the Knucks mentioned in this one. I also gave scads of yarn, most of it still in the ball bands, to one of the English teachers who I worked with who's an absolute doll; and somehow I lost one of the beaded pins I made.

When I get time to upload them, I have photos of most of the hats I crocheted for my host family (my host brother took his lot before I took photos of everything), and a few other sayonara presents I made for some of the other teachers I worked with.

Musings on crochet

Before I move home to the States, I'm going to visit my host family up in Osaka. They very generously housed me for 4 months during my semester abroad, and they're fabulous. I've decided to crochet them all hats, which is no small undertaking considering there are ten of them between mom, dad, grandma, my host brother's family, and my host sister's family.

And yet, it's not an unreasonable task. In three days I've already completed five hats. In a mere 16 rounds I can make a whole hat. Try knitting a hat in 16 rounds; the yarn would have to be damn chunky and the needles like tree branches, and it would probably end up looking like a big clunky mess anyway.

Crochet also seems to lend itself to designing at a much earlier experience level than knitting. I've been knitting for years, but I only learned how to crochet back in college when some friends taught me how to make a basic single-crochet beanie, and I didn't expand on that knowledge until after moving to Japan. I consider myself to be at the advanced beginner/kinda-sorta intermediate level, and yet I've already created my own hat pattern which lends itself to several variations. Perhaps this also ties into the time involved: even if you mess up, it doesn't take long to rip it out and recover that lost ground. On the other hand, I have some arm warmers that I've been designing for over a year now just because I can't be bothered to restart them AGAIN.

Busy, busy, busy

I'm moving back to the States in a little over a month, so I haven't really had time to make things lately since I've been trying to dismantle my house and figure out how much I can feasibly take home, craft-related and otherwise. There are several FOs I packed up but haven't taken pictures of yet, so you can look forward to those making an appearance some time in August.