You may have noticed that in my previous post (a few hours ago) I mentioned I want to make a blanket. It is obviously not a very complicated project, and just something fun to do instead of staring blankly at Japanese TV. Well during my v. busy morning at work, I stumbled upon Louise's site and decided it is perfect for me. I need to have a deadline or another big project on the horizon in order to get anything done. Since I don't have any big projects, a deadline it is. Check out blanket statement and see if you can't knit up a few squares yourself!

This reminds me, does anyone know how to make images appear centered in the post in Typepad? I can't figure it out.

Posted by Molly at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Look at this! It's a photo of the front of my snappy new sweater vest. I made some serious progress last night--partially because this is knitted on size 13 needles but also because there was something entertaining on tv for once! That's right, a SMAP TV special that was all in english! It was highly entertaining, not for the reasons it was supposed to be, but simply because it was weird. So I watched and knitted away, and before I knew it I was almost done with the front of my vest. When I'm done, I think this will give me the energy to take on that triangular scarf with its complicated yarn over pattern. I'm also determined to start on a blanket of some sort so that I can knit something mindless and practical.

On a different note, I have been thinking a lot about Noro now that I'm in Japan, especially since I can't seem to find it anywhere. Does anyone know what the deal is with that? I am in a relatively unimportant town, so it could just be that I am going to have to go to Nagoya to find it. But if I'm going to Nagoya, maybe I'll just look up the factory...

Posted by Molly at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I am finally feeling at home here now that I have scoped out my LYS. There are two! Who would have guessed? On Friday after school I raced to one on my bike before it closed at six and was wowed with their selection of pretty nice yarn. The ladies there were also really nice to me and we had my standard Japanese conversation in which I wow them with my first sentence or two and then don’t understand another single thing. We talked briefly about the fact that I like knitting, I am an English teacher and I’ve studied Japanese for one year. Then she tried to ask me about 20 more questions that I didn’t understand and finally got outta my way and just let me look at the yarn. I ended up getting some yarn to start a blanket, some cotton to make placemats or something fun for the apartment, and some thick and thin yarn to make this vest:

This could be one of those things that looks really cute on 99% of cute Japanese girls and ridiculously goofy on me. I’m optimistic though, and I am putting all my effort into making it look cool. I don’t have a button yet though, that is going to take some serious thought. The store was only about a 20 minute bike ride from my house, and conveniently located next to the post office that I have to visit on a regular basis.

I didn’t make much progress on the sweater vest because on Saturday, I just happened to be in the same building as the other yarn and craft store around here. They were restocking all the yarn so I didn’t have much to look at, but I did wander into the fabric section and get sucked into buying some fabric for some new pillowcases. My bedroom really needed help! Well I could have used Mariko's pillowcase tutorial, but since I am still without internet at home, I had to make do with my own limited experience and common sense to put these babies together. It really wasn’t that hard, just a little time consuming since I had to hand stitch all four! Well they’re done now:

Here are close-ups of the fabric--the blue one says moony chick!

I’m happy to have some projects other than Caryl’s Kerchief, because it is just not moving along too smoothly. I don’t really understand how to effectively use markers when there are so many yarnovers, and every few rows the pattern ends up off by one stitch because I haven’t been paying close enough attention. I think I need to do some simple size 13 needle knitting, and then hopefully I will be able to give it more time. Until then...

Posted by Molly at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I know it doesn’t look like I have made much progress on this kerchief, but can you tell why? Yes, it is approximately the same size as last time, but it is a different color. I was bored at work and looking through my photos when I realized I was knitting with one of two skeins of Koigu that I had earmarked for gloves this winter. Since I don’t have any other matching skeins, I gave up and started over with a different color. I actually like this color scheme a lot better for the scarf, and since I figured out the lace pattern on my first try, this one is moving right along.

I really need to get with the program and search out some yarn stores in my area. I don’t really know where to start, but at least I learned the kanji for knitting and knitting wool last week. I think I am going to ask everyone who speaks English at my school if they have any suggestions and then I’ll head out next weekend. I think I have a yellow pages in my apartment but I’m not too sure about how it works and I haven’t been able to locate any useful information yet.

Last week I was talking to one of the teachers in charge of the English Club at school and she was surprised to hear that I knit, but commented that “making things by hand warms the heart.” It was so cute. If I could knit at work, I would have finished a few sweaters by now. Alas, I have to work or pretend to work while I’m there, so I have been dedicating my time to keeping up with my japan blog and doing other *really important* things online. I have fit in a fair amount of studying too, so I can justify wasting a lot of time. I’m excited for school to start next week, but at the same time I am quite enjoying keeping myself busy with my own activities at school all day. This morning the English club is going to come in and work on their presentation of me and the other new teacher from Canada that will debut at the big school festival in September. We’re like celebrities!

Posted by Molly at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I was commenting on my knitting dilemma yesterday, I actually added a comment that I knew what my mom would say: and enthusiastic RIP IT! For whatever reason, I decided that was an unnecessary comment and deleted it before posting. But wouldn't you know, I was on my way home from Japanese class last night and I got an email on my phone entitled: RIP IT!. Whoever could that have been from? I had already ripped out a few rows and successfully picked up my work on a row where there weren't any yarn-overs. Why didn't I realize this the other day? Every other row is just plain knitting. Well some picutres were promised, and pictures I will post. They don't really do justice to all my hard work because they make this look like some measly little project. I think its just really hard to show a triangular piece that is on a circular needle, especially when I am really hot and sweaty. Check it out:

The yarn REALLY isn't so blue! This is bugging me, but I have yet to figure out how to fiddle with the color quality on my phone camera. Actually I will probably never figure it out. I will take good pictures soon, and everyone will be stunned at the greenness of my scarf.

The last picture is to show the last lacey part that wasn't right. After taking this photo I decided it really did look bad (can you tell?) and I decided to take the risk and go back. It worked! I think now I can get working on it full-force. I know the lace pattern pretty well, and I might even be adventurous enough to take it with me on the train to Nagoya tomorrow. Hmm...

Posted by Molly at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today I was thrilled because I got to go home for lunch! This morning I had my first day at the Board of Education and this afternoon I was supposed to go to the Education Center instead of hauling up and down a bunch of hills to get to my school. (The BOE and the Education Center are inevitably both at the top of their own hill, but the only one between there and my apartment). Especially since this is one of the hottest, sunniest, most humid days, I was quite excited that I was going to stay in the neighborhood. So after my morning of work, I sped home on my bike, scarfed down some lunch and knitted for about 20 minutes while I watched some celebrities sample eel dishes on TV. Oh the fun of it! I even had time for ice cream before I biked to meet my new supervisor at the Education Center.

Well that turned out to be more of an adventure than I had expected, and after finding the right office, they politely informed me that my supervisor wasn't there today. Who knows where he is or when he'll be back, but they made it clear that he sure wasn't there now when they kindly escorted me to the door. At this point I faced somewhat of a moral dilemma. My school thought I was at the Education Center all afternoon, so why not just head home and relax in the AC before I go to Japanese class tonight? My conscience got the better of me, and I ended up making the long haul to school after all, but this time in unbearable midday heat. When is winter coming again? I can't take this. On the climb up the interminable hill to my school, I thought I might actually pass out and fall off my bike. But I made it! I am still recovering, and luckily I have AC in the office and the internet to help in the process.

Back to knitting--I was a little disappointed today when I realized my lace pattern has been off for the past few rows. I must be off by one stitch because the pattern looks similar, but definitely not the same. Alas, I face another dilemma. Do I do the right thing, tear it out and start over? Or do I plug through to the end, only to risk having a poorly knitting scarf that I end up tearing out and restarting anyway? Decisions, decisions. The only reason I don't want to go back now is that I am afraid with all the yarn overs, I won't be able to properly pick up the stitches and I'll have to go back to the beginning. I guess I'll just have to think about it. I will be sure to post pictures of my progress soon--even though they will probably be poor quality from my phone. Keep your fingers crossed that I can get internet in my apartment soon!

Posted by Molly at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have finally gotten the hang of this lacey kerchief after restarting the project about 15 times last week. My lesson learned is that starting to knit lace is even more difficult when you are exhausted. This weekend I finally had the chance to catch up on my sleep and *successfully* worked on the project while I was watching the Olympics. I have been less than thrilled with the Olympic coverage here, but I have been a faithful watcher anyway since I can at least follow what is going on. My friend with English cable says that an American swimmer has been sweeping a bunch of events, but I had heard nothing about it! All I have been seeing is nonstop Judo and Softball, intermixed with some random women's weightlifting. It's all quite boring. It's good for knitting though, so I can't complain. When I wasn't knitting (or having a social life) this weekend I was reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons which is scaring me to death. It's not a particularly scary read, but it being so suspenseful, me living alone for the first time and being scared of all the wildlife in my apartment is not a good combination. I brought it to work today so I can read it in the light of day and maybe even leave it in my desk. That way I can't read it when I'm home alone at night, and I will have more time for knitting! At least the Olympics doesn't scare me...

There should be photos posted soon once I figure out if I'm going to have internet at home or if I need to keep hauling my laptop to school for a while. Stay tuned!

Posted by Molly at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I FINALLY feel like I have settled into my apartment and sufficiently unpacked to relax and have some fun. It’s generally a somewhat boring place, so I think I'm going to try to spice it up with some crazy pillows and start making my first quilt! This is all contingent upon finding a fabric store, but I know that if I can’t find one in my neighborhood I can always make the trip to Nagoya. I’m excited about making things to furnish my own apartment—its so much more fun than just buying stuff (although I’m going to have to spring for some sheets since I don’t have any and I can’t imagine making them).

Last night I broke out a skein of Koigu and wound a ball of yarn so I can start on Caryl’s Kerchief. Look at this progress:

BEFORE

AFTER

The yarn is actually a bit more greenish, but I think the intense fluorescent lighting in my bedroom did a number on the quality of my photo. I’ve never done yarn overs before—I hope it’s not too hard to teach myself!

Posted by Molly at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I made it to Japan safe and sound and I will hopefully be settling into my new life and routine soon! I haven't done much knitting, but those skeins of Koigu are burning holes in my still unpacked suitcases so hopefully I will be up to something new in the near future. It might be too hot to knit around here, but that could just be in my non-airconditioned office. I tried to set the AC timer at home so things better be all cooled off by the time I get home from work. All I need to do is get used to the idea that there is a 6 inch spider living somewhere in my apartment. Once I get past that I should be able to sit and knit all night long!

Posted by Molly at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)