Next up in the WIP lineup is this bottom-up sweater knit in the round that I started knitting ages and ages ago with some stripy Noro Cash Laine. It's a colorway that looks like black and raspberry in a certain light but is actually green and raspberry. I like the colors a lot and thought they would make a practical sweater for the long, cold Japanese winters. Turns out this year has not been so cold and I have hardly needed a winter jacket, let alone a big bulky wool sweater. But I'll be here for one more winter (I swear, it will be my last) so I might as well get this done so I can start wearing it in the fall!

I stalled out a lot because I'm not really using a pattern for this sweater and needed to sit down and figure out exactly where I was, how many more increases I wanted to make, etc., etc., before I could start working on it regularly again. Now that I've done it, I can enjoy the mindless stockinette while I watch new episodes of 24. Woop!

Posted by Molly at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have had way too many projects in my knitting basket for about the last year. I have so many unfinished projects that even with the urge to start more, I just can't let myself. Since I broke my tailbone on a snowboarding trip last weekend, I have had a lot of time on the couch, and knitting has taken my mind off the pain and uncomfortable shifting around (a little). Here is the first old project that I dug out of the basket:

Remember us? We are two fair-isle gloves, aching to be finished and worn before the end of this winter! All that was left when I brought these back out was the fingers, which is definitely the least fun part of making gloves for me. But I am trying to do one finger a night, at least on nights when I have the time, so it shouldn't be so bad. One down, four to go!

I have a ticket to see Scissor Sisters in Nagoya tonight but as much as I LOVE THEM and really want to go, I need to spend the night at home on my donut cushion. I don't feel like dancing, that's for sure! Instead of just moping, I will hopefully be able to get my act together and keep working through more of these old (but good!) WIPs while I catch up on some long-awaited movie watching.

Posted by Molly at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I have been meaning to post about the great gift that I got from my man (the happy recipient of the boyfriend scarf from a few posts back). This blog is usually not so personal and even my more frequent posts about life in Japan, while they detail all the things I do here, are still not much more than a surface level view of my life. It's probably my first time to take something really meaningful and put it out there on the net, but this is too good not to share with all my knitter friends!

Have you ever heard of a guy learning to knit for his girlfriend? Because that's what he did. In secret, he got mutual friends to teach him the ropes and set out on a mission to make this pillow for me for my birthday. He worked on it day and night, spending his New Year's holiday at home, pressing through row after painstaking row, knowing that if he made a mistake there was no one here to help him!

He did it! He worked with my friend until JUST before we got the bus to Tokyo (literally, they were working on the last seams at the train station) and stuffed it in his bag to bring along. He also made sure to wear the coordinating sweater (I love stripes) when he gave it to me the morning of my birthday. When he broke this out of the bag, I could not believe what he had done. Only a knitter can appreciate the time and effort that went into the knitting of this perfect pillow especially for a first-timer. Seriously, there are no mistakes! I can't think of a more thoughtful gift. So even though he swears he won't knit again, I know that deep down, he is just aching to pick up the needles for something without a deadline. I just need to find him the right project!

Posted by Molly at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

It's a little late, but don't forget to say Happy Birthday to my mom! She's the only person I know who was probably just as happy spending her big day at home alone. Hope it was a fun and productive day, Mum. Miss you!

Posted by Molly at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I used to have a knitting blog in this space but I haven't posted for nearly a month so maybe you were starting to forget about me. Sorry if you've emailed and I haven't written back, but really, thank you for the concern! I am still alive and well over here. Just not really knitting.

Since my last (and not even really knitting-related for that matter) post, I traveled, relaxed, celebrated, said goodbye to the old year and rang in the new, hung out with my college roommate, and played tour guide all around Japan. I partied, studied, shopped, worked, talked (a lot), slept (not enough), got sick, gave speeches, snowboarded and now I'm back at work wondering where the last month or so has gone. See where all this is going? I have a lot of knitting on my to-do list, but I'm sick of constantly thinking about my next blog post when I really don't have anything to show. So I'm taking a little blog break, probably just for a few weeks, but who knows. I'll be back when the blog posts are to keep up with what I'm knitting and not the other way around.

Oh yeah, and happy new year!

Posted by Molly at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)