Long Story Short (with a picture!)

Check it out! While I've been away from the Internet (one and a half more weeks to go, knock on wood), I've joined a band!

There are two guitarists (Dr. H and S), a double bassist (K aka Magnum), and a violinist (H). In case you didn't figure it out, I'm on vocals. Maybe accordion if I practice enough. For now, I'm quite busy singing! We had our first performance at Utsubo Park last Sunday-- decent turnout! A lot of my great friends, including E of and her lovely boyfriend. And our first at-a-bar venue is on Sunday at 8pm! Excitement!

Life is good! I haven't been knitting quite as much as I want to... mostly because knitting is an activity that I do when I'm bored, lonely, in transit, or watching something. While I *have* been watching (the new BSG! Woo!, the new Office (OMG did you see the finale??), and Dead Like Me), I haven't been feeling the need to knit quite as much. I have started on a stashbuster (which required buying more yarn... um... don't ask) sweater... and then my good friends U & Y asked me to make their wedding mascots for the 7th of June! Eek! Better get knitting!

I've also become a yoga practitioner. Is that what you call it? Yoga is the best thing ever. And I'm learning Portuguese. And I haven't killed too many plants thus far... but I have aphids again! Yuck!

Motivation

I have motivation now because my (soon to be former ;-;) co-worker has decided to start a blog.

Since last I blogged here, I have:

*begun and finished a Scrapotis (clapotis made of scrap yarn!)
*survived winter
*found a new apartment
*started on a punk rock (i.e. completely from my head) design for work

...and I'm sure there are other things. Now to get photos on here! Give me time!

Holy Cat Beds!

I've been up since about 4am. What started as a trip to the bathroom ended up being a two-hour-long stay-up session which ended in trying to go back to sleep and instead designing cat beds as a use for my extra left-over yarn.

Oh. Em. Gee.

If all goes well, I will have a knitted cat bed pattern started.

The laziness! Ack!

The cold means I don't want to do anything other than sit/lay in a warm place (bed), either knitting, petting the cats, or both. (Believe me, I can do both at the same time. This feat has saved many a project.)

Since I last blogged, I have finished a hat (twice-- once it was too small), a rose (pattern from "Dominitrix"), Reversible Steampunk Fingerless Biking Gloves (and I even have a pattern, when I type it up!), and I have started on a "scrap-otis"-- which is a Clapotis knit from scraps and leftover yarn. I love my scrap-blanket more than anything else-- I always want to wear it out, but one cannot wear a blanket... and I've been meaning to try Clapotis, so...

Pictures coming, eventually. And now, to dislocate the cat from my lap and cook some dinner! Fresh strawberries!

お久しぶり！ Long time no see!

I am making a pattern!

And I have resolved for 2008 to do a real knitblog and organize my patterns. Thank you, Ravelry!

Exciting news: I am writing an official pattern. This is new for me, as I'm one of those impulsive knitters who frogs after every attempt, never writing anything down.

Happy 2008!

Frogs and Toads

Extreme frustration!

I have two cats-- this keeps me from being able to frog at home. I frogged Mariah so hard last year around... October or November? She'd been finished for a few months, but I didn't have the heart, the patience, or the guts to actually do it. My friend Jillian was there to witness much of the froggage.. and from the balls of frogged Mariah emerged a newer, better-fitting, more perfect Mariah! With a few errors (like, a front instead of back cable) and some pattern alterations (like, ribbed body! no breaks between cables, etc)-- my new Mariah was shaping up nicely! And it fit tightly and was pretty! (No pictures yet...)

Anyway-- I realized size inches into the hood that I hadn't decreased properly and I just frogged 1.5 balls worth of yarn. Thankfully, no cats interfered.

Oh man, I'm gonna finish Mariah soon! Soon!

Hisashiburi!

June 21st, close-up
Originally uploaded by harisenbon.

Japanese for "long time no see", this blog has been sorely neglected. Why? Frustration with Mariah, figuring out where I went wrong and re-knitting, Open Yours Trade 07 (I have pictures to share, but when am I allowed to?), joining a karate dojo (yes!), frustrations with Japanese medicine, and other such things.

More pictures to come, as soon as I take them. Currently on the needles: Mariah's sleeves (both 17 inches), and a shopping bag (of my own 'design,' if you can even call it that), and contemplating comic ideas.