The Decorator Crab

In which she peeks her head out from behind the boxes

Greetings all, from the glorious state of Oregon!  We are still settling into the new house, but the dust has cleared and I have a few moments to get back to the ol' blog.  Anyone still out there?!

Blog-worthy creative progress is minimal, which is another reason that I haven't been back to the blog since we've been here.

The Hexagon Blanket has an embarrassing, measly 8 (8!!) blocks so far.  I started and then abandoned the first set of blocks, so my actual progress doesn't fairly reflect the amount of time that I've put into the blanket. So it goes here at Chez Crabby!!  Onward!

In between crocheting hexagons, I was drawn back to the needles by a simple project with gorgeous yarn - the Noro Scarf.  I found some Silk Garden Lite while we were at the coast last weekend, and I cast on that same night.  I'm doing seed stitch instead of K1P1 ribbing, and I love how the texture and colors are coming together.  The striping isn't as crisp as in Jared's version, but I'm digging it just the same.  I grabbed the last three balls of SGL that the store had, and will likely need a fourth ball.  I'll cross that bridge...yadayada.

And that's all the progress that I have to show for a month of absence. It's a sad state of affairs indeed. Sorry friends - my creative mojo sucks lately.   I'll post some photos of the new house once we get some decent color on the walls and the rest of the furniture arrives (squee!!). 

Johnny says, "I like sitting in the sun at the front door! Also, is that door really purple?"  Yes. Yes it is. Welcome home, pup.

On the move

Observe how sad my stash looks, all squished into two plastic bins.  It deserves better, but this is the price it pays for safe transport to a new home. That's right - Chez Crabby is on the move!  It's not happening immediately, but I am trying to get non-essentials packed up before I leave for the cruise. [Note: I realize that yarn IS an essential, but even the most yarnophilic among us should agree that we don't need all of it out all of the time. Yarn for certain upcoming projects was left out, each pile gloriously displayed on its own shelf.] Anyway.

So, the move.  It's kind of a long story, so let me give you the relevant details in brief. My husband and I met in graduate school at Oregon State University.  OSU is located in a quiet little town in the Willamette Valley, in between Portland (to the north) and Eugene (to the south).  We both enjoyed living in Corvallis very much. But, as often happens, my then-boyfriend finished school and left Corvallis for a really good job in Seattle.  As soon as I finished classes and could work remotely, I moved up to Seattle and we "got serious" (i.e. we bought a house and got married). I am still in school, and am working on writing my dissertation from home.

We have enjoyed Seattle very much, but we can not afford to live in any of the really fun neighborhoods where you can walk to pubs and parks and all of that good Seattle stuff. So, we live in suburbia and we sit in traffic any time we want to go anywhere. We think lovingly back on the days when we lived in Corvallis, when we didn't have to get on the freeway to visit friends or go out to eat. At this point, the best thing about Seattle is the group of friends that we've made since we've been here.

So, we've come up with a way to get back to Corvallis. It's more a matter of things falling into place, really. The group that my husband works for has an office in Newport, Oregon, which is a straight shot out to the coast from Corvallis. His bosses have agreed to let him transfer down, which is so amazing and wonderful because I know that hubbo likes his job and the people that he works with. I still have to finish school, but that will be much easier to do in town rather than trying to handle logistics from Seattle. And, when I do finish, I have a post doctoral position ready and waiting for me at OSU.  YES!  YESYESYES!  Now we can move back down to Pleasantville!!  And we'll both have jobs! 

It's an amazing stroke of luck, really, but I have been secretly scheming for ways to get back down to Oregon for over a year now.  I grew up in a big city (sort of), and at first I hated Corvallis. But the place grew on me and I look forward to getting back to the local co-op, local shops, that local feeling, and the ability to ride my bike or walk almost everywhere.  I am so sick of getting in my car!  Well, I digress now, but you get the gist of it.  The inhabitants of Chez Crabby - me, hubbo, Johnny dog, kitties Maverick and Goose, eleventeen million plants, and the yarn stash are packing up and heading south.  I am thrilled!