New blanket; spring flowers and craft update

I hope this long-overdue post finds you well. It has been many moons since my last check-in, written during the coldest, darkest month of the year. The “trial by fire” (better known as my previous semester in a new role) is behind me; a daunting-but-doable semester will commence in September. Until then, I’ll spend the summer prepping and re-feathering my nest.

Korea is now suffering a protracted heat wave that has me longing for the deep chill of January. I’ll be taking a short trip with B to the Busan seaside in a couple of days, which should help alleviate some of my heat-induced lethargy. Meantime, I can catch you up on a few simple pleasures I enjoyed this spring.

I’ll keep things light in this post, as I usually do, given this is but a humble craft blog – although there are some heavier thoughts I have about the state of the world and its people that might soon find their way into a post of their own.

In January, I finished a lovely crimson throw for my sofa, using a pattern from a book of matelassé-inspired crochet stitches that I have had for some time. In 2021, I made a similar, larger throw and matching pillow cover from this book that used a slightly more complex pattern (see it here). The bigger one is now in one of the bedrooms at my parents’ home in San Diego.

For the smaller throw, I used several 100g skeins of Caron Simply Soft yarn in Autumn Red and a 4.50 mm hook. It’s made in blocks that I pieced together with a single-crochet join and finished off with border of half-double crochet. Nothing fancy, but it’s a cozy addition to my blanket pile.

I enjoyed making the blanket in January, but I can’t even look at it now without breaking a sweat. No doubt I will love it again once October rolls around.

Spring brought the usual floral beauties to adorn my walks to work and around the neighborhood. Some of my spring favorites are early magnolia and plum blossoms, the cheerful pop of yellow forsythia, delicate violets, cherry, and lovely purple iris (for sentimental reasons). In early summer, I was treated to several varieties of peony, as well as fabulous tiger lilies that can be found in secret corners of my campus. At the moment, the rose of Sharon (mugunghwa 무궁화), Korea’s national flower and my summer favorite, is in profusion.

I also adore the wildflowers of summer, especially those that crowd the banks of neighborhood rivers. Once in a while I get lucky and encounter some wildlife, too, such as an elusive gray heron.

Bo and I get out on our regular walks no matter what the weather. He turned 13 this year and we just celebrated our sixth “gotcha day.” Bo is slowing down, as might be expected of a senior gent, but a routine blood test a few weeks ago showed normal function in his vital organs, apart from a bladder stone that we’re monitoring. I feel blessed to still have this guy around. His vet and I agree that he is an amazingly resilient dog.

When I need a break from planning for the upcoming fall semester, I work on a few simple yarn projects. One of them is an amigurumi figure that will have the little brown feet pictured below. These micro-tootsies are of a semi-aquatic animal that I was recently inspired to make after reading a special blog I admire. I will leave it at that for now, but you have my solemn promise that I’ll not be away too long before my next blog post and the big (little?) “reveal.”

I recently made a satisfying yarn haul a few weeks ago, including some gradient yarns that I’ll use to make a parrot-themed pillow cover when I have time. I also found some specialty yarns, including a fabulous mohair-blend laceweight yarn in a stunning deep green that has metallic and tiny sequin accents. The photo below doesn’t do the color justice. This yarn will probably grow up to be a cozy, elegant scarf.

My most recent haul is of three adorable coloring books from the Japanese purveyor “Pomadour.” I got them with my mother in mind, since she’s an avid fan of sophisticated coloring books. One book has postcard-sized images that are nice to color on the go. A second book depicts fanciful, imaginary cities, and the third book is of romanticized domestic animals and botanical images by Kanoko Egusa, a popular Japanese coloring book artist. You can check out more Egusa coloring books in my 2022 post, here. They are full of charm and beautiful details.

Before I go, I want to share one last thing. I support a couple of dog shelters in Korea, one of which is Aniband in Goyang, a community just north of Seoul. For about a year and a half, I have followed the life of one little dog there that has inexplicably captured my heart. (His shelter name is Gentle, but I’ve taken to calling him Kai).

I know, I know. I love them all. But I really want this little black underdog to have a home. I am not in a position to take on another dog at the moment, but I would do everything in my power to help get him adopted and even fly out of the country (United States?) to meet his people. Black mixed dogs don’t stand much of a chance in Korea, where many people, even with the good intention to adopt, prefer purebreds or designer dogs.

Quick stats: He is about 2 years old; 5-6 kg (about 12-15 lbs.); loves people, other dogs, and toys; great on a leash; clean bill of health; neutered; a mixed breed that likely includes schnauzer, but to be honest, I can’t say what else. He’s a ray of sunshine and has an underbite that will melt anyone’s heart. Go to @aniband_gouku on Instagram, scroll down to view photos and video, and see the shelter’s Linktree to other sites.

Thanks for reading! See you again soon.