My plan was to become a librarian after graduating from university and spend my days reading as much as I wanted. However, the economic bubble burst during my third year, and suddenly the path to becoming a local civil servant became impossibly difficult. My plan fell through in an instant.
This may be impolite to admit, but I decided to get married for the time being. My husband and I lived in western Shizuoka Prefecture for about seven years because of his job transfers. During that time, I worked a variety of jobs, from waiting tables at a family restaurant to eventually working as a municipal employee at a large elementary school with 800 students. None of those jobs, however, ever felt like something I wanted to devote my life to.
We later moved to Okinawa when my husband changed jobs again. I also did various kinds of work there, but no matter where or how I worked, nothing lasted. It was around the age of thirty that I began to seriously think about where my life was headed.
At that time, some of my female coworkers complimented the things I knitted and even seriously asked me to make them custom orders. I think it was a crocheted bag with sequins, which were popular back then. I had been knitting continuously since my university days, but no one had ever appreciated my work before, so I was really surprised.
Up to that point, my knitting life in my twenties was mostly making things for my sister, who lived in Paris, and sending them to her. Because of sizing issues, I had never knitted a single wearable piece for myself. Of course, my sister was delighted with what I made for her, but I had never once thought of turning knitting into a career.
I declined the order requests, but the fact that people admired my work so much made me think I maybe could turn knitting into a job. When I thought about it, knitting was the only thing I had kept up with into adulthood, aside from music and reading. I had come to realize just how poorly suited I was for being a company employee over the previous ten years.
I felt bad for the supervisors who had been kind to me, but just as I was beginning to think about quitting my job to study knitting seriously, my husband once again changed jobs, and we moved back to mainland Japan. This was an ideal opportunity for me since I felt it was difficult to study knitting properly in Okinawa.
Our next destination was Kanagawa Prefecture. Living in such a convenient urban area meant I finally had access to study opportunities, though we didn’t know how long we would be there because of my husband’s work. I started researching how I could study knitting as efficiently as possible in a short time. At that time, almost no schools posted information online, so I had to make phone calls and ask around. It was quite a struggle to find a good class.
In the end, I discovered one through an internet search and ended up attending a knitting school in the city nearly every week for about two years, knitting non-stop. I studied with certification in mind, but what I ultimately realized was this: no matter what you learn, you can’t find the right answers for yourself unless you actually move your own hands and practice.
It was also during this time that I discovered the world of foreign patterns. I still remember the shock of seeing Rowan Magazine, which my teacher subscribed to. I was also introduced to Ravelry through that same class, and from that day on, I spent every single night scrolling through its pages.
When I first started attending the classes, I was motivated by a desire to design my own garments and make things that fit me perfectly. However, there were countless patterns on Ravelry that I wanted to knit, with extensive size options. There weren’t enough hours in the day! I quickly fell headfirst into the world of English-language patterns, and knitting became even more enjoyable.
That said, I wasn’t just knitting all day long. As a member of the Ochiai household, I also had to earn money. After discussing it with my husband, we agreed that if I contributed at least 60,000 yen a month, I was free to pursue whatever I wanted.