Squirrel Clothes!

We had a "Squirrel Village" in Mihama-cho. I never saw a squirrel anywhere in the area, and it was never open, but there were a lot of squirrel knick-knacks for a while at the souvenir shop near my house (the hiking trails around where I lived are a World Heritage Site, so there are a lot of shops scattered through the area).

Before I decided to stay a second year in Japan, I was considering a semester in Italy to study fashion design once my contract ended. My mom joked that I could make squirrel clothes for the Squirrel Village.

A few months later: Happy Hanukkah, and be careful what you joke about, Mom.

Ooh, a LYS!

As mentioned in previous posts, I recently moved. One of the first things I stumbled across while driving around my new surroundings was a sign: "Coming soon: Have Ewe Any Wool?" Despite not having picked up my needles in a while, there's something to be said for the giddy thrill of a LYS so close to my apartment.

They're open now, and I stopped by last Saturday. It's not actually a new store but a new location for them. I was very well-behaved and resisted buying anything, but I still petted just about every skein of yarn in the place (and discovered that my magpie streak is alive and well as I got distracted by several varieties of sparkly yarn). I also spoke to a group of friendly, interesting women (some who worked there, some not), and I definitely plan to go back.

I may just return to knitting yet. Of course, now it's not only in competition with bass but with roller derby as well....