The quickest turn-around time in a while

I just finished this project on Tuesday night, and here it's Saturday and I'm already uploading it!

As mentioned previously, I started a new job about two weeks ago. One of my coworkers and his wife are expecting their first baby, and someone asked them if they had a baby shower. They answered, "Oh, we don't have baby showers in Japan," to which the office replied, "You're in America now!", and threw a shower for them.

So of course, I had to knit.



I used the Lil' Devil Baby Hat pattern, with a chart borrowed from Knitting Year-Round's Rubber Ducky Pullover. In case you're keeping track, this is the third baby hat and and sixth hat total I've made using the Kittyville hat patterns. It's knit with Lion Cotton-Ease, Caron Simply Soft, and a mystery eyelash yarn, all of which came from my friend Nora's stashbusting party (which is another entry entirely).

Here's the hat being modeled by a penguin:

Improvisation

Pompon tree? Who needs a pompon tree?

Excuses, excuses

First I was too busy to update because I was moving home from Japan. Then I was too busy because I was searching for a job. Now I'm too busy because I just started my new job last Friday (which so far I love) and it's really hectic right now. *le sigh*

Random Thought 9/20

I was more or less expecting it, considering The Happy Hooker kept getting bumped back, but the Son of Stitch 'n Bitch release has been delayed from October to November. I know it'll come out eventually, but I really want it to come out now.

In other non-related news, I'm getting very sick of the dachshund running off with and subsequently mangling my skeins of yarn.

If it wasn't nearly 2 am, I'd be a lot more interesting

Craft Update: I have some photos kicking around here somewhere that I need to upload, and I've started yet another new project (never mind the previously started ones that still haven't been completed, but that's an old story).

Life Update: I'm back in Chicago, more or less. Technically I'm living in the north suburbs and will soon start working in the south suburbs. How this will affect my crafting habits has yet to be seen. The introduction of kung-fu, bass guitar, and a renewed love for Dynasty Warriors have already cut into my knitting time lately. Never mind the adorable demon dachshund who likes to gnaw on my bamboo needles while I'm using them; I keep trying to explain to him that he's not a panda, but he doesn't listen.

Also, I think it's funny that at the time I made this post, the only photo on the page is a mass of Fun Fur.

I swear I'll start updating again soon

I've been back in the States for almost two weeks, and I think I've finally readjusted, more or less. There's still the risk of reverse culture shock down the line, but I'm feeling less out of whack than I did when I first got in.

Anyhoo, I'm waiting for most of my craft supplies to reach me. Since sending packages by ship was the cheapest option, that's how I mailed them home, but it takes a month or more for the boxes to get here. Fortunately I ordered a ton of yarn while I was still in Japan that my mom never sent to me, so I do have a couple projects in the works right now, ranging from complicated (a cabled afghan that I'm pretty sure has a few errata in the pattern) to simple (a 1X1 rib Gryffindor scarf).

The cost of moving

I've made it from my home in the country to my host family's house in Osaka, at the expense of several WIPs that I previously mentioned working on, most notably the cabled bag and vintage dress in this post and the Knucks mentioned in this one. I also gave scads of yarn, most of it still in the ball bands, to one of the English teachers who I worked with who's an absolute doll; and somehow I lost one of the beaded pins I made.

When I get time to upload them, I have photos of most of the hats I crocheted for my host family (my host brother took his lot before I took photos of everything), and a few other sayonara presents I made for some of the other teachers I worked with.