Today we visited the golden temple, Kinkaku-ji, in Kyoto. Can you imagine how long it must have taken to apply gold leaf to the exterior of this entire building? And I think a quilt takes a long time to finish!



And here we are soaking our tired feet in a natural hot spring. My husband thinks we should open one of these in the mall. :)


While traveling by plane and train this week, I've had plenty of time to crochet a few baby items for my new niece (just born this week) and nephew (coming soon!). This pattern is my old standby for baby boys. It's quick and easy, but a little more interesting than just a plain beanie. It has a faux flap where you can attach buttons. I love it. It's the Easy Big Button cap from the littleprojects etsy shop. (I've used a couple of her patterns and they're great.) The pattern is for an adult hat, but I made it for 3-6 month old baby by following the same pattern only using a size J hook and a worsted weight yarn (the pattern calls for a K hook and two strands of a thick and quick yarn). Isn't it adorable on baby G, back when it actually fit him? I think he's outgrown it since this was taken!


I've also had time to finish writing and testing my patterns for a sweet baby girl hat and booties that I promised forever ago. They may be a bit different from the original, but just as cute (or cuter). Here's a sneak peek.

As soon as I get home and unpack, I'll get the patterns in the shop. Both the beanie and the booties will have flower patterns included. They're quick and easy, especially compared to gilding a temple!