This is what my youngest son’s future band director counseled during tonight’s orientation session for ninth grade band, and while he wasn’t thinking of my crochet when he said it, it certainly applies to my current situation.

From a crochet perspective (my default frame of reference) today was not as productive as yesterday.

While I did manage to put one hour-long parent meeting earlier in the day to good use, crocheting these four Bauhaus blocks:

and these five Bauhaus rectangles that refuse to lay flat:

the back-to-school rituals this week have definitely taken a bite out of my crochet time.

However, this afternoon, once my son and I were settled in, I had a few moments to work my craft, and I used the time to finish adding the details to Melinda Miller’s Kit Kat purse.

First, I added a round of black single crochet stitches to the edge of the front and back panels and then completed the facial features:

Next, I attached the straps to the front and back panels of the purse-to-be:

Then, in a departure from the directions, I put the right sides together and joined them with a single crochet stitch through both loops rather than the suggested whipstitch:

I used this method because it is much easier to pull out the single crochet stitches if there is a mistake.

Then, I got out some Hello Kitty swag I had been collecting to see how it coordinated with the purse:

While I would have liked to have completed more work on my state fair project, it certainly helps me to have gotten this little purse done.

The fewer projects I have competing for my immediate attention, the better able I am to concentrate my efforts on what is in front of me.

I will be happy when I can put this in the mail (along with a few other projects that have been pestering my psyche) and send it on it’s way. Hopefully, a little girl will be able to find that it is her go-to bag for all those occasions that require both a ball-point pen and a few jelly beans.