Summer Crochet and Knit: Go The Japanese Way

Easy Knit Wardrode Spring / Summer (ISBN: 4529045234)

Let me tell you, I love this book. It features the most beatiful tops I’ve seen around. Items have elaborate design but yet simple. Subtle colors that help to enhance the stitch art.

I’ve already finished three projects from it and I have a goal of making all the projects from this one, even the knitted ones (and I don’t even knit). I love them all, not even one feels ugly or not right or just not for me. The book features many tops, mostly lace and openwork (4 knitting patterns and 4 crochet), a shawl, 4 bags/shopping bags, a light scarf, 2 hats.

(I love this hat!)

There are also patterns for a simple but pretty necklace plus crocheted flowers to adorn your bags and house.

Let me tell you, I love this book. It features the most beatiful tops I’ve seen around, items that have elaborate design but yet simple. The subtle colors help to enhance the stitch art.

As always the charts and the explanations are easy to follow. This one also has two fully photographed tutorials for two crochet items that will help you, if you’re a beginner (in crochet, in japanese, or in reading knit and crochet charts).

So here’s my two FOs:

the checkered shawl (in pink) (Ravelry link)

and the crochet shopping bag (a fav) (Ravelry link)

The only negative about this book is that it’s so good, that common designs featured in magazines and yarn brands will start to feel boring and you will not want to make them anymore. *sigh*

 

Hello Kitty Amigurumi

I’ll be honest. I’m crocheting for half a year now and I couldn’t understand what was the “thing” with amigurumi. I mean they are cute and technically challenging but why? Why make them, when you can make useful items? The answer came last week. I felt a bit wasted after completing four major crochet projects in the row (2 tops, a grocery bag and a shawl) and I wanted to crochet something small and fun and amusing. So I picked up the Hello Kitty amigurumi book (yes I had one even though I wasn’t sure I would make anything from it) and chose what seemed easy.

HK went for a walk around the garden

And then I understood why people get hooked on it. When you’re crafting a useless project, it’s like playing. It was like solving a small puzzle, like arranging lego, like fooling around with playmobils, like being a child again… I finished this particular hello kitty in two days time. She is my first amigurumi ever. She has some mistakes but who cares?

HK smells the beautiful mirabilis jalapa flowers

After I finished the assemply I was looking at her and giggling like the serious and responsible and grown up adult that I am. Even the boyfriend was giggling with me.  Then I took her for a walk around the garden to take some pictures. Finally, I found a place inside for her, where the cats can’t reach, to save the crocheted feline from a slow death caused by her fellow furry felines.

HK in the evening sun

A few words about the book now, right?

ISBN: 4387990325

I show this one at Saucylouise’s shop. It looks I haven’t spotted it on the japanese Amazon cause it had no featured image and i can’t read japanese titles. I said to myself: If you have to have just one amigurumi book it has to be this. Even if you never use it at least it will fulfill your Hello Kitty obsession. The sample pictures look good (unlike some dreadful crocheted Hello Kitties that scare the internets) and they actually are good.  I mean all the patterns are well designed, nicely illustrated, with complete instructions (they even have sample nose and eyes patterns for each project and tell you exactly where to place them to achieve an authentic hello kitty result). Unlike most of the japanese crochet books I’ve had so far, this one has handwritten instructions. Sometimes you can’t undestand what part you’re supposed to be making (leg, arm or ear) but you should jump into making the magic ring and follow the pattern and when you’re finished you’ll understand its purpose. And now some sample HK from inside:

the one I tried to make…

Hello Kitty Bee!!! A favorite. A must-made.

another cute one

a sample of the instructions.

 

July is here and I’ve made a new summer dress

July is here and the heatwaves arrived. Not much energy to do crafting. But still I’ve managed to finish yet another summer dress from the infamous book of my previous post. I ranked it as the perfect summer dress. Plus it’s really easy to sew. All you’re gonna need is 2,5 meters of fabric and about 20 meters of elastic thread. And some patience to sew the elastic thread parts. The only problem now is that I need at least two variations of it. And around autumn I will need the sleeved versions too. Good thing that Marimekko was on sale this week and I got a good grip on it. Can you imagine marimekko dress with this pattern? I can.

This is called brilliant pattern design, don’t you think? You just cut straight pieces of fabric and then let the elastic rectangular details do the fitting job. How didn’t I think of this? (uhm cause you don’t design patterns, that’s why). So here is the technical drawing of the dress.

And here it is finished and modelled by me:

and a view of the details:

Once more: the book is called “Dresses with Straight Stitches” and has ISBN-10: 4309280196

 

Ravelry Caffeine Addicts Swap

From MarthaG (ravelry nickname) of Flora, Fauna, Fur and Fiber came the most beautiful bountiful delicious full of aromas and tastes package. Yesterday I woke up at 5 o’clock because one of my cats decided to play football with a soda can. Then I couldn’t fall asleep again. Left home for work and went by my po box at the post office at 7:30 in a grumpy state of mind. And left with the same grumpy mood cursing at universal postal services that don’t adopt teleportation as a postal service. Late afternoon I went to deliver some business packages at the local post office branch and the lady that knows me said that I had a box there waiting for me. And then came the smell of coffee and I knew immediately what it was. My ravelry swap budy MarthaG!!! Made my day.

When I opened I became happier cause Martha’s package was the best treat I could ever receive, I feel so spoiled and pampered. She really did a good job reading my blog and ravelry personal info cause she included everything i like. Here’s my loot:

(more photos at my flickr swap set)

3 skeins of Araucania Pima Cotton Pomaire, 1 ball of peaches and cream in burnt orange and another one in Mar-Di-Gras, two packages of ground coffee from stumptown coffee roasters that smell divine. I already tried the Nicaragua one first thing this morning and it was a revelation to me. Sometimes when I like something I forget to search for new things. That has happened with my previous coffee choice. But now I have a new favorite coffee and a reason to keep searching for more I also got earl grey with bergamot, my all time favorite with an mesh ball to go with it. Then I got the best mug ever, big with cats on it from a shop she told me is called “the cat’s meow” (now there’s a pin added to my to-visit places). I also got chocolate covered bluberries that my boyfriend and I keep stealing from the kitchen with innocent looks, chocolate squares (yummy), a handmade soap from River County Soapworks “Citrus Splash” that has a perfect smell and I’ll try when my current soap finishes and some cocoa orange bath truffles. And if you think I wasn’t spoiled enough there is more inside!!! Nice practical stitch markers (can you believe that I’ve been crocheting all this time without them?) a small cute mini bamboo crochet hook and the big surprise. 3 Japanese crochet books from Kinokuniya Bookstores. I was speachless when I saw these beauties. We don’t have any japanese bookstores in Greece (cause let’s face it there are no japanese people around here) and all my japanese crochet and sewing books were ordered online. It was an amazing add-on to my collection. MarthaG I can’t thank you enough.