happy new year

new books for winter over at my etsy shop. the one on the left has amazing felt hats-i'm planning to keep it around for inspiration for years to come. the one on the right is scandinavian inspired felting--very cute! things scandinavian are trendy right now in japan, which makes sense, since a lot of northern european customs and aesthetics tie in rather well with zakka.
my gocco printed linen coasters also in the shop-bright red acorns seem good for winter, or maybe that's just squirrel logic!
my new wool muji slippers in orange. my toasty toes love them. (i couldn't resist and got the herringbone ones too! shhh. they're for guests;-)
here's the mouse from my last post-in honor of 2008, year of the 'nezumi,' or mouse, in japan.

monkeys, both felt and sock, and a heap of cats

there's an exhibit of felt (including a monkey) in kyoto, at the gallery inspiblo, a nifty-looking gallery/shop/salon/bar/cafe.

on the monkey theme, i just found an excellent sock monkey book. called 'glove dogs and sock monkeys,' it's pretty incredible in variety and detail of glove and sock animals.
ISBN: 4-579-11061-7








along similar lines of cute animals with human expressions, the following book is exclusively amigurumi cats, but with an exhaustive range of emotions and activities. a lot of them are different places and ways to nap, which i guess is a fairly accurate representation of a cat's life!

'the life of amigurumi cats: a heap of cats'
IBSN: 4-391-13012-2

more felt books

i've just added a few more felt books to my etsy shop.

1. ISBN 4-309-28073-0
small articles made of wool felt for baby

includes projects for handpuppets, a hat, rattle, bags, shoes, cushions, accessories, and more cute things. 23 projects total.
all written instructions are in japanese, but there are clear diagrams and step by step photos for the different kinds of projects, and lovely images of the finished works.
both needle and wet felting projects are included, some projects combine both techniques.
this is a good book for someone who already understands the basics of felting. if you know how to felt around a flat resist, the wet felting projects should be no problem.





2. ISBN #4-277-43072-4
simple zakka and bag of felt wool

the book includes many wet-felted projects like bags, coasters, and lots of decorative and functional items to use at home. the coasters include the application of needle-felting patterns. the unique combination of techniques in this book is the combination of felting and crochet, both with yarn and with raffia.
there are 23 different projects. althought the text is entirely in japanese, there are clear instruction diagrams and pictures, both for wet- and needle- felted projects and crochet additions.

japanese craft books at my etsy shop

here are some photos of all the craft books currently for sale at my etsy shop. i plan to keep this post updated when new titles are added, and include the ISBN numbers for reference.

1.
ISBN 4-529-04306-1
"tanu (seed):how to make little fluffy felt things from wool"
includes projects for snowflakes, penguins, a scarf, bags, accessories, and cute things.
both needle and wet felting projects are included, some combine both techniques.
this is a good book for someone who already understands the basics of felting. if you know how to felt around a flat resist, the wet felting projects should be no problem. 81 pages.







2.
ISBN #4-309-28044-7
'small articles made of wool felt'
out of stock as of feb. 15, should be back in stock by march 1.
includes both wet-felted projects like bags and small needle-felted projects like dogs and sheep. there are 25 different projects, with lovely photos. although the text is entirely in japanese, there are clear instruction diagrams and pictures, both for wet- and needle- felted projects. 71 pages.





3.
ISBN 4-529-04079-9
shows how to make little cute chirimen characters-including little people, dolls, a cat, fish, and flower. most projects start with the pattern for cutting out the cloth pieces, followed by directions for hand sewing. there is some glueing, and stuffing, and many tiny details included.
64 pages.







4.
ISBN 4-529-04305-3
teeny tiny amigurumi
this japanese book has patterns for characters that are wee even by amigurumi standards! there are many pages of photo illustrations of the construction process, which uses a very fine yarn. most are between 5-8 cm tall; there are elephants, lions, dogs, cats, pigs, monkeys, russian dolls, kewpie dolls, a ladybug, a caterpillar, snails, figure puppets.
there are about 16 projects total, plus variations. 71 pages.




5.
ISBN 4-309-26572-3
chalk full of adorable creatures, and the pattens and instructions to crochet them. 16 projects are presented in great detail and diagram; although the words are all japanese, the pictures are very clear and go step by step. 71 pages.




6.
ISBN 4-579-11015-3
'Fleece Dog'
photos and directions for needle felting 20 different specific breeds of dogs:

labrador retriever, miniature dachshunds, shiba, french bulldog, wire-haired fox terrier, siberian husky, chihuahua, miniature schnauzer, pomeranian, papillon, dalmatian, catalan sheepdog, bernese mountain dog, scottish terrier, west highland white terrier, afghan hound, toy poodle, shetland sheepdog, cavalier king charles spaniel, and petit basset griffon vendeen.

the project titles and table of contents are in english and japanese. the text for the step-by-step instructions is all in japanese only, but the photos and diagrams are very clear and easy to understand. for each one of the 20 breeds, there is a full page diagramming the dimensions, shapes, and parts that make up that dog, as well has photos from every angle showing the completed project. there is also a detailed step-by-step photo process showing how to make and assemble each part. 79 pages