Japanese crafting

I am lucky to have access to a used Japanese book store. And once in awhile,I'll get lucky and find some interesting craft books. Nope, I can't read most of it, but there are lots of diagrams to follow. I love Japanese embroidery. It's so kawaii! And who could pass up that felt bento box? Omusubi, anyone?

On this trip, there were some stuffed toy books too. Would you believe Hello Kitty and friends? That's a lot of craft projects in my queue!

A bit late for this post, but I just had to show you what I got! This year I made it to the Annual Friends of the Library Book Sale! It's one of my favorite places to browse for books. I only had a short time, so I headed straight for the craft section. Score! Some knitting, some quilting, some toy making. Looney Toons Transfers that will make a great embroidery project. Some books on bobbin lace...Cross stitch, of course, including one for Russian Lace (drawn thead).


But my personal favorite for this trip... the cross stitch Monopoly chart. It has been at the bottom of my wish list, because really, when do I have the time to take on this project? Well, now I have the chart, should I so be inclined (at a bargain price!).

Happy Crafting, everyone!

used book finds

I love my library! They have an ongoing fundraiser of used books, both from donations and books taken out of circulation. You never know what you will find on the shelves. Most of the books are $1-$2 and paperbacks are 50 cents. Here's some from my recent visits. Most of the craft books are in excellent condition. Older books show more wear, but these have been published within the last 5 years or so. If they have a pattern or two that I may consider making or if it is a reference book, like the Crochey Bible on the bottom on the stack I'll add them to my collection. Sometimes, I'll bring them home and decide that there is really nothing that I would stitch in them, so back into my library bag it goes to be donated back to the library for the next crafter.

Crafting Korean

We have a great library system here. A few years back, the branch near me received a huge donation of Korean texts. Now, I don't speak or read Korean, so I didn't think I would ever venture into the section. However, volunteers spent many hours cataloging the books. That means that the section was arranged similar to the rest of the library with the non-fiction books shelved according to the Dewey Decimal system and the books in the 740 section are all about textile arts.

Look what I found! Some Korean craft books are published with tons of pictures detailing the steps of the project. Granted, there are some books with very few pictures, but I've been lucky to find a few that have some cute projects. Here's one that I borrowed recently. This one intrigued me because all the steps are hand sewn. Like Japanese patterns, the measurements are in centimeters. The photos make written instructions unnecessary.


I think I'll have a grand time looking for new projects in the Korean section.