tiny crochet

As promised here is a another Japanese crochet book peek  ちいさなちいさなモチーフ編み (Heart Warming Life Series). This book is part of the Marche heartwarming life series of crochet books and is filled with patterns for the sweetest tiny motifs.

Patterns for sweets, snowflakes, little girls and flowers that are easy to whip up with a little bit of time and thread. Now I am not quite sure what I would do with tiny crocheted lollies but aren't the designs cute?

my creative space

Lush fairy floss and sea side coloured crewel wool arrived in the post this week. Today after work I transferred the design onto linen and zigzag stitched the edge. All ready to embroider.

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Japanese crochet style

Well my big run of doily making for our wedding is slowly coming to an end. I am about to start blocking them and then deciding on how to put them together into the final piece. My mind has been wondering about what project to start on next. I have a very enticing selection of Japanese crochet books from my holiday in Japan and have several embroidery books that have left me with the need to start an embroidery something. Now. right now. I think I can largely blame that on the beautiful Embroidery Companion by Alicia which arrived in my mail box on Friday. Since then I have been wanting to embroider something. anything really. right now. I have been through my embroidery tin a couple of times and chosen colours.  I have been through all our cupboards looking for spare pillow cases. I have visited two craft stores in the search of crewel wool (I ended up ordering online - any suggestions for Melbourne embroidery stores?) and have been to officeworks to photocopy designs. Twice. 

Whilst I wait for the crewel wool to arrive and ponder how to finish my doily wedding project I thought I would share some of my newish Japanese crochet books. I was quite good and was rather selective in what I purchased so have ended with many favourites - crochet, embroidery and a tatting book as well as one on washi tape and buttons. So for a peek, up first is a gem of a book from Marche filled with summer crochet pieces to wear. This is the kind of book where I want to make almost everything, really.

When I was in Tokyo I purchased the recommended yellow cotton to make this scarf and managed to decipher the yarn suggested to make a few of my other favourites - a bag and a collar. 

In today's sunshine I managed to snap a few more book photos and will hopefully be back later in the week to share some more.

in my courtyard...

 

I have a tiny kitchen herb and flower garden in the small space that is our light well. I really love this tiny sunny space. I can easily pop out the kitchen door to pick a few herbs when cooking which makes it very useful as well. 

In a few moments of spring sunshine and warmth late last week, I enjoyed inspecting my plants for signs of spring. The herbs had grown as had all my flower seedlings. The geraniums, that had all started as cuttings,had grown to absolutely crazy heights and strangely had produced absolutely no flowers.

 

The snap dragons from last summer had a few new flowers and there was even signs of new chilis and my first stock flowers. It was very exciting to see and despite the cool wintery weather over the past few days a clear sign that it is spring.

My creative space

It has been a long time since I have been here, but it doesn't mean I have not been crafting. Our wedding is less than 10 weeks away and I have been slowly but steadily working on a special something for the wedding.  So far it looks like this...

A growing pile of doilies, that will hopefully continue to grow and then become something just like I imagined.  So until then I am going to keep working away. I have used up most of the vintage crochet thread I have and am making my way through a few different balls of DMC crochet thread. I purchased three balls a babylo, cebelia and traditional ball. I can't seem to notice much difference between them, except the price. Anyone have any favourites I should try?

More creative spaces here.