Crochet on the road

It's been almost two weeks since i'm back home from the tour but i'm only starting to get back to normal life. When you are on the road non-stop even for a short amount of time, it takes time to get used to normal life again where you don't need to move all the time and you don't meet new people every day. I got the pics from the tour developed yesterday, i'll share them soon once i get time to scan them.

We've spent quite a lot of time in trains so i had plenty of time to try out some crochet patterns from my new books:

Unfortunately, i don't have any photos of the doily i've made using the pattern from the "Pineapple doilies" book, because i gave the doily to my mom. It was the doily from the cover. The instructions in this book were really clear and the doily turned out really pretty.

From the "Lacy Crochet" book i especially enjoyed making round coasters. First i've made them exactly following the instructions.

When i've used all the colors that i had with me and got a bit bored of the same pattern, i've tried a different edging.

I've also tried a large square doily from the same book. I did my own edging and more rows than the pattern suggested.

This large round doily was actually the first one i've made from the book before we left on tour.

I am really happy that i got this book (the full title is "Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts! Lacy Crochet"). I really like the way it's designed, all the examples on the photographs are made with really pretty pastel yarn, really similar colors with the ones i have and i really like them. There are both templates and text instructions with photos for each project. There are also instructions for basic stitches, so the book could be good for beginners as well. It was my first time working with crochet templates, and i really liked it, because i often get lost in text patterns when there are lots of rows involved. There are instructions with photos for each sign in the templates, so i've learnt to use them quite fast.

This post was not sponsored by anyone. I did not get any money to review the items featured in this post.

Stamps

Several days ago i've received a parcel with some new stamps. I finally decided to try and order something from Etsy. I really like rubber stamping, but stamps are quite expensive in local craft shops and i don't even like most of the designs. So when i found Blossom Stamps shop on Etsy, i ordered some stamps straight away.

First, i just wanted to review my new stamps, but then i thought why don't i share my whole little stamp collection.

This is my first rubber stamp. I just wanted to try rubber stamping, so i wanted to buy a small and cheap stamp. This ladybug was really cute so i got it. You've probably seen it used on my notebooks.

These are handmade Indian wooden stamps i found in a local craft shop. I really liked the designs and it took me a long time to pick these two. They are really pretty but it's not so easy to get a nice looking image with them, because the material is hard, unlike rubber or polymer.

I've been looking for alphabet stamps for a really long time. I was really happy to finally find them in a local craft shop. I have used them for some gift packaging, but initially i wanted to get these to use them on tape covers for our Jozik releases. Hopefully i can try that soon. But they are definitely good for many other purposes.

And finally, the stamps i received from the Blossom Stamps Etsy shop. When i first found the shop i just wanted to get almost all of their stamps, i really liked the designs. But then i decided to choose the ones i like the most, try them out and if i like them get more later. Their stamps are handmade using photopolymer, so i wasn't sure if they are as good as rubber. But when i tried them out i definitely wasn't disappointed.

I really like the amount of detail these stamps have. I've been wanting a bicycle stamp and some birds so i'm really happy they had those in the shop. I am definitely going to order more from them. They do custom stamps as well, so i'm thinking of a Jozik stamp maybe.

This post was not sponsored by anyone. I did not get any money to review the items featured in this post.

Knitted toys

Several months ago when looking for some book about photography on Amazon, i thought that i could also order some small and cheap books that could teach me some new DIY and crafty things. So among others, i ordered a book by Anna Hrachovec called "Knitting Mochimochi".

I really like knitting, so i thought it would be fun to learn how to knit toys. The reviews on Amazon said the instructions in the book are very clear so i got it. And it was true! I am not a very advanced knitter, all i can knit is scarves, socks and some soft cases for my cameras and music instruments (planning to share those here soon!) And the skills i have seem to be more than enough to make the toys described in this book. I had to learn some new techniques, but the instructions were really clear, so it was easy.

Couple of weeks ago i started with the book by just trying the basic techniques described in there. I thought i just make something that had legs and ears, so i can learn how to make those. But once i added eyes and mouth to it, it suddenly started to look so cute!

During the weekend i was slightly sick so i stayed in bed most of the time and i decided to finally try one of the actual toy patterns from the book. So i made a pair of pocket protectors.

They are now protecting a side pocket of our backpack:

I can't wait to try other patterns as well try making up a toy myself. I also want to try making very tiny ones.

This post was not sponsored by anyone. I did not get any money to review the items featured in this post.

Origami

I went to Kiasma today to check out the ongoing exhibition. On my way out i hopped in the Kiasma Shop and found something i had to get for myself:

It's a small book with instructions on how to make origami as well as a bunch of paper with different patterns for making them. 

The patterns are so pretty, i almost feel like hanging them on my walls!

I've been wanting to learn how to do origami for a long time, now it's time to get my hands on them :)

This post was not sponsored by anyone. I did not get any money to review the items featured in this post.